Filtered Taskbar Widget

A minimal, heavily modified version of the KDE Plasma Task Manager that provides focused application filtering. Shows only specified applications in the taskbar, with always-visible close buttons and clean defaults.

Tutorial

tutorial.webm

About

This widget is based on the KDE Plasma Task Manager by Eike Hein, but has been heavily modified to create a minimal, focused taskbar that filters applications. Key modifications include:

• Application filtering: Show only specified apps instead of all open windows
• Always-visible close buttons: Quick window closing without hover
• Clean defaults: No default launchers, starts showing all apps
• Simplified configuration: Removed complex grouping and visual options
• Streamlined UI: Minimal settings focused on filtering

The goal is to provide a distraction-free taskbar that shows only the applications you care about.

Installation

Quick Install (Recommended)

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/burninc0de/kde-filtered-taskbar.git
   cd kde-filtered-taskbar

2. Run the installer:

   chmod +x install.sh  # Make script executable (if needed)
   ./install.sh

This will automatically install the widget and restart Plasma.

Manual Install

1. Copy the org.kde.plasma.filtered.taskbar folder to ~/.local/share/plasma/plasmoids/
2. Run plasmapkg2 -i org.kde.plasma.filtered.taskbar or restart Plasma
3. Add the "Filtered Taskbar" widget to your panel

Compatibility shim (KDE 6.6)

• Why: KDE Plasma 6.6 changed the layout of the task manager QML modules and removed/renamed some private QML types the widget relies on.
• What we do: the installer will automatically detect whether your system provides the required private Task Manager QML module. If it does not, the installer writes a small compatibility shim into the installed plasmoid (under contents/ui/TaskManagerApplet/) that implements the minimal API the widget needs so users don't have to build or install additional system libraries.
• Behavior: if the real system module is available, the installer will switch the installed QML to import it and remove the shim; otherwise the shim remains so the widget works out-of-the-box.
• Safety: the shim is user-local (installed under ~/.local) and does not change system files or require sudo.

Features

• Tab-based interface: Switch between application windows using tabs
• Compact mode: Shows icon + count when many windows are open
• Configurable filtering: Choose which applications to display
• Window detection: Automatically detects configured application windows
• Keyboard shortcuts: Use Meta+Tab to cycle through windows
• Close buttons: Close windows directly from the widget

Application Filtering

This widget supports configurable application filtering to show only specific applications in the task bar.

Configuration

Right-click the widget → "Configure Filtered Taskbar" → "Applications" tab:

• Allowed Applications: Enter application IDs or names separated by commas
• Leave empty to show all applications (default behavior)
• Examples:
  • code - Show only VSCode
  • firefox,chromium - Show only web browsers
  • code,firefox,zed,kitty - Show development applications

Filtering Logic

The widget filters applications using multiple detection methods:

function isApplicationAllowed() {
    // If no allowed applications configured, show all
    if (!Plasmoid.configuration.allowedApplications || 
        Plasmoid.configuration.allowedApplications.length === 0) {
        return true;
    }

    // Parse comma-separated list and check each application
    const allowedApps = Plasmoid.configuration.allowedApplications
        .split(',')
        .map(app => app.trim())
        .filter(app => app.length > 0);

    for (const allowedApp of allowedApps) {
        // Check app ID exact match
        if (allowedApp.toLowerCase() === appId.toLowerCase()) return true;
        // Check app ID contains allowed app
        if (appId.toLowerCase().indexOf(allowedApp.toLowerCase()) !== -1) return true;
        // Check app name contains allowed app
        if (appName.toLowerCase().indexOf(allowedApp.toLowerCase()) !== -1) return true;
    }
    return false;
}

// Apply filtering
visible: model.IsLauncher || (model.IsWindow && isApplicationAllowed())

Common Application IDs

Application	ID	Example Usage
VSCode	code	code
Firefox	firefox	firefox,chromium
Chrome	google-chrome	google-chrome
Kitty Terminal	kitty	kitty,konsole
Zed Editor	zed	zed
Dolphin	org.kde.dolphin	org.kde.dolphin

Configuration

Right-click the widget and select "Configure Filtered Taskbar" to access settings:

• Applications: Configure which applications to display
  • Allowed Applications: Comma-separated list of app IDs/names
  • Leave empty to show all applications
• Appearance: Tab width, close button visibility, compact mode threshold
• Behavior: Auto-restore, middle-click action
• Shortcuts: Customize keyboard shortcuts

Technical Details

This widget uses:

• Qt 6.6+ and QML
• KDE Plasma 6 Framework
• KWin scripting API for window management
• Plasma Framework for integration

Development

The widget consists of:

• metadata.json: Widget metadata
• contents/ui/main.qml: Main UI
• contents/ui/Task.qml: Individual task component with filtering logic
• contents/ui/ConfigApplications.qml: Application filtering configuration UI
• contents/config/main.xml: Configuration schema including allowedApplications
• contents/config/config.qml: Configuration tabs structure

Limitations

• Current implementation uses polling for window detection
• D-Bus integration with KWin script needs refinement
• Some features from the specification are not yet implemented

Future Improvements

• Real-time window monitoring via KWin signals
• Session persistence and restoration
• Enhanced keyboard shortcuts
• Multi-monitor support
• Unsaved changes indicators

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly on KDE Plasma 6
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 or later - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Based on the KDE Plasma Task Manager
• Thanks to the KDE community for the excellent Plasma framework