Building from Source

Complete instructions for building and installing Klassy from source code on all supported Linux distributions

Klassy can be built from source on any Linux distribution with Plasma 6.3 or later. This guide provides detailed build instructions for all major distributions.

Prerequisites

Before building Klassy, ensure your system meets these requirements:

• Plasma Version: 6.3 or later (check with kinfocenter)
• CMake: Version 3.16 or higher
• C++ Compiler: Supporting C++20 standard
• Qt Versions: Both Qt5 (5.15.2+) and Qt6 (6.6.0+) are supported
• KDE Frameworks: KF5 (5.102.0+) and/or KF6 (6.10.0+)

The build system supports both Qt5 and Qt6 simultaneously. By default, both versions are built unless explicitly disabled via CMake options.

Installing Dependencies

Select your distribution to see the required build dependencies:

OpenSUSE

OpenSUSE Tumbleweed/Leap

1. Install basic build tools

   sudo zypper in git cmake kf6-extra-cmake-modules gettext
   
2. Install KDE and Qt dependencies

   sudo zypper in "cmake(KF5Config)" "cmake(KF5CoreAddons)" \
     "cmake(KF5FrameworkIntegration)" "cmake(KF5GuiAddons)" \
     "cmake(KF5Kirigami2)" "cmake(KF5WindowSystem)" "cmake(KF5I18n)" \
     "cmake(KF5KCMUtils)" "cmake(Qt5DBus)" "cmake(Qt5Quick)" \
     "cmake(Qt5Widgets)" "cmake(Qt5X11Extras)" "cmake(KDecoration3)" \
     "cmake(KF6ColorScheme)" "cmake(KF6Config)" "cmake(KF6CoreAddons)" \
     "cmake(KF6FrameworkIntegration)" "cmake(KF6GuiAddons)" \
     "cmake(KF6I18n)" "cmake(KF6KCMUtils)" "cmake(KF6KirigamiPlatform)" \
     "cmake(KF6WindowSystem)" "cmake(Qt6Core)" "cmake(Qt6DBus)" \
     "cmake(Qt6Quick)" "cmake(Qt6Svg)" "cmake(Qt6Widgets)" "cmake(Qt6Xml)"
   

Debian/Ubuntu

Debian/Ubuntu

1. Install all dependencies

   sudo apt install git build-essential cmake extra-cmake-modules \
     libkirigami-dev libkf5style-dev libkf6kcmutils-dev \
     libkf6colorscheme-dev libkf5config-dev libkf5configwidgets-dev \
     libkf5coreaddons-dev libkf5guiaddons-dev libkf6i18n-dev \
     libkf6iconthemes-dev kirigami2-dev libkf6package-dev \
     libkf6service-dev libkf6windowsystem-dev kwayland-dev libx11-dev \
     libkdecorations3-dev libkf5configwidgets-dev libkf5i18n-dev \
     libkf5iconthemes-dev libkf5kcmutils-dev libkf5package-dev \
     libkf5service-dev libkf5wayland-dev libkf5windowsystem-dev \
     libplasma-dev libqt5x11extras5-dev qt6-base-dev \
     qt6-declarative-dev qtbase5-dev qtdeclarative5-dev gettext qt6-svg-dev
   

KDE Neon

KDE Neon

1. Install all dependencies

   sudo apt install git build-essential cmake kf6-extra-cmake-modules \
     kf6-frameworkintegration-dev kf6-kcmutils-dev kf6-kcolorscheme-dev \
     kf6-kconfig-dev kf6-kconfigwidgets-dev kf6-kcoreaddons-dev \
     kf6-kguiaddons-dev kf6-ki18n-dev kf6-kiconthemes-dev \
     kf6-kirigami2-dev kf6-kpackage-dev kf6-kservice-dev \
     kf6-kwindowsystem-dev kirigami2-dev kwayland-dev libx11-dev \
     libkdecorations3-dev libkf5config-dev libkf5configwidgets-dev \
     libkf5coreaddons-dev libkf5guiaddons-dev libkf5i18n-dev \
     libkf5iconthemes-dev libkf5kcmutils-dev libkf5package-dev \
     libkf5service-dev libkf5style-dev libkf5wayland-dev \
     libkf5windowsystem-dev libplasma-dev libqt5x11extras5-dev \
     qt6-base-dev qt6-declarative-dev qtbase5-dev qtdeclarative5-dev \
     gettext qt6-svg-dev
   

Arch/Manjaro

Arch Linux/Manjaro

1. Install all dependencies

   sudo pacman -S git frameworkintegration gcc-libs glibc kcmutils \
     kcolorscheme kconfig kcoreaddons kdecoration kguiaddons ki18n \
     kiconthemes kirigami kwidgetsaddons kwindowsystem qt6-base \
     qt6-declarative qt6-svg xdg-utils extra-cmake-modules kcmutils5 \
     frameworkintegration5 kconfigwidgets5 kiconthemes5 kirigami2 \
     kwindowsystem5
   

