Cannot name workspaces

[Amr Ahmed]

hello,

in Gutsy I named workspaces by right-clicking on workspace switcher (sitting on my deskbar), and choosing "preferences".

Now on Hardy 8.04, if I right-click on workspace switcher>preferences, I get what you see on the hardy.png also attached UNLESS I go to System>Preferences>Appearance and set the "visual effects" on "none".

I cannot remember if this was the case in Gutsy. Anyway, I'br just tried to use both gconf-editor > apps/metacity/workspace_names and workspace>preferences, plus turn off visual effects, rename the workspaces, and turn visual effects back on, but the moment I do this the names on the workspace switcher disappear.

The version is 2.22.2 (got it with Hardy 8.04).

Thanks.

[saulos (paolol)]

Hi I have the same bug , in Hardy 8.04 64bit Ubunto version with Gnome.
ATI 3870 videocard and driver 8.6 version.
Thanks.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. You reported this bug a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering is this still an issue for you? Could you try to reproduce the same with Ubuntu 8.10 or 9.04? Thanks in advance.

[Daniele (dcalvani)]

hi there,
I've tried to reproduce it on Ubuntu 8.10 but didn't manage. It
doesn't seem to be an issue any longer. Thanks for your concern.
AA

2009/1/29 Pedro Villavicencio <email address hidden>:
> Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make
> Ubuntu better. You reported this bug a while ago and there hasn't been
> any activity in it recently. We were wondering is this still an issue
> for you? Could you try to reproduce the same with Ubuntu 8.10 or 9.04?
> Thanks in advance.
>
> ** Changed in: compiz (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
> --
> cannot name workspaces on hardy 8.04
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/239231
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in "compiz" source package in Ubuntu: Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> hello,
>
> in Gutsy I named workspaces by right-clicking on workspace switcher (sitting on my deskbar), and choosing "preferences".
>
> Now on Hardy 8.04, if I right-click on workspace switcher>preferences, I get what you see on the hardy.png also attached UNLESS I go to System>Preferences>Appearance and set the "visual effects" on "none".
>
> I cannot remember if this was the case in Gutsy. Anyway, I'br just tried to use both gconf-editor > apps/metacity/workspace_names and workspace>preferences, plus turn off visual effects, rename the workspaces, and turn visual effects back on, but the moment I do this the names on the workspace switcher disappear.
>
> The version is 2.22.2 (got it with Hardy 8.04).
>
> Thanks.
>

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[drieteenmeeuw (drieteenmeeuw)]

I can't set names when compiz is active, and can when visual effects set to none. Then however when setting visual effects again, I only see the name of the first workspace ('mail'), even when switching to, or working in, other workspaces. Hovering over the other workspaces at bottom-right of the screen only results in a pop-up saying that the current workspace is 'mail' (even if it isn't).

Ubuntu 8.10 up-to-date

[glacialfury (glacialfury-gmail)]

I can confirm this on Ubuntu 9.04 amd64, with gnome 2.26.1

There are different preferences dialogs for the workspace switcher applet depending on whether you have desktop effects enabled. With effects enabled, you lose the option to name the workspaces and toggle preview/show name. You can disable the effects temporarily in the Appearance config, adjust your workspaces via the switcher preference, and then turn desktop effects back on.

[gumpish (launchpad-5-gumpish)]

I am also experiencing this bug with a clean install of 9.04, both AMD64 and x86.

Although it's true that you can access the "full" workspace properties dialog by disabling visual effects (per glacialfury's comment), as soon as you enable visual effects again the names vanish from the contexual menus of the title bar of windows (ie, "Move to another workspace -> Desk 1, Desk 2, Desk 3...") and from the workspace switcher applet (all workspaces share the name of the first workspace).

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

Thanks for reporting this bug and any supporting documentation. Since this bug has enough information provided for a developer to begin work, I'm going to mark it as confirmed and let them handle it from here. Thanks for taking the time to make Ubuntu better!

[Daniel (damendieta)]

Same. The problem persist in Ubuntu 9.04 i386.

I need to change the name in order to use devilspie.

If you can add devilspie and gdevilspie to Ubuntu on a clean install it will be really great.

Thank for everything,

Ubuntu ROCKS...

[Pernig (j-jinks)]

Using Ubuntu 9.10 amd64 with Compiz effects enabled, using a GeForce 8500GT. I am also experiencing this bug.

If it helps I also experienced this bug using Mandriva 2007.1 and 2008.0, so perhaps it is a Gnome bug rather than an Ubuntu specific one.

Thanks.

[dsiddens (sv-drakus)]

Confirming this bug on 9.10 32 bit. Workspace Switcher names only will show with Visual Effects set to None.

[buddycat (buddy12lbcat)]

ditto for me on three installs of koala. this has been a problem for several releases and is another papercut. i use 10 desktops so not having names is really inconvenient. can we have an estimate as to when this will be fixed?

[madinc (madinc)]

same bug here karmic koala
compiz conflicts with workspace switcher

[Travis Watkins (amaranth)]

Not sure how this ended up being assigned to compiz. The problem is that the workspace switcher does not support viewports so only sees 1 virtual desktop and thus you cannot name the compiz viewports.

Note that viewports/virtual desktops do not get a name attached to them at the window manager level, it is only this workspace switcher applet that ties them to a name.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

support for viewports is handled on bug 483801 which links to https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=602135

[Peter Leon Collins (peter-peter-collins)]

* I have two laptops with Ubuntu 9.10 on.
* Acer: has been upgraded to 9.10 from older version Ubuntu and has workspace switcher (2.28.0) properties provide naming, names display on mouseover and under neat lateral list displayed when going ctrl+alt+left|right. Workspace change is instant. It's great. Long may it live.
* HP Mini: does it much worse. It has a new install of 9.10 replacing XP and it has the same workspace switcher (2.28.0 - yes, that's right) but with preferences only providing columns and rows. I have used gconf-editor to enable names and to set them, as on #95959 - but to no avail. Still show either "Desk n" or blank label or sometimes "Desk 1" for ALL. Workplace change is by lateral "sliding" which is no great hassle. The lateral list when going ctrl+alt+left|right has HUGE icons and no labels at all. Click and drag to move applications between workspaces displays as a 'hint' on mouseover in the panel display, but does not work - apps stay where they are.
* I'm not pushing for a fix - it's merely a mystery and an aggravation, but it illustrates why I think Linux, for all its genuinely superior and ethical qualities, isn't yet ready to become a serious contender for the Mass Distribution Big Kahuna.

[Mekk (marcin-kasperski)]

@Pedro Workspace naming is not only a matter of switcher. On Compiz I'd love to see workspace names on Expo view, on Cube, maybe on global Super-Tab and in similar cases (in general - in every viewport switching case).

Compiz in many ways does great job supporting multi-workspace work but the lack of possibility to name those workspaces somehow hurts.

PS Somebody mentioned devilspie and it's workspace name matching. Here is another case where workspace (viewport) name could be useful: Window Rules plugin could make use of it.