How to start a software from keyboard?

[nicrnicr]

Thanks for your answer GrayGeek!
I have a french keyboard with the new layout BÉPO which is in Kubuntu only since a few years.
I also have problems with Libreoffice:*There are caracters which are not written.

Do you mind if I checked if the numbers are correct after the installation? No, I didn't. I did it the first time I installed Kubuntu. Since that time I may have installed Kubuntu 20 times (I'm always in a hurry) and I don't take the time to do it. Particularly the last time that I*tried approx. 8 times to install kubuntu with you. It was so hard. I only failed the first 7 times. In such circumstances I don't take the time to check.

So yes, may be the installation is wrong.

[GreyGeek]

I belive that "expert" is wrong.
There are LOTS of folks in Germany running Kubuntu (16, 17 and 18) without problems using the German layout.

IF your keyboard does not allow you to use Alt+F2 simultaneously to bring up the krunner at the top of the page, in which you can enter terminal commands like the names of programs, then something is wrong with your install. Did you do a checksum on the ISO you used to install it? Did you checksum the USB or CDROM after you burned the ISO to it?

[nicrnicr]

Another layout didn't solve the prolbem.

[nicrnicr]

Hello GreyGeek & woodsmoke,

Thank you very much for your help, though you couldn't help me. Indeed I gave my computer to an expert who stated that my layout can only start software with the F1, ..., F12 and the numbers at the right. He said that it is a bug with the layout BÉPO.
Cheers

[GreyGeek]

You may have conflicts with global shortcuts. Here's mine:

[nicrnicr]

Thank you very much GreyGeek for your writing. I think I do all what you writes.

I wrote that I could only open one application with a shortcut. Now I can open no application at all.

[GreyGeek]

Hi GreyGeek & woodsmoke,

Before I asked you how I can start an application with KDE Menu Editor, I already asked in another forum how to do it and someone wrote me that my system is unsane. After I asked you, I asked in a third forum and one also wrote me that my system has a problem.

This third forum showed me that it is possible to define how to start an application with global shortcuts. I could do it for only one application. It failed for all the others.

The first guy who replied IS insane! The second guy is only crazy. The third guy is right but IMO not always a good idea because if you type the way I do (tremors and all) you'd be lucky if you didn't open a dozen apps all at once.

1) right mouse on the KGear menu icon.
2) choose "Edit Applications". The gui KDE Menu Editor appears.
3) select which main or top level "menu" you want your application item to appear. A right arrow pointing to a menu entry indicates that there are submenus under that menu. If you want your app to appear under a submenu then left click on it to select it. In the right panel are two tabs. For menus and submenus the "Advanced" tab is grayed out. Say that under "Eduction" you left click on "Miscellaneous". Then you left click the "New Item..." icon in the icon toolbar above. A dialog will appear asking you to enter a name for your application. Enter that name and left click the OK button. Immediately a down arrow appears in front of "Miscellaneous" indicating submenus or items exist underneath it. At the same time your application name appears under "Miscellaneous" and the name of your application appears in the "Name:" text box under the General tab in the right panel.
4) Enter a description of your application (not necessary but helpful)
5) Enter a comment (also not necessary but maybe helpful)
6) To the right of "Name" & "Description" is a square box outline. That is where the app icon appears. Left click on it. Another dialog appears which allows you to choose an icon to use for your application. When you select the one you want click OK.
7) Enter the command to call your application. It may be the application name if it is executable. Or, it may be something like "java minecraft" for other kinds of applications. The folder icon to the right of the "Command:" text entry box allows you to browse to where your command is and select it.
8) Click on the "Advanced" tab
9) If your application requires a certain path setting relative to it then enter that path. For example, if I were adding an icon to start up my minecraft server, which is in /home/jerry/MCserver112, and that is where the java file is at, that is the path I would enter. The folder icon allows you to browse to that location and select that path.
10) If you want the application to run in a terminal (because it is a terminal application) then check the "Run In Terminal" box. My minecraft server is a console application, even when running without nogui, so I check that box.
11) If the application has to be run by a different user then check the box "Run as a different user", and enter the user's name in the text box that activates.
12) If you want to assign a hot key to the app then enter the key combo you want to use. Make sure you are not hijacking another key combo, especially the global ones.
13) Check over your work to eliminate typos, or other mistakes.
14) Click the "Save" icon in the icon toolbar.
15) close the KDE Menu Editor dialog.
16) Test your new entry. If it works, congratulations. If it does not work the edit the entry and fix your errors.

