KDE: can't start tiling editor

[kos]

I'm running KDE 6.3.5 on X11 and for some reason I can't activate the tiling editor.

I don't see anything about tiling in Settings->Window Management->Desktop Effects
I see "Toggle Tiles Editor" in Keyboard->Shortcuts->KWin, pressing this combination does nothing
I can see 3 pre-arranged tiles when shift-dragging my windows

My `~/.config/kwinrc` has this snippet. It comes back if I remove it and restart

Code: Select all

[Tiling]
padding=4

[Tiling][708e0b2b-28a7-53c4-a530-df3b1d4f2c0a]
tiles={"layoutDirection":"horizontal","tiles":[{"width":0.25},{"width":0.5},{"width":0.25}]}

[Tiling][e293dffc-3a80-5768-a238-836a90a9f06c]
tiles={"layoutDirection":"horizontal","tiles":[{"width":0.25},{"width":0.5},{"width":0.25}]}

Any ideas?

[keekkenen]

I'm running KDE 6.3.5 on X11 and for some reason I can't activate the tiling editor.

mm, nice thing, I edit layout by Meta+T (Toggle Tiles Editor). I like it.

[rab0171610]

Someone reported a similar issue but seems to have abandoned their own bug report:
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=503772

Another KDE user reported a similar issue:
https://discuss.kde.org/t/tiles-editor- ... de/24915/6

The meta+T shortcut does not launch a tiling editor for me, so I can replicate the behavior. I can also see the three default tile placeholders when using shift + dragging open windows-- left, right, and middle. I can't say if it worked in the past as it is a feature I never use.

My suggestion is to file a bug report at KDE providing as much detail as possible. Be prepared to provide any additional
information and answer questions if they ask you to do so. You can link to the abandoned bug report in your own if you want. You can refer to the information in that bug report to assist you in filling out your own.

[kos]

found it. had this in my `~/.config/kwinrc`:

Code: Select all

[Plugins]
tileseditorEnabled=false

[rab0171610]

Yes, you found where the setting is kept in a config file by KDE. That file can be edited manually with a text editor but with caution because even a small error can lead to issues logging in or black screen, etc. This has even happened in cases without manual editing -- if the file becomes corrupt or has invalid or malformed entries due to a system error. This is not generally recommended for most users as a way to configure settings and preferences in KDE. Those files are managed by KDE and can be overwritten. Many of those entries and their format are not well documented for this reason. It can lead to bugs and behaviors that are difficult for the KDE devs or users to isolate. Often this is done by moving or renaming all of the KDE config files in the users home directory or logging in as a new user. This can be time consuming to move the files one by one then logging out and in again to figure out which individual config file is causing the issue.

That line in ~/.config/kwinrc should correspond to a setting in SystemSettings > App & Windows > Window Management > Desktop Effects or elsewhere in System Settings. I do not see any setting there in Desktop Effects that corresponds to enabling or disabling the tiles editor. There used to be a setting in previous versions of KDE Plasma according to information posted various websites.
So while that helps you work around your problem, it does not explain how that was set in that file in the first place by KDE and how it is generally supposed to be toggled by users in System Settings. Usually when users change settings, such as enabling or disabling Wobbly Windows, they do not do it by editing kwin.rc. They configure Desktop Effects in System Settings and it is saved by the system in that file. For example, I have Wobbly Windows enabled and I see "wobblywindowsEnabled=true" in kwin.rc. I assume if I disabled it in System Settings, it would be saved in that file by the system and I would expect the line to now read "wobblywindowsEnabled=false".
The workaround, editing system files manually, does not explain where users should normally enable or disable tiles editor in System Settings. Is this setting named something else in Desktop Effects or is it in another location? Is it supposed to be there and/or is it missing? How did it get set to false in the first place? Was this done in a previous version of KDE Plasma before the upgrade to 6? Does that mean the option is no longer available and the entry is a leftover remnant of a KDE update? Is this expected behavior or it a bug?

[kos]

it probably came from an older Plasma version, my installation on this box is 5-6 years old, so I definitely went through Plasma 5->6 migration. I don't see relevant setting in the UI too. There's also a lot of legacy-looking stuff in my kwinrc.

Anyway, changing this line to "true" fixed my issue.

[rab0171610]

Same here (old installation). So that leads me to wonder if Tiles Editor is something that previously had an entry in System Settings that could toggled on and off but has been removed in Plasma 6 with the intent that it would always be enabled and can be launched from the keyboard shortcut. Anyway, I do not use the tiles editor, but I will edit my kwin.rc file as well for good measure. This thread may help others that come across this issue (KDE tiles editor not launching when using the keyboard shortcut) in the future as it seems to affect other distros.