Skip to content
BETA Documentation
Decorations
Creating and Editing Decorations

Creating and Editing Decorations

Open TaskManSync Settings > Decorations to create and manage definitions. The library list contains reusable definitions, not taskbar placements.

Create and edit

Use + New and choose Plain Text, TDML, or Scripted. Plain Text and TDML create Static definitions; Scripted creates a Lua-backed definition. Select a definition in the list to edit it and see its preview. To bring in existing files instead, use Import Decorations; see Importing and Exporting.

A new Plain Text definition starts with |; a new TDML definition and a new Scripted definition have empty content. Static and Scripted width default to Content. For Scripted output, Content measures whole-Decoration text only; positioned text and graphics are excluded, and visual-only output falls back to effective Flexible with a warning. Plain Text alignment defaults to Center. Colors are unset by default, so normal theme and KDE/Plasma fallbacks apply.

  • Plain Text has a literal text editor, background and text color controls, Font Size, and an alignment control. Font Size is a relative multiplier from 0.5 to 3.0; unset uses 1.0. Use 0.1 button steps or enter a decimal directly; reset clears the setting.
  • TDML has a source editor and a live preview. Parser errors and warnings appear below the preview; see the TDML Guide.
  • Scripted has a Name field, a preview, and Import, Edit Script, and Re-import actions as applicable. Import copies a local .lua file into the definition. The stored copy is the source TaskManSync runs; the original file is only used as a Re-import source. See Scripted Decorations.

The Settings page saves ordinary pending definition edits with its normal save action. The Taskbars and Orientation selections and preview/editor resizing are saved as they change. The script editor has its own Save button; its Reload Decoration option is checked by default and reloads the active Decoration after a successful save.

Import and export

Import Decorations, the icon-only button beside + New, creates new definitions from .pt, .tdml, and .lua files, and Export, beside Place, writes the selected definition to a file. Both use the metadata header at the top of the file to carry the name and settings. See Importing and Exporting Decorations for the import dialog, its results and recovery, duplicate-name rules, and what export writes.

Plain Text and TDML definitions have no Name field. Their name comes from the header’s Name: line when you save or import. Saving also applies no other header line, so change width, colors, and the like with the Settings controls, or import a file. See Name after Save.

Find definitions in the list

The type filter below the + New selector limits the list to All, Plain Text, TDML, or Scripted definitions. The eye button next to it (tooltip Render Decoration values in list) is shown for All, Plain Text, and TDML. With it off, each Plain Text or TDML row shows its header Name, or its rendered content when it has no name. With it on, those rows show their rendered content. Scripted rows always show their name. The filter and the eye setting are kept between Settings windows and do not change any definition or taskbar.

Preview controls

Orientation changes the Settings editor and preview arrangement only. It does not set the orientation of a placed Decoration: each placement follows the orientation of its taskbar. The horizontal preview can be resized from its bottom edge; in vertical preview mode, the preview sits beside the controls and can be resized from its left edge. Static text and TDML editors can also be resized.

The Taskbars selector defaults to All and makes the definition visible on all TaskManSync applets or one applet. The numbered choices are labels for currently connected applets, not permanent numbers. See placing Decorations for how this affects shared placements.

Orientation defaults to Horizontal. This is a Settings-preview choice, not the orientation of the placed Decoration; placed content follows its taskbar.

Manage definitions

Use Move Up and Move Down to sort the definition library; this does not move a Decoration on a taskbar. Clone creates an independent definition. Delete removes the definition and its placements. If a Scripted Decoration has stored data, the delete flow lets you keep or delete that data.

For the difference between deleting a definition and removing one placement, see placing Decorations.

Text and TDMLImporting and Exporting Decorations