I am running Linux Mint 20.1 with Mate desktop.
After trying any solution found on the web and in FAQ, I still have only just 10 documents listed in Recent documents.
In terminal I get:
dconf read /com/linuxmint/mintmenu/plugins/recent/num-recent-docs
20
or
dconf read /org/mate/mate-menu/plugins/recent/num-recent-docs
20
and the only problem I can see is when going in Dconf editor to /org/mate/mate-menu/plugins/recent/num-recent-docs, it says:
No scheme at disposition (my translation to english) ... If the application that installed this key has been removed, or it is outdated, you can erase the key.
What can I do?
How to change the number of recent documents in Places on Mate <SOLVED>
Forum rules
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
How to change the number of recent documents in Places on Mate <SOLVED>
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Re: How to change the number of recent documents in Places on Mate
my default dconf for comparison:
Everything in life was difficult before it became easy.
Re: How to change the number of recent documents in Places on Mate
There is one thing that I forgot to mention in my original post (sorry for that):
I am using Compact or Classical menu (Mint-Menu does not suit me because it does not accept the individual settings I make in the first two mentioned).
Before I have found this I tried to get the same pane in Dconf editor and came across one strange thing:
In the /com/.. branch there is not a plugins folder in mintmenu, I get there searching for "recent", is that OK?
By this method I also came across /org/cinnamon/desktop/privacy and /org/gnome/desktop/privacy, that seems strange in a Mate installation.
The /com/.. branch is obviously valid for Mint-Menu because the setting applies to it without problem.
To be exhaustive, I must mention that I have tried to solve the problem on other distributions but without any success.
Is it possibly a bug in the original Mate desktop?
I am using Compact or Classical menu (Mint-Menu does not suit me because it does not accept the individual settings I make in the first two mentioned).
Before I have found this I tried to get the same pane in Dconf editor and came across one strange thing:
In the /com/.. branch there is not a plugins folder in mintmenu, I get there searching for "recent", is that OK?
By this method I also came across /org/cinnamon/desktop/privacy and /org/gnome/desktop/privacy, that seems strange in a Mate installation.
The /com/.. branch is obviously valid for Mint-Menu because the setting applies to it without problem.
To be exhaustive, I must mention that I have tried to solve the problem on other distributions but without any success.
Is it possibly a bug in the original Mate desktop?
Re: How to change the number of recent documents in Places on Mate
I have done some experiments and testing just to find out that everybody misses what I have missed in my first post - to say to which menu the post applies.
So I will explain that:
/com/linuxmint/mintmenu/plugins/recent/num-recent-docs applies to mintMenu (as in Synaptic), also called Advanced menu
/org/mate/mate-menu/plugins/recent/num-recent-docs applies to mate-menu, also called Advanced Mate menu, NOT installed as default in Mint.
I did not find corresponding items for Classical a Compact menus, both as mate-menus in Synaptic.
They seem to be part of the original Mate Desktop and number 10 may be hardcoded in them.
At least I did not find any information how to change it, though that is what I was looking for.
Just to be precise I must add that if you try to remove them from the system, due to wrong dependency info, you will remove also the panel and other items.
Both mintMenu and mate-menu are very similar and can be customized.
For the time being I finally settled for a combination of Compact menu AND mate-menu customized to show only recent documents.
Before I can find a solution to my original problem I must test this there are still some things to do.
In the customization of mate-menu you can turn off every plugin modules except for recent documents and in Dconf editor set the desired number of them.
To see them all without a scrollbar the height must be set to at least 30 times that number (calculated from my setting).
Somehow I cannot get rid of the icon neither change it, if you know how to do that please tell me.
The second problem there is that I cannot figure out how the documents are sorted - not alphabetically and in my short trial the top one (latest) in Compact menu is missing in mate-menu (maybe because I opened it from the list in Compact menu).
The last bit missing is that any setting of the width in Dconf editor does not change the length of the document's name in mate-menu, it stays in a box inside.
Any advice will be welcomed.
So I will explain that:
/com/linuxmint/mintmenu/plugins/recent/num-recent-docs applies to mintMenu (as in Synaptic), also called Advanced menu
/org/mate/mate-menu/plugins/recent/num-recent-docs applies to mate-menu, also called Advanced Mate menu, NOT installed as default in Mint.
I did not find corresponding items for Classical a Compact menus, both as mate-menus in Synaptic.
They seem to be part of the original Mate Desktop and number 10 may be hardcoded in them.
At least I did not find any information how to change it, though that is what I was looking for.
Just to be precise I must add that if you try to remove them from the system, due to wrong dependency info, you will remove also the panel and other items.
Both mintMenu and mate-menu are very similar and can be customized.
For the time being I finally settled for a combination of Compact menu AND mate-menu customized to show only recent documents.
Before I can find a solution to my original problem I must test this there are still some things to do.
