I have just started using Kubuntu a week ago. Being a new user of the KDE desktop, I admit that I am have difficulty getting used to its terms. One of the thing I am always confuse is the difference between plasmoids and widgets. The two terms are used interchangeably and it took some googling to discover that plasmoids are actually widgets.
That is only one part. The next issue is the installing of new plasmoids. I downloaded some plasmoids and I have completely no ideas how to install it (I am still a newbie in KDE). I double click on it. It doesn’t work. I drag it to the widget section. It doesn’t work either. Once again, I have to google for help.
If you are, just like me, having difficulty in installing your plasmoids, here is how you can do it:
1. Download the plasmoid to your home folder. It should have a .plasmoid extension.
2. Click the Panel Tool Box (on the right bottom corner) and select Add Widgets.
3. Click “Get New Widget -> Install widget from local file“.
4. Under the type of widget to install, select “Plasmoid: Native Plasma Widget” and click Next.
5. Lastly, navigate to the place where you store your plasmoids and select it. Click Finish.
That’s it.
Install via command line
In some cases, installing plasmoid via the above method doesn’t work. The best way is to install via the command line.
plasmapkg -u widget-file-name.plasmoid
If that still doesn’t work, try the following method:
1. Extract the plasmoids to a new folder (right click the plasmoids and select “extract to”) in your home directory. You should see a “contents” folder and a meta.desktop file.
2. Open Konsole.
3. type in the following command:
plasmapkg -i plasmoid-folder-name
where the plasmoid-folder-name is the name of the folder that you extracted the plasmoid to.
If the installation is successful, you should find the plasmoid in your widget library. You can then drag it to the desktop to use it.
It is easy, only if you know the way to do it.
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Damien Oh
Damien Oh started writing tech articles since 2007 and has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. He is proficient in Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iOS, and worked as a part time WordPress Developer. He is currently the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Make Tech Easier.
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