Plank Reloaded

What Is Plank Reloaded?

Plank Reloaded is a fork of the original Plank project, providing a simple dock for X11 desktop environments. While development began with a focus on Cinnamon, we now actively support multiple desktop environments including MATE and Xfce. Wayland is not supported at this time.

Like its predecessor, Plank Reloaded aims to be the simplest dock on the planet, providing just what a dock needs and absolutely nothing more. It also remains a library which can be extended to create other dock programs with more advanced features.

Key Improvements in Plank Reloaded

• Enhanced compatibility with X11 desktop environments (Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce)
• Support for KDE when running in X11
• Migrated to modern meson build system for easier compilation and installation
• Added AnchorDocklets/AnchorFiles settings to anchor docklets/files to the end of the dock
• Fixed Restrict to Workspace so applications only show up on their active workspace
• Max Zoom has been increased to 400%
• Added GapSize to set the gap between the dock and the screen edge
• Ability to support multiple monitors
• Comprehensive docklet improvements:
  • Applications: Better reliability and fixed duplicate items issue
  • Battery: Modern UPower integration
  • Clock: Enhanced digital display with new pop-up calendar
  • Clippy: Image support, improved text handling and menu organization
  • Notifications: A notification docklet for displaying system notifications
  • Separator: A simple separator so you can setup a Mac OS X like dock experience
  • Workspaces: A graphical workspace switcher
  • Refreshed icons across all docklets
  • Support for third party docklets
• Added Matte and Matte-Light themes, based on Arian Plank Theme
• Optional systemd user service support for automatic startup and service management
• Added theme options to set the indicator, active item, and badge styles
• General code cleanup and stability improvements

Themes

Default

Matte

Matte Light

Minimal

Minimal Light

Transparent

Installation

Arch Linux

yay -S plank-reloaded-git

Linux Mint / Ubuntu (Noble Numbat)

Option 1: Using the PPA (Recommended)

Plank Reloaded is available for Ubuntu through an official PPA. This is the easiest way to install and keep Plank Reloaded updated.

# Add the repository
curl -fsSL https://zquestz.github.io/ppa/ubuntu/KEY.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/zquestz-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/zquestz-archive-keyring.gpg] https://zquestz.github.io/ppa/ubuntu ./" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/zquestz.list
sudo apt update

# Install Plank Reloaded
sudo apt install plank-reloaded

Option 2: Manual Installation

You can download the plank-reloaded.deb package from the Releases page or build from source using the instructions below.

# Completely uninstall plank
sudo apt-get remove plank libplank-common libplank1

# Install required dependencies
sudo apt-get install git meson gettext valac libgnome-menu-3.0 libgnome-menu-3-dev libxml2-utils gtk+-3.0 gee-0.8 libbamf3-dev libwnck-3.0 libwnck-3-dev bamfdaemon

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/zquestz/plank-reloaded.git

# Enter the directory
cd plank-reloaded

# Build and install
meson setup --prefix=/usr build
meson compile -C build
sudo meson install -C build

LMDE / Debian (Bookworm)

Option 1: Using the PPA (Recommended)

Plank Reloaded is available for Debian through an official PPA. This is the easiest way to install and keep Plank Reloaded updated.

# Add the repository
curl -fsSL https://zquestz.github.io/ppa/debian/KEY.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/zquestz-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/zquestz-archive-keyring.gpg] https://zquestz.github.io/ppa/debian ./" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/zquestz.list
sudo apt update

# Install Plank Reloaded
sudo apt install plank-reloaded

Option 2: Manual Installation

You can download the plank-reloaded-debian.deb package from the Releases page or build from source using the instructions below.

