Using GIMP in Unity is troublesome & unintuitive

[Izo]

Binary package hint: unity

Using GIMP with Ubuntu's Unity is rather troublesome and here's why.

Let's say I'm on Workspace 1, which currently has Chrome on it. I load GIMP onto Workspace 2. If I am on Workspace 1 and click on the GIMP icon to switch me to the Workspace where GIMP is located, I am switched to GIMP on Workspace 2 but the main window, containing the image I'm working on, is NEVER focussed, it's nearly always one of the toolboxes (90% of the time, it'll be the layers/brushes utility window that gets focussed).

This is annoying because:

1) If I'm having to refer between my web browser and GIMP a lot, and they're on separate workspaces, this means that every time I switch to GIMP I then have to click on the main GIMP window before I can access the global menu bar. Every time. It disrupts the workflow.

OTHER ANNOYING BEHAVIOURS THAT GIMP SOMETIMES EXHIBITS:
1) If I open up GIMP on a workspace, the GIMP launcher icon in Unity is on a constant of "requires attention" (by highlighting one of window indicators in the launcher) until I click on every GIMP window and utility window that's open.

2) Sometimes, GIMP opens with one of the utility windows slightly off the side of the workspace. This means that, whenever I try to switch to GIMP from another workspace (again, say I'm on Workspace 1 and I want to switch to GIMP on Workspace 2), by clicking on the GIMP icon in the launcher, nothing happens. This is because, although it's hidden, Unity sees the GIMP utility window has being on the current workspace (Workspace 1). Clicking on the icon again brings up the Scale View with all of the available GIMP windows and utility windows to choose from.

3) Sometimes, dragging a GIMP XCF file from a Unity Lens onto the GIMP icon in the launcher, so that I can open GIMP straight into the file to work on, causes the utility windows to be stacked on top of each other, or in positions on the screen that I didn't leave them on.

4) In my experience of using Gnome-shell on Fedora 15, managing GIMP is much easier. Switching between apps on different workspaces in Gnome-shell, the main GIMP window is always focussed on, the utility windows never move from their position and are almost "pinned" to desktop. Managing GIMP in Gnome-shell is much easier.

DISCLAIMER: I totally understand that GIMP really, currently, has a horrible interface and I know that the long-awaited single window mode is currently in development. Whether this new interface will playing with how Unity works, I don't know.

Is it possible for each utility window that is opened by GIMP to pass on GIMP's main menubar to Unity's global menubar? Is this something that Unity can solve, or is it an inherent problem with how the GIMP's interface works that just doesn't mix well with our Unity operates?

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: unity 3.8.14-0ubuntu1~natty1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-10.44-generic 2.6.38.7
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-10-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Architecture: i386
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,snap,place,session,grid,resize,mousepoll,vpswitch,move,imgpng,regex,gnomecompat,animation,workarounds,wall,unitymtgrabhandles,expo,ezoom,staticswitcher,fade,scale,unityshell,scaleaddon]
Date: Thu Jun 9 14:21:51 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Beta i386 (20110413)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Joaquin (jknvv13)]

I'm affected too.
I have this issue in Unity3D, because Unity2D doesn't support switching from other workspace.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

These problems are most likely to be fixed if each has its own bug report with precise steps to reproduce. For example, the steps for (1a) might be something like this:
1. On one workspace, launch Firefox
2. On another workspace, launch Gimp
3. Focus Gimp's document window
4. Click Firefox's launcher item
5. Click Gimp's launcher item

Bug 646029 may also be related.

(1b) is a duplicate of bug 687429.

[Izo (shakhtar9)]

OK, for (1a), I have proceeded along the steps you've outlined above.

RESULT: the Layers/Channels/Paths utility window always gets focussed on, never the main GIMP window.

[Walter Garcia-Fontes (walter-garcia)]

This is confirmed, when switching desktops by clicking on the icons of the Unity launcher the GIMP windows changes focus, when swithing desktops by using keyboard shotcuts (CTRL-ALT -> or CTRL-ALT <-, for instance) the focus remains in the GIMP window which had focus before the switch.

[Joaquin (jknvv13)]

The single-window mode it's better, because it handles better the menus,
etc... on Unity.
El 05/07/2011 18:27, "Mantas Kriaučiūnas" <email address hidden> escribió:

