https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=460760
Bug ID: 460760
Summary: Notification badges for most applications using
built-in notifications system
Classification: Plasma
Product: plasmashell
Version: git-stable-Plasma/5.26
Platform: Neon
OS: Linux
Status: REPORTED
Severity: normal
Priority: NOR
Component: Task Manager and Icons-Only Task Manager
Assignee: plasma-b...@kde.org
Reporter: alts...@gmail.com
Target Milestone: 1.0
SUMMARY
***
Plasma 5.20 switched to "Icons-Only Task Manager" by default. It brought
overall better presentation but also exposed issue with Chat and Email
applications.
In a days of a "classic taskbar" (icon + text) programs used to blink or print
some text to bring user attention that there's a new chat or e-mail message
etc. Since "classic taskbar" is considered obsolete now, both OS/DE and
application devs drop such things.
Nowadays users should rely on notifications, tray indicators, shaking effects
and "unread badges". Unfortunately Linux Desktop Environments still doesn't
have a stable universal API for notification badges. For now there still exist
Unity API which KDE Plasma supports. But it's not something application
developers would target & distros pre-install. Among messaging apps which
supports libunity I know "Telegram Desktop" and "Ferdium". Most other apps
(e.g. "Viber", "Skype", "Thunderbird", "Google Chat" PWA etc) doesn't.
Situation is even worse with new packaging formats (Snap, Flatpak) which could
potentially "burn bridges" to Unity API, even for Electron apps.
Recently I've discovered that GNOME extension developers figured out how to get
notification counters/badges even without Unity API (references bellow).
Basically they get information about unread notifications from the message tray
and place number as a badge/indicator on "taskbar icon". When user opens
program window, notification is considered as "read" and "badge" disappears. It
works fairly well.
Looking at the Notification applet "unread messages", I presume that
Plasmashell knows/remembers which programs generated notifications, how many
etc. So theoretically this feature could be implemented in KDE Plasma as well.
Again, since we still don't even have a stable API, lots of legacy &
proprietary applications, I just don't see a better resolution for this problem
(which won't take years to implement and adopt).
Additional option to workaround this issue is a "notification counter"
instead/beside a "bell" icon but that's probably should be a separate issue.
---
Aforementioned GNOME extensions:
- RocketBar (https://github.com/linux-is-awesome/gnome_extension_rocketbar)
- Dash to Panel with unofficial modification
(https://github.com/home-sweet-gnome/dash-to-panel/issues/1695#issuecomment-1160077515)
- Notification Counter (https://github.com/vkrizan/NotificationCounter)
- new-mail-indicator (https://github.com/fthx/new-mail-indicator)
NOTE: If you are reporting a crash, please try to attach a backtrace with debug
symbols.
See
https://community.kde.org/Guidelines_and_HOWTOs/Debugging/How_to_create_useful_crash_reports
***
STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Receive a notification about new message at any messaging application that
doesn't support UnityAPI ("Thunderbird", "Google Chat", Viber, Skype, Electron
chat apps etc)
2. Check if application icon at "Icons-only Taskbar has an "unread
notification" badge
OBSERVED RESULT
Application icon doesn't inform about new messages
EXPECTED RESULT
Application icon has a badge with an unread messages counter
SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Linux/KDE Plasma: KDE Neon User Edition
KDE Plasma Version: 5.26.0
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.98.0
Qt Version: 5.15.6
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