Plasma Active™ 3.0 > For Users > ◀ ▶

Chapter 4. Using Plasma Active draft
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #cha.plasma_active.using

Contents

4.1. Using Plasma Active as Informationsassistant (PIM)
4.2. Connecting with friendsready
4.3. Reading and receiving Emails in Plasma Activedraft
4.4. Managing filesready
4.5. Reading texts with Plasma Activedraft
4.6. Writing text with Plasma Activedraft
4.7. Playing and Managing Mediadraft
4.8. Install additional softwaredraft
4.9. Updating Plasma Active ready

In the last several chapters we spoke about installation, and first contact. Now we learn how to use Plasma Active and its use as information assistant (pim), how to connect it with friends, how to write and receive emails, how to write and read texts, how to play media, and how to update the system.

4.1. Using Plasma Active as Informationsassistant (PIM)
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.pim

Plasma Active provides some useful organisation tools. In this chapter we will see how to work with activities, contacts, notes, events and how to use old links.

Plasma Active uses the following programs as central database: Nepomuk, Strigi and Akonadi. If you want to see if those services are already running, please look here: Abschnitt A.2, „How to start the desktop search?“.

4.1.1. Managing activitiesready
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.activities

The Activities are one of the most important concepts of Plasma Active. As previously mentioned, you can catenate all objects with an activity in the following way.

Procedure 4.1. How to create a new Activity?ready

  1. Open the Activityswitcher (read Section 3.5, “The Activityswitcher”).

  2. Tap on the + button.

  3. This opens a creator. You can place a name you like in the title field. Also you can choose a nice wallpaper for the new activity.

  4. Now your new activity is ready.

Now it is time to fill the new activity. You already know how to start a browser. Now we connecting a website with a activity.

Procedure 4.2. How to connect a Object with a activity?ready

  1. Start the browser and load any website.

  2. Tap now on the Plugsymbol on the right side of the systembar.

  3. Now it opens a little window where you tap on Activity.

  4. Now all available activities will be listed.

  5. Choose Current activity to connect the website with your (new created) activity. To choose another activity you can simply choose that in the window. After tapping on an activity the window will be closed.

Now you will see the website on your chosen activity. But you can connect every website, each contact or any special app to the activities.

4.1.1.1. Using Share-Like-Connect in Activities
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: - No ID found -

The last written function of Share-Like-Connect was the “Connect” function. Share-Like-Connect has another two possible functions.

Procedure 4.3. Liking objects

  1. Open a website, file or contact.

  2. Tap now on the Heartsymbol.

  3. Share-Like-Connect provides now 3 options:

    • Like the object

    • give a rating (1 to 5 stars)

    • add bookmark

  4. Add Bookmark works like the “Connect”function. The object will be connected with the activity.

    Like gives the object an importance rating. By using this in the browser, the browser stores the address in its memory. Rating a file makes the file more important for the Files-App.

4.1.2. Managing Contactsready
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.contacts

One of the important functions of a mobile device is to provide Contactinformation. This information can be added from a local file or from a remote resource (Google, Owncloud, ...). In the next example we create a new contact.

Procedure 4.4. Creating a new contactready

  1. Pull down your systembar.

  2. Tap now on Adressbook-Module.

  3. Now the Kontact-Touch Adressbook-Module opens.

  4. Tap now on Home.

  5. Choose New Contact.

  6. Now you can fill the register card with your contact information. In the standardformula you can fill in the name, email, phone and add a photo. On the left side you can find the tabs “Business”, “Location”, “Crypto” and “more”.To fill one of these tabs, just tap on it and move them from the left to the right. In this way you can fill in business informations, private adress, OpenPGP and S/MIME and other information.

  7. After you finish your entries you can tap on the Discsymbol.

In the next example we export an already available contact from a Addressbook application and import it to your Touchdevice. This example uses “KDE's Kontact Adressbook Application”. If you are using another Addressbook application the next steps can be different.

Procedure 4.5. Export from a Kontact/Adressbookready

  1. Open your Adressbook application in your PC.

  2. Click on File+Export+VCard 3.0 export.

  3. Choose now “All Contact”.

  4. In the next menu you choose all of the fields. In normal cases all fields are pre-selected.

  5. Then the application asks how you would like to save it. Choose “Save in a file”

  6. After giving it a name, you can exit the dialog.

  7. Now copy the exported file to a USB-Stick.

The next step shows you how to import the exported file into Plasma Active.

