I'm running OpenSUSE 12.3 with kde 4.10. When I installed using pretty much the default options, I had a handy bar across the bottom of my screen. I have trouble understanding kde terminology, so I don't know what to call this bar, but it included the lizard on the left, some icons on the right for the clipboard, sound, time, etc. and in the middle it had tabs for whatever applications I am running, such as firefox, thunderbird, libreoffice, etc. Convenient for minimizing and restoring these applications.

In the process of trying to fix something else, I somehow damaged this bar, such that parts of it moved to the top of the screen and the color scheme changed so as to be nearly unreadable. (Other parts remain at the bottom, such as the lizard.)

So, how do I restore the bar to its original location, composition, color scheme? And, while I'm at it, where in kde.org (or anywhere else) is there an explanation of how this works?

Thanks for any advice, and thanks to linuxquestions.org for having a straightforward and easy-to-use forum.

Right click on the desktop/screen, choose Add New Panel from the pop-up menu, then maybe Default Panel.

Thanks, but that's one of the many things logical and otherwise that I tried before posting here. I note that I have .kde and .kde4 directories under my home; they seem to be full of all kinds of settings and I bet there is something in there that I could change to set things right, or to break things further.

Your sig suggests reading the instructions. That is an excellent idea but I have found nothing on kde.org (nor OpenSUSE's site) which explains how this thing works.

I'm THINKING you got rid of your task manager? Can you post a screenshot showing exactly what you're describing?

A useful screenshot is 1.86 mb, too big to post here, but I have posted it at dropbox. The tabs for the various active apps are very faintly visible along the top of the screen. On my actual screen, the little lizard is at the upper left corner, I don't know why he is somewhat inset on the image that ksnapshot produced.

Right click at a blank place on the panel I want to move/ panel options/ panel settings/ screen edge, then drag it to the bottom where I want it.

This gives me the panel I want, but doesn't actually get rid of the panel at the top that I don't want. Got rid of this with something like right click/ remove this task manager/ remove this panel. Unfortunately I cannot remember exactly how I did that part, and this forum software swallowed my text the first time I wrote it (probably because I had been logged on for hours and lost the token.)

Thanks to all who suggested a solution or thought about my problem.

Can anyone direct me to a kde4 desktop manual where I might have read how to do the above without a lot of trial and error?

In case anyone finds this thread through searching hoping to solve the same problem, here's the steps:

http://i41.tinypic.com/11k9mhs.jpg

Then if you have duplicate panels, click on More Settings > Remove this Panel (on the duplicate you don't want).

here's a great place for documentation.

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The documentation link you provide above is one of the places I had looked in trying to solve this problem. Where within it would one go to find out how to manipulate panels?

kde-workspace should have something about it in there. Probably plasma should talk about it, possibly desktop effects, possibly workspaces.

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