Attached is an image of the offending file, 
~/.trinity/share/config/session/kate_101ca1791c8170000148184228100000115160016_1481844698_659863, 
which I cut/pasted from less, for your perusal.  I have no idea how it came 
to exist, since apparently Kate doesn't create such files itself?

Leslie

On 2016-12-24 02:58:55 deloptes wrote:
> Leslie Turriff wrote:
> > On 2016-12-23 16:48:03 deloptes wrote:
> >> > Okay. �I didn't know that the same settings appear in two different
> >> > files. (Why is that?)
> >>
> >> what do you mean it appears in two different files?
> >
> > I deleted the offending file, so can't show you, but the
> > ~/.trinity/share/config/kate_* file had part of what's in
> > ~/.trinity/share/apps/kate/sessions/default.katesession; specifically the
> > [MainWinow0] section, which contains the offending
> > [Kate-MDI-Sidebar-Visible=
> > parameter.
> >
> > Leslie
>
> Ah ok, so it speaks for my theory. Anyway, now you've solved it.
>
> regards
>
>
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[1]
Height 900=901
Kate-MDI-H-Splitter=94,843,200
Kate-MDI-Sidebar-0-Splitter=846,1
Kate-MDI-Sidebar-1-Splitter=
Kate-MDI-Sidebar-2-Splitter=
Kate-MDI-Sidebar-3-Splitter=1,1
Kate-MDI-Sidebar-Style=3
Kate-MDI-Sidebar-Visible=true
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_console-Persistent=false
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_console-Position=3
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_console-Sidebar-Position=1
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_console-Visible=false
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_filelist-Persistent=false
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_filelist-Position=0
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_filelist-Sidebar-Position=0
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_filelist-Visible=true
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_fileselector-Persistent=false
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_fileselector-Position=0
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_fileselector-Sidebar-Position=1
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_fileselector-Visible=false
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_greptool-Persistent=false
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_greptool-Position=3
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_greptool-Sidebar-Position=0
Kate-MDI-ToolView-kate_greptool-Visible=false
Kate-MDI-V-Splitter=150,822,200
Width 1600=997

[1 Toolbar mainToolBar]
Offset=-192
Position=Left

[Document 0]
Bookmarks=
Encoding=
Highlighting=None
Indentation Mode=0
URL=file:///usr/share/doc/packages/tqt3-examples/tqt3-examples/examples/buttongroups/README

[Document 1]
Bookmarks=
Encoding=UTF-8
Highlighting=None
Indentation Mode=0
URL=file:///home/leslie/Documents/SourceCode/PL\\1/SortExample.pli

[General]
Last Session=default.katesession

[MainWindow0]
Active ViewSpaceContainer=0
ViewSpaceContainers=1

[MainWindow0:ViewSpaceContainer-0:]
Active Viewspace=0
Splitters=false

[MainWindow0:ViewSpaceContainer-0:-ViewSpace 0]
Active View=file:///home/leslie/Documents/SourceCode/PL\\1/SortExample.pli
Count=1
View 0=file:///home/leslie/Documents/SourceCode/PL\\1/SortExample.pli

[MainWindow0:ViewSpaceContainer-0:-ViewSpace 0 file:///home/leslie/Documents/SourceCode/PL\1/Sor
tExample.pli]
CursorColumn=9
CursorLine=2

[Number]
NumberOfWindows=1

[Open Documents]
Count=2

[WindowProperties1]
ClassName=KateMainWindow
Height 900=901
ObjectName=__KateMainWindow#1
Width 1600=997

[__KateMainWindow#1 Toolbar style]
Offset=-192
Position=Left