Procedure 4.6. Importing a Exportfile in VCard-Formatready

  1. Plug in your USB-Stick into your Touchpad device.

  2. Tap in Plasma Active on the Addressbook.

  3. Tap the tab Actions and move them from the left side to the right side.

  4. Tap now on Home and then Import Contacts.

  5. Choose your prepared Exportfile from the USB-Stick.

  6. Now your Contacts are available in Plasma Active.

Outside this option you can also use the Adressbook from your Owncloud instance. To do this please follow these instructions: Section 4.1.7, “Making Owncloud available”.

4.1.3. Managing notesready
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.notes

A Note application should be a regular part of a mobile User Experience. So Plasma Active also provides this via its App Kontact Touch.

Procedure 4.7. Creating a noteready

  1. Pull down the systembar.

  2. Tap on Notes.

  3. Now tap on New Note.

  4. Now you will see a split screen. On the top of the right screen you can give the note a title. Below that you can place your note.

  5. To finish your note just tap on the little icon on the bottom. Then you will come to the main window.

From time to time it is neccesary to delete a note. To do that you can follow the next steps.

Procedure 4.8. Managing/Deleting notesready

  1. Pull down the systembar.

  2. Tap now on Notes

  3. Search your note in the main window and tap on the X.

  4. Now your note is deleted.

4.1.4. Managing Events/Appointmentsready
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.events

You also need to manage your appointments or events. Plasma Active also provides this, and you can create an empty calendar, import an existing calendar or connect Plasma Active with a already known Owncloud-Instance (see Section 4.1.7, “Making Owncloud available”).

Procedure 4.9. Create an appointmentready

  1. Pull down the systembar.

  2. Tap on Calendar.

  3. Now Kontact Touch opens its Calendar Module.

  4. Tap now on New Appointment

  5. In the next field you can place information like title, where, time and conflicts.

  6. If you pull the left tab "More" to the right, you can place additional information like a note, a contact, an alarm, and a attachment. If you give your appointments a category you can get a better overview of your appointments.

  7. Just tap now on the Disksymbol and your appointment is saved. After doing that you will come to the main window.

Procedure 4.10. Export from an existing calendar instanceready

  1. Open your Desktop Calendar (this time i am using the program Kontact as an example).

  2. Click on File+Export+export as iCalendar.

  3. After giving a name for that file you can leave the dialog.

  4. Copy this file to a USB Stick.

Procedure 4.11. Importing a calendar file in Plasma Activeready

  1. Plug your USB Stick in your touchpad-device.

  2. Tap now in Plasma Active on Calendar.

  3. Pull the menu Actions from the left side to the right side.

  4. Choose now in Home the point import Events.

  5. Now you can open your prepared file.

  6. From now on you have all imported Events in Plasma Active.

4.1.5. Managing tasksdraft
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.tasks

If you have already imported a Calendar you have are done with what you need to do in order to manage tasks. Because the tasks app uses the same iCal file you do not need anything more.

To use your Owncloud Calendar please read: Section 4.1.7, “Making Owncloud available”.

Procedure 4.12. Read existing tasksdraft

  1. Pull down your systembar.

  2. Tap now on “Tasks”

  3. Now you will see a split screen.

  4. On the left side you will see the available calendars. If you are using Owncloud tap on “Default Calendar” otherwise use your imported calendar or your local calendar.

  5. Now you will see your tasks on the left side. If a task is finished, you just can move the switcher to the right side. If you want to see the content of a task just tap on the task.

  6. If you want to choose anything you can tap on the pencil. After you are finished with this, you continue tapping on the four-stripes icon until you come to the list-view.

Procedure 4.13. Creating an taskdraft

  1. Tap on "Tasks", then the app comes up.

  2. Tap on the field "New Task".

  3. In the next field you can give the task a title. If this task must be done on a special place, you can place this in the field “Location”.

  4. The progress-bar shows you what percent of the task is already done. You can choose from 10% to 100% (in 10 unit steps).

  5. In the field “Priority” you can set the priority. 1 is the highest, 5 is in the middle, and 9 is the lowest priority.

  6. In the fields “Start” and “Due” you can set the time when the task must be done. Also you can set a time for the dates. If task duration is an entire (work)day you can check the field “Whole day”.

