Notifications showing just what I want?

[Mex5150]

Hi All,

I'm running Ubuntu MATE (Traditional layout) and have an issue with the Indicator Applet on the top panel. While I want it to display certain indicators (like notifications), it’s also showing unwanted items such as:

• Sound Settings
• Networking
• Accessibility
• Reboot/Shutdown options

I already have separate applets for the clock and networking with custom settings I prefer, and I don’t want these duplicated or included in the Indicator Applet.

What I’ve Tried So Far:

1. Masking Services:
   I tried masking the Ayatana Indicator services with systemctl --user mask, such as:

bash

Copy code

systemctl --user mask ayatana-indicator-sound.service
systemctl --user mask ayatana-indicator-session.service
systemctl --user mask ayatana-indicator-datetime.service

Unfortunately, this did not remove the respective items from the Applet.

2. Resetting Indicator Applet Entries:
   I reset entries via dconf for NotificationAreaAppletFactory and similar object IDs under /org/mate/panel/.
   This also did not stop unwanted items from showing.

3. Switching to Notification Area Applet:
   I tested the Notification Area applet instead of the Indicator Applet. While it worked partially, some applications that rely on SNI (StatusNotifierItems) did not appear in this alternative.

4. Third-Party System Tray Options:
   I tested tools like stalonetray and trayer, but they presented compatibility issues:

• Errors about “another systray already running”
• They wouldn’t integrate properly into MATE’s panel setup.

---

Current State:

The Indicator Applet works but still shows the unwanted items mentioned earlier. My question is:

Is there any way to selectively hide or disable specific items in the Indicator Applet (e.g., Sound, Accessibility, Networking, Reboot/Shutdown)?

If not, are there any alternative solutions or applets that would allow me to show only the indicators I want while maintaining compatibility with applications using SNI or similar protocols?

Thanks in advance for any insights or suggestions!

[Bombilla]

Hi, @Mex5150 and welcome to the Ubuntu MATE Community!

[Alarik]

From what I know Indicator applet is meant to have those features since the applet is designed for the purpose to have all those things in one little applet. When you right-click the panel you should see all other applets and my suggestion would be to test out all of them to see which one you'd like to have and which one is redundant to your needs.

If you want custom panel applets this thread might have more information about it:

My first panel applet

This applet's purpose is to change the desktop settings for gtk3 panel. Should work with 17.10 and later. Applet is essentially a button that launches a menu-like window that turns the desktop icons on and off. We need to create some files first. dbus service file /usr/share/dbus-1/services/org.mate.panel.applet.DesktopIconsAppletFactory.service [D-BUS Service] Name=org.mate.panel.applet.DesktopIconsAppletFactory Exec=/usr/lib/mate-menu/mate-desktop-icons.py /usr/share/mate-panel/applet…

If you want to do things from terminal here is the solution for you:

How can I add an applet to MATE from the terminal?

To reorder indicators visit this forum thread:

Tip on re-ordering the indicators

Here's a tip on how to do just that. This only applies to the indicator-based layouts. Check if you are using them in MATE Tweak. [image] For a local user, create this folder structure: mkdir ~/.local/share/indicators/application/ Copy the system-wide override file to this directory: cp /usr/share/indicator-application/ordering-override.keyfile ~/.local/share/indicators/application/ Open the file for editing, it may look something like this: [Ordering Index Overrides…

Hope it helps! Have a nice day

[tkn]

Hi Mex,

Best to undo what you already have done and do this:
mate-control-center -> autostart applications

Check "show hidden" and then just uncheck the ayatana-indicators you want to disappear.

You can also use the commandline instead if you prefer that:

sed -i 's/NoDisplay=false/NoDisplay=true/g' $HOME/.config/autostart/ayatana-indicator-datetime.desktop

[jymm]

Once these changes have been made you can make more changes like to the power indicator with the gui version of dconf editor. You may need to install that. It gives you options like showing the time remaining of your battery or the percentage remaining of the battery, or both, which is what I do. Be careful with dconf, make sure you remember or log the changes you make so you can change them back if you want or need to and don't break your system.

[tkn]

@jymm

Once these changes have been made you can make more changes like to the power indicator with the gui version of dconf editor.

Or you can use mate-control-center -> indicators to change those values.