Bug 168297

Summary:	Auto-select windows after a delay in desktop grid and present windows
Product:	[Plasma] kwin	Reporter:	Karthik Periagaram <karthik.periagaram>
Component:	effects-window-management	Assignee:	KWin default assignee <kwin-bugs-null>
Status:	RESOLVED NOT A BUG
Severity:	wishlist	CC:	cmt.miniBill, davidtournaire, kde, to.roma.from.kdebug
Priority:	NOR
Version:	unspecified
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Ubuntu
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Bug Depends on:	295775
Bug Blocks:
Attachments:	Presentation detailing improvement to usability of KWin effects (Desktop Grid + Present Windows)

Description Karthik Periagaram 2008-08-04 04:19:20 UTC

Version: (using KDE 4.1.0)
Installed from: Ubuntu Packages
OS: Linux

This bug/wishlist pertains to the behavior of the Present Windows effect and the Desktop Grid effect either alone or in conjunction with each other.

Some of this references bug 155641 (http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=155641).

1) The keyboard shortcuts for Present Windows and Desktop Grid should act as toggles - pressing once enables them and pressing twice disables them and returns the user back to the previous view.

2) Both effects should also allow auto-selection of window/desktop under the mouse cursor after a (user-specified?) delay.

3) When enabled together, they should work together. In the Desktop Grid View, Present Windows effect should work in the desktop under the cursor when triggered using keyboard shortcuts. When asked to show windows from all destops (an option in Present Windows), this effect should work on all desktops simultaneously. Similarly, In the Present Windows view, the Desktop Grid view must be triggered when the keyboard shortcut is pressed. If showing windows from all desktops, the windows should return to their respective desktops in Desktop Grid View.

With these three steps, a user can drag and drop files, selected text or image between two windows on the same or on different desktops without resorting to the taskbar. This will enhance the productivity of the KWin desktop effects.

If my description of the behavior (especially in point #3) is not clear, I'd be happy to explain. Thanks in advance for making KDE4 even better!

Comment 1 Karthik Periagaram 2008-08-04 06:56:22 UTC

Created attachment 26619 [details]
Presentation detailing improvement to usability of KWin effects (Desktop Grid + Present Windows)

Comment 2 lucas 2008-08-26 16:54:01 UTC

1) is a duplicate of bug 156155.
2) is valid
3) is a duplicate of bug 165745.

Comment 3 lucas 2008-08-26 16:55:09 UTC

*** Bug 155641 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 4 Martin Flöser 2009-11-10 18:08:03 UTC

*** Bug 214009 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 5 Roman Odaisky 2009-12-25 20:43:11 UTC

What about a combined approach:

if the user enters Present Windows with the mouse button down, auto-select windows after a delay, otherwise require a click to choose a window?

That’d work nicely with the workflow described in OP’s last paragraph — begin dragging something, enter Present Windows, pick the target window, wait for 3 seconds or so, get the target window activated, point to the right place within the target, release the mouse button.

Comment 6 Karthik Periagaram 2009-12-26 00:34:52 UTC

@ Roman (Comment #5), Portions of my original comment have already been implemented.

1) Both Desktop Grid and Present Windows effects are now toggled by their keyboard or screen edge shortcuts - as of KDE 4.3.x

2) The main point of the wishlist is still valid. There's no (option or otherwise) timed exit to the two effects.

3) I believe I saw an article on planetKDE regarding this idea (link: http://blog.martin-graesslin.com/blog/2009/11/desktop-grid-with-present-windows/) Unless I'm mistaken, this or something similar is slated to be introduced in 4.4.

Also @ Roman (Comment #5), that would be a fantastic way to implement this wish. If the mouse is holding something, use timed release, else use default behavior (no timed release). Anything would be preferable to the current behavior - grabbing a file, starting a Present Windows effect, using the keyboard to switch to another window (Dolphin, say), exiting the effect and dropping the file leads to an ugly crash as of 4.3.4. :(