Disabling status window is not permanent

[Colan Schwartz]

Binary package hint: workrave

In Gutsy, I can right click someone on the status window or the panel application, select "Preferences", go to User interface -> Status Window and then uncheck "Show status window". This only works temporarily, however. Whenever I quit and then restart, the status window is still shown. It's as is the setting was never saved.

[François Marier (fmarier)]

Hi Colan,

I've got a backport of the latest version of the workrave package from Debian (1.8.5-6) in my personal package archive:

  deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/fmarier/ubuntu gutsy main

Could you check whether your problem is fixed in that version (which is essentially the same as Hardy)?

Thanks,

Francois

[Colan Schwartz (colan)]

Nope, it's not fixed. I tried that version, and the "Show status window" option still doesn't stay unchecked. :(

[François Marier (fmarier)]

Can you post the output of "gconftool-2 -R /apps/workrave" at these times:

1- before unchecking "Show status window"
2- after unchecking it
3- after restarting (when the status window is back and the setting ignored)

Thanks.

[Colan Schwartz (colan)]

I've attached the output. Thanks for looking into this, by the way.

[François Marier (fmarier)]

The only difference between those three (if we exclude the y-position of the window) is this setting:

   /apps/workrave/gui/main_window/enabled

Which goes from "true" to "false" to "true" as expected from your description.

The fact that it goes from "false" (hide the window) to "true" (show it) after restarting is where the problem lies.

Now the thing I am wondering is whether workrave resets that setting when it starts up or shuts down. So here's how we could verify that:

1- start workrave and hide the window
2- quit workrave and dump the settings:
      gconftool-2 -R /apps/workrave/gui/main_window
3- start workrave again (without logging out and logging back in) and note whether the window is hidden
4- dump the settings:
      gconftool-2 -R /apps/workrave/gui/main_window

[Colan Schwartz (colan)]

After quiting & dumping the settings:

 y = 47
 cycle_time = 10
 head = 0
 enabled = false
 x = 5

Now when I start it up, the box is still unchecked, but the status window shows up anyway.

Settings dump:

 y = 22
 cycle_time = 10
 head = 0
 enabled = false
 x = 5

[François Marier (fmarier)]

I haven't been able to reproduce this problem, but this Ubuntu user gets it consistently:

"I can right click someone on the status window or the panel application, select "Preferences", go to User interface -> Status Window and then uncheck "Show status window". This only works temporarily, however. Whenever I quit and then restart, the status window is still shown. It's as is the setting was never saved."

Looking at gconf dumps (see the launchpad bug for the logs that he did), it looks like workrave hides the window and sets the setting correctly, but then we he quits and starts workrave again, while the setting is still fine, the window is not hidden.

I don't really know how to investigate that problem further. So perhaps you'll have some ideas about what to do next.

[François Marier (fmarier)]

Hi Colan,

I have sent your problem to the Workrave developers' bugzilla. You can log on there if you want to respond to them directly or provide extra information.

  http://issues.workrave.org/cgi-bin/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=730

Cheers,

Francois

[Rob Caelers (rob-caelers)]

I also can't reproduce this problem, but:

It seems Workrave only enables the status window without user intervention if the window is de-iconized. This does not seem to happen at startup when using gnome/compiz. Perhaps the user is using a different window manager that somehow generates a de-iconize event.

Anyways. I removed the offending code. Workrave now only enables the status window when the user explicitly enables it in the preferences.

[Greg A (etulfetulf)]

Please can you confirm if this is still an issue in Hardy/Intrepid?

[Martin Pool (mbp)]

I can still reproduce this in Jaunty and Intrepid.

[JC Hulce (soaringsky)]

Updated upstream bug url

[JC Hulce (soaringsky)]

Upstream fixed this issue and the fixed version appears to be in Ubuntu, so I am closing this bug.

[Gao Shichao (xgdgsc)]

It's weird that I still see the same thing here with the latest version in 12.04

[Gao Shichao (xgdgsc)]

I figured out that if I autostart workrave with simply "workrave" command, the status window shows.

While if I autostart workrave with the following script, status window doesn't show, and problem solved.

#/bin/sh
sleep 20s
workrave &

For sleep like 2 seconds, status window still shows.
Weird though, problem solved.

[Ash (ash1991)]

This bug still affects me on Precise.

[Ash (ash1991)]

The Workaroud suggested by "Gao Shichao (xgdgsc)" worked for me but it's not a fix it's a workaround.

[Andres Sanchez Lozano (andressano)]

I found a temporary solution compiz based for unity.

1. Install compizconfig-settings-manager.
2. Run ccsm.
3. In Window Management category, enable and edit Window Rules.
4. Select Matches Tab and then set value class=Workrave in Skip Taskbar.
5. Restart unity.

This should cover Workrave failure, or I think I found another bug :P

[Andreas Jonsson (sonofjon)]

Problem still present in raring,

[Andreas Jonsson (sonofjon)]

The workaround in #15 above did not work for me. I had to increase the sleep time to 60s to make it work.