1) exactly what Xfce version are you on? How did you install/set-up your Xfce environment: via Arch repository items or through the Xfce binary installer?
2. Since Xfce 4.4 the "taskbar" option has been "built-in" for Xfce's panels; prior to 4.4 it was available via a Goodie plugin referenced at:

http://goodies.xfce.org/projects/panel- … bar-plugin, and
http://goodies.xfce.org/projects/panel- … bar-plugin

3. Frankly, if you have a proper Xfce 4.4.x install- then "taskbar" should be an option for you after right-clicking on the designated panel and selecting "Add new item" and choosing "Task List" from the resulting pop-up selection window.. What steps do you execute and their results, occur for you..?

Regards,

After trying the panel manager I copied you panels.xml file and after backing up mine overwrote it and restarted but it still had no effect.

1. You have only one panel defined, NOT two!  Thus, only one panel (the initial "bottom" one with launchers, etc.) shows...
2. As a confirming example, I'll show mine, where my desktop has: basic initial panel (anchored lower right); upper panel (anchored upper left); and an Iconbox panel (anchored lower right):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE config SYSTEM "config.dtd">
<panels>
    <panel>
        <properties>
            <property name="size" value="35"/>
            <property name="monitor" value="0"/>
            <property name="screen-position" value="1"/>
            <property name="fullwidth" value="0"/>
            <property name="xoffset" value="0"/>
            <property name="yoffset" value="0"/>
            <property name="handlestyle" value="0"/>
            <property name="autohide" value="1"/>
            <property name="transparency" value="28"/>
            <property name="activetrans" value="0"/>
        </properties>
        <items>
            <item name="showdesktop" id="1"/>
            <item name="separator" id="11803891651"/>
            <item name="tasklist" id="3"/>
            <item name="separator" id="11803891500"/>
            <item name="pager" id="2"/>
        </items>
    </panel>
    <panel>
        <properties>
            <property name="size" value="55"/>
            <property name="monitor" value="0"/>
            <property name="screen-position" value="12"/>
            <property name="fullwidth" value="0"/>
            <property name="xoffset" value="527"/>
            <property name="yoffset" value="1047"/>
            <property name="handlestyle" value="0"/>
            <property name="autohide" value="1"/>
            <property name="transparency" value="26"/>
            <property name="activetrans" value="0"/>
        </properties>
        <items>
            <item name="separator" id="11803681845"/>
            <item name="xfce4-menu" id="5"/>
            <item name="separator" id="6"/>
            <item name="launcher" id="7"/>
            <item name="launcher" id="8"/>
            <item name="launcher" id="9"/>
            <item name="launcher" id="10"/>
            <item name="launcher" id="11832924030"/>
            <item name="separator" id="11"/>
            <item name="pager" id="11803680370"/>
            <item name="separator" id="11803680641"/>
            <item name="clipman" id="11804136400"/>
            <item name="systray" id="11803685818"/>
            <item name="separator" id="13"/>
            <item name="xfce4-mixer" id="11803682516"/>
            <item name="systemload" id="11803681092"/>
            <item name="netload" id="11803613361"/>
            <item name="separator" id="11803686169"/>
            <item name="actions" id="11804065221"/>
            <item name="actions" id="12"/>
            <item name="separator" id="11803681614"/>
            <item name="orageclock" id="11803683027"/>
            <item name="clock" id="11839120440"/>
            <item name="separator" id="11803681463"/>
        </items>
    </panel>
    <panel>
        <properties>
            <property name="size" value="54"/>
            <property name="monitor" value="0"/>
            <property name="screen-position" value="10"/>
            <property name="fullwidth" value="0"/>
            <property name="xoffset" value="0"/>
            <property name="yoffset" value="994"/>
            <property name="handlestyle" value="0"/>
            <property name="autohide" value="0"/>
            <property name="transparency" value="22"/>
            <property name="activetrans" value="1"/>
        </properties>
        <items>
            <item name="iconbox" id="11803735461"/>
        </items>
    </panel>
</panels>

3. You upper panel is "on vacation" since it is NOT defined....

Typically, Panel attributes: location, size, hide, anchor are determined via the Settings Manager and specifically the Panel manager services contained within. Really curious now as to exactly what actions (or not) you've undertaken with Settings-Panel manager services and derivative results...??

Regards-

2.

3. Yeah lamentably no that wasn't there for me. I lost the panel trying to get on of those cool looking docks for the bottom panel, but not having used xfce before I couldn't figure out what to do to get it, so installed several things but I reckon I lost it when I installed "alltray" . So I then removed alltray but the top panel has never restored.

1. When you say: "...I removed the Xfce file from my home dir.." does that mean you totally deleted (or renamed) your  whole [color=red].config directory?[/color]? If not,  could you specify what you actually "removed"..?

2. I'm very curious what is contained in the .config/xfce4/panel/panels.xml file? This file contains the specs-content of all defined (supposedly active) panels.

3. As a side note, on occasions when I initiate my Xfce session-desktop: my top panel (i have lower, upper, and iconbox) appears not there. Actually, upon closer scrutiny it just hasn't fully extended from its anchor position on the upper left of my screen. A simple mouse-over usually "pops" it to extend to it's full length; a "quirk" for sure..

Regards-

From you're comments, you stated that

well i'll presume that means you've restarted your whole Xfce DM via logoff-login. If that's the case, then I'd try the easy option of executing via the Xfce menu "Run" option: xfce4-panel. This should return your panel.

If it doesn't then other issues are at play. First I'd make sure that xfce4-panel is not running at all; if it is kill it- then execute the xcfce4-panel command again- and see what happens.

Post your results-findings when you have them...

I am a relative Newbie to XFCE, but not too Linux. I am using Arch Linux and have XFCE as my desktop I was trying to configure it with themes. The theme I chose had a dark panel across the top (showing currently in use apps), the problem however was that the text was also dark I was fiddling with it trying to get the text to be white for that panel when it disappeared. It hasn't returned I have restarted but to no avail. Can I regenerate the panels to bring it back ? If yes how can I make the text White ?

Aside : I see some sweet panel docks for application launchers whats the best one or is there something that is really good at pimping up the XFCE-panel ?