Bug 237732 - Rekonq doesn't open links in current Virtual Desktop
Summary: Rekonq doesn't open links in current Virtual Desktop
Status: RESOLVED UNMAINTAINED
Alias: None
Product: rekonq
Classification: Applications
Component: general (show other bugs)
Version: 0.7.0
Platform: unspecified Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Andrea Diamantini
URL:
Keywords:
: 248849 290020 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2010-05-15 16:45 UTC by Leonardo La Malfa
Modified: 2018-05-11 16:19 UTC (History)
12 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:


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Description Leonardo La Malfa 2010-05-15 16:45:33 UTC
Version:           0.4.0 (using 4.4.2 %28KDE 4.4.2%29%2C Kubuntu packages)
Compiler:          cc
OS:                Linux %28i686%29 release 2.6.32-22-generic

I use 4 Virtual Desktops, and two instances of rekonq often happen to be running simultaneously on two different Desktops. When I click on an external link (say, uBlog, Kontact) from Desktop 1, the page happens to be loaded on the instance of Rekonq running on Desktop 4. The expected behaviour would be to have the page opened on the same Desktop, rather than having to switch, like Konqueror correctly did.

Also - sticking to the above example - if Desktop 1 doesn't have a Web browser window available, Konqueror correctly opens a new window on the current Desktop (although another one was already open on Desktop 4). Rekonq, instead, keeps using the instance already running on Desktop 4, opening the desired link in a new tab. The expected behaviour, again, would be to remain on the current Desktop, and have a new window serving your needs there: for example, while I am using Desktop 1 for reading news and blogs, I use Desktop 4 for bugs reporting, and I don't want news/blogs-related pages to be opened on Desktop 4.

I don't know if this is the intended behaviour of the application, but if it is, then it would be nice to have an option to instruct Rekonq how to behave across Virtual Desktops.

Anyway, thanks for this great software: if I keep reporting bugs and feature requests is only because I want it to rock so hard on Kubuntu 10.10 that firefox users will want to cry after having tried it. =)
Comment 1 Markus Barthel 2010-05-22 22:55:03 UTC
Yes, thats very important for displace konqueror as standard browser. Virtual desktops don`t make sense with rekonq who open a URL always in the last aktive window, regardless in which desktop the URL was opened.

The best thing could be to make it like konqueror it do. Maybe as option. Konqueror open a URL from a extern programm always in the corresponding virtual desktop.
Comment 2 Leonardo La Malfa 2010-08-23 14:29:43 UTC
I've just upgraded to the latest beta (0.5.81 from Yoann's PPA), and am testing Rekonq (I'm really impressed, so far!). However, I have to confirm this bug is still present, and is even more unpleasant than before. As a matter of fact, if before I could identify a pattern in its behavior, it's become harder to me, now.

I happen to have 2 to 4 browser windows open (1 only per virtual desktop, at most), and when I click on a link from an external application, the window on the current desktop is never used, nor a new one is opened. Instead, as I seem to understand, sometimes the user is taken to the desktop where there's the instance of Rekonq on which the page was opened, while others the user is randomly taken to a desktop where there's an instance of Rekonq running, although the page was actually opened in another instance on a different desktop. I remember seeing Rekonq taken to the current desktop once, if that was the only instance running, but I wouldn't sign that.

