Accidentally deleted panel in UMate 15.10

Mikc 2016-01-31 05:16:18 UTC #1

I like my panel on the left similar to unity and so after moving it there I decided to delete the bottom panel. Since mate is so customizable I figured I could just set up the main panel to show minimized windows (which it should do by default, but thats my opinion)

So now when I minimize a window it is lost forever and I cannot for the life of me get the default panel back. I can create a new panel and place in on the bottom but it does not catch minimized windows.

Any help would be grand. As long as it doesn't involve terminal mumbo jumbo. I'll gladly reinstall from scratch than mess with sudo dos purgatory.

wolfman 2016-01-31 06:03:16 UTC #2

To reset your panel, open a terminal with Ctrl + Alt + t and type the following command and it should reset your panel!:

mate-panel --reset

If the above command doesn't work, try:

sudo mate-panel --reset

Log out and back in after running the command!.

To show minimized windows, add a window list, right click the panel > Add to panel > select "Window List" > Add > Done!.

To log out without a panel button, press Ctrl + Alt + Del and then logout.

SantaFe 2016-01-31 12:00:03 UTC #3

And when you have it set back the way you want it, simply go to MATE Tweak, click on Interface & click on the Save Panel Layout button. It should save everything the way you like it.

Then all you have to do is click on the drop down menu & pick the Custom setting at the top of the list.

IvCHo 2016-01-31 12:33:51 UTC #4

There is a panel layout simular to that of Unity It is called : Mutiny . You can enable it via mate-tweak
It looks like this :

Mikc 2016-01-31 21:08:11 UTC #5

Thank you but after trying the first command the main panel on the left disappeared, and the second command did nothing. This is one of the reasons I have always loathed dos terminal stuff. If your not exactly right your screwed. So basically I have no choice but to reinstall from scratch now. I figured as much anyway so no big deal. Thanks anyway.

lah7 2016-01-31 21:16:03 UTC #6

Bad idea! Resetting the panels as root will only mess up the read/write permissions in the local home folder, since this is local to the user's profile and not a system-wide problem.

@SantaFe's answer to use MATE Tweak would also have reset the panel back to the original layout as soon as you select a different one. I would have suggested this first.

You don't have to re-install, you should be able to create a new user account and dispose of the other one as the simplest fix, as there is nothing wrong with the general system.

Mikc 2016-01-31 21:21:25 UTC #7

Unfortunately, mutiny and unity don't incorporate everything like the mini icons and power etc....

I just want the one bar on the left for everything including minimized windows similar to how windows task bar works. Here is what my desktop looks like but without the minimized window function.

I've been using just about every distro for the last 6 years and So far Umate 15.10 is my favorite distro to date, but certain aspect are still overlooked.

Mikc 2016-01-31 21:33:04 UTC #8

well thats a great suggestion but I no longer have any menus bars or links to get to any setting now. Just chrome open on a blank desktop. Oh wait let me guess...theres more terminal commands, ugh god. No thanks lol nah just gonna reinstall. cheers though:dizzy_face:

lah7 2016-01-31 21:45:56 UTC #9

Well, for reference in case any one else has the same problem here, it's simply ALT+F2 and typing mate-tweak. If that dialog doesn't appear, then CTRL+ALT+T (or F12 if Tilda is enabled) and typing mate-tweak there.

A full re-install is overkill for a simple problem IMO, but your choice.

Mikc 2016-01-31 22:38:18 UTC #10

I tried this out of curiosity and it ACTUALLY worked! there is a couple netbook settings that has just one panel with everything on it AND the (applications-places-system) is finally gone and replaced with a simple icon. PERFECT!!!!!!!!!

As far as I'm concerned this should be the default panel. Thanks dude.

elcste 2016-02-01 03:40:24 UTC #11

This is very close to my favorite panel too. (I like the clock at the top.) I haven't seen many others like this, but I like it because it preserves all the vertical space for applications.

Also, if you play with the panel width and clock format, it will rotate to horizontal when there's room. There are also ways to adjust the clock font size, but it requires some using some hidden settings.

wolfman 2016-02-01 13:39:43 UTC #12

Hi,

that is why I suggested he run the command without sudo first, I did forget to tell him to log out and back in again after doing it which is why I edited my previous post.

lah7 2016-02-01 16:58:21 UTC #13

mate-panel --reset

Resets the user's existing panels back to the layout specified in MATE Tweak... which may need executing a second or third time to appear. Probably better using GUI approaches where possible.

sudo mate-panel --reset

Resets root's panels, which doesn't work or do anything for the logged in user. Panels are saved within the user's account, so I'm just alerting your attention that sticking sudo at the start of commands won't work for things like this, For some commands, it could do more harm then good, like locking out the user's permissions, that's all.

wolfman 2016-02-02 11:25:50 UTC #14

Thanks for the info.

Wimpy 2016-02-05 07:02:41 UTC #15

I am working on a new layout with a left side panel.

Mikc 2016-02-05 08:30:02 UTC #16

I've been using mint for the last 6 years and though I like the polish of regular ubuntu's unity look, it just never seemed snappy enough no matter what hardware you ran it on. UMate 15.10 has definitely replaced mint as my go-to now. Its just what was needed.

As far as a new side panel goes, I had an idea a few years ago that may be of interest. Instead of having folders on the desktop and or having to dig for them in menu's, what about a "drawer" system where you can add little tabs that stick out slightly from underneath the side panel. The default would be the home folder of course. Once you click on the tab it opens like a drawer or narrow window across the width of the screen (depending on the amount of items you have in there. On a touch screen, you could just slide your finger to pull it out. The mouse wheel could be implemented as a quick side scroller in addition to the usual touch fair. You can add as many of these quick tabs as one has real estate to do so. Obviously windows would have to be minimized to see the tabs but this is true of desktop icons as well.

Anyhoo thats my 2 cents.

Keep up the good work dude. Cheers

v3xx 2016-02-05 15:43:12 UTC #17

I find a side panel handy on a laptop where vertical space is limited.

Wimpy 2016-02-05 22:40:13 UTC #18

MATE already has a Drawer applet for the panel ️

elcste 2016-02-06 03:29:05 UTC #19

Here is my panel:

I'm all about the vertical space

Mikc 2016-02-06 23:40:02 UTC #20

I have not found this drawer applet option you mention.

On a side note it would be nice to have all the settings and tweaks in one place instead of one menu leading to another and another menu having the same repeating settings of another. I know the menus can be customized but that feature is not the bag of chips I was hoping for. Another thing I have never understood about most linux distro's is why all the settings and options are so fractured. for instance can't one click option be in the mouse settings? Why can't keyboard/keyboard shortcuts/charmap/folder/universal/mouse options be in a one window manager? There are so many related settings that have a separate window and place in the system, it would be nice if someone would group them into coherent one window tweaks. The mate tweak menu sort of has this idea going but would be nice to see some consolidation of more settings and getting rid of some menu spam.