I just upgraded my system and got about 200+ packages to update. After reboot plasmashell refuse to start, the desktop flashes for a second a couple of times then the screen just go black (can still start apps like konsole thou).

When trying to launch it from konsole i got this output;

Icon theme "papirus" not found.
Icon theme "ubuntu-mono-dark" not found.
Icon theme "gnome" not found.
Aborting shell load: The activity manager daemon (kactivitymanagerd) is not running.
If this Plasma has been installed into a custom prefix, verify that its D-Bus services dir is known to the system for the daemon to be activatable.
org.kde.plasmaquick: Applet preload policy set to 1
file:///usr/share/plasma/plasmoids/org.kde.desktopcontainment/contents/ui/main.qml:62:5: Unable to assign [undefined] to int
file:///usr/share/plasma/plasmoids/org.kde.desktopcontainment/contents/ui/main.qml:53:5: Unable to assign [undefined] to int
trying to show an empty dialog
kf5.kpackage: No metadata file in the package, expected it at: "/usr/share/wallpapers/darkwall/"
kf5.kpackage: No metadata file in the package, expected it at: "/usr/share/wallpapers/darkwall/"
kf5.kpackage: No metadata file in the package, expected it at: "/usr/share/wallpapers/darkwall/"
Trying to use rootObject before initialization is completed, whilst using setInitializationDelayed. Forcing completion
Loading Calendar plugin PimEventsPlugin(0x4143dd0)
Loading Calendar plugin HolidaysEventsPlugin(0x41a0650)
Both point size and pixel size set. Using pixel size.
Both point size and pixel size set. Using pixel size.
Both point size and pixel size set. Using pixel size.
trying to show an empty dialog
Connecting to deprecated signal QDBusConnectionInterface::serviceOwnerChanged(QString,QString,QString)
Trying to use rootObject before initialization is completed, whilst using setInitializationDelayed. Forcing completion
qml: disabling redshift
qml: renderModeString: 
qml: disabling redshift
Trying to use rootObject before initialization is completed, whilst using setInitializationDelayed. Forcing completion
Trying to use rootObject before initialization is completed, whilst using setInitializationDelayed. Forcing completion
KActivities: Database connection:  "kactivities_db_resources_139704892852352_readonly" 
    query_only:          QVariant(qlonglong, 1) 
    journal_mode:        QVariant(QString, "wal") 
    wal_autocheckpoint:  QVariant(qlonglong, 100) 
    synchronous:         QVariant(qlonglong, 0)
Closing SQL connection:  "kactivities_db_resources_139704892852352_readonly"
KActivities: Database connection:  "kactivities_db_resources_139704892852352_readonly" 
    query_only:          QVariant(qlonglong, 1) 
    journal_mode:        QVariant(QString, "wal") 
    wal_autocheckpoint:  QVariant(qlonglong, 100) 
    synchronous:         QVariant(qlonglong, 0)
Nothing to load - the client id is empty
Nothing to load - the client id is empty
Nothing to load - the client id is empty
Trying to use rootObject before initialization is completed, whilst using setInitializationDelayed. Forcing completion
qml: Reading places from configuration: [{ "providerId": "yrno", "placeIdentifier": "Germany/North_Rhine-Westphalia/Bonn", "placeAlias":"Bonn" }, { "providerId": "yrno", "placeIdentifier": "USA/New_York/New_York", "placeAlias": "New York" }]
qml: Reading places from configuration: [{ "providerId": "yrno", "placeIdentifier": "Germany/North_Rhine-Westphalia/Bonn", "placeAlias":"Bonn" }, { "providerId": "yrno", "placeIdentifier": "USA/New_York/New_York", "placeAlias": "New York" }]
"backend: reading cache, plasmoidId = 49"
"backend: file /home/zynex/.cache/plasmashell/plasmoids/org.kde.weatherWidget/plasmoidId-49.json"
error opening file
backend: reading cache content finished
qml: Reading places from configuration: [{ "providerId": "yrno", "placeIdentifier": "Germany/North_Rhine-Westphalia/Bonn", "placeAlias":"Bonn" }, { "providerId": "yrno", "placeIdentifier": "USA/New_York/New_York", "placeAlias": "New York" }]
trying to show an empty dialog
trying to show an empty dialog
trying to show an empty dialog
trying to show an empty dialog
trying to show an empty dialog
qml: clearing connected sources, stop source was: killall redshift; redshift -x
qml: enabling redshift with command: redshift -l 56.680049:13.042881 -t 6500:4500 -b 1:1 -g 1:1:1
qml: Error running redshift print cmd with command: LANG=C redshift -l 56.680049:13.042881 -t 6500:4500 -b 1:1 -g 1:1:1 -p   ...stderr: 
libkcups: CUPS-Get-Printers last error: 0 successful-ok
libkcups: Get-Jobs last error: 0 successful-ok
libkcups: Get-Jobs last error: 0 successful-ok
libkcups: Create-Printer-Subscriptions last error: 0 successful-ok
Trying to use rootObject before initialization is completed, whilst using setInitializationDelayed. Forcing completion
Plasma Shell startup completed
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Digitalklocka" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Redshift Control" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Places Widget" with a weight of 92
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Färghämtare" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Programmeny" with a weight of 85
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Weather Widget" with a weight of 0
qml: Error running redshift print cmd with command: LANG=C redshift -l 56.680049:13.042881 -t 6500:4500 -b 1:1 -g 1:1:1 -p   ...stderr: 
libkcups: 3 "HP_PageWide_Pro_477dw_MFP"
libkcups: 3 "Samsung_C460_Series"
libkcups: 0
libkcups: 0
Both point size and pixel size set. Using pixel size.
trying to show an empty dialog
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "KDE-anslut" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Klippbord" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Ljudvolym" with a weight of 41
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Skrivare" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Tangentbordsindikator" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Underrättelse om enheter" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Underrättelser" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Nätverk" with a weight of 75
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Blåtand" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Batteri och ljusstyrka" with a weight of 29
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Direktmeddelande" with a weight of 0
org.kde.plasmaquick: New Applet  "Säkerhetskopiornas status" with a weight of 0
Icon theme "papirus" not found.
Icon theme "ubuntu-mono-dark" not found.
Icon theme "gnome" not found.
Icon theme "papirus" not found.
Icon theme "ubuntu-mono-dark" not found.
Icon theme "gnome" not found.
org.kde.plasmaquick: Delayed preload of  "Places Widget" after 0.758 seconds
KCrash: Attempting to start /usr/bin/plasmashell from kdeinit
sock_file=/run/user/1000/kdeinit5__0
QSocketNotifier: Invalid socket 8 and type 'Read', disabling...
QSocketNotifier: Invalid socket 36 and type 'Read', disabling...
QSocketNotifier: Invalid socket 19 and type 'Read', disabling...
KCrash: Application 'plasmashell' crashing...
KCrash: Attempting to start /usr/lib/drkonqi from kdeinit
sock_file=/run/user/1000/kdeinit5__0