# Completely uninstall plank
sudo apt-get remove plank libplank-common libplank1

# Install required dependencies
sudo apt-get install git meson gettext valac libgnome-menu-3.0 libgnome-menu-3-dev libxml2-utils gtk+-3.0 gee-0.8 libbamf3-dev libwnck-3.0 libwnck-3-dev bamfdaemon

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/zquestz/plank-reloaded.git

# Enter the directory
cd plank-reloaded

# Build and install
meson setup --prefix=/usr build
meson compile -C build
sudo meson install -C build

openSUSE

There is a community supported openSUSE package available at:

https://build.opensuse.org/package/show/home:asdhio/plank

FreeBSD

Plank Reloaded is available in the FreeBSD Ports Collection. You can install it using one of the following methods:

Using pkg (Binary Package)

pkg install x11/plank

Using the Ports Collection

cd /usr/ports/x11/plank
make install clean

For more information about the port, visit FreshPorts.

Nix

There is a Nix flake available for Plank Reloaded located at ./flake.nix .

Running

An easy way to test out plank reloaded if you have flakes enabled is to simply run

nix run github:zquestz/plank-reloaded

This will download, build and launch the dock

Building

To build plank-reloaded on Nix, simply run

nix build github:zquestz/plank-reloaded

The built application will be generated in the "result" directory of the current directory. You can then launch it by running the executable located at ./result/bin/plank

You can also build the app locally by doing the following steps:

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/zquestz/plank-reloaded.git

2. Switch to the repository's directory

   cd plank-reloaded

3. Build plank reloaded

   nix build .

System-wide Installation

To include Plank Reloaded in your system-wide packages, do the following steps to incorporate the flake. Note that the following is an example system config. Yours most likely will be different.

1. First add the plank-reloaded flake to the inputs section of your own system's flake and add it as a parameter to your outputs:

   {
       inputs = {
           nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-25.05";
           plank-reloaded = {
               url = "github:zquestz/plank-reloaded";
               inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";   
           };
           # ...
       };
       outputs = inputs @ { 
               self, 
               nixpkgs, 
               plank-reloaded,
               # ... 
           }: {
           nixosConfigurations.my-computer = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
               system = "x86_64-linux";
               specialArgs = { inherit plank-reloaded; };
               modules = [
                   ./configuration.nix
                   # ...
               ];
           };
       };
   }

2. Next, in your configuration.nix or whichever module you prefer, add plank reloaded to your system packages

   { config, pkgs, plank-reloaded, ... }:
   let 
       # Allows the package to be referred to by a handy variable
       plank-reloaded = plank-reloaded.defaultPackage.${pkgs.system};
   in {
       environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
          plank-reloaded
          # ...
       ];
       # ...
   }

   Note that in order for your module to import plank-reloaded, you will need to pass either plank-reloaded or inputs into specialArgs for NixOS or home-manager.extraSpecialArgs if running home manager. The above example just passes plank-reloaded to the module.

3. Rebuild your system:

   sudo nixos-rebuild switch

4. Verify installation by running:

   plank

Credits

Thanks to thecreativedg for the initial flake which can be found at:

https://github.com/thecreativedg/plank-reloaded-flake

Fedora

Plank Reloaded works on Fedora when running in X11 mode. Wayland is not supported at this time.

Option 1: Using RPM Packages (Recommended for X11 users)

You can download the latest RPM packages from the Releases page.

# Install the downloaded package
sudo dnf install ./plank-reloaded-*.rpm

# Optional: Install development files if you plan to develop docklets
sudo dnf install ./plank-reloaded-devel-*.rpm

Option 2: Build from Source

If you prefer to build from source or are using Wayland (with limitations):

# To start Plank you will need to set the following environment variables:
GDK_BACKEND=x11
XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11

# Install required dependencies
sudo dnf install git meson valac clang cmake libgnome-devel libxml2-devel gnome-menus-devel libgee libgee-devel libdbusmenu-gtk3-devel libdbusmenu-gtk3 libwnck3 libwnck3-devel bamf bamf-devel bamf-daemon

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/zquestz/plank-reloaded.git

# Enter the directory
cd plank-reloaded

# Build and install
meson setup --prefix=/usr build
meson compile -C build
sudo meson install -C build

Note: For other distributions, you'll need to build from source. The build dependencies and commands may vary slightly depending on your distribution.

FAQ

Can I use Plank Reloaded on Wayland?