  7. With these steps you have defined your task. The following steps are optional.

  8. Tap on the left tab "More ..." and move them to the right.

  9. In the next Submenu you will find the following possible actions:

    • Choosing a category

    • Linking to a contact

    • Setting a reminder

    • Set a repeating time

    • Add an attachment

  10. If you want to add a category you have to choose the first icon. Tap now on the field “Select”. Then a list of predefined categories comes up. Below that you see two white lines. To create a new category tap on the first line and place your text. Tapping on the Plussymbol finishes your entry. To remove any category just tap on it and then tap on the Minussymbol.

  11. To share the task with others you can tap on the second icon (Visiting card). To use that action you must already have contacts in the contacts app. If you have one, just tap on the field Select... and search for your contact.

    Also you can give a role (Participant, Observer or Chair" or you can request an action.

  12. To add an reminder for the task you can tap on the “Alarms symbol”. On the top you can choose a predefined reminder (like 5, 10 or 15 minutes before deadline). Alternatively you can tap on “New” to define your own rule.

  13. If you want to save the task with a repeating time you can tap on the fourth symbol “green arrow symbol”. There you can set your task as a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly task.

  14. To add an attachment you just have to tap on the last symbol “Paperclip symbol”. Tap now on “Add”. There you can choose any file as attachment.

With these nice tools you have a good way of managing yourself or your team.

4.1.6. Using old links
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.links

Some of the users want to use their old links from their desktop. These links you can use in Plasma Active too.

In the next steps you will learn how to backup your old links and how to make them available for Plasma Active. The next example shows you how this works in Firefox.

Procedure 4.14. Exporting old links

  1. Inside the Firefox click on Bookmarks+Show all Bookmarks.

  2. Click now on “Importing and Backup” then “Export Bookmarks as HTML”.

Procedure 4.15. Importing the links

  1. Now open your preferred Search engine and search for “Online Bookmarking Service”. Choose one of them.

  2. After registering yourself you can login there.

  3. Now upload your Backupfile into your chosen Service

From now on you can access your links from any computer, on every OS and location. The next step shows you how to use the links in Plasma Active.

Procedure 4.16. Importing a single Bookmark

  1. Start the “Browser”, go to your Bookmark-Service and login there. Tap on any link in the list. Now the browser goes to this URL.

  2. Now you can tap on the Plugsymbol (beneath the Heartsymbol). Now you can connect this link to any Activity. Read: (Procedure 4.3, “Liking objects” and Section 3.4, “Share-Like-Connect”).

Plasma Active's browser does not contain a real bookmarking function like a desktop browser. But that is not a bad thing. Plasma Active gives you the freedom to connect any object to an activity. If you are using the railway each day, you can connect the railway schedule to an “Work” Activity. If you are using the railway just to travel from your home to the airspace for the holidays, you may want to put the schedule into a “Holidays” Activity.

Sure it is another way to sort the bookmarks but it is not necessarily bad. You may like this way after a few weeks.

4.1.7. Making Owncloud availableready
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.owncloud

In this Section I show you how to make your Owncloud appointments and contacts available for Plasma Active. This Tutorial assumes you have already installed a working version of Owncloud, and already present some appointments and contacts.

  1. Pull down the Systembar.

  2. Tap now inside the Searchfield. Now a virtual keyboard comes up.

  3. Enter the name “akonadi”.

  4. Now you will see 3 possible programs. Tap on Akonadi-Einrichtung.

  5. Now the main settings for the Akonadi Resources comes up.

  6. Tap on the right side on Add.

  7. Now choose a “DAV-Groupware-Ressource”.

  8. Now enter your username and password for the Owncloud instance.

  9. Choose now “Die Ressource manuell einrichten”, and tap on Fertigstellen.

  10. In the field “Anzeigename” you can assign any name (like Owncloud).

  11. In the range “Einrichtung des Servers” tap on the right on Add.

  12. Choose now “CalDAV”.

  13. Place now in the field “Remote Address” the adress of your calendar in the format “http://your-server.de/remote.php/caldav”. Also you place there your username and password.

  14. Tap now on Abholen. After founding the calendar you tap on OK.

  15. In the range “Einrichtung des Servers” tap on the right on Add.

  16. Choose now “CardDAV”.

  17. In the field “Remote Address” you place the address of your adressbook in the format “http://your-server.de/remote.php/carddav/”. Also place your password and username there.

  18. Tap now on Abholen. After finding your addressbook you can tap on OK.

  19. With a OK you can leave Akonadi.

    From now on you have your appointments and contacts available in Plasma Active.

