I run with two panels: top (with most plugins) and left (128px wide, with window buttons). On login, desktop icons in the left-most column of the icon grid are hidden underneath the left panel. If I open the panel preferences window for the left panel, then the icons are repositioned correctly (without having to actually change any settings in the preferences window; it's enough to just open it). I am happy to dive into the code for this if someone can point me towards the right place to start looking. Running ArchLinux on x86_64, with SLiM login manager. Program versions: $ xfdesktop -V This is xfdesktop version 4.8.3, running on Xfce 4.8. Built with GTK+ 2.24.6, linked with GTK+ 2.24.7. Build options: Desktop Menu: enabled Desktop Icons: enabled Desktop File Icons: enabled $ xfce4-panel -V xfce4-panel 4.8.6 (Xfce 4.8) $ xfwm4 -V This is xfwm4 version 4.8.2 (revision ee3f708) for Xfce 4.8 Released under the terms of the GNU General Public License. Compiled against GTK+-2.24.6, using GTK+-2.24.7. Build configuration and supported features: - Startup notification support: Yes - XSync support: Yes - Render support: Yes - Xrandr support: Yes - Embedded compositor: Yes - KDE systray proxy (deprecated): No $ slim -v slim version 1.3.2 This was originally a question on the forums: http://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=6466
Make sure the panels have the "don't reserve space on borders" UN-checked. Otherwise xfdesktop won't know about the panels and will place icons under it.