On Thursday 16 July 2009, Martin Gräßlin wrote: > I'm sending this mail to kwin, plasma and usability mailing list, so please > respond to all lists :-) > > I'm currently thinking of reimplementing the classical tabbox > (non-composited alt+tab) from scratch and I want to share my ideas with you > and hope to get some useful input. Basically that will tackle feature > request 118184 [1]. I really think our tabbox is great. So far I haven't > seen a better > implementation. Nevertheless I think we can do better. > > So first I want to mention some of the issues with the current > implementation: * the code is from 1999 which has been extended several > times. I guess everyone from previous kicker team can have an idea what's > the state of the code ;-) > * it integrates 4 different modes: KDE window switching, CDE window > switching, walk through desktop list and walk through desktops > * CDE window switching is a mode without the tabbox and a different > switching behaviour. The option to select does not reflect the fact that > the behaviour is changed. When an unreasonable focus follows mouse setting > is used, magically this mode is selected (for technical reasons). And this > mode does not trigger a selected effect. (This results in many bug reports) > * When the list is too long to fit on the screen, first the icons are made > smaller, if it still doesn't fit the last items are dropped from the list. > There is no scrolling > * Tabbox doesn't release the keyboard grab [2] > * When using meta+tab you have to press alt to close the tabbox [3] > * Each tabbox replacement effect crashes when a window is closed while > effect is active ([4], [5], [6], [7], [8]) > * It is not possible to have different shortcuts for different switching > behaviour (e.g. one shortcut for only windows on current desktop, one for > windows on all desktops) > * effects and tabbox are mutual exclusive. If an effect is activated you > cannot have the tabbox. > * Keyboard grab makes it impossible to use the search in present windows > effect > * ... > > So now my ideas what a new implementation could provide. Sorry no mockups - > my drawing skills are too bad :-( > * Krunner like interface > * Search input line to search through the windows > * On the fly switching of sorting strategy (e.g. only apps of current > desktop, all desktops, "CDE" like switching, etc.) > * Highlight windows effect support for currently selected window > * Thumbnail of currently selected window > * When desktop switching extend the selected item to show windows on the > desktop as subitems -> direct switching to a client > * Have different shortcuts for different switching styles > * Make it possible to have effects and tabbox as well with different > shortcuts * Effects need to be able to switch the sorting as well > * Searching in effects > * Why do we have to hold the alt key while switching? Can't we break with > the concept? (get rid of the keyboard grab) <- here I need input from the > usability experts. Would it be ok to break with such a concept although all > other plattforms use it? What could be a better solution than pressing alt? > When we break how can we provide a easy "migration path" for our users? * > Everything the current solution provides, that is for example outlines * > More ideas are welcome :-) > > So know to the fun part: implementation > Does Plasma has interest in using something shared. That is would it be > reasonable to provide a runner and just trigger the krunner interface from > kwin?
wonder if would be possible, from the kwin side: -in this case make krunner always visible when doing alt+tab and out of the window list of course -keeping it without focus, so alt+tab will still work as alt+tab from the krunner side: -set the "active one" via api on each alt+tab pressed -the input line should filter on the already there results rather than doing a new query > Having the currently open windows in KRunner might be useful as well. E.g. > I want to open Konqueror and can see in the search result, that I already > opened one. Or use it in netbook shell instead of present windows when > compositing is not active. > > Comments and espicially help on implementation are more than welcome. > > Regards > Martin > > [1] Walking through windows (Alt+Tab) should be improved and cleaned up > (https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=118184) > [2] https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=171685 > [3] https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=149774 > [4] https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=184602 > [5] https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=198533 > [6] https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=187761 > [7] https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=195295 > [8] https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=179865 -- Marco Martin _______________________________________________ Plasma-devel mailing list Plasma-devel@kde.org https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/plasma-devel