4.2. Connecting with friendsready
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.friends

The connection with friends and teammates plays a big role in the life of every human. In the last centuries all people have yearned to communicate, it is only choice of mediums that have changed. Today we are using emails, instant messenger, social networks, and voice over ip services like Skype.

In this section I will show you how to use these services in Plasma Active.

Example 4.1. Skype

Procedure 4.17. Setting up Skype

  1. Visit with your Plasma Active browser the address: http://www.skype.com/intl/de/get-skype/on-your-computer/linux/downloading.suse. After visiting this link the browser asks you where you want to save the file.

  2. Save the file at any location.

  3. Now start the console and change in the directory where that file is saved.

  4. Type now: sudo zypper in skype-4.1.0.20-suse.i586.rpm.

  5. Now you will have the Skype-Symbol in the Launcher.

  6. Tap now on that icon. Now the graphical client comes up, similar to the desktop. You can type your Username with the virtual keyboard. If the virtual keyboard doesn't comes up in the password field you have to use an external USB Keyboard.

  7. After login you can use the program with your fingers. After tapping on a textfield the virtual keyboard comes up. If you want to phone you just tap on the Phonesymbol.

[Note]

The integrated Webcam from the WeTab is supported out of the box. You can plug in a headphone in the WeTab. But it doesn't have a connector for a microphone. But the WeTab has an integrated microphone that is good enough for phone calls.


4.3. Reading and receiving Emails in Plasma Activedraft
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.email

For people who frequently need to read and send emails, Plasma Active supports this need too. The next Section shows you how to do that.

Procedure 4.18. Setting up Email accountsdraft

  1. Pull down the Systembar.

  2. Tap on Mail.

  3. Then tap on “Actions+ Accounts+Add ”

  4. In the next menu you place your name, your email address and password. If you leave the “Find provider settings on the Internet” checked, Kontact Touch tries to find the correct settings by itself. But this just make sense if you're using a freemail service which is listed there.

  5. Now you can choose the type of your account. You can choose between Kolab Groupware, POP3, IMAP and local mailboxes. In the most cases you will need POP3 or IMAP.

  6. Now place your server data and (if your emailaddress isn't your username) a username for the login. All of this information you can get from your email provider. Usually they have a Help page for that.

In the last step we have seen how to set up the Email accounts. Now we will discuss how to read emails.

Procedure 4.19. Receiving and reading Emailsdraft

  1. Tap on the Inbox of your newly created account.

  2. In the right side of the screen you will see your Emails for your new account.

  3. Tap on any mail and that mail will be opened.

  4. In the next window the mail will be viewed in fullscreen. You have the option to jump to the next mail with the arrow-symbol or to go back to the list-view by tapping on the four-stripes icon. If you want to answer or forward this mail just type on the tab Actions and move them to the middle of the screen. Tap now on Reply or Forward to do this.

  5. Now it opens a editor. Enter your desired text. If you have more accounts defined, you can see them in the field “Identity” which is the currently used Email adress. Also you have the option to choose a Recipient from your address book.

  6. If you want to cancel your activity just tap on the symbol with the red circle.

4.4. Managing filesready
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.files

Plasma Active provides the option to manage files like every other User Interface. On a desktop pc we are working with a filemanager to do that. With this tool we are creating folders where we place textfiles, images and other stuff. But if the files are growing it can be that we are unable to find our files anymore. The human associates documents is an other way to do this by machine. A user may know he has images from past holidays, but may not know exactly where to find them on the hard disk.

For this problem we have new applications which come from a technical field called “semantics”. With this tool we can tag every document or file with a human understandable tag like “Holidays2012”.

Under Plasma Active we have a combination of different tools. Strigi and Nepomuk are tools which do the most of this job. Strigi indicates user's Home-Folder and writes all found files into a database. Nepomuk can access this database and can add additional information called “Metatags” or “Metadata”. That information is a comment, a tag or a rating. The rating was also introduced in the Share-Like-Connect Section (see Section 3.4, “Share-Like-Connect”.

But now we leave the technical aspect and going to the application. We have the new Files-App.

4.4.1. Files
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.filesapp

Files is a new application which is specially written for Plasma Active. After you have pulled down the Systembar and tapped on Files a clean surface comes up. Files shows you all files which were found by Strigi. After starting you have to choose one of the file categories: Archives, Music, Documents, Images, Videos or current activity.

After choosing you can tap on the searchfield and place the name of your document. In most cases 3 or 4 characters are enough to find the file.

