Unity steals focus from terminal in fullscreen when switching workspaces.

[johnhamelink]

Binary package hint: unity

When I have unity in full screen mode, I like to flick between the terminal and my web browser. When doing this, I've notices unity steal focus from the terminal when I flick back to the terminal. This is highly annoying because it means I need to give focus back by either pressing alt+tab, or f11 twice (to take the terminal out of full screen, then back in again).

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: unity 3.8.10-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
Architecture: i386
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,mousepoll,vpswitch,regex,animation,snap,expo,move,compiztoolbox,place,grid,imgpng,gnomecompat,wall,ezoom,workarounds,staticswitcher,resize,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,scale,session,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Sun Apr 24 16:33:59 2011
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: natty
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus: fglrx, 8.840, 2.6.38-8-generic, i686: installed
GraphicsCard:
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   Subsystem: Toshiba America Info Systems Device [1179:fde4]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Beta i386 (20110330)
InstallationMedia_: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Beta i386 (20110330)
InstallationMedia__: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Beta i386 (20110330)
JockeyStatus: xorg:fglrx - ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver (Proprietary, Enabled, In use)
MachineType: TOSHIBA Satellite Pro C650D
ProcEnviron:
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 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=c4e8e40e-8f35-45aa-8c97-8e1341a0fc28 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
ProcVersionSignature_: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
ProcVersionSignature__: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Renderer: Unknown
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 05/10/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: Insyde Corp.
dmi.bios.version: 1.30
dmi.board.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: Portable PC
dmi.board.vendor: TOSHIBA
dmi.board.version: Base Board Version
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: AMD
dmi.chassis.version: None
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnInsydeCorp.:bvr1.30:bd05/10/2010:svnTOSHIBA:pnSatelliteProC650D:pvrPSC17E-003001EN:rvnTOSHIBA:rnPortablePC:rvrBaseBoardVersion:cvnAMD:ct10:cvrNone:
dmi.product.name: Satellite Pro C650D
dmi.product.version: PSC17E-003001EN
dmi.sys.vendor: TOSHIBA
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.4+bzr20110415-0ubuntu2
version.fglrx-installer: fglrx-installer N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.23-1ubuntu6
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+4ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.0-0ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.14.0-4ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110107+b795ca6e-0ubuntu7

[Ville Kukkonen (vijoc)]

I've noticed the same thing with other windows / applications as well, so it's not only related to terminal. Doesn't seem to happen every time, though.

[job (jobtiel)]

I have a similar issue, and it does happen all the time

Several applications running maximized (normal size works fine): e.g. firefox & terminal.

When I alt-tab from one to the other the new window looses input i.e. no keyboard focus, the window contents are not click-able. The menu items do work, but don't show response in the window. I'm looking at an image of the window not the actual application. For if I un-maximize or 'F11' the window the focus is back. Same happen if I click the application in the launcher bar, but again only in maximized mode.

Assuming it's a display issue, this is the fglrxinfo output:

display: :0 screen: 0
OpenGL vendor string: ATI Technologies Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: ATI Radeon HD 5670
OpenGL version string: 4.1.10665 Compatibility Profile Context

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please answer these questions:

* Is this reproducible?
* If so, what specific steps should we take to recreate this bug?

This will help us to find and resolve the problem.

[Bosma (thomasbosma)]

As was said before, it also applies to other applications.

Reproduce:
- open any application in fullscreen as is default in Natty (app. A). Tested this with firefox, thunderbird and nautilus.
- open a new application in Unity launcher (let's call it B)
- when the application is still loading, return to the previously opened window (A).
- when B is done loading it steals focus from A leaving the menu-bar of A intact while showing the window contents of B.

Resulting in:
- window of application B with menu-bar of application A
- menu operations apply to A while still showing the contents of B (so the changes are invisible)
- using close-minimise buttons results in closing of application A (still showing contents of window B, updating the menu-bar to that of B)

Only solution so far:
- selecting application A through Unity launcher so it has full focus again
- selecting application B

So far it doesn't seem to affect classic gnome, although the stubborn focus stealing behaviour that accompanied it since the rollout of Natty is still there.

A quick search showed a few related threads being moved to their respective applications but it all seems part of some underlying problem.

[Bosma (thomasbosma)]

Searched around for a bit, seems noodling around with the Metacity raise behaviour settings in gconf gets the job done insofar that it fixes the focus stealing part of the problem. If it doesn't steal focus in the first place but loads under the current application it should all be fixed.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

thanks for the bug report. It seems I am not able to reproduce this bug in Ubuntu 11.10 I have bother terminal and chromium in fullscreen(f11) and if i switch between the two apps with alt-tab the focus works fine.

[Cyprian Guerra (cyprian-guerra)]

I'm not sure if this is what You all mean but here's what I see is as an issue regarding focus:

= Windows displayed in full-screen keep focus when they shouldn't =

== Steps to reproduce ==
$ gnome-terminal --full-screen
$ nautilus; firefox
$ exit

== What's expected ==
Gnome-Terminal opens in full-screen.
Nautilus opens "above" the terminal.
Focus jumps from terminal to Nautilus.
Terminal becomes the Nautilus' console (std::err receiver) and doesn't take input (other than [ctrl+c]).
After the Nautilus window is closed Firefox window opens "above" the terminal.
Focus jumps from terminal to Firefox.
Terminal becomes the Firefox' console (std::err receiver) and doesn't take input (other than [ctrl+c]).
After the Firefox window is closed user can input "exit" to close the terminal.

== Actual result ==
Gnome-Terminal opens in full-screen.
Nautilus and Firefox open "under" the terminal and neither steals focus or sends std::err to the terminal.
If there were more windows opened tapping [alt+tab] once doesn't bring either Nautilus nor Firefox up because both opened at the end of the list (in applications switcher).
Focus remains in terminal so the user can input "exit" to close it.

= Windows opened in the background steal focus when they shouldn't =

== Steps to reproduce ==
$ gnome-terminal --full-screen
$ gedit &
$ exit

== What's expected ==
Gnome-Terminal opens in full-screen.
Gedit window opens "under" the terminal and doesn't steal focus.
User can input "exit" to close the terminal.

== Actual result ==
Gnome-Terminal opens in full-screen.
Gedit window opens "above" the terminal and steals focus.
User can't input "exit" to close the terminal.

= Additional info =
If you do the same with Gnome-Terminal running without the --full-screen attribute all three mentioned applications will open "above" the terminal (focus remains as described).

= Summary =
There's no unified behaviour regarding focus stealing so the user can't control it by opening processes in the background or foreground.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

Since the original reporter of this bug report have not responded to any of the comments I am going to mark this bug as incomplete, if anyone else is facing a focus issue please report a new bug since this bug is not clear from its description what it wants to report.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for unity (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for unity because there has been no activity for 60 days.]