[20.04 Mate] Add Hidden Extras to Top Panel

Tips, Tricks and Tutorials Tips & Tricks
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[UPDATED FOR 21.04]
There are a couple of ways of getting the clock with day, date, etc. The first does not require any additional software and the second is much simpler and is the recommended method for 21.04.

Method 1: Replace the applet with the "old" clock and the "old" indicator.

  1. Right-click on the "Indicator Applet Complete" identified in @ironfoot's illustration.
  2. Uncheck Lock to Panel.
  3. Right-click again and select Remove from Panel.
  4. Right-click on a blank space on the panel and select Add to Panel.
  5. Select Clock from the list and click Add.
  6. Right-click on the clock applet and select Move.
  7. Drag it to the far right end of the panel and press the Enter key to stop moving it.
  8. Right-click on a blank space on the panel and select Add to Panel.
  9. Select Indicator Applet from the list and click Add. (Note: Do not select Indicator Applet Complete.)
  10. Right-click on the left end of the indicator applet and select Move.
  11. Drag it right so that it is just to the left of the clock and press the Enter key to stop moving it.

Once you have both applets in place you can right-click each in turn to lock them so you don't move them accidentally.

Method 2: Modify the existing clock. (Recommended)
This is for Ubuntu MATE 21.04.

This method does not require any additional software or terminal commands to control what appears on the clock indicator. Ubuntu MATE now has settings in the Control Center.

  1. Open the Control Center.
  2. Open the Indicators in the Look and Feel section. This opens Ayatana Indicators Settings.
  3. Select Date and Time in the left pane of the window and the settings for the clock appear in the right pane.
  4. Here you can turn on and off the Year, Month and Date, Day of the Week, and Number of Seconds on the indicator in the panel. You can also modify some setting for the menu that appears when you click on the time in the panel.

This is for Ubuntu MATE 20.04 (and earlier) See below for dconf settings to adjust for 20.10.

This method requires that you install dconf Editor and change the clock's properties ever so slightly.

  1. If you have install "Software" or the "Synaptic" package manager, you can search for dconf Editor and install it graphically. Otherwise open a terminal and type: sudo apt install dconf-editor.
  2. Open dconf Editor from the menu. You will get a scary warning asking you to promise to be careful.
  3. At the top of the application window (in the title bar click the magnifier icon) search for /com/canonical/indicator/datetime/.
  4. Select the two switches "show-date" and/or "show-day" as you wish.
  5. Close dconf Editor.

Some additional settings you might want to adjust:

Ubuntu MATE 20.04

  • com.canonical.indicator.datetime show-date 'true'
  • com.canonical.indicator.datetime show-day 'true'
  • com.canonical.indicator.datetime show-seconds 'true'
  • com.canonical.indicator.datetime time-format '12-hour'

Ubuntu MATE 20.10

  • org.ayatana.indicator.datetime show-day true
  • org.ayatana.indicator.datetime show-time true
  • org.ayatana.indicator.datetime show-seconds true
  • org.ayatana.indicator.datetime time-format 12-hour

For additional details, please see: https://goinglinux.com/articles/ClockFix_en.htm

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