Comment 33 for bug 206547

I've found how Pidgin handles this issue very well for tabbed chat windows.

When you're currently focused on a chat window, I get the upper right
notification about a new message and a new tab is added in the current chat
window. Then, I only have to press Ctrl-Tab to see to the next new
messages. It makes it easy and fast to find new messages when working in a
tabbed window.

I think that would make sense because when you change conversation tab soon
after receiving a new message notification, you are most likely looking for
the new conversation to which to reply. If there is a timer that signals
that a new message is old already, then the behavior of Ctrl-Tab (or
Ctrl-PageUp/Down) can return to default next/previous tab.

When you're not focused on a chat window, focusing on a tabbed chat window
can automatically set focus on the new conversation, as again, the most
likely reason for focusing on a chat window soon after receiving a
notification is to interact with the new message...

On Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 11:30 PM, ukblacknight <email address hidden>wrote:

> If the windows are spawning behind other windows, how is it an
> interference? They're not disrupting work flow as focus isn't being
> stolen and they're not suddenly covering up any windows that are at the
> front.
>
> I've never found fault with the way that Pidgin and emesene deal with
> conversation windows spawning. The situation is, is that many people
> are removing Empathy due to the fact that they're missing the
> notification about a conversation, and they have their main contact
> window closed. I have myself missed many conversations as they were
> waiting for me to open them from the main window - not ideal. This was
> one of the many reasons why I dismissed Empathy.
>
> --
> Open (but do not raise) new conversation windows automatically
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/206547
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Chat app, and Telepathy user interface: Unknown
> Status in One Hundred Paper Cuts: Triaged
> Status in “empathy” package in Ubuntu: Triaged
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: empathy
>
> On up-to-date hardy amd64, when I receive a message, the tray icon start
> blinking but the message is not shown. I have to click the tray icon to see
> it on a new window (or an open window, depending on my confs). This is very
> annoying, specially if my panel containing the tray is set to autohide.
> There should be an option to open messages automatically and/or a better
> visual message notification (like pidgin's guifications).
>
> Design "spec": https://wiki.ubuntu.com/OneHundredPaperCuts/Spec/206547
>
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