Fedora

Fedora

1. Install basic build tools

   sudo dnf install git cmake extra-cmake-modules gettext
   
2. Install KDE and Qt dependencies

   sudo dnf install "cmake(KF5Config)" "cmake(KF5CoreAddons)" \
     "cmake(KF5FrameworkIntegration)" "cmake(KF5GuiAddons)" \
     "cmake(KF5Kirigami2)" "cmake(KF5WindowSystem)" "cmake(KF5I18n)" \
     "cmake(Qt5DBus)" "cmake(Qt5Quick)" "cmake(Qt5Widgets)" \
     "cmake(Qt5X11Extras)" "cmake(KDecoration3)" "cmake(KF6ColorScheme)" \
     "cmake(KF6Config)" "cmake(KF6CoreAddons)" \
     "cmake(KF6FrameworkIntegration)" "cmake(KF6GuiAddons)" \
     "cmake(KF6I18n)" "cmake(KF6KCMUtils)" "cmake(KF6KirigamiPlatform)" \
     "cmake(KF6WindowSystem)" "cmake(Qt6Core)" "cmake(Qt6DBus)" \
     "cmake(Qt6Quick)" "cmake(Qt6Svg)" "cmake(Qt6Widgets)" "cmake(Qt6Xml)"
   

Gentoo

Gentoo Linux

Klassy is available in the guru repository.

1. Install eselect repository module

   sudo emerge -av app-eselect/eselect-repository
   
2. Enable guru repository

   sudo eselect repository enable guru
   
3. Sync repositories

   sudo emaint sync -r guru
   
4. Add package keywords

   echo "gui-apps/klassy ~amd64" | sudo tee /etc/portage/package.accept_keywords/klassy
   
5. Install Klassy

   sudo emerge -av gui-apps/klassy
   

For Gentoo, the package is pre-built and maintained in the guru repository, so manual compilation is not required.

Building Klassy

Once dependencies are installed, follow these steps to build Klassy:

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/paulmcauley/klassy
   cd klassy
   
2. Checkout the correct branch

   For Plasma 6.3+, use the plasma6.3 branch:

   git checkout plasma6.3
   
3. Run the installation script

   The provided installation script handles the entire build process:

   ./install.sh
   

   This script will:

   • Remove any previous build directory
   • Uninstall previous versions if found
   • Create a fresh build directory
   • Configure the build with CMake
   • Compile using all available CPU cores
   • Install system-wide with sudo

Build Configuration

The install.sh script uses these CMake configuration options:

cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr \
      -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
      -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF \
      -DKDE_INSTALL_USE_QT_SYS_PATHS=ON ..

CMake Options

Option	Default	Description
CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX	/usr	Installation directory prefix
CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE	Release	Build type (Debug/Release)
BUILD_TESTING	OFF	Enable/disable test building
BUILD_QT5	ON	Build Qt5 application style
BUILD_QT6	ON	Build Qt6 components
WITH_DECORATIONS	ON	Build KWin window decorations (Qt6 only)
KDE_INSTALL_USE_QT_SYS_PATHS	ON	Use Qt system paths

Manual Build Process

If you prefer to build manually instead of using the script:

1. Create build directory

   mkdir build
   cd build
   
2. Configure with CMake

   cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr \
         -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
         -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF \
         -DKDE_INSTALL_USE_QT_SYS_PATHS=ON ..
   

   You can disable Qt5 or Qt6 builds by adding -DBUILD_QT5=OFF or -DBUILD_QT6=OFF.

3. Build

   make -j$(nproc)
   

   The -j$(nproc) flag uses all available CPU cores for faster compilation.

4. Install

   sudo make install
   

Uninstalling

To uninstall Klassy, use the provided uninstall script:

./uninstall.sh

The uninstall script will:

• Look for the installation manifest in the build/ directory
• Remove all installed files
• Clean up the build directory
• If no manifest is found, offer to rebuild and create one for proper uninstallation

Manual Uninstallation

If you built manually, you can uninstall from the build directory:

cd build
sudo make uninstall

After uninstalling, some files may remain in these locations:

• /usr/bin/
• /usr/lib64/ or /usr/lib/
• /usr/share/color-schemes/
• /usr/share/icons/
• /usr/share/plasma/
• /usr/share/kstyle/

Manually check and remove any files containing “klassy” in their names from these directories if needed.

Troubleshooting

Build Fails with Missing Dependencies

If the build fails due to missing dependencies, carefully review the error messages. CMake will indicate which packages are missing. Ensure you’ve installed all dependencies listed for your distribution.

Qt Version Conflicts

If you encounter Qt version conflicts:

1. Build only the Qt version you need:

   cmake -DBUILD_QT5=OFF -DBUILD_QT6=ON ..
   

2. Ensure the correct Qt version is in your PATH

Permission Errors

Make sure to use sudo for the installation step:

sudo make install

Clean Build

If you encounter persistent build issues, perform a clean build:

cd ..
sudo rm -rf build
./install.sh

Post-Installation

After successful installation:

1. Restart Plasma: Log out and log back in, or restart your system
2. Apply the theme: Go to System Settings → Colours & Themes → Global Theme
3. Select Kite: Choose one of the Kite theme variants (left panel or bottom panel)
4. Configure: Use klassy-settings to customize your installation

You must initially apply the Global Theme via System Settings (not Quick Settings) to ensure the full Desktop & window layout is applied correctly.