Ubuntu – How to permute various icons in indicator-applet

The system indicators are in a fixed order by design. While you might not like the order, it makes support easier by having a fixed order (we can argue about the order endlessly). The application indicators work a little bit differently, they're designed so that there is a default order but applications can adjust that for continuity. For instance, if an application had two indicators that it wanted next to each other.

Because this system leads to a possible abuse by application developers there is a set of overrides in the system. The first is at the system level so that it can be managed by packages once the distro figures out there is an abusing application it can be fixed for all users. It's located at:

   /usr/share/indicator-application/ordering-override.keyfile

You can put any status notifier ID in there and give it a new ordering index that will because the new index for that application. There is also a per-user override file that can exist in your home directory at:

  ~/.local/share/indicators/application/ordering-override.keyfile

Hopefully that will give you some help in adjusting your panel the way that you prefer!

Unfortunately, GConf doesn't have any entries for indicator applet spacing and currently m0sia's PPA - as you've noticed - is only for Maverick. You could tick yourself off at the 100 Papercuts bug as affected.

Maybe, like Rocko (Post #4), you could agree with him and suggest to use GConf entries?

Fingers crossed that they at least enable a gconf-editor setting for applet spacing in Ubuntu Oneiric Ocelot.

Also, if you're keen... you can try out this guide to compiling your own indicator-applet with a fix for spacing.

Be warned though, the same person who posted the how to, also noted:

For other themes, where the patch only represents an improvement for Indicator Applet and not a fix, the portion of the space/gap that is NOT eliminated, is necessary to retain good readability for Indicator Applet Application Menu.