[nicrnicr]

Hi GreyGeek & woodsmoke,

Before I asked you how I can start an application with KDE Menu Editor, I already asked in another forum how to do it and someone wrote me that my system is unsane. After I asked you, I asked in a third forum and one also wrote me that my system has a problem.

This third forum showed me that it is possible to define how to start an application with global shortcuts. I could do it for only one application. It failed for all the others.

[GreyGeek]

Thank you very much GreyGeek & thank you again woodsmoke :-)

As you can see, at least from my view point, activities are a way to add individual wall papers and desktop widgets to virtual desktops. I use the old fashion way for creating virtual desktops.
First, I add the pager widget to the panel and slide it to the left, next to the KMenu.
Second, system settings --> Desktop Behavior --> Virtual Desktops.
Then I add 4 desktops, set them to two rows of two, and give them short names of D1, D2, D3 and D4. I set "slide" as the means to switch between them, but I have set up hot keys. I can't put a different wallpaper or widgets on each one, but that is not important to me. It's main purpose is to give me more desktop space for open applications.

There is also another way to do that. Install the widget that minimizes all open windows to show just the desktop, and then open just the app you want by clicking on its minimized icon in the panel.

[nicrnicr]

Thank you very much GreyGeek & thank you again woodsmoke :-)

[GreyGeek]

[nicrnicr]

Thank you very much woodsmoke for your explanation. I understand it but I do not succeed to apply it in Kubuntu 18.04.
https://askubuntu.com/questions/2539...n-i-do-with-it

I don't know how or where to add an activity.

[woodsmoke]

enable the terminal to open it

Go to wherever you have some kind of "menu" that has the icon for the app.

Let us say, as an example, Firefox

Right click on the icon and go to the "application" tab.

Go to the "advanced options" button and click it.

check the "run in terminal" box and type into the box a 'command" such as "Firefox" without the quotes " ".

You will have to keep a terminal on the desktop or in the panel.

* * * * * *
the "run box"

The simplest option is Alt+F2 which produces the "run box" and type in the name of the app.

the "run box' will remember the various apps that you and you can get the app going with a couple of letters and hit enter.

* * * * * *

USE the power of the KDE activity and the association of an app with the activity

AFTER ALL this IS a KDE based distro. Use the KDE power.

a) make an activity for the app and name it for the app.
b) Go to the activity and open the app It will stay open even with a shut down if you have the "keep sesson" option ticked
c) go to the top left little symbol for the app in the top left corner and right click and you will see "activities".
d) click the "activities" and you will see listed the various activities that you have, one of which is the one you just made and was named for the application.
e) tick the box next to the activity..
f) close the little box

open the application on the activity it will stay open even with a shutdown if you have the "keep session" option.

You can assign a couple of keystrokes to get to the activity.

And the app is there ready to go.

* * * * *

One right mouse click to get to the activity which is already open on the activity.

a) right click on your present activity to get the activity SWITCHER and click the activity to go to it...

Or... you can use roller wheel to the activity although you will "roll" through all of the activities unless it is directly next door.

the app is open and ready to go.

woodUSETHEPOWEROFKDEsmoke...lol

woodsmoke

[nicrnicr]

On my keyboard, it is the "Ctrl" button which is represented by "Strg" on the screen by the german Kubuntu.
What we did doesn't work on Kubuntu 16.04 nor on Kubuntu 18.04. It doesn't work for other letters and also with "Alt" instead of "Ctrl".

[GreyGeek]

Thank you GreyGeek.
"Strg" means "Ctrl" in german.

Doesn’t Ctl+F bring up FireFox?