This bug remains unresolved with a package set from the latest GIT as of late March 3. I had hoped the latest sources would resolve the problem.

Looks like most or all of the other taskbar options no longer function either. Looks like commit ce3da132 is the culprit. The date of the commit (2012-12-30) matches the original problem description where a package set from Dec. 21 functioned correctly.

The ktaskbarrc file updates correctly when toggling the check boxes but the intended effects do not occur.

How are you accessing the Taskbar settings?  Try clicking on the taskbar handle, then selecting Configure Taskbar.

Ah, that sheds some light to help you. When I open the config dialog as you suggested, from the taskbar handle, then the changes are immediate and effective.

When I open the dialog from the panel popup menu (Configure Panel...), or from within kcontrol (Desktop->Taskbar), the changes have no effect.

I suspect most users will try to make changes from the popup menu or kcontrol, not the taskbar handle. :)

(In reply to comment #4)
> Ah, that sheds some light to help you. When I open the config dialog as you
> suggested, from the taskbar handle, then the changes are immediate and
> effective.
> 
> When I open the dialog from the panel popup menu (Configure Panel...), or from
> within kcontrol (Desktop->Taskbar), the changes have no effect.
> 
> I suspect most users will try to make changes from the popup menu or kcontrol,
> not the taskbar handle. :)

Well, the problem I ran into was that I wanted to be able to configure each panel separately, rather than having one (rather inflexible) configuration for all panels.  Do you have suggestions for making this process more intuitive?  I did try to convey this information with a big warning message in the global taskbar configuration editor, but apparently this was ineffective. :-)

In other words, there is one way to modify all taskbars and another way to modify the taskbar for the current desktop?

This is new behavior. When was this feature added?  The feature is not available in 3.5.13.0. :)

Possible suggestions (thinking quickly here):

1. Move the Settings group box and "NOTE" to the top of the dialog. That would raise awareness that something is different and new.

2. Reword the warnings.

tdebase/kcontrol/taskbar/kcmtaskbarui.ui:481:

AS IS:

NOTE: This module is currently editing the global floating taskbar configuration. To change the configuration of a specific Kicker taskbar applet, please use the Configure Taskbar menu option.

CHANGE TO:

Notice I added bold tags around the word global.

NOTE: Currently you are editing the <b>global</b> taskbar configuration settings (and not the individual taskbar settings). Change taskbar settings in one of two different ways: globally for all taskbars or individually for the taskbar of each virtual desktop. When using this dialog from the Panel popup menu (Configure Panel...) or KControl (Desktop->Taskbar), the changes will be global to all taskbars. When using the Configure Taskbar popup menu from a taskbar's handle, the changes will affect only that individual taskbar.

tdebase/kcontrol/taskbar/kcmtaskbarui.ui:489:

AS IS:

<string>Use current global floating taskbar configuration</string>

CHANGE TO:

<string>Apply the global taskbar configuration settings to this taskbar.</string>

Questions:

* What happens when the user selects the Panel->Appearance->Advanced Options to Hide the handles? A quick test reveals the user can still open the individual handle popup menu by "right-clicking" at the imaginary place where the handle would be, but many users will forget that this advanced option is set, read the instructions about the taskbar handle, and have a genuine WTF moment. :)

* As I did not know about this new feature, and have been trying to change the taskbar settings from within kcontrol and the panel popup menu, of which such changes then apparently are global, how come I still saw no changes? In other words, after some dialog and wording changes, I think a bug still exists.

* I haven't tested this yet, but what happens when a user has only one virtual desktop configured. The dialogs should all then always be the global dialog? To inform the user of both global and individual taskbars likely will be confusing to such users.

Another possible suggestion:

After moving the "NOTE" to the top of the dialog, add GUI controls to allow a user toggle between global settings and individual settings.

