Bug 490486 - Opening Dolphin through the Application Launcher should just open a new tab when an instance of Dolphin is present
Summary: Opening Dolphin through the Application Launcher should just open a new tab w...
Status: CONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: dolphin
Classification: Applications
Component: general (show other bugs)
Version: 24.12.2
Platform: Arch Linux Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Dolphin Bug Assignee
URL:
Keywords: usability
: 493362 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2024-07-19 11:02 UTC by Fernando M. Muniz
Modified: 2025-02-27 13:54 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

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


Attachments
Still creating new windows (3.21 MB, video/x-matroska)
2024-07-20 09:59 UTC, Fernando M. Muniz
Details

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Description Fernando M. Muniz 2024-07-19 11:02:44 UTC
I'd like an option to whenever I click on Dolphin's shortcut on the Application Launcher while already having open window, it would create a new tab on the existing window instead and put the existing window in focus.
Comment 1 Felix Ernst 2024-07-20 09:46:50 UTC
In the "Configure Dolphin" dialog there is an option "Open new folders in tabs" which should solve this issue.
Comment 2 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-07-20 09:59:26 UTC
Created attachment 171815 [details]
Still creating new windows

That setting doesn't work.
Comment 3 Felix Ernst 2024-07-20 20:23:21 UTC
Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding. We regularly get reports similar to this one but yours is slightly different. You open Dolphin without specifying a folder to open. If you, for example, right-click the Dolphin entry on your panel and choose your home folder there, it will open as a new tab when that setting is enabled.

You might be able to edit the desktop entry (which specifies the command that is executed when you press Dolphin in the launcher) to always open the home folder. This would then allow the setting I mentioned to kick in and open a new tab in home instead of launching a new instance of Dolphin.
Comment 4 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-07-22 11:02:52 UTC
I was marked as the assignee. Changed to the default.
Comment 5 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-14 07:41:18 UTC
Although I'm sure that opening a whole new window has its specific use cases, most users would benefit if it created new tabs instead.
Comment 6 Filip 2024-09-19 17:37:04 UTC
*** Bug 493362 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 7 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-19 18:12:09 UTC
In other words this are two requests now:
1- Starting the Dolphin app while a windows for the app is already open should simply open a new tab, instead of opening a new window.
2- Opening a folder should simply open a new tab, instead of opening a new window.
Comment 8 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-19 18:15:09 UTC
Correction:

In other words this are two requests now:
1- Starting the Dolphin launcher while Dolphin is already open should simply open a new tab, instead of opening a new window.
2- Opening a folder while Dolphin is already open should simply open a new tab, instead of opening a new window.
Comment 9 Felix Ernst 2024-09-19 18:17:24 UTC
(In reply to Fernando M. Muniz from comment #8)
> 2- Opening a folder while Dolphin is already open should simply open a new
> tab, instead of opening a new window.

Isn't that one already covered by my suggestion in comment #1 "In the "Configure Dolphin" dialog there is an option "Open new folders in tabs" which should solve this issue."?
Comment 10 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-19 18:30:14 UTC
(In reply to Felix Ernst from comment #9)
> (In reply to Fernando M. Muniz from comment #8)
> > 2- Opening a folder while Dolphin is already open should simply open a new
> > tab, instead of opening a new window.
> 
> Isn't that one already covered by my suggestion in comment #1 "In the
> "Configure Dolphin" dialog there is an option "Open new folders in tabs"
> which should solve this issue."?

Nope, the 493362 wishlist that I filled was asking for that to be Dolphin's default. In this one I wasn't asking for that to be the default, but now I am because it got merged into here.
Comment 11 Felix Ernst 2024-09-19 18:51:22 UTC
Changing the default is not very likely to happen because the current default was decided on in quite a lengthy discussion not that long ago: https://invent.kde.org/system/dolphin/-/merge_requests/445

Not saying that such a change cannot happen, but I also don't think the basic situation has fundamentally changed since then.
Comment 12 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-19 18:57:34 UTC
(In reply to Felix Ernst from comment #11)
> Changing the default is not very likely to happen because the current
> default was decided on in quite a lengthy discussion not that long ago:
> https://invent.kde.org/system/dolphin/-/merge_requests/445
> 
> Not saying that such a change cannot happen, but I also don't think the
> basic situation has fundamentally changed since then.

Then I guess I drop that second request. Still think the launcher itself should behave accordingly when that tab option is activated.
Comment 13 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-19 19:08:47 UTC
Ok, I read a bit of the discussion:

There should be a placebo/transitionary update that only saves existing users with Unlisted Legacy_New_Window_Only, then when the actual new update comes out, these existing users marked with the Unlisted Legacy setting won't change their defaults with the update, except new installations.
Comment 14 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-19 19:11:50 UTC
Hopefully I didn't sound crazy, but what I was trying to say is to isolate the legacy users into a third unlisted/invisible option, then making the actual update that doesn't affect them what-so-ever.
Or even better: Migrate the invisible legacy option into the new non-default that would be opening new windows every time.
Comment 15 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-19 19:28:20 UTC
Unless by legacy users they also mean anyone reinstalling their OS... But then the same point would have been used against the double-clicking becoming the default (which is a bigger deal), so I doubt this is the case.

In any case it's possible to have this change AND respect legacy users' defaults.
Comment 16 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-19 19:34:39 UTC
Does this mean that the legacy users who had a single click to open files/folders as default weren't converted into a legacy setting? That's bad...
Comment 17 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-19 19:45:12 UTC
Another way of tackling the issue in the discussion:

If the uptime of a system is under 1 hour, change to the new default.
If the uptime of a system is over 1 hour, transition into the legacy setting (old default).
Comment 18 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-09-19 21:26:25 UTC
Sorry for talking too much, but if I were to file a wishlist to standardize this "using uptime to detect legacy users for important changes in default settings" procedure, where would I even put it?
Comment 19 Felix Ernst 2024-09-20 09:19:22 UTC
(In reply to Fernando M. Muniz from comment #18)
> Sorry for talking too much, but if I were to file a wishlist to standardize
> this "using uptime to detect legacy users for important changes in default
> settings" procedure, where would I even put it?

Don't worry about it. This is a well understood problem that has come up enough that KDE contributors are generally aware of how to migrate legacy users settings. The change in https://invent.kde.org/system/dolphin/-/merge_requests/445 also applying to existing users was something I argued in favour of in https://invent.kde.org/system/dolphin/-/merge_requests/445#note_521735 , but it was decided among us contributors that this was fine in this case. We are aware of ways on how to avoid this, but they were not chosen there.

Let's keep this bug report focused on the main and initially reported bug about there being no setting to completely avoid opening secondary Dolphin windows. We should try to not make this bug report too complicated for people coming here in the future.
Comment 20 Fernando M. Muniz 2024-10-03 18:24:16 UTC
To summarize; I'm requesting that when clicking the Shortcut/Application Launcher of the Dolphin app itself, it would just open a new tab whenever a Dolphin window is already opened (If the user has chosen that option for folders in the settings).
Comment 21 Fernando M. Muniz 2025-02-27 13:54:54 UTC
Can someone mark the most recent messages (except Comment 20 ) as spam?