Bug 459735 - Tabbox can show a different icon from the Plasma Task Manager, which is weird and confusing
Summary: Tabbox can show a different icon from the Plasma Task Manager, which is weird...
Status: CONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: kwin
Classification: Plasma
Component: tabbox (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Platform: Arch Linux Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: KWin default assignee
URL:
Keywords: usability
: 461328 495474 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2022-09-27 13:28 UTC by Jan Bidler
Modified: 2024-10-28 15:58 UTC (History)
6 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Icon showing incorrect in panel, but correct in application switcher. (17.05 KB, image/png)
2022-09-27 13:28 UTC, Jan Bidler
Details
worksforme (5.20 KB, image/png)
2022-09-27 18:48 UTC, Nicolas Fella
Details

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Description Jan Bidler 2022-09-27 13:28:34 UTC
Created attachment 152456 [details]
Icon showing incorrect in panel, but correct in application switcher.

SUMMARY
For GameMaker Studio 1.4 applications, the panel (using Icons only Task manager, not sure if it happens with alternatives as well) shows an incorrect icon and does not show an audio indicator if the application produces sound.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Download some GameMaker Studio 1.4 application (like here https://github.com/milesthenerd/AM2R-Server/releases/tag/v1.3 , *linux and *AppImage both have the same behaviour, but considering that the programs all want ancient dependencies which may not be available in distros any more, it may be easier to reproduce with the AppImage)
2. Start the program / "runner" file.

OBSERVED RESULT
The panel displays a wrong icon, but the window switcher (alt+tab) displays the correct icon.

EXPECTED RESULT
The panel should display the same icon that the window switcher displays.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: Arch Linux
KDE Plasma Version: 5.25.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.98.0
Qt Version: 5.15.6
Kernel Version: 5.19.11-arch1-1 (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland
(Happens with X11 as well)
Processors: 12 × AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Six-Core Processor
Memory: 15.6 GiB of RAM
Graphics Processor: AMD Radeon RX 570 Series
Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
Product Name: B450M DS3H

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The example file provided above does not produce any sound output. There is another program that does produce sound output here
https://doctorm64.itch.io/fxb-remastered
but since it doesn't have an AppImage available, it may be hard to reproduce on newer systems.
Comment 1 Nate Graham 2022-09-27 16:16:51 UTC
> The panel displays a wrong icon, but the window switcher (alt+tab) displays the correct icon.
This is caused by a quirk on X11; the Task Manager icon uses the icon from the app's .desktop file, while the Task Switcher allows the window itself to define a custom icon, and if it does, it displays it. If it doesn't, then it falls back to the .desktop file.

For consistency's sake, we should probably stop doing this. We've gotten tons of bug reports over the years and I think allowing these icons to diverge more harm than good.

> and does not show an audio indicator if the application produces sound.
That's a different issue, and is most likely caused by the app not using PulseAudio or PipeWire to produce the sound. Our detection only kicks in for apps that do use one of those libraries.
Comment 2 Jan Bidler 2022-09-27 17:55:07 UTC
> the Task Manager icon uses the icon from the app's .desktop file

Both native linux releases don't ship any .desktop files. Is the icon it displays thus some placeholder icon?
The AppImage does have a .desktop file internally, but not sure if plasma uses it in any way.

> This is caused by a quirk on X11

But if that's caused by X11, then why does it happen on Wayland as well?

> Our detection only kicks in for apps that do use one of those libraries.

That's likely to be the culprit then, as GMS1.4 uses OpenAL. Should I split this part into a separate feature request?
Comment 3 Jan Bidler 2022-09-27 18:03:59 UTC
Also out of curiosity, why not allow the Icons Task manager to read the window's icon, like the tabview does?
Comment 4 Nicolas Fella 2022-09-27 18:41:46 UTC
For Wayland-native apps there is no such thing as a window icon
Comment 5 Nicolas Fella 2022-09-27 18:47:36 UTC
Running the appimage you linked I do get the correct taskbar icon though
Comment 6 Nicolas Fella 2022-09-27 18:48:10 UTC
Created attachment 152476 [details]
worksforme
Comment 7 Nicolas Fella 2022-09-27 18:54:23 UTC
> > Our detection only kicks in for apps that do use one of those libraries.

> That's likely to be the culprit then, as GMS1.4 uses OpenAL. Should I split this part into a separate feature request?

I don't know exactly how OpenAL is implemented on Linux, but what matters is whether the audio shows up as a stream in pulseaudio. If it doesn't there's nothing we can do about that
Comment 8 Jan Bidler 2022-09-27 19:04:30 UTC
> worksforme

Well, how fun. Can local settings / distro somehow override the behaviour on how the task manager picks up 
icons?
Will try to check this out in a kde neon + arch environment the next couple days to see if it happens there as well, or only on my machine.
Comment 9 Nate Graham 2022-11-04 18:46:48 UTC
*** Bug 461328 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 10 Nate Graham 2024-08-01 15:56:59 UTC
*** Bug 491110 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 11 Nate Graham 2024-10-28 14:17:57 UTC
*** Bug 495474 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 12 php4fan 2024-10-28 15:58:44 UTC
> The panel displays a wrong icon, but the window switcher (alt+tab) displays the correct icon.

In my case it's the other way around: the Task Manager shows the application's icon (for most apps), while the window switcher shows a generic Wayland icon.

> the Task Manager icon uses the icon from the app's .desktop file, while the Task Switcher allows the window itself to define 
> a custom icon, and if it does, it displays it. If it doesn't, then it falls back to the .desktop file.

That doesn't explain my case so that's not the whole picture.

How many different standards or conventions are there for applications to define an icon? ALL of them should be supported (the only possible debate being about the priority order), in both the task manager and the window switcher, and everywhere else where an application icon is needed. So that if an application defines an icon in at least one way, it's picked up by the system. And whatever order of priority is decided, the same order should be applied everywhere.