> ** Also affects: baltix
> Importance: Undecided
> Status: New
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/795038
>
> Title:
> Using GIMP in Unity is troublesome & unintuitive
>
> Status in Unity:
> Confirmed
> Status in “unity” package in Ubuntu:
> Confirmed
> Status in Baltix GNU/Linux:
> New
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: unity
>
> Using GIMP with Ubuntu's Unity is rather troublesome and here's why.
>
> Let's say I'm on Workspace 1, which currently has Chrome on it. I load
> GIMP onto Workspace 2. If I am on Workspace 1 and click on the GIMP
> icon to switch me to the Workspace where GIMP is located, I am
> switched to GIMP on Workspace 2 but the main window, containing the
> image I'm working on, is NEVER focussed, it's nearly always one of the
> toolboxes (90% of the time, it'll be the layers/brushes utility window
> that gets focussed).
>
> This is annoying because:
>
> 1) If I'm having to refer between my web browser and GIMP a lot, and
> they're on separate workspaces, this means that every time I switch to
> GIMP I then have to click on the main GIMP window before I can access
> the global menu bar. Every time. It disrupts the workflow.
>
> OTHER ANNOYING BEHAVIOURS THAT GIMP SOMETIMES EXHIBITS:
> 1) If I open up GIMP on a workspace, the GIMP launcher icon in Unity is
> on a constant of "requires attention" (by highlighting one of window
> indicators in the launcher) until I click on every GIMP window and utility
> window that's open.
>
> 2) Sometimes, GIMP opens with one of the utility windows slightly off
> the side of the workspace. This means that, whenever I try to switch
> to GIMP from another workspace (again, say I'm on Workspace 1 and I
> want to switch to GIMP on Workspace 2), by clicking on the GIMP icon
> in the launcher, nothing happens. This is because, although it's
> hidden, Unity sees the GIMP utility window has being on the current
> workspace (Workspace 1). Clicking on the icon again brings up the
> Scale View with all of the available GIMP windows and utility windows
> to choose from.
>
> 3) Sometimes, dragging a GIMP XCF file from a Unity Lens onto the GIMP
> icon in the launcher, so that I can open GIMP straight into the file
> to work on, causes the utility windows to be stacked on top of each
> other, or in positions on the screen that I didn't leave them on.
>
> 4) In my experience of using Gnome-shell on Fedora 15, managing GIMP is
> much easier. Switching between apps on different workspaces in Gnome-shell,
> the main GIMP window is always focussed on, the utility windows never move
> from their position and are almost "pinned" to desktop. Managing GIMP in
> Gnome-shell is much easier.
>
> DISCLAIMER: I totally understand that GIMP really, currently, has a
> horrible interface and I know that the long-awaited single window mode is
> currently in development. Whether this new interface will playing with how
> Unity ...

[Izo (shakhtar9)]

GIMP's 2.7 branch, with single-mode, is definitely better, but it's still bad news for ANY app that uses a multi-window interface.

[Joaquin (jknvv13)]

Maybe the unity panel has to get the "main menu" from the "main window" of
the app.
For example, on GIMP it uses the menu of the GIMP window, not the
tools/whatever window.
So, If u change to the tools window, you'll get the same menu on the panel
as if you have selected the gimp window.
El 15/11/2011 18:15, "Izo" <email address hidden> escribió:

> GIMP's 2.7 branch, with single-mode, is definitely better, but it's
> still bad news for ANY app that uses a multi-window interface.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/795038
>
> Title:
> Using GIMP in Unity is troublesome & unintuitive
>
> Status in Unity:
> Confirmed
> Status in “unity” package in Ubuntu:
> Confirmed
> Status in Baltix GNU/Linux:
> New
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: unity
>
> Using GIMP with Ubuntu's Unity is rather troublesome and here's why.
>
> Let's say I'm on Workspace 1, which currently has Chrome on it. I load
> GIMP onto Workspace 2. If I am on Workspace 1 and click on the GIMP
> icon to switch me to the Workspace where GIMP is located, I am
> switched to GIMP on Workspace 2 but the main window, containing the
> image I'm working on, is NEVER focussed, it's nearly always one of the
> toolboxes (90% of the time, it'll be the layers/brushes utility window
> that gets focussed).
>
> This is annoying because:
>
> 1) If I'm having to refer between my web browser and GIMP a lot, and
> they're on separate workspaces, this means that every time I switch to
> GIMP I then have to click on the main GIMP window before I can access
> the global menu bar. Every time. It disrupts the workflow.
>
> OTHER ANNOYING BEHAVIOURS THAT GIMP SOMETIMES EXHIBITS:
> 1) If I open up GIMP on a workspace, the GIMP launcher icon in Unity is
> on a constant of "requires attention" (by highlighting one of window
> indicators in the launcher) until I click on every GIMP window and utility
> window that's open.
>
> 2) Sometimes, GIMP opens with one of the utility windows slightly off
> the side of the workspace. This means that, whenever I try to switch
> to GIMP from another workspace (again, say I'm on Workspace 1 and I
> want to switch to GIMP on Workspace 2), by clicking on the GIMP icon
> in the launcher, nothing happens. This is because, although it's
> hidden, Unity sees the GIMP utility window has being on the current
> workspace (Workspace 1). Clicking on the icon again brings up the
> Scale View with all of the available GIMP windows and utility windows
> to choose from.
>
> 3) Sometimes, dragging a GIMP XCF file from a Unity Lens onto the GIMP
> icon in the launcher, so that I can open GIMP straight into the file
> to work on, causes the utility windows to be stacked on top of each
> other, or in positions on the screen that I didn't leave them on.
>
> 4) In my experience of using Gnome-shell on Fedora 15, managing GIMP is
> much easier. Switching between apps on different workspaces in Gnome-shell,
> the main GIMP window is always focussed on, the utility windows never move
> from their position and are almost "pinned" to desktop. Managing GIMP in
> Gno...

[Izo (shakhtar9)]

That would be lovely.

[Walter Garcia-Fontes (walter-garcia)]

I'm marking this as invalid both because GIMP will be soon single windows (http://www.gimp.org/release-notes/gimp-2.7.html) and because either for Ubuntu 12.04 or 12.10 there will be an option to have integrated menus in the titlebar (for instance see http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/02/ubuntu-12-04-to-ditch-global-menu/).

Please feel free to reopen if you think this diserves further attention.