How To Install Latte Dock In KDE On Linux
Docks are very popular on Linux. Linux users love them because they look nice, and allow them to use their computer similar to how Mac users do. One of the best Docks out there is known as Latte Dock. It’s a Qt-based panel that works very well with the Plasma desktop. In this article, we’ll go over how to install Latte Dock and set it up on your KDE workspace.
Install Latte Dock
Latte Dock is carried within most Linux distributions, due to its popularity. To install it, launch a terminal window and enter the commands that correspond with your Linux distribution.
Ubuntu
sudo apt install latte-dock
Debian
sudo apt-get install latte-dock
Arch Linux
You won’t be able to install the Latte Dock package on your Arch Linux PC if the “Community” software repository isn’t set up. Setting it up requires making an edit of your Pacman configuration file.
To enable the “Community” repo, launch a terminal window and, using sudo, open the Pacman.conf file in Nano.
sudo nano /etc/pacman.conf
In the configuration file, press the PG DOWN button and scroll down till you find “Community.” Once there, remove all instances of the # symbol. Ensure that all lines underneath “Community” are uncommented. When they are, save the edits made to Pacman.conf by pressing Ctrl + O on the keyboard.
With the edits in Nano saved, press Ctrl + X to return to the command line. Then, re-sync Pacman with the official Arch servers. Running a re-sync will download and configure the “Community” repo.
sudo pacman -Syy
Finally, install Latte Dock on Arch Linux with:
sudo pacman -S latte-dock
Fedora
sudo dnf install latte-dock
OpenSUSE
sudo zypper install latte-dock
Generic Linux Instructions
To build the Latte Dock for use on a KDE system that doesn’t have direct support, you’ll have to build the code from source. Lucky for you, the Latte Dock software is one of the easiest programs to build. To start the compilation process, ensure you have all of the Qt build libraries, Cmake as well as the latest version of the KDE Plasma desktop environment and the Git source control tool.
Once all of those programs are taken care of, start the process by using the git clone command to grab the latest source code release of Latte.
git clone https://github.com/psifidotos/Latte-Dock.git
Move your terminal into the Latte-Dock code folder with the CD command.
cd Latte-Dock
In the Latte-Dock folder, use the LS command and view the contents of the code directory.
ls
Look at the contents of the directory and then use the cat command to read the README file.
cat README.md
After you’ve looked over the README, build the code with the install.sh script.
sudo bash install.sh
Need to uninstall Latte Dock? Run:
sudo bash uninstall.sh
Prepare Your Panel
The Latte Dock, in KDE Plasma, is set to run at the bottom of the screen. Unfortunately, most KDE setups have the main panel at the bottom as well. Since the panel is in the way, we must move it before we can set up the dock. To move it, right-click on your panel and select the “Panel Settings” option in the menu.
Clicking on “Panel Settings” will open up Plasma’s panel settings area. In this area, look for the “screen edge” box. Click on it with the mouse and hold the left-click button down. Then, drag your Plasma panel to the top of the screen.
Now that the panel is out of the way; go back to settings and click the “X” button over “Task Manager” to remove it as a widget. When done, click the “X” icon to exit the settings.
Plasma is ready to for Latte Dock. All that’s left is to start it up! To run it, press the Windows key on your keyboard, type “latte” and run Latte Dock.
Set Up Latte Dock
Latte Dock is open and usable. However, it’s not going to start up when you log into your computer. Fixing this is possible if Latte is set to automatically turn on via “autostart” settings, in KDE.
To set up the dock for automatic startup, launch a terminal and follow the steps below.
Step 1: Create an autostart directory in your home folder (just in case).
mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart
Step 2: Make a copy of the Latte Dock shortcut from /usr/share/applications/ into your home folder.
cp /usr/share/applications/org.kde.latte-dock.desktop ~/
Step 3: Move the desktop shortcut into your autostart folder.
mv org.kde.latte-dock.desktop ~/.config/autostart
Step 4: Restart your Linux PC. After logging back into KDE Plasma, the Latte Dock will appear at the bottom, as soon as you log back in.