All in all, Rekonq feels much improved since last time I tried it - thank you for all your work! However, in my view, this issue still makes it user-unfriendly to those who, like me, run their system on a multi-desktop environment. I hope this gets fixed for 1.0.
Comment 3 Panagiotis Papadopoulos 2010-08-24 15:33:42 UTC
*** Bug 248849 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 4 Rohan Garg 2010-08-25 16:05:57 UTC
Hi
This seems to have been fixed in the 0.5.81 release, could you please confirm if this has been fixed for you?
Comment 5 Leonardo La Malfa 2010-08-25 17:03:53 UTC
Unfortunately, I can't confirm. My last post was from 0.5.81 (like this one), and I still experience the same unpredictable behavior. I've done a few more tests to understand it better, but failed again:
1. clicked on a link in kdemicroblog on desktop 1, it opens rekonq correctly;
2. clicked on a new link in kmail, it opens in the same rekonq window on desktop 1;
3. switched to desktop 2, clicked on a new link from kdemicroblog, I'm taken to desktop 1 where it opens in the previous window of rekonq;
4. opened a new rekonq window on desktop 2, and clicked on a new link from kdemicroblog: I'm still taken to desktop 1 while rekonq icon bounces, but no link is being opened there, although rekonq window got focused (foregrounded). I go to desktop 2, and discover the link was opened there;
5. clicked on a new link in kmail on desktop 1, the unfocused instance of rekonq gets focused, but, again, no page opened there. I go to desktop 2, and discover the link was opened there;
6. opened a new rekonq window on desktop 3, and clicked on a new link from kdemicroblog: still taken to desktop 1, rekonq icon bounces, no link is being opened there, rekonq window got focused. I go check on desktop 2, but nothing. I get back to desktop 3, and the link was open there;
7. went back to desktop 2, and clicked on a new link from kdemicroblog: still taken to desktop 1, rekonq icon bounces, no link is being opened there, rekonq window got focused. Checked and saw the link open on desktop 3;
8. nothing open on desktop 4, I click on a new link from kdemicroblog: still taken to desktop 1, rekonq icon bounces, no link is being opened there, rekonq window got focused. The new page was again opened on desktop 3;
9. brought kmail to desktop 4, clicked on a link from there, and got the same outcome as point 9;
10. finally, opened a new rekonq window on desktop 4, and clicked on a link from kdemicroblog: still taken to desktop 1, rekonq icon bounces, no link is being opened there, rekonq window got focused. The new page was opened on desktop 4.

More combinations were possible, but I hope you get the picture. All in all, I'm just an average user, and can't really identify a pattern here. Please let me know if you need further details.
Comment 6 Leonardo La Malfa 2010-08-25 17:09:31 UTC
Errata corrige:

"9. brought kmail to desktop 4, clicked on a link from there, and got the same
outcome as point 9;"

should read

" 9. brought kmail to desktop 4, clicked on a link from there, and got the same outcome as point 8;"

Sorry about that.
Comment 7 Achim Bohnet 2010-10-15 09:57:06 UTC
Problem is still there with 0.6.1 in Kubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat.

I agree with the reporters: if a link is clicked, prinziple of least surprise if an external app is used:
     
        a window is shown on the same desktop with the loading/loaded URL visible


Bug reproduce:
 
    open rekonq on desktop 2
    open akregator on desktop 1
    click with middle mouse on a URL

-> new rekonq icon in taskbar shows activity (another bug see #244202), then nothing (visual) happens.    Behind the scene rekonq loaded the page successfully in another desktop (2) in a (not aktive/show  :( ) tab.

IMHO we have to different use cases and needs different defaults:

           clicking on a link in rekonq -> new tab, not aktive. That's fine and
           customizeable if one does not like it.

           click on a html link in anohter apps or using rekonq %URL% on command line ->
           a window on top of the other is shown with URL loaded in and shown.
Comment 8 Felix Rohrbach 2011-02-12 22:14:54 UTC
I don't think rekonq should open a new window if there is no rekonq window on that desktop (but there is one anywhere else) as I don't want to have a rekonq window on every desktop.
Anyway, if there is a rekonq window on the current desktop, I think this window should be used.
Comment 9 Tim Holy 2011-02-12 23:41:24 UTC
I am enjoying using rekonq, but I agree that this bug is a problem. I just spent 5 minutes trying to figure out why rekonq was not opening the links when I clicked on them in Kontact.

I would suggest a default of opening a new window on the current desktop; I often have several browser windows open at once (yes I use tabs, but I keep tabs associated with different "topics" in different windows, especially when the number of open tabs exceeds 15 or so). Even when it opens in the current desktop, it's hard to notice that your link has opened in the 7th tab of browser window #3 out of 5.

