And with every Linux desktop, the pager is configured differently in KDE than it in GNOME, or Enlightenment, or Afterstep, etc. In this article I will show you how to configure the pager for both normal use and for use in the KWin window decorator.

Assumptions

Naturally there are assumptions made in any article. For this particular article I will assume you are running KDE version 4.4 and KWin is installed and running. Now let’s start configuring.

Normal use

Figure 1

By normal use I mean you use the pager as any Linux desktop would (sans KWin). You use the pager to switch from one desktop workspace to another and you use those workspaces for either particular jobs or just more screen real-estate. For this, the first place you want go is Start > Computer > System Settings > Desktop. In this window you will want to click on the Multiple Desktops section (see Figure 1).

The first thing you will want to do is configure how many desktops you want. The default is 4 and is usually enough. What I like to do is configure a specific job for each space. This is different than different Activities (we will discuss KDE activities in an up-coming article). Do that by giving each desktop a job-specific name.

Figure 2

Once you have set up the number and name of each desktop, click on the Switching tab. In this section you are going to set up just how you switch from desktop to desktop. Oh sure you can just click on the KDE pager (see Figure 2) but that is not only boring, but it also takes your fingers off the keyboard (not very efficient computing now is it?).

Instead, what you want to do is set up keyboard shortcuts for switching desktops. There are two ways to do this: The KDE way and the KWin way. Let’s look at the KDE way first.

Figure 3

Click on the Switching tab in the Multiple Desktops section (see Figure 3).  From the Desktop Effect Animation you will want to select No Animation. Now take a look at the Shortcuts section. Here is where you configure keyboard shortcuts for moving around your workspaces.

Figure 4

In order to change a keyboard shortcut find the shortcut you want to edit and select it. When you select a shortcut it will change appearance and allow you to either select the default or create a custom shortcut (see Figure 4). When you click the button associated with Custom Shortcut it will wait until you input a key combination. Once you do that you will see the key combination associated with the shortcut. Click Apply to make the change.

Figure 5

To configure the pager for KWin you need to go to the Desktop Effects section and then click on the All Effects tab. Scroll down until you see Desktop Cube. Click on the settings button associated with this to reveal all the settings you need to configure your desktop cube to work in conjunction with your pager (see Figure 5).

You might notice a few of these settings overlap with what many CCSM settings are. The Background would equate to the Skydome image of KWin. Windows hover above cube would be 3D windows.

In the activation section you can configure the keyboard shortcuts to activate the cube. These are done in the same way they were above.

Once you have finished your configurations, click OK and your cube is ready to serve as your pager.

Final thoughts

No matter if you use the pager in the old school Linux way, or in the new school KWin way, you should be using it. It’s a fantastic way to keep your desktop organized. And KDE is no slacker on pager options. NOTE: I’ve updated the article to reflect KWin over Compiz. Although KDE and Compiz do work well together, until Compiz works out some of the issues it is best to stick with the KWin compositor. Hopefully the Compiz team will get the issues worked out so the Compiz decorator will work as efficiently on KDE as it does on GNOME.

In this article I am going to show you how to configure:

• Skydome: The background image shown when your cube zooms out.
• Cube caps: The images on the top and bottom of your cube.
• Deformation and Reflection: Is your cube a sphere or a cylinder? Do you have a reflection of your cube or not?

When you have these options configured, you will have a seriously cool desktop.

Skydome and Cube caps

Figure 1

To begin your configuration you need to open up the CompizConfig Settings Manager. If you are using GNOME you will see this in the Preferences sub menu of the System menu. Once this opens click on the Desktop Cube entry. In this configuration you want to click on the Appearance tab (see Figure 1).

The first thing you need to do is make sure the Enable Desktop Cube is checked. With that out of the way take a look at the Appearance tab. You will see both Cube Caps and Skydome here. Oddly enough, you will only configure the Skydome here.

To configure your Skydome first click the check box to enable the Skydome. Now click on the folder icon to the right of the Skydome text area. This is where you will locate the image for your Skydome. You can use either .jpg or .png files for this.

Once you have this complete click the Back button at the bottom left.

Now if you want to better see your Skydome click on the Rotate Cube configuration and then adjust the Zoom option. The Zoom option zooms out of the Cube so as you rotate the Cube it is smaller. I keep mine at .6525. Click the Back button when you are done.

Figure 2

Now to configure the Cube Caps. To do this click on the “Cube Reflection and Deformation” option. In this section expand the Appearance section of the Cube Caps section (see Figure 2). Here you will do the same thing you did with Skydome. Make sure you configure both the top and bottom Cube Caps.

Within this same section click on the Deformation tab. In this section click the Deformation drop down and select which type of Deformation you want. NOTE: The Sphere deformation does take a bit more resources than the Cylinder. If you have the power go for the Sphere, otherwise either None or the Cynlinder.

You can also enable Reflection which will reflect your cube either on the bottom or the top. To enable this click on the Reflection tab and then check the Enable box. After you have enabled it you can then customize it how ever you like.

Results

Figure 3

Figure 3 shows the results of these configurations. Obviously your results will vary depending upon what and how you configure these options.

Final thoughts

I am a big fan of Compiz. Although it doesn’t directly help you to be a better, more efficient worker, it will allow you to create an impressive working environment on your PC. Show off how powerful the Linux desktop can be by configuring the Compiz Cube.

UPDATE: Below are the images used in this tutorial:

Skydome image

Wallpaper image