I want to build some scripts to set up specific desktops in KDE for specific tasks that typically require several programs open in a convenient arrangement. This seems like an obvious thing to try to automate -- but I'm not getting the results I want.

kstart looks like what I should use to place each program window in its proper place. The docs say it can start up a program in a specific desktop. But if I use the example often given on various web pages...

kstart "konsole" -desktop 3 -activate

I get a process (shown by "ps auwx") but no konsole session in *any* desktop.

If I do:

kstart -desktop 3 -activate "konsole"
or
kstart --desktop 3 --activate "konsole"

I get a new konsole session but it can either be in desktop 3 or the current desktop depending on what I have done with konsoles in the recent past. (I cannot nail down the pattern with any clarity.)

And attempts to control the size and placement of the new konsole...

kstart -geometry 600x400+0+20 --desktop 3 --activate "konsole"
or
kstart --geometry 600x400+0+20 --desktop 3 --activate "konsole"

...seem to have no effect on the geometry of the new konsole window.

And what's up with the single/double leading hyphen on the options? The examples I find on the web all show single hyphens. But "kstart --help-all" shows double hyphens for all options. Either way seems to (not) work equally well.

Clearly I am missing something in this whole enterprise.

Specific kstart question: how do I get kstart to consistantly open a program in the desktop and geometry I want.

Or if that is the wrong approach to my project, how *do* I write a command line (later to go in a bash script) to open a program in a specified KDE desktop other than the current one with specified geometry?

I am using bash with an updated copy of Redhat 7.3 and KDE 3.0.

TIA
David

Do you want them to open when you start kde? or do you want to have a script that will set up a desktop for a certain project(?) with a single command?

I'd like to have a script to set up a desktop for a certain project with a single command after my computer has been running for a while and I want to work for a while on that project.

(It is a needless bother each time to open the editor window, place it just so, open the ftp client, put it where I have become accustomed to having it, open an ssh window, put it where it is handy, etc...)

Well after a bit of a play around with kstart I can't seem to sort out the geometry issue, maybe you should post a question to one of the kde mailing lists.