Desktop - Create Alternate desktops

Tip
You can create alternate desktops, each with its own set of widgets or plasmoids and wallpaper. (I suspect that at sometime in the future separate color schemes - title bar colors, icon text, etc. -will be available, but as this is written it is not.) Change between desktops with only three clicks.

A point of interest is that you can have the same widget or plasmoid on the panel, on your desktop, and on your alternate desktop. Some folks appreciate redundancy, and others, possibly, may just find moving the mouse cursor from one location to another too tiring. But the important thing is that you can make and arrange your desktops any way you want them. Use the desktop "cashew" to add widgets and plasmoids to your desktop, and of course, the panel "cashew" to add widgets to your panel.

To set up your own alternate desktop click on the "cashew" in the upper right hand corner of the desktop (or to whatever location you've dragged it to). This will take you to the "Plasma Workspace." It looks exactly like your normal desktop except that any applications you have open won't be visible. You'll see a menu with four items: "Folder View Settings," "Lock or Unlock Widgets," "Shortcut Settings," and "Zoom Out." Click on "Zoom Out."

When you "Zoom Out" you should see a quarter sized copy of your existing desktop and another menu which says : "Lock Widgets," "Shortcut Settings," "Add Activity," "Zoom Out," and "Configure Plasma." Click on "Add Activity." (Or, if you want to add more than one alternate desktop you can click on "Zoom Out" again and you'll have lots of room to add many new desktop configurations.)

After you've added an "activity" you can right click on the new desktop and start your configuration (or click on the wrench). Then again, you may want to start by clicking on the "Add Widgets" button to add widgets and plasmoids.

But. . . instead of fooling around with a tiny little copy of your alternate desktop(s) you may find it much easier to just click on a desktop magnifying glass and configure the new desktop as if it were your one and only.

To change from one desktop to another simply click on the desktop "cashew." Click on "Zoom Out." Click on the magnifying glass of your desktop of choice. Easy as "One, two, three". . . right? Or maybe, "A, B, C."