I must have accidentally hit something and as a result the panel at the bottom with the KDE menu and so on is gone. I can recreate widgets and panels but not as the default menu bar at the bottom of the screen. So, now everytime I push something in the background, I have no way to recover it. How do I restore the original default menu bar/panel?

When you right click on desktop do you see a "create new panel" option there ?

Yes, including "create new panel, new widget lock and various other options". Create new panel creates one at the top, non-configurable and you don't add menus to it(or I have not figured out how)

Tried right clicking on new panel (you just created) ?

what are the options listed ?

Ok here you are:

Right click on desktop:

-> Add panel
-> Right click on new panel
-> Click on Add widgets
-> Double click on Application launcher (Traditional menu based application launcher)
-> Double click on Task manager (Switch between running applications)

You will see both of these items added to the new panel.
You may want to browse the list and thus select other widgets required by you.

-> Right click on new panel
-> Click on Panel settings
-> Click on the button More settings on the right corner.
-> Try configuring that too.

Thanks. I thought I did try that, I'll give it another try

You re welcome

Thanks, it did work. Except that some applications that were in the old menus are no longer listed. For example I had installed from slackbuilds and grace was in the science menu. Now it is not. How do I put them back there?

Fine,

Right click on the icon of main menu.
Select Menu Editor.

Click on New Item button on the top.
Enter the name xyz or whatever you want.

Now click on the text xyz in the white space on the left side. (You may have to scroll up-down to see xyz).

On the right side, under General tab, see the text box labeled Command.

Note:
Whatever program you install through whatever means, has an executable in either /bin or /usr/bin/ or /sbin.
You need to specify this path in that above mentioned text box labeled Command.
Run locate programName in the terminal.
Here program name can grace or whatever.
When you run the locate command, look for something like /usr/bin/grace. Copy that path and paste it in that text box.

Click on Save button when you are done.

Now click the main menu ....

Thanks!

Got it working ?

no, I'm at work now and Slack is at home-I'll do that when I get home