However, given comment #8, it would seem that a new command-line flag might be appropriate. For users who don't like this behavior there could be a --reusewindow option. Naturally, one could include that in the System Settings->Default Applications->Web Browser dialog.
Comment 10 Felix Rohrbach 2011-02-13 00:09:47 UTC
In lastest git rekonq activates the window if a page was opened from a different application, so some of the problems described here are already solved.
Comment 11 Tim Holy 2011-02-13 00:42:01 UTC
That's good news---many thanks to the developers! Looking forward to the time when this functionality arrives in the distro packages.
Comment 12 Achim Bohnet 2011-04-08 14:21:20 UTC
Both Bugs
  * not opened on same desktop
  * rekong window not raise
still in 0.7.0 :( 

Always reproducable with:


quassel on desktop 2
rekonq on desktop 1

click on URL in quassel -> nothing happens on desktop 2: no indicator, no rekonq window. Nothing. On desktop 1 rekonq silently opened the URL :(

quassel on desktop 2
rekonq on desktop 1 but hidden behind other window(s).

click on URL in quassel -> nothing happens on desktop 1:  no indicator, no rekonq window. Nothing.  rekonq silently opened the URL still covered by other window(s) :(
Comment 13 Felix Rohrbach 2011-04-10 14:01:38 UTC
Git commit d85e59fe92be758bd79dcf32e6b5d9f5ceadb38d by Felix Rohrbach.
Committed on 04/04/2011 at 23:40.
Pushed by felixr into branch 'master'.

Make rekonq desktop aware

If there is a rekonq window on the current virtual desktop and
another application opens a link, rekonq will prefer this window.
rekonq also prefers windows that were activated most recently.

CCBUG: 237732
REVIEW: 101033

M  +30   -0    src/application.cpp     
M  +4    -0    src/application.h     

http://commits.kde.org/rekonq/d85e59fe92be758bd79dcf32e6b5d9f5ceadb38d
Comment 14 Achim Bohnet 2011-04-18 11:02:05 UTC
Thx Felix for a start to fix the problem.
I had a look at the diff and found no raise().  So AFAIU a hidden rekonq window on the same desktop stays hidden (this bug bitten me a sec ago again :( )

The 'least surprise behaviour' is (IMHO):

Use case: Click on an URL in an app or run in a shell: rekonq URL:

 * a rekonq window is shows on top of the other windows
 * with the tab shown/active that contains the URL.
 * For further predictability I would suggest to always create
    those tabs as the rightmost ones.

Looking at the tab handling options in 0.7.0 I think some do not apply for this use case and should be ignored (there are perfectly valid when opening tabs from inside rekonq)

 * open tabs in backgroup  (instead always activate/display the new tab)
 * open new tabs next to active one (instead open at the right, as an external app open the URL has no associated existing tab)

all other tab options should be honored as they don't rely on the assumption that someone is opening the tab from another tab in rekonq.

Thx again Felix,
Achim
Comment 15 Andrea Diamantini 2012-01-25 22:14:11 UTC
*** Bug 290020 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 16 Andrea Diamantini 2012-02-21 09:37:57 UTC
This should be well implemented in 0.9. Can you please guys test it?
Comment 17 Andrea Diamantini 2012-03-20 15:12:49 UTC
Any news here? Tested rekonq 0.9.x about? Satisfied?
Comment 18 Andrea Diamantini 2012-06-13 10:55:58 UTC
No more 1.0 material.
Comment 19 Achim Bohnet 2012-06-13 11:42:06 UTC
Hi Andrea, thx for reminding me (us) and shame on me that I didn't verify earlier.
I've retried with rekonq 0.9.2 + kde 4.8.3 in Kubuntu 12.04.

The (my) criteria for least surprise behaviour, when rekonq is the default app for http(s) and such a link is clicked in an KDE app:

 1) FIXED: show the tab that was opened for the external URL.  Great!! Thx!!
 2) NOT FIXED: raise rekonq window if not on top (i.e. partly or even completely hidden)
 3) NOT FIXED: if there is no rekonq window on the current 'Desktop N' , open new rekonq window on 'Desktop N', raise it and show the URL.

Case 3 is a rare case but when it applies especially irretating.  e.g. when task manager only shows windows on current desktop, then there is no indication at all that something has happened, not even a blicking/highligted entry in the task manager.

Thx for your rekonq work,
Achim
Comment 20 Chris Kerr 2013-01-29 17:13:14 UTC
I'm having the same issue but with activities rather than virtual desktops - if there is a rekonq window open in another activity, the new tab pops up in the other activity.
Comment 21 Nate Graham 2018-05-11 16:19:27 UTC
Development on Rekonq ceased four years ago, and it has been unmaintained since then. KDE recommends using Falkon instead.