Any idea what has happened?

Hmm.. Forgot to test with a clean user, and it seems to work. So it's probably some old setting that mess it up (thinking Weather Widget because of the odd place in the output).

Remove/rename plasma-org.kde.plasma.desktop-appletsrc did the trick.

For cli/code output, please use code tags (enclose with 3 backticks ```), not quote tags, done for you this time.
What exactly was updated? Post the pacman log from this ~200 package update. If the system was not updated before to move to plasma 5.15, then this might be an issue with some themes. Default Midna & Breeze do not have this, anything like oxygen based might show. Fix should come with Qt 5.12.2

    demm Thanks, was looking for that one 🙂 Didn't render when I tried clicking the code icon.

    I found what made the mess, it was a widget I used called Places Widget. When I removed that widget everything worked. Probably some updated code in plasma that didn't play well with the widget. I look for updates 3-5 times a week, so I don't think that was the issue.

      Is that places widget from the KaOS repo? Or installed using GHNS? If from the repo, it will need fixing, but not clear what package should own that widget.
      EDIT:
      This one? https://store.kde.org/p/1084935
      Than nothing I can do for it, not part of the repo 🙂

        demm Yep, that's the one. The developer needs to update it 🙂

        • demm replied to this.
            10 days later

            demm Sorry for the leate replay. Noticed that plasma-framework is at version 5.56.1-4 now, but just so you know there's no crash now so everything works fine 🙂