Re: Spec Purpose and Definition

["Bradley T. Hughes" <bhughes tcac net>]

On Wed, 23 Jun 1999, Matthias Ettrich wrote:

> Date: Wed, 23 Jun 1999 19:56:30 +0200
> From: Matthias Ettrich <ettrich@troll.no>
> Reply-To: wm-spec-list@gnome.org
> To: wm-spec-list@gnome.org
> Subject: Re: Spec Purpose and Definition
> Resent-Date: 23 Jun 1999 19:36:59 -0000
> Resent-From: wm-spec-list@gnome.org
> Resent-cc: recipient list not shown: ;
> 
> On Wed, 23 Jun 1999, Michael ROGERS wrote:
> > >> It seems to me that pager interaction makes up a large part of the
> > >> complexity of the spec, for a small benefit. Many window managers already
> > >
> > >This was my thinking at first as well. However, a pager (or a taskbar ) doesn't
> > >require much more than what any application requires anyway. Since all the
> > >hints/states of a window are already advertised, all that is missing is a way
> > >to access all managed windows. Functionality to change the state of windows
> > >outside the wm is a basic requirement anyway (for example maximizing or 
> > >activating a window ). So once the managed windows are made available to
> > >modules, we get the pager for free.
> > 
> > Which other programs would wish to maximise or activate windows?
> 
> A big office-like application or IDE that offers a configuration option to
> start up just like it was closed may want to set the maximize hint.
> 
> Activation is usefull for all sorts of notification applications. I may for
> example have an postit like note application that may want to become active
> when the alarm rings (which requires: switch to the desktop, raise, focus,
> etc.). A simple "show plus raise" is not sufficient: the application may have
> other windows on another desktop, so the wm might "show" them on that hidden
> virtual desktop, which is pointless in that case.

perhaps instead of re-inventing the wheel... we should look at sections
4.1.7 and 4.2.7 of the ICCCM (pages 36-38, 45-46) and perhaps extend the
WM_TAKE_FOCUS protocol to the extent that the application would send a
client message to the window manager (message_type WM_PROTOCOLS, format 32,
l[0] WM_TAKE_FOCUS l[1] window id) and the window manager can then decide
if it wants to honor the request and send the client message described in
section 4.1.7

> Don't resctrict application programmers too much. At least not if the necessary
> code in the wm is just the 3 lines necessary to catch the client message and
> call the appropriate function.
> 
> 
> Matthias
> 
> 
> > 
> > 
> > Michael Rogers
> > 
> > 
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> 
> 
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Blackbox - An X11R6 Window Manager
     http://blackbox.wiw.org/      
__________________________________

Bradley T. Hughes <bhughes@tcac.net>