Re: Work in Progress: draft 1.9a

[Paul Warren <pdw ferret lmh ox ac uk>]

On Mon, 5 Jul 1999, Dominik Vogt wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 05, 1999 at 08:05:26PM +0100, M.Rogers@cs.ucl.ac.uk wrote:
> > >This modal thing reminds me of something else: Currently
> > >application-modal windows are not handled very nicely (in Qt anyway).
> > >When you click on one of the main windows, it will be raised and then Qt
> > >raised the app-modal dialog again. This is annoying. 
> > 
> > Would it make sense for window managers to keep all transients stacked above 
> > their parents?
> 
> At least several fvwm users keep complaining about it. It's
> definitely a matter of personal taste. I see no reason why one
> should force netscape's 'find' window fully above the browser
> window (just an example).

Take xcdroast, which has application-modal dialogs [1] which you can
very easily lose behind the main window.  Confuses the hell out of new
users, and I definitely consider not keeping it on top a bug.   As a point
of reference, icewm does keep TRANSIENTS_FOR on top.

> > (I'm not suggesting this should go in the spec.)
> 
> Um, if you don't suggest it goes in the spec, what are you suggesting
> then? At what other place should it be stated?

I asked Michael privately if he could clarify this: "would there be any
case in which it would be wrong to keep a WM_TRANSIENT_FOR window on top
of its parent?" The ICCCM is ambiguous as to whether this is what is
intended.  If this is not what is intended by WM_TRANSIENT_FOR, then we
need some further hint.  Is this a modal/non-modal question perhaps
(modals should stay on top).

I personally think that WM_TRANSIENT_FOR should force the window on top.
IMHO Netscape's find window should be forced on top of the main window -
it is useful, otherwise you keep losing the window behind the main window.
If you don't want the find window there, you kill it.

yours,

Paul

[1] Application modal dialogs are not always a "bug".  For xcdroast they
are appropriate - it is a modal program because of the nature of CD
writing.  As long as the parent window is still getting repainted, and the
dialog stays on top, I see no problem.