MX-15 - favorite KDE tweaks

[timkb4cq]

For the tool tips go to
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Colors -> Colors (tab) -> Tooltip Text , click on the current color & select a new one from the colormap. I also changed the color of Selection Text because selecting an item in Dolphin, then hovering on it made it disappear. Not a major issue but annoying.

[arjaybe]

I installed MX 15 over my M12 KDE, saving home, so I saved all my KDE configuration. I was using a dark Kvantum theme, so I reinstalled the MX 15 kde-style-kvantum and restarted KDE. I don't have any trouble with tooltips, they are whitish text on a dark background.

The Kvantum package also installs a color configuration that goes well with it, as well as including some light themes. You pick Kvantum in the System Settings under Application Appearance/Style, but then use the Kvantum Manager app (in the menu under Settings) to chose an individual theme.

Kvantum works for the items in System Settings, but the non-KDE items in the tray still have pale-on-pale tooltips (eg Apt Notifier) and now the Kmenu text is dark-on-dark.

Which Kvantum theme and which KDE color scheme are you using? I'm using the stock Kvantum dark grey and Kvantum color scheme, and get a white text on black tooltip for apt-notifier. I've inherited the setup from M12, though...but that means there is some darn way to get it working.

I've also done this per the Debian wiki:

The appearance of GTK-applications in Plasma

To get gtk-applications look native in Plasma you need install these packages and configure appearance of them through System Settings > Application appearance.

kde-config-gtk-style KDE configuration module for GTK+ 2/3.x style selection

gtk2-engines-oxygen Oxygen widget theme for GTK2+-based applications

gtk3-engines-oxygen Oxygen widget theme for GTK3+-based applications

the gtk2-engines-qtcurve might work for gtk+2 apps...

I think this might mess with colors in some applications if you switch to the xfce4 desktop, though.

I used stock Kvantum and default KDE color scheme. I've installed those three packages and I'll see what they do.

[Stevo]

For the tool tips go to
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Colors -> Colors (tab) -> Tooltip Text , click on the current color & select a new one from the colormap. I also changed the color of Selection Text because selecting an item in Dolphin, then hovering on it made it disappear. Not a major issue but annoying.

Ya beat me to that!

I booted to a unsullied MX 15 KDE partition to see that problem. I also noticed that systemsettings was using the fugly win9X style, even though it said it was using oxygen. Changing the style and then back to oxygen got the real style to work--GTK apps still look bad by default, and will no doubt need that fix mentioned above.

[arjaybe]

I've currently got two appearance issues. My install is 64 bit with KDE standard added along with a bunch of programs, but I've not done anything of any consequence as far as theming or UI mods. (I'm used to pretty much using MEPIS as Warren had it.)

One is the same thing arjaybe is talking about. I'm using the Oxygen desktop theme. The tooltips in System Settings are white text on a very light beige background. Not really readable in a practical sense.

The other is an oddity in Dolphin. I use double click. When I highlight a file or folder (single click) and hover my pointer over it, it disappears. Moving my mouse pointer off of it and it's there, highlighted. Very disconcerting.

Suggestions appreciated. Dumb "how do I do that?" or "where do I find that?" responses guaranteed to follow.

I've seen that "disappearing" thing too. I'm single click though.

[uncle mark]

For the tool tips go to
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Colors -> Colors (tab) -> Tooltip Text , click on the current color & select a new one from the colormap. I also changed the color of Selection Text because selecting an item in Dolphin, then hovering on it made it disappear. Not a major issue but annoying.

Bingo. You da man.

Now one more appearance niggle. The top of a window, that has the X and min/max buttons on the right, it has no coloring to indicate focus. I'm embarrassed to admit I'm not sure what that's even called or where to change that.

Edit: didn't mention, but I have turned off desktop effects, if it matters. Don't like the blue glow and all the other silliness.

[Stevo]

I used stock Kvantum and default KDE color scheme. I've installed those three packages and I'll see what they do.

You may have to close systemsettings, then reopen it and change something like the font in the new GTK module. I also found that the tooltip background had become dark along with the text, so changed that in the color settings (see Tim's post above) to a light shade. Now all tooltips are readable, including apt-notifier.

[uncle mark]

Now one more appearance niggle. The top of a window, that has the X and min/max buttons on the right, it has no coloring to indicate focus. I'm embarrassed to admit I'm not sure what that's even called or where to change that.

Okay, that's taken care of. Changed color of Window Background.

[zeeone]

Use the Oxygen theme and it does not mess with Xfce, except maybe the KDE4 applications in Xfce. Colors changes can be made at
system Settings> Application Settings> Colors and have fun. Extra Colors can be downloaded using the repo. Yeah, KDE4 is a
resource hog, but what a hog and what you can do with it. 4.14.2 version is old however, it is the newest Debian has to offer
for stable, jf you want to be the first one on the block to have it there is Plasma 5 KDE.

[uncle mark]

This is falling together nicely. Did all the fonts tweaks in the docs (thanks Joany) and got my appearance niggles lined out.

Sound and video in my browser worked OOtB without any intervention required. I always go here to test that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PECmXi8dv9s

One more thing I'd like to figure out and I'll call it an evening...

In Dolphin, on right click, I don't have Copy To or Move To options. (I do have that in Root Actions, having added the root-actions-servicemenu earlier).

[Stevo]

For the tool tips go to
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Colors -> Colors (tab) -> Tooltip Text , click on the current color & select a new one from the colormap. I also changed the color of Selection Text because selecting an item in Dolphin, then hovering on it made it disappear. Not a major issue but annoying.

Bingo. You da man.

Now one more appearance niggle. The top of a window, that has the X and min/max buttons on the right, it has no coloring to indicate focus. I'm embarrassed to admit I'm not sure what that's even called or where to change that.

Edit: didn't mention, but I have turned off desktop effects, if it matters. Don't like the blue glow and all the other silliness.

The blue glow and the undetectable window decoration border is what the Oxygen style designers wanted. I think MEPIS used the kwin-style-crystal window decoration by default; that has to be installed and selected on MX 15 if that's what we're looking for.

I could have the kde-servicemenu-rootactions package create that link to kdesu automatically, and have it forget about kdesudo altogether, if we are thinking about an unofficial preconfigured KDE MX 15 that tries to reproduce the best of MEPIS. The Qt 5 MX custom apps work fine in KDE for me--anybody encounter any problems with those?