Add KineticWE Layouts plugin (#252)

2026-08-05 17:48:45 -04:00
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+# KineticWE Layouts
+
+A bar widget that shows the current [KineticWE](https://github.com/notethene/KineticWE)
+tiling layout under KWin and a dropdown panel to switch between the layouts you have
+enabled. Rather than guessing, the plugin reads KineticWE's `/Tiling` DBus interface, so
+the indicator stays in sync with layout keybinds, per-desktop layouts, and kwinrc changes.
+
+## Plugin
+
+| Field | Value |
+| --- | --- |
+| ID | `theblackdon/kineticwe-layouts` |
+| Entries | Service: `bridge`; bar widget: `indicator`; panel: `layouts` |
+
+## Requirements
+
+- **KDE Plasma (KWin)** with **KineticWE** installed and built the standard way, which
+  exposes the `/Tiling` DBus interface (`org.kde.KWin.Tiling`). Without it the widget
+  shows an error tooltip and the panel explains that KineticWE must be rebuilt.
+- **`qdbus-qt6`** (falls back to `qdbus6` / `qdbus`) on `PATH` — used to query and set the
+  current tiling layout.
+- **`dbus-monitor`** on `PATH` — used to subscribe to layout and desktop-switch signals.
+
+## Usage
+
+Add the widget from **Settings → Bar**, choose a section, and pick **KineticWE Layouts**
+from the widget list. The bar shows the active layout's glyph and, with the `show_text`
+setting on, its name. Left-click the widget to open the layouts panel, which lists every
+layout enabled in kwinrc (`[Tiling] EnabledLayouts`); clicking one switches the active
+output's current desktop straight away.
+
+Open the panel from anywhere with:
+
+```sh
+noctalia msg panel-toggle theblackdon/kineticwe-layouts:layouts
+```
+
+KineticWE applies layouts per virtual desktop, so the indicator follows the active
+output's current desktop as you switch desktops, cycle layouts with keybinds, or change
+kwinrc settings.
+
+## Settings
+
+| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
+| --- | --- | --- | --- |
+| `show_text` | `bool` | `true` | Show the layout name next to the glyph in the bar. When off, only the glyph is shown. |
+
+## Notes
+
+**Processes.** The plugin shells out to two KWin/KDE tools, nothing else:
+
+- `qdbus-qt6 org.kde.KWin /Tiling org.kde.KWin.Tiling.currentLayout` — on load and
+  whenever a signal fires, plus a 5-second self-heal poll.
+- `qdbus-qt6 org.kde.KWin /Tiling org.kde.KWin.Tiling.enabledLayouts` — on the same
+  cadence; keeps the panel's list in sync with kwinrc.
+- `qdbus-qt6 org.kde.KWin /Tiling org.kde.KWin.Tiling.setLayout <kind>` — only when a
+  layout is picked in the panel.
+- `dbus-monitor --session "type='signal',interface='org.kde.KWin.Tiling'"
+  "type='signal',interface='org.kde.KWin.VirtualDesktopManager',member='currentChanged'"`
+  — a single long-lived stream that triggers the re-queries above; updates feel instant
+  while the 5-second poll doubles as a self-heal if the stream dies.
+
+**No network access. No filesystem reads or writes.** All state lives in the plugin's
+in-memory state channel (`noctalia.state`) and is re-queried from the compositor; nothing
+is written to disk.
+
+**Compositor support.** KWin / KDE Plasma only — KineticWE's tiling DBus interface is
+KWin-specific, so the plugin shows a placeholder under any other compositor.