Re: Decorations (again) - layers suggestion

[Dominik Vogt <dominik vogt fvwm org>]

On Sat, Nov 20, 1999 at 10:40:17AM -0500, Daniel Barclay wrote:
> 
> Regarding window layers, please consider how FVWM2's pager works.
> 
> It might solve your problem without introducing as many new ones.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By default, the pager window is always on top.  Raising and lowering other 
> windows always leaves them behind the pager and leaves the pager visible.

Um, that's not really the default behaviour.  If it's for your
fvwm, some kind person preconfigured it for you.  By default
the pager works like any other window, but it can be configured
if you know what to do.  E.g. you could replace the Raise/Lower
commands bound to the decorations of all windows with

  AddToFunc RaiseFunc
  + i current (FvwmPager) layer 8
  + i raise
  AddToFunc LowerFunc
  + i current (FvwmPager) layer 6
  + i lower
  mouse 1 t a function RaiseFunc
  mouse 2 t a function LowerFunc

> However, if you lower the pager, then it acts like just another window.  
> Lowering other windows will place them behind it (lowering all other windows 
> will end up with the pager on top), but raising another window will place it 
> in front of the pager.
> 
> Raising the pager window resets it to "always on top" status.
> 
> 
> The net behavior is that the page is usually on top and raising other windows
> does not obscure it, but any time you want it off your screen, you can easily
> lower it.

That's the kind of 'clever' Wm behaviour I try to suggest for a
long time know (but nobody wants to hear it). 
 
> I haven't been following your Gnome discussion in detail, but would the above
> behavior work for Gnome?

It has one major flaw: usually windows like pagers, taskbars, panels, ...
have no title bar.  So how are you supposed to raise/lower them
explicitly?  Otherwise I think it's a great idea.  I coded something
similar in fvwm for transient windows a while ago, but it didn't
occur to me that this would work great with OnTop windows (provided
that OnTop windows are rare and usually don't overlap each other).

Bye

Dominik ^_^

--
Dominik Vogt, dominik.vogt@gmx.de
Reply-To: dominik.vogt@gmx.de