KDE plasma shell

Create shell windows and helpers

This interface is used by KF5 powered Wayland shells to communicate with the compositor and can only be bound one time.

get_surface(id: new_id<org_kde_plasma_surface>, surface: object<wl_surface>)
Argument
Type
Description
idnew_id<org_kde_plasma_surface>
surfaceobject<wl_surface>
Create a shell surface from a surface

Create a shell surface for an existing surface.

Only one shell surface can be associated with a given surface.


Metadata interface

An interface that may be implemented by a wl_surface, for implementations that provide the shell user interface.

It provides requests to set surface roles, assign an output or set the position in output coordinates.

On the server side the object is automatically destroyed when the related wl_surface is destroyed. On client side, org_kde_plasma_surface.destroy() must be called before destroying the wl_surface object.

destroy()
Remove org_kde_plasma_surface interface

The org_kde_plasma_surface interface is removed from the wl_surface object that was turned into a shell surface with the org_kde_plasma_shell.get_surface request. The shell surface role is lost and wl_surface is unmapped.

set_output(output: object<wl_output>)
Argument
Type
Description
outputobject<wl_output>
Assign an output to this shell surface

Assign an output to this shell surface. The compositor will use this information to set the position when org_kde_plasma_surface.set_position request is called.

set_position(x: int, y: int)
Argument
Type
Description
xint
x coordinate in global space
yint
y coordinate in global space
Change the shell surface position

Move the surface to new coordinates.

Coordinates are global, for example 50,50 for a 1920,0+1920x1080 output is 1970,50 in global coordinates space.

Use org_kde_plasma_surface.set_output to assign an output to this surface.

set_role(role: uint)
Argument
Type
Description
roleuint
Assign a role to this surface

Assign a role to a shell surface.

The compositor handles surfaces depending on their role. See the explanation below.

This request fails if the surface already has a role, this means the surface role may be assigned only once.

== Surfaces with splash role ==

Splash surfaces are placed above every other surface during the shell startup phase.

The surfaces are placed according to the output coordinates. No size is imposed to those surfaces, the shell has to resize them according to output size.

These surfaces are meant to hide the desktop during the startup phase so that the user will always see a ready to work desktop.

A shell might not create splash surfaces if the compositor reveals the desktop in an alternative fashion, for example with a fade in effect.

That depends on how much time the desktop usually need to prepare the workspace or specific design decisions. This specification doesn't impose any particular design.

When the startup phase is finished, the shell will send the org_kde_plasma.desktop_ready request to the compositor.

== Surfaces with desktop role ==

Desktop surfaces are placed below all other surfaces and are used to show the actual desktop view with icons, search results or controls the user will interact with. What to show depends on the shell implementation.

The surfaces are placed according to the output coordinates. No size is imposed to those surfaces, the shell has to resize them according to output size.

Only one surface per output can have the desktop role.

== Surfaces with dashboard role ==

Dashboard surfaces are placed above desktop surfaces and are used to show additional widgets and controls.

The surfaces are placed according to the output coordinates. No size is imposed to those surfaces, the shell has to resize them according to output size.

Only one surface per output can have the dashboard role.

== Surfaces with config role ==

A configuration surface is shown when the user wants to configure panel or desktop views.

Only one surface per output can have the config role.

TODO: This should grab the input like popup menus, right?

== Surfaces with overlay role ==

Overlays are special surfaces that shows for a limited amount of time. Such surfaces are useful to display things like volume, brightness and status changes.

Compositors may decide to show those surfaces in a layer above all surfaces, even full screen ones if so is desired.

== Surfaces with notification role ==

Notification surfaces display informative content for a limited amount of time. The compositor may decide to show them in a corner depending on the configuration.

These surfaces are shown in a layer above all other surfaces except for full screen ones.

== Surfaces with lock role ==

The lock surface is shown by the compositor when the session is locked, users interact with it to unlock the session.

Compositors should move lock surfaces to 0,0 in output coordinates space and hide all other surfaces for security sake. For the same reason it is recommended that clients make the lock surface as big as the screen.

Only one surface per output can have the lock role.

set_panel_behavior(flag: uint)
Argument
Type
Description
flaguint
panel_behavior enum value
Set or unset the panel

Set flags bitmask as described by the flag enum. Pass 0 to unset any flag, the surface will adjust its behavior to the default.

set_skip_taskbar(skip: uint)
Argument
Type
Description
skipuint
Boolean value that sets whether to skip the taskbar
Make the window skip the taskbar

Setting this bit to the window, will make it say it prefers to not be listed in the taskbar. Taskbar implementations may or may not follow this hint.

panel_auto_hide_hide()
Hide the auto-hiding panel

A panel surface with panel_behavior auto_hide can perform this request to hide the panel on a screen edge without unmapping it. The compositor informs the client about the panel being hidden with the event auto_hidden_panel_hidden.

The compositor will restore the visibility state of the surface when the pointer touches the screen edge the panel borders. Once the compositor restores the visibility the event auto_hidden_panel_shown will be sent. This event will also be sent if the compositor is unable to hide the panel.

The client can also request to show the panel again with the request panel_auto_hide_show.

panel_auto_hide_show()
Show the auto-hiding panel

A panel surface with panel_behavior auto_hide can perform this request to show the panel again which got hidden with panel_auto_hide_hide.

set_panel_takes_focus(takes_focus: uint)
Argument
Type
Description
takes_focusuint
Boolean value that sets whether the panel takes focus
Whether a panel takes focus

By default various org_kde_plasma_surface roles do not take focus and cannot be activated. With this request the compositor can be instructed to pass focus also to this org_kde_plasma_surface.

set_skip_switcher(skip: uint)
Argument
Type
Description
skipuint
Boolean value that sets whether to skip the window switcher.
Make the window not appear in a switcher

Setting this bit will indicate that the window prefers not to be listed in a switcher.

open_under_cursor()
Open under cursor

Request the initial position of this surface to be under the current cursor position. Has to be called before attaching any buffer to this surface.

auto_hidden_panel_hidden()
Auto-hiding panel is hidden

An auto-hiding panel got hidden by the compositor.

auto_hidden_panel_shown()
Auto-hiding panel is shown

An auto-hiding panel got shown by the compositor.

Argument
Value
Description
always_visible1
Normal panel visibility

The panel is on top of other surfaces, windows cannot cover (full screen windows excluded).

auto_hide2
Hide automatically

The panel is hidden automatically and restored when the mouse is over.

windows_can_cover3
Windows can cover

Windows can cover the panel.

windows_go_below4
Windows go below

Maximized windows take the whole screen space but the panel is above the windows.

Behavior for panel surface
Argument
Value
Description
panel_not_auto_hide0
Request panel_auto_hide performed on a surface which does not correspond to an auto-hide panel.

Compositor Support

Mutter
Mutter
45.4
KWin
KWin
6.0.1
Sway
Sway
1.9
Hyprland
Hyprland
0.35
Weston
Weston
13
Mir
Mir
...
GameScope
GameScope
...
org_kde_plasma_shell
x
8
x
x
x
x
x

SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2013-2014 Pier Luigi Fiorini

SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later