The expose effect zooms out all windows, so the user can switch to another window. Always on top windows will stay on top anyway, so they could (optionally) be kept without being zoomed out. The usecase is: Watching a video in a always on top window, moving it around when using other windows. When switching between windows (i.e. two firefox windows when using icon-only-taskmanager), you could keep watching the video while changing the other windows. Reproducible: Always Actual Results: - all windows are zoomed out on expose - when clicking one application in the icons only taskmanager, all windows from the clicked application are zoomed out and all others (i.e. the video player) are completely hidden Expected Results: - option to keep windows visible, just as the panel does not zoom out.
Additionally, it zooms out the windows on all monitors, even when the application only has windows on one monitor. Example setup: - two monitors - on the right one a video player - on the left one firefox with two maximized windows Switching between the two firefox windows using the expose effect should not zoom out any window on the right monitor at all.
Thank you for the feature suggestion. But I'm sorry to say that this won't be implemented. This would require a reworking of the effect logic which is not justifyable. Especially as the requested changes would seem unpredictable for many users - why is there a window excluded. Adding a config option for it is an absolute no-go as that would be a too hidden feature and would be a code path which nobody tests then.
The biggest problem with the feature is, that currently full screen windows (at least vlc) are completely hidden in the zoome out effect, even when on another monitor. Testcase: - First Monitor: Some Windows, maximized Firefox in Foreground, another maximized Firefox somewhere behind it. Icon-Only-Taskbar, Expose-Effect for switching between windows of the same program. - Second Monitor: VLC in Fullscreen mode - Click Firefox-Icon to change from the first to the second firefox window What happens: Everything is hidden, the two Firefox Windows are in expose mode. What would be way better: Expose ignores the second monitor completely. I am not sure what your infrastructure allows, but isn't it possible to use the effect only on the currently active monitor? This would not need to change much of the effect, as the arrangements currently are seperated for the different monitors as well.
> The biggest problem with the feature is, that currently full screen windows (at least vlc) are completely hidden This sounds like a bug. That should be fixed and not worked around with a feature.
Not sure, if this is a real bug, because the expected behaviour on clicking firefox in the panel is: - hide everything - expose all firefox windows This happens, but on both monitors and the second one even when there is no firefox window. Still possible matching the current spec of the feature. But when working with two monitors and a fullscreen window on the second one, my wanted behaviour is more like this: - hide everything on the *current* monitor - expose all firefox windows on the current monitor This is a small change in the specification of the feature. Which is another candidate for a setting, like the panel settings "Show windows from all monitors" / "Show windows from all workspaces". Maybe kwin should respect the plasmoid's setting for this, maybe it should have own options. Personally i would like to have everything in the panel, but the more logical setting would probably to follow the panel behaviour.
*** Bug 366746 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***