Development/Tutorials/Plasma4

Development/Tutorials/Plasma

QML

Plasmoids that use the QML (aka QtQuick) declarative language to describe their user interface while having the logic of the applet, in JavaScript (QML is essentially a forge between CSS and JavaScript).

This is now the recommended method of creating plasmoids, where possible. The plasmoid, or applet serves as the visualization for the data which a Plasma::DataEngine contains.

It allows easily the declaring of an interface and to easily create things like ListViews with native Plasma theming. It is what Plasma is leaning the most towards, especially in the Mobile, MediaCenter and KDM shells.

Getting Started: Creating and running your first plasmoid in QML

Basic List Plasmoid: Make a QML ListView which displays basic text objects as items. Utilizes native Plasma theming and animations.

API Reference: The QML Plasmoid API. Useful for referencing what is available in the runtime, what are the differences with the pure JavaScript ScriptEngine, the differences between pure Qt QML and Plasma, and as a study aid for the tutorials above.

C++

Plasmoids

Getting Started With Plasmoids: Creating your first plasmoid in C++ with SVG background, icon and text

Getting Started With Plasmoids..Some more: A few more starter's tips.

How to use extenders in your Plasmoid: A simple example that shows how to use extenders in a Plasmoid.

Creating Plasmoids: May 2010 article from Linux Magazine

Create Plasmoids using KDevelop: Article explaining the structure of Plasma and how to create a Plasmoid

Adding configuration to your plasmoid: Article explaining how to add a configuration dialog to your plasmoid.

DataEngines

Writing a DataEngine: DataEngines provide a standardized interface to various (read only) data sources for visualizations to use. Learn what a DataEngine is and how to write one of your own.

Writing a Service: Services provide a standardized interface for visualizations to perform "write operations". This can be for example, uploading pasted test to a pastebin service..

PackageStructures

Writing a PackageStructure Plugin: PackageStructure plugins allow custom Packages to be defined, installed, removed and listed as well as provide access their contents at runtime. Packages may contain any kind of data addons, including scripts.

Runners

Creating Runners: Runners are plugins that provide action-based search functionality in the Plasma workspace "run command" dialog. These plugins can be used by any application that links again libplasma.

Wallpapers

Wallpaper Tutorial 1: This tutorial shows you how to make a simple Hello World plasma wallpaper plugin.

Wallpaper Tutorial 2: This tutorial covers how to add configuration options to the wallpaper.

Wallpaper Tutorial 3: This tutorial improves the wallpaper by using the so-called 'double buffer' technique.

Plasma Shells

Creating a Plasma Shell: This tutorial covers the essentials of writing a new Plasma shell from scratch. A must-read for anyone creating a new or modifying an existing Plasma Shell. Existing Plasma shells include Plasma Desktop, Plasma Netbook, Plasma Mobile, Plasma Media Center, Plasma Screensaver, Plasma KPart and Plasma KDM, and all follow the patterns documented here.

JavaScript

Plasma has built-in JavaScript (also known as ECMAScript, and often referred to as QtScript in the context of Qt) scripting support without requiring any external dependencies.

Plasmoids

Getting Started: Creating and running your first plasmoid in JavaScript

Getting Data: How to retreive data from a data engine

Now Playing: Slightly more advanced data engine usage: displaying what's currently playing

System Monitor: How to access systemmonitor data engine

Cheat Sheet: A cheat sheet, rather than a tutorial, of things to remember and watch out for when developing JavaScript plasmoids

API Reference: The Simplified JavaScript Plasmoid API. Useful for referencing what is available in the runtime and as a study aid for the tutorials above.

Other Applications Of Javascript

Scripting Plasma Shells: The KDE Plasma Desktop and Netbook provide means to manage the desktop shell (desktop, panels, widget) via scripts written in JavaScript. This article describes how to take advantage of this feature set as well as documents the full API. This is primarily a system administration tool, but may also be of interest to power users.

Javascript Animations: How to write Animations using Javascript for use in Plasma applications

Creating Comic Plugins: This guide shows you how to create a comic plugin for the comic plasmoid.

Python

Plasmoids

Getting Started: Creating and running your first plasmoid in Python

Using widgets: Introduction to using Plasma widgets

Using DataEngines: How to use DataEngines from a plasmoid

DataEngines

Writing DataEngines: How to write your own Plasma DataEngine

Writing a Plasmoid in Python: Writing a simple battery graph in python

Runners

Writing a KRunner plugin in Python: Writing a simple krunner plugin in python

Ruby

Plasmoids

Getting Started: Creating and running your first plasmoid in Ruby

Using widgets: Introduction to using Plasma widgets

Writing a simple paste applet: A tutorial explaining how to set up a plasmoid, create a simple paste applet using widgets and add Plasma features seen elsewhere. Complete with tips for those who have never programmed before.

Use SVG artwork in the simplest way possible: Follow a fellow student as he asks around about SVG usage and explains why the code examples work. This is a wiki so feel free to add your own insights until this tutorial can be considered complete.

DataEngines

Writing DataEngines: How to write your own Plasma DataEngine using Ruby

Web Technologies (HTML/JS/CSS)

Getting Started: Creating and running your first plasmoid in HTML

Plasma integration for applications

Creating a Device Notifier action: When your application is interested in removable hardware

Integrate Plasma in Applications: This tutorial shows you how to make an application dashboard based on Plasma technologies.

Packages

Plasma Packages: An overview of what makes up a Plasma Package and what they are and can be used for.

Writing a PackageStructure Pluginin C++: PackageStructure plugins allow custom Packages to be defined, installed, removed and listed as well as provide access their contents at runtime. Packages may contain any kind of data addons, including scripts.

Themes

Creating a Plasma Theme Quickstart: A quick guide to creating your first Plasma theme

The Plasma Theme Structure In Detail: A comprehensive guide to the contents of a Plasma SVG theme, including configuration options, wallpapers, on-disk layout, names of all standard SVG files and every element in them.

Activity Templates

Creating a Plasma Activity Template Quickstart: A quick guide to creating your first Plasma Activity Template

Resources

Projects: Plasma
Plasma api documentation
Plasma Eclipse Integration
The plasma-devel mailing list and #plasma on IRC (irc.freenode.org).