In the customization of mate-menu you can turn off every plugin modules except for recent documents and in Dconf editor set the desired number of them.
To see them all without a scrollbar the height must be set to at least 30 times that number (calculated from my setting).
Somehow I cannot get rid of the icon neither change it, if you know how to do that please tell me.
The second problem there is that I cannot figure out how the documents are sorted - not alphabetically and in my short trial the top one (latest) in Compact menu is missing in mate-menu (maybe because I opened it from the list in Compact menu).
The last bit missing is that any setting of the width in Dconf editor does not change the length of the document's name in mate-menu, it stays in a box inside.
Any advice will be welcomed.
Re: How to change the number of recent documents in Places on Mate
Sorry to say so, but it seems that the list of recent documents in the modified mate-menu does not work - does not correspond to what was recently opened.
Re: How to change the number of recent documents in Places on Mate
I am rather sorry that up till now nobody came with a solution to my problem, though it seems to interest many.
There is a way to bypass it, now I am testing that.
For those interested here are the steps to go:
- install xfce4-panel and xfce4-places-plugin (it pulls in almost 11 MB of dependencies, including thunar)
- put a launcher for xfce4-panel into Applications started at login and relog into the system
- do not panic when you see your mate-panel changed, just remove the xfce dock at the bottom and everything from the xfce-panel on top, relog
- add the places-plugin on the left side of the xfce-panel and make it a horizontal working panel, not locked and sized to about 4% in length
- move it to a place where you like it (I am using mate-panel at the bottom of the screen so I placed xfce-places near the main menu)
There it is always visible above any open window but does not hide any important information.
Some of you would maybe prefer to install more xfce-panel plugins and use this panel instead, for now I was too lazy for that.
There is a way to bypass it, now I am testing that.
For those interested here are the steps to go:
- install xfce4-panel and xfce4-places-plugin (it pulls in almost 11 MB of dependencies, including thunar)
- put a launcher for xfce4-panel into Applications started at login and relog into the system
- do not panic when you see your mate-panel changed, just remove the xfce dock at the bottom and everything from the xfce-panel on top, relog
- add the places-plugin on the left side of the xfce-panel and make it a horizontal working panel, not locked and sized to about 4% in length
- move it to a place where you like it (I am using mate-panel at the bottom of the screen so I placed xfce-places near the main menu)
There it is always visible above any open window but does not hide any important information.
Some of you would maybe prefer to install more xfce-panel plugins and use this panel instead, for now I was too lazy for that.
Re: How to change the number of recent documents in Places on Mate
For those interested:
1. I have found out that the sorting in Mintmenu and Mate-menu is based on the time when the document was opened for the first time (added to recently-used.xbel)
This is not correct so I have made a new post on that.
2. When testing Xfce-panel as described earlier I always felt a bit uncomfortable (something missing or too much there).
Now I am testing another placement for the panel - after shifting application menu and the following launchers to the right, it can be placed over the mate-panel.
Unluckily it gets hidden when you move the mouse pointer over the mate-panel but moving the pointer over the icon of Mate-menu placed just by unhides it.
1. I have found out that the sorting in Mintmenu and Mate-menu is based on the time when the document was opened for the first time (added to recently-used.xbel)
This is not correct so I have made a new post on that.
2. When testing Xfce-panel as described earlier I always felt a bit uncomfortable (something missing or too much there).
Now I am testing another placement for the panel - after shifting application menu and the following launchers to the right, it can be placed over the mate-panel.
Unluckily it gets hidden when you move the mouse pointer over the mate-panel but moving the pointer over the icon of Mate-menu placed just by unhides it.
Re: How to change the number of recent documents in Places on Mate
For me the problem is finally SOLVED in Mint 20.2 Beta:
Now I use Classical Menu modified to my liking for launching applications AND Mint-Menu stripped down to use with Recent Documents only.
The latter is achieved by turning off System and Places and turning on Recent Documents and Applications in Preferences, next (if you do not like to have the applications menu displayed in unsorted manner) you have to go to Dconf editor and in /com/linuxmint/mintmenu remove 'applications' from the plugins-list (and if necessary repeat this if you make some changes to praferences), next in /com/linuxmint/mintmenu/plugins/recent adjust the num-recent-docs, width and height to your liking (for me 20, 420 and 645 are the first best choice).
Now I use Classical Menu modified to my liking for launching applications AND Mint-Menu stripped down to use with Recent Documents only.
The latter is achieved by turning off System and Places and turning on Recent Documents and Applications in Preferences, next (if you do not like to have the applications menu displayed in unsorted manner) you have to go to Dconf editor and in /com/linuxmint/mintmenu remove 'applications' from the plugins-list (and if necessary repeat this if you make some changes to praferences), next in /com/linuxmint/mintmenu/plugins/recent adjust the num-recent-docs, width and height to your liking (for me 20, 420 and 645 are the first best choice).