Unity launcher should show all windows if one might be obscured

Bug #811225 reported by KarlRelton
18
This bug affects 4 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
Ayatana Design
Opinion
Undecided
Unassigned
Unity
Opinion
Undecided
Unassigned
unity (Ubuntu)
Opinion
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

If an application has more than one window open, then clicking the icon in the launcher typically brings just one of those windows to the fore.

To access the second window the user then has to click on the launcher a second time which then takes them into a kind of 'chooser' where they can then choose the one they want.

This is a problem when many applications run with a main window that is maximised, and have then have other windows that are not maximised. The first click on the launcher brings up the maximised main window, yet I invariably want to get at one of the other windows. Having to return to the launcher a second time seems to slow me down.

A classic example is using evolution when composing an email - the email composer is a secondary (non-maximised) window. Returning to evolution from something else means I have to access the launcher twice before I can choose it and get back to it.

I can understand the logic from not always going straight to the 'chooser' on the first click, but of course Sodde's Law determines that just as often this slows the user down.

So how about this for an optimisation:
 - if there is only one window for the app, then go straight to it
 - if there is more than one window for the app, and at least one of the windows has coordinates the lie entirely inside the coordinates of any other window for that same app, then go straight to the chooser
 - if there is more than one window for the app, but no window of that app can completely obscure any other window of that same app, then raise all windows for the app and make the 'main window' the top-most.

That way, if any window might be hidden, you always get the chooser and thus the chance to choose straightaway from the launcher.

Tags: needs-design
Revision history for this message
Eylem (eylemkoca) wrote :

How about "go to the last used window if there are multiple windows for an application"?

Changed in unity (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
KarlRelton (karllinuxtest-relton) wrote :

'Last used window' would be a simpler algorithm - but still annoying if you actually want to get to an obscured window (wihich wasn't the last used).

Changed in unity:
status: New → Confirmed
Omer Akram (om26er)
Changed in unity:
status: Confirmed → Incomplete
Changed in unity (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → Incomplete
tags: added: needs-design
Andrea Azzarone (azzar1)
Changed in ayatana-design:
status: New → Opinion
Changed in unity:
status: Incomplete → Opinion
Changed in unity (Ubuntu):
status: Incomplete → Opinion
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