<SOLVED> managing icon placement on panels, bottom and top

[bearzlos]

Hello. I'm new to Mint -- using version 19 (Cinnamon). I've searched these forums and Googled but not found solutions to what must be the most petty of problems. But they're important to me.

I cannot figure out how to manage the placement of icons (e.g., to launch Chrome, Claws-Mail, etc.) on the panel at the bottom of the screen. Once I add an icon to the panel I am unable to detach it from others that are tied together. So I cannot reorder them left-to-right.

Also, I have added a panel at the top of the screen but cannot get any applications to go there. No matter that I turn on the panel edit mode, even if I click "next panel," when I right click on an application and select "add to panel" it goes to the panel at the bottom of the screen.

So...

1) What must I do to control the placement of these application icons on a panel so I can order them as I wish?
2) How do I get application icons to go to the panel at the top of the screen rather than the bottom?
3) And I seem to have lost the panel icon that brought back a clear desktop. What is it called so I can find it again?

Many thanks.
bearzlos

[smurphos]

1) Right click on the panel launcher applet > preferences > configure > check enable dragging off launchers.

2) Right click on top panel, click add applet and add another panel launcher applet. Optionally remove the one from the bottom panel. You can have multiple panel launchers on different or the same panel if required for your use case. As long as you have enabled the setting in 1 you should be able to drag individual launchers between them.

3) Right click the panel, click add applet, and add the show desktop applet.

[bearzlos]

1) Right click on the panel launcher applet > preferences > configure > check enable dragging off launchers.

2) Right click on top panel, click add applet and add another panel launcher applet. Optionally remove the one from the bottom panel. You can have multiple panel launchers on different or the same panel if required for your use case. As long as you have enabled the setting in 1 you should be able to drag individual launchers between them.

3) Right click the panel, click add applet, and add the show desktop applet.

Thank you for this very helpful reply.

But some of my concerns are still unresolved.

1) I followed your step #2 and, thank you, it worked just fine. I added a panel launcher to the top panel and then was able to drag icons from the lower panel to the upper one. And I could rearrange the order of the icons within that upper panel launcher. Great so far.

However, that panel launcher is at the far right end of the upper panel and I would prefer it at the far left end. I cannot find a way to drag that panel launcher from far right to far left. Is there a way to move it?

2) Getting icons to the upper launcher panel is a two step process. First I right click from the menu and the icon is automatically placed on the lower panel. Then I have to drag it to the upper one. Is there a way to have the added icon go directly to the upper launcher or is this simply always going to be a two-step process requiring dragging from the lower panel launcher to the upper one?

Again, thanks very much.
bearzlos

[bearzlos]

3) Right click the panel, click add applet, and add the show desktop applet.

Sorry, I forgot to also say thank you for this #3.

bearzlos

[smurphos]

You can rearrange the applets on any panel by enabling panel edit mode via right click on the panel.

If you have multiple panel launcher applets the original one will be the default location for new launchers created from the menu. If you don't need it you can remove the applet from the bottom panel entirely (again via right click) and the default should change to the next one on the top panel. I think it will stay the default if you subsequent ly add more panel launcher applets...not near my Cinnamon machine at the moment to double check

[bearzlos]

You can rearrange the applets on any panel by enabling panel edit mode via right click on the panel.

If you have multiple panel launcher applets the original one will be the default location for new launchers created from the menu. If you don't need it you can remove the applet from the bottom panel entirely (again via right click) and the default should change to the next one on the top panel. I think it will stay the default if you subsequent ly add more panel launcher applets...not near my Cinnamon machine at the moment to double check

Thanks for reply.

I understand that I can rearrange the position of any icon (applet) within a launcher. That's not an issue.

I can't make this work as you describe to get icons to go directly to the launcher at the top of the screen. I actually ended up deleting the entire bottom panel in an attempt to do what you describe. I had to scramble to get that back. So I must be doing something wrong with your description of having no launchers at the bottom and new icons then automatically going to the top.

I'd really like to keep icons in the panels at both the bottom and top of the screen. I'd just like to be able to choose which go where, and do it easily.

Also, in my upper panel all the icons are still flush right and I would like to move them to the left end of the panel. Can this be done?
Thanks.
bearzlos

[smurphos]

To remove the panel launcher at the bottom entirely - right click on the panel launcher, select preferences, select remove panel launchers.

To place a newly added panel launcher in a desired location enable panel edit mode via right click on the panel and then drag around the whole applet as you wish. You can drop it in any of the three coloured zones that appear in panel edit mode which expand as necessary to accommodate the applets placed in each zone. You mind find using spacer or separator applets help you get the set up you like.

[bearzlos]

To remove the panel launcher at the bottom entirely - right click on the panel launcher, select preferences, select remove panel launchers.

To place a newly added panel launcher in a desired location enable panel edit mode via right click on the panel and then drag around the whole applet as you wish. You can drop it in any of the three coloured zones that appear in panel edit mode which expand as necessary to accommodate the applets placed in each zone. You mind find using spacer or separator applets help you get the set up you like.

Yes! That worked. Thank you.

I had to grab the launcher and get it properly centered on the colored zone before it would "attach" there. Previously I was just dragging the launcher to the general area I wanted it to be but could not get the "X" to disappear. Apparently I was not dragging the launcher far enough into the colored zone.

Really appreciate your help.
bearzlos

[visualblind]

I just wanted to say that I just figured that out while I stopped reading a thread or two above where the answer was on here.

It seems as though more work needs to be done on the Cinnamon panel user interface to make it easier to align the launcher applet as well as currently open windows. Even though this was frustrating to deal with because it seemed like such a basic simple task that should have been solved 50 years ago, it was nothing compared to my countless attempts to configure only showing application windows open on each individual monitor in a dual monitor setup. I've reinstalled the OS many times. I finally got it working yesterday by continuing to play around with Troubleshoot | Restore all settings to defaults and removing and adding the "Window List" applet. I don't even know the exact sequence of events I used to get it to work, but rainbows I'm done with this shit.

[TerryWWW]

Restore all settings to default is the only thing that works for me. Thanks