No, Plank Reloaded is designed for X11 desktop environments only. Wayland is not supported at this time.

How do I access Plank Reloaded preferences?

Hold Ctrl while right-clicking on any area of the dock to open the Preferences menu.

Can I run Plank Reloaded alongside the original Plank?

No, you should completely uninstall the original Plank before installing Plank Reloaded to avoid conflicts. See the installation instructions for details.

Does Plank Reloaded work with multiple monitors?

Yes, Plank Reloaded works with multiple monitors. To have a dock on each monitor, you need to launch multiple instances with different names:

# Launch first dock
plank

# Launch second dock
plank -n dock2

Each instance can be configured independently.

Moving Docks Between Monitors

You can move docks to your active monitor (where your cursor is) by enabling "On Active Display" in the preferences or by sending a USR1 signal to the plank process:

killall -USR1 plank

The signaling feature is particularly useful when:

• Assigned to a global keyboard shortcut
• Configured as a hot corner action
• Working with dynamic multi-monitor setups

How do I auto-start Plank Reloaded when I log in?

Add Plank Reloaded to your desktop environment's startup applications. The command to use is simply plank.

Why can't I see certain applications in the dock?

Check if "Restrict to Workspace" is enabled in preferences. When enabled, applications will only show up on the workspace they're active on.

How can application developers show counts or progress indicators on their dock icons?

Plank Reloaded supports the Unity LauncherAPI specification, which allows applications to display notification counts, progress bars, and other indicators on their dock icons.

Systemd Support

Plank Reloaded includes an optional systemd user service for automatic startup and service management. This is an alternative to adding Plank to your desktop environment's startup applications.

Enable and Start the Service

# Enable the service to start automatically with your user session
systemctl --user enable plank-reloaded.timer

# Start the service immediately
systemctl --user start plank-reloaded.service

Managing the Service

# Stop the service
systemctl --user stop plank-reloaded.service

# Disable automatic startup
systemctl --user disable plank-reloaded.timer

# Check service status
systemctl --user status plank-reloaded.service

# View service logs
journalctl --user -u plank-reloaded.service

# Follow logs in real-time
journalctl --user -u plank-reloaded.service -f

Note: The systemd service is completely optional. You can still use traditional startup methods if you prefer.

Reporting Bugs

For Plank Reloaded specific issues, please report them here: Plank Reloaded Issues

For reference, original Plank bugs were tracked at: Plank Launchpad

Please search for existing bugs before reporting new ones.

Where Can I Get Help?

For Plank Reloaded

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/zquestz/plank-reloaded/issues

Original Plank Resources

• IRC: #plank on FreeNode - irc://irc.freenode.net/#plank
• Common problems and solutions: Plank Answers

How Can I Get Involved?

• Visit the GitHub page: https://github.com/zquestz/plank-reloaded
• Submit pull requests
• Report issues
• Contribute to development
• Translations: https://crowdin.com/project/plank-reloaded
• Third party docklets

Third Party Docklets

Plank Reloaded encourages developers to write custom docklets! Right now we only have a couple custom docklets available, but we hope that changes in the future! Feel free to use Picky or Last.fm as an example for writing your own!

• Last.fm - A Last.fm docklet to show recent scrobbles.
• Picky - An advanced color picker docklet

GTK themes

Plank Reloaded supports GTK themes. To use a GTK theme, simply install it and set it as your default theme. Then in settings you can set the Plank Reloaded theme to Gtk+.

Here is a list of themes known to support Plank Reloaded:

• Matcha - https://github.com/zquestz/Matcha-gtk-theme
• Semabe - https://github.com/sewbej/Plank-Themes
• WhiteSur - https://github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-gtk-theme

API Documentation

This project intends to be API compatible with the original Plank project.

To build the latest documentation:

meson setup --prefix=/usr build
meson configure -D enable-docs=true build
meson compile -C build
meson compile -C build all-docs

Then you can find the docs in the build/docs directory.

Development Resources

Need more information about Vala?

• Vala Project
• Vala Manual

Refer to the HACKING.md file for further instructions.