Bug 364330

Summary:	KWin should allow to send random signals to clients by windows
Product:	[Plasma] kwin	Reporter:	Björn Lindqvist <bjourne>
Component:	core	Assignee:	KWin default assignee <kwin-bugs-null>
Status:	RESOLVED INTENTIONAL
Severity:	wishlist	CC:	kwin-bugs-null
Priority:	NOR
Version First Reported In:	unspecified
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Other
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Björn Lindqvist 2016-06-14 20:05:07 UTC

(This is a feature request not a bug report)

If a process controlling a window kwin manages is not responding and you try to close it with the X button you are given the option to terminate it by sending the KILL signal to it. 

I would like a way to send other signals to processes too. In particular, the INT signal and/or TERM because stuck processes might very well respond to those. For instance, TERM might allow it to shutdown cleanly.

This feature would be mostly for advanced users so it wouldn't matter if there is no GUI for it or if the buttons for sending signals are "hidden away somewhere". 



Reproducible: Always

Comment 1 Thomas Lübking 2016-06-14 22:09:57 UTC

Fyi, kwin sends SIGTERM, not SIGKILL.

No idea whether this helps you but

   WPID=`xprop _NET_WM_PID`; [ -z "$WPID" ] || kill -SIGNAL ${WPID#* = }

will allow you to send signals to windows which expose their clients PID (required by kwin just as well and rather common nowadays) by clicking the window.

Comment 2 Björn Lindqvist 2016-06-14 22:43:15 UTC

Are you sure? In the console it says "[1]    29237 killed     ./factor" and not  "terminated". Your script does not help because it requires using a console. 

But perhaps it can be done with a kwin script? I didn't realize before now that kwin is scriptable. If I can write a script, and maybe bind it to a keyboard shortcut, to do what your console line does, that would be perfectly adequate.

Comment 3 Martin Flöser 2016-06-15 06:08:24 UTC

Sorry, but this sounds like featuritis to me and is nothing I want to expose in the user interface. Especially as there are valid setups where this will not work and one is not allowed to send a signal, e.g. remote windows. That would directly increase the complexity of such a feature.

The functionality you are looking for is provided by KSysGuard. I don't see a reason for KWin trying to be a KSysGuard Light.

Comment 4 Thomas Lübking 2016-06-15 06:12:49 UTC

(In reply to Björn Lindqvist from comment #2)
> Are you sure?
quite so: https://quickgit.kde.org/?p=kwin.git&a=blob&h=2e6966643e2fbf778b20fb4ad75bddcd4d435a39&hb=7818a1fa9c03ebc8115a01b9ca509da70178ab83&f=client.cpp


> In the console it says "[1]    29237 killed     ./factor"

LOL, the invoked dialog tool actually calls SIGKILL, smells like a bug.
https://quickgit.kde.org/?p=kwin.git&a=history&h=7818a1fa9c03ebc8115a01b9ca509da70178ab83&f=killer%2Fkiller.cpp

=> bug #364337

> not  "terminated".
"Exit 15"

> Your script does not help because it requires using a console. 
run "kcmshell5 khotkeys"
you can assign a shortcut to it.

> But perhaps it can be done with a kwin script?
No. Calling random executables is not supported by kwin scripting.