LatteDock/FAQ
What is Latte Dock? How did it begin?
Latte Dock is a dock based on plasma frameworks and a direct successor of Now Dock. Latte is the combined effort from the developers of Now Dock and Candil Dock.
How can I add launchers?
The easiest and most memory-efficient way to do so is to drag n' drop them on the task manager (this is the area where dots and lines are shown under running windows).
You can also add them by right clicking an open window in the task manager and choosing Pin Launcher.
My launcher and its window are not associated correctly OR my launcher is using a low-resolution icon?
This issue means that plasma libtaskmanager has not associated your launcher and app windows correctly to the relevant desktop file. Plasma is trying to be smart enough in order to correctly identify which desktop files are associated to which specific windows, but there are cases when it fails. Best way to solve this is to check the StartupWMClass record in the desktop file. This record should point at the proper WM_CLASS record at all times. For example even though the Latte Dock desktop file is called org.kde.latte-dock.desktop, its StartupWMClass is lattedock. In order to correctly identify the StartupWMClass of an application, you can use xprop.
Example:
- Run
xpropfrom the command line. - Click on the window you are interested in.
- Locate at the end of the output the record
WM_CLASS(STRING) =. - Add the previously mentioned record in the application desktop file at the
StartupWMClassfield.
For instance, with "Gimp 2.10", even though its desktop file is called gimp.desktop, its StartupWMClass is "gimp-2.10". StartupWMClass is not needed to be added for "Gimp" since plasma developers have taken special care to map it properly through /etc/xdg/taskmanagerrulesrc.
Ok, you convinced me to try it! How can I install it and what are its dependencies?
You can download the sources, install the required dependencies and build Latte. Please read README and INSTALLATION.
How can I enable the Latte Global Shortcuts?
In most cases you need to go to → → and enable what shortcuts you need.
- Super + No: Activate a task
- Super + Ctrl + No: A new instance for a task
- Super + `: Show a hidden dock
Can I use my super key to open the app launcher?
First make sure Latte Dock is not open.
Option 1:
Of course you can, but you will need to add at your ~/.config/kwinrc file the following code:
[ModifierOnlyShortcuts] Meta=org.kde.lattedock,/Latte,org.kde.LatteDock,activateLauncherMenu
Then reload KWin with:
qdbus org.kde.KWin /KWin reconfigure
Option 2:
Alternatively, you can run the following commands:
kwriteconfig5 --file ~/.config/kwinrc --group ModifierOnlyShortcuts --key Meta "org.kde.lattedock,/Latte,org.kde.LatteDock,activateLauncherMenu" qdbus org.kde.KWin /KWin reconfigure
Launchers are disappearing before the relevant window is shown even though they shouldn't.
We are acquainted with this, but this behavior is provided by plasma's libtaskmanager. You can read more at: Latte Issue #72, KDE bug report
My left dock behaves strangely from Plasma 5.10 onwards, how can I fix this?
In Plasma 5.10, the KWin developers introduced gesture functionality for touch screens, which is enabled by default for all systems. You can disable it through plasma → → . Relogin your plasma session if the change doesn't take effect immediately.
KWin bug report Plasma bug report
Is there a way to tell Latte Dock to launch only for a Plasma session ?
Of course you can, please follow these steps:
- Go to → → .
- Choose Latte Dock from the applications list.
- → .
Is there any other hiccup or potential problem I should be careful of?
Software, like everything else in life, isn't perfect; we constantly try to make better software and you can help us out by reporting every possible problem you may find. To answer the question though, there isn't a bug serious enough to prevent you from trying Latte Dock.
Are there any hopes and wishes for features from the Plasma upstream?
The most important feature needed from KWin in Wayland is that distros provide access to KWayland's privileged APIs and/or for the users, a confirmation from them that Latte requests such APIs.
How often will new versions be released and what are your plans?
The first priority needed to release a stable version is that all the needed features are implemented and no major crashes appear. We are of course trying to keep the schedule, but on the other hand, it will be ready when it is ready is the better philosophy we should follow in order to provide a complete and stable release for our users.
I am a complete newbie but I want to help somehow. What can I do?
By the time this F.A.Q. was written, much help is needed to make Latte stable with multi-screen setups. You could clone the
"multiscreens" branch and report back any issues. Normal bug reports, reports about problems with specific Plasma or Qt versions, strange desktop behavior or even wishes about new features are all welcome as well. 
I know how to program. What can I do to help?
The first step is to know what you are after and then to fork the repo; after that, you can hunt for bugs, add new features - or make already existing features more stable. Discuss your changes and if they are good and reasonable enough, we are more than happy if you provide a pull request.
How can I install from the current master branch?
You can easily download and install from the latest master branch by running a script with the following commands:
git clone https://github.com/psifidotos/Latte-Dock.git cd Latte-Dock sh install.sh
The last command might ask for your root password just before installing.
How can I install from a specific branch?
If you want to test some features that currently don't exist in the master branch, you have to checkout the branch you wish to install. Let's say you need the multi2 branch:
git clone https://github.com/psifidotos/Latte-Dock.git cd Latte-Dock git pull git branch multi2 git checkout multi2 git pull origin multi2
Compile as usual.
What happens if I drag 'n' drop files on launchers?
The file will be passed as a parameter to the specific application, creating a new instance (e.g. passing an image to Kolourpaint will open the image with Kolourpaint).
Are there known compatibility issues with specific graphics drivers?
If you have Intel Graphics and experience problems with rendering such as pixelated graphics, corrupt text and others, you can try changing the 2D rendering method from SNA to UXA.
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf
section "Device" Identifier "Intel Graphics" Driver "intel" Option "AccelMethod" "uxa" EndSection
My right click does not work ?
When right-click does not work both for applets and tasks it means that your Latte has not been built with the same KDE Frameworks libraries like Plasma Desktop. The only solution is either your distro to update its Latte package properly or to build Latte by yourself.
How can I set the maximum icon size for applets in Plasma panels?
If you want to set 192px. as maximum icon size for applets in panels you can execute:
kwriteconfig --file ~/.config/kdeglobals --group PanelIcons --key Size "192"
In the previous example, any plasma applets larger than 192px. are going to use their full Desktop representation when are placed inside panels.
How can I improve CPU usage?
Latte, in general, has as a focus to provide maximum configurability and performance, so all its graphics and animations are set to BEST values...
An easy and known solution if you want better CPU usage it to DISABLE tasks/applets shadows. Latte is using DropShadow qml element extensively and it is quite costly. To disable all shadows in a dock, you can do:
Right click Dock -> Dock settings - Effects -> "Shadows" [disable that options group from its header]
In my system, when using the parabolic effect, CPU usage is dropped around 75%
My badge counters don't work in latte-dock. How can fix it?
Please make sure you have libunity installed. On KDE versions of Ubuntu such as Kubuntu and KDE Neon, you will need libunity-dev installed.