[ ] Configure for all taskbars

and

[ ] Configure only this desktop's taskbar

This is a new feature. I suspect many users will get confused as I did, but I'm not the brightest bulb in the pack, so perhaps not. :)

Currently the NOTE is the only clue to what is happening. If there was a toggle control just below the NOTE then that would help users see the difference. Further, ignoring the possible bug with the global dialog (mentioned in previous comment), currently there is only one method to access the the individual taskbar dialog, through the taskbar handle. Having a toggle control then allows users to access either dialog from all three entry points (handle, panel, KControl).

> Questions:
> 
> * What happens when the user selects the Panel->Appearance->Advanced Options to
> Hide the handles? A quick test reveals the user can still open the individual
> handle popup menu by "right-clicking" at the imaginary place where the handle
> would be, but many users will forget that this advanced option is set, read the
> instructions about the taskbar handle, and have a genuine WTF moment. :)

This needs work. :-)

> * As I did not know about this new feature, and have been trying to change the
> taskbar settings from within kcontrol and the panel popup menu, of which such
> changes then apparently are global, how come I still saw no changes? In other
> words, after some dialog and wording changes, I think a bug still exists.

Right now IIRC the user would need to click the "Use Global Taskbar Configuration" button for each taskbar after changing any global settings.  This is quite obviously suboptimal and needs to be fixed.

> * I haven't tested this yet, but what happens when a user has only one virtual
> desktop configured. The dialogs should all then always be the global dialog? To
> inform the user of both global and individual taskbars likely will be confusing
> to such users.

This has nothing to do with virtual desktops. :-)  In fact, my use case was two taskbars on the screen at once, one which showed only stopped applications and one which showed running applications.

Tim

I like the new features. So there are a few wrinkles --- since nobody knew about this and haven't tested. :)

Okay, let's fix this in steps.

Move the Settings group box to the top of the dialogs and add the respective wording changes (Comment 7) and I'll test that.

I never conceived of using multiple taskbars. I now realize I could always do that with the Add Applet to Panel option. Do you have the two taskbars on the same panel or do you have two panels? Perhaps some screen shots might help.

(In reply to comment #10)
> I never conceived of using multiple taskbars. I now realize I could always do
> that with the Add Applet to Panel option. Do you have the two taskbars on the
> same panel or do you have two panels? Perhaps some screen shots might help.

I used two different panels, but both taskbars could be on the same panel.

Okay. Let me know when you rearrange the taskbar dialog. I think those nominal changes will improve the user's understanding of what is happening.

I remain confused at what happens when using the global configuration. Shouldn't changes to the global dialog affect all taskbars and any changes there be seen immediately in all taskbars?

(In reply to comment #12)
> Okay. Let me know when you rearrange the taskbar dialog. I think those nominal
> changes will improve the user's understanding of what is happening.
> 
> I remain confused at what happens when using the global configuration.
> Shouldn't changes to the global dialog affect all taskbars and any changes
> there be seen immediately in all taskbars?

This is implied, however, this is not what happens. :-)  The problem I quickly end up running into is how to prevent a single click of the Apply button in that dialog from overwriting all customised taskbars in the user's profile.  Some intelligence likely needs to be added such that only changed settings are written to all taskbars.

When a user opens the global dialog is the intent to change all taskbars? That is how I'm seeing this, which is why I suggested the previous dialog text changes for the dialog NOTE.

Perhaps in addition to the suggested NOTE changes, when in the global dialog add a bold or red WARNING that all changes affect all taskbars? When in the individual taskbar config dialog add some bolding in the NOTE to emphasize the changes only affect that taskbar?

When the user has only one taskbar and one panel, as I currently have, should the NOTE warnings be hidden and then there is no difference between the global and individual config dialogs? Is there a way to detect this?

I have overhauled the taskbar configuration system in GIT hash 137c344.  It should be far more intuitive, as it now requires that deviations from the global taskbar configuration be explicitly set on a per-taskbar basis.  This means that if a taskbar was never explicitly configured to deviate from the global settings, then the global settings will still apply to all taskbars.