Another option to find something is to tap on the right tab and move them to the left. Then it looks like:

This Tab contains three Subtabs: Filters, Time, Tags. The Filters-Part helps you find your file by rating or file type. The Time- Part helps you find your file by the Creation Time. In the Tags- Part you can add new Tags. After creating a new Tag you can select one or more files in the screen and just move them with your finger to the Tag on the right side.

4.5. Reading texts with Plasma Activedraft
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.read

One of the most important applications for mobile devices is that one for reading texts. That need satisfies Plasma Active too. The new App “Books” opens elektronic books in the EPUB and PDF Format. Office documents are readable with Calligra Active.

To read files you can use the new app“Files” (see Section 4.4, “Managing files”. If your file aren't visible in the files app you can use the filemanager “Dolphin”.

4.5.1. Books-App
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: - No ID found -

If your loaded app has a red bookmark on one side, then it is the “Books-App”.

After starting the app you can see your chosen book with its first page. If you want to go to the next page, then you can do this by simply moving your finger from the right part of the screen to the left side. Reversing this gesture brings you to the previous page.

If you want to go to a special page you can tap on the right side of the screen, then a tab becomes visible. Move them to the left side of the screen to open the preview screen. Tap on the desired page of the book and you will go to that page.

When you coming to the point where you would like to stop reading, you can tap on the bookmark and you can resume you reading on another day.

4.5.2. Calligra Active
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: - No ID found -

If your app starts the chosen document in fullscreen you have the Calligra Active App.

After opening the document you will not see anything like a menu or Navigation, but that changes if you tap on the screen.

On the left side you can see the available sides where you can navigate.

If you would like to copy anything to the clipboard then you just have to tap on the top middle symbol. Now you can mark a textblock and after tapping on the Clipboard-Symbol it is inside them.

On the bottom of the screen you will see a search bar. There you can place text and you can search forward and backwards through the document.

4.6. Writing text with Plasma Activedraft
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.write

4.7. Playing and Managing Mediadraft
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.media

4.8. Install additional softwaredraft
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.additionals

4.9. Updating Plasma Active ready
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.update

4.9.1. Softwareupdates
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.update.apper

For Plasma Active Softwareupdates important too. The Main-Tool for doing this is [Apper]. Now we explain in the following paragraphs how to update Plasma Active with Apper.

Procedure 4.20. The Standard Updating Process

  1. Because the open-slx Image already has all the important repositories, you do not need any other settings. So pull down the System bar.

  2. Tap now on Apper.

  3. Subsequently you come to the entry site of Apper. Through the point Groups you have the possibility to add new software from each of these groups. But for now it is important to go under the point [Lists] and there on Updates.

  4. Now Apper tries to connect with the repositories in your settings. Then it creates a packagelist from packages it would like to update. Each package has its own [Checkbox]. With that boxes you can mark or unmark the packages for updating. If you want to install all of them, you can choose the Checkbox just under the blue arrow on the left top range.

  5. Tap now on the Field Apply. Now Apper will start to solve all dependencies. If all is going well Apper will present a list with additional dependencies.

  6. After you tap on Continue, Apper asks for your Rootpassword. Type it now.

  7. Now Apper starts to download the new packages and installs it. If everything is success, you will get a system-message which tells you that your system is up-to-date. Now you can leave Apper.

    [Note]

    Visit us in YouTube and watch our video about this topic.: http://youtu.be/MCPYSrvmHCU

4.9.2. Patchupdates
Filename: "cha4-plasma-active.xml"
ID: #sec.plasma-active.update.yast

In the most cases the written way is enough to update your system. But there exists a special version of Updates - called Patchupdates. There are two categories: Bugfix-Patches (with a yellow shield icon) and a Security-Patch (with a red shield icon). Apper knows about these two Patch categories, but sometimes it cannot resolve it, because other dependencies must be changed. In that case you can use under Balsam Plasma Active the YaST-Module [Online-Update]. To use that, just follow the instructions.

Procedure 4.21. Handle Patchupdates

  1. Pull down the systembar.

  2. Now type in the searchfield [yast]. Then all YaST-Modules will be shown in the Launcher.

  3. Tap now on Online-Update.

  4. Now the Updater will show you all available patches. If you choose all patches and tap on Accept the Updater will download and install it.

  5. In some cases the patch can't be solved directly. Then it opens a window with proposals. Mostly it is enough to choose a special repository.

  6. Now you can close the Updater.

With these two tools you are now ready to keep your system updated.

Plasma Active™ 3.0 > For Users > ◀ ▶