Okay, I'll test when I finish my current build run and testing the many latest great patching.

My main concern is the non-geek, non power user perspective. I envision geeks and power users to quickly learn the difference between the two modes (and even jumping up and down slobbering on themselves), but not the non geeks and non power users. I suspect most non geeks and non power users will almost always try to configure the taskbar through kcontrol or the panel popup menu, which means global config mode. I don't think many non geeks and non power users will use the handle method, notice the difference between the global/individual dialogs, or even care. For them, one panel and one taskbar is sufficiently complex already. :)

Thanks for the work!

Note: One more bug related to the taskbar - Bug 1443.

Created attachment 1153 [details]
Patch with usability improvements to taskbar config dialogs

I think this new feature is looking pretty good.

I'm attaching a patch (that includes some minor cleanup in the What's This text) with the following proposed usability improvements. I tested the patch here and all works as expected.

Also attached are some screenshots to visualize the patch.

First item:
-----------

The phrase "global floating taskbar configuration" is too much of a mouthful. I presume the new feature does indeed support floating taskbars, although I don't yet know how to float additional taskbars. Although probably technically correct, I recommend deleting the word "floating" from the Settings NOTE. The geeks and power users will figure out how to float additional taskbars and eventually the help handbook will be updated as well with how to use this new feature.

The phrase "Configure Taskbar menu option" is not intuitive except to a person intimately familiar with handle popup menus --- which are not used often. This was part of my original confusion and I see the same thing happening to other users.

The phrase "Kicker taskbar applet" is some more of too much of a mouthful. I doubt many users think of the taskbar as an applet, although this too is technically correct.

All of this can be summarized in a single recommended improvement:

AS IS:

<b>NOTE: This module is currently editing the global floating taskbar configuration.</b><br>To change the configuration of a specific Kicker taskbar applet, please use the corresponding Configure Taskbar menu option.

CHANGE TO:

<b>NOTE: Currently you are editing the global taskbar configuration.</b><br>To change the configuration of a specific taskbar (when using multiple taskbars), use the corresponding Configure Taskbar menu option, located in the taskbar handle popup menu.

The attached screenshot shows this improvement in the top section of the picture.

Second item:
------------

When selecting the Configure Taskbar menu option from the handle, users are presented with a different dialog. The dialog appears with a preselected check box to use the global floating taskbar configuration.

Same as the previous recommendation, delete the word "floating" from the check box text and the push button text.

I see that selecting the push button toggles the dialog to the global configuration. So far so good but I am getting old and forgetful. One day I will forget I unchecked the check box. At that point I should know that I am configuring only that specific taskbar, but a Settings NOTE would remind me. After unchecking the check box, the following NOTE appears to help me, located within the Settings group box, and just below the check box:

<b>NOTE:</b> Currently you are editing the taskbar configuration for <b>only</b> this taskbar.

When I uncheck the check box the pushbutton disappears and is replaced by the NOTE reminder.

The attached screenshot shows how this dynamic toggle works in the bottom two sections of the picture.

Third item:
-----------

When a user locks a panel to prevent inadvertent changes, the handles disappear and no longer are accessible. I presume a geek or power user knows as much and the non geeks and non power users cry WTF and asks somebody who might know. I have no simple fix, just thinking out loud.

P.S.
----

I'm not tagging the bug report as reopened because the original bug is resolved. The proposed patch is for usability improvements only. :)

Created attachment 1154 [details]
Screenshots to visualize proposed patch

The first image shows textual changes to the global config dialog NOTE.

The second two images show how the pushbutton disappears and is replaced by a reminder NOTE that the configuration is for the specific taskbar.

Text updated in GIT hash 56909ec.

With respect to the panel handles, let's treat that as a corner case for now and open a new bug report if it becomes a problem.

Second part of patch (updating taskbar configuration strings) pushed to GIT in hash 6d8b2d6.

Looks nice. There was a remnant snippet from my proposed patch that snuck in. I removed in commit b28da13a.