Workspace switcher launcher icon does not preview open applications

[Marc Deslauriers]

Binary package hint: unity

The Unity workspace switcher launcher icon does not preview open applications.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: unity 3.2.6-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.37-9.22-generic 2.6.37-rc5
Uname: Linux 2.6.37-9-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,ccp,move,resize,place,decoration,text,session,neg,commands,wall,gnomecompat,vpswitch,imgjpeg,mousepoll,png,svg,workarounds,regex,dbus,resizeinfo,snap,animation,fade,scale,expo,scaleaddon,ezoom,staticswitcher]
Date: Mon Dec 13 11:12:38 2010
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
MachineType: LENOVO 6459CTO
PccardctlIdent:
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PciDisplay: 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: nVidia Corporation G84M [Quadro NVS 140M] [10de:0429] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
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SourcePackage: unity
dmi.bios.date: 11/14/2008
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dmi.sys.vendor: LENOVO
system: distro = Ubuntu, architecture = x86_64, kernel = 2.6.37-9-generic

[Didier Roche-Tolomelli (didrocks)]

Hey Marc,

if times permits, there will be some enhancement planned for the ws switcher IIRC.

[John S. Gruber (jsjgruber)]

It did confuse me when first learning to use Unity that it took one click to get a display of the active application windows by clicking on the launcher, and then select one by using one click; and then starting workspace switcher with one click, but requiring two clicks to activate the one I wanted. The workspaces just stared at me until I figured out that a double click was necessary.

[Brewster Malevich (brews)]

I can live without the single-click feature, but it not being able to see windows in other workspaces can be a bit of a pain (IMHO). This is especially the case when the Unity bar/strip/launcher/whatever shows applications open in all workspaces.

[Manjul Apratim (manzdagratiano)]

The double-click has an alternative - you right-click to focus a workspace and bring it to the front in one step. But as I commented on in the duplicate, this causes the right click to execute an action, which has traditionally been the job of the left click, while the right click has traditionally been the menu key. Therefore, this is still counter-intuitive.

[Greg A (etulfetulf)]

I believe the reason the workspace switcher was implemented like this was so that you can left click and drag windows around - onto other workspaces.

Whilst this ability to arrange your windows is brilliant it's not very intuitive.

It would be good if this click and drag behaviour could be retained, but a single left click also exited the switcher.

I wonder if having the cursor change to a "four way arrow thingy" whilst in the workspace switcher would make the drag behaviour more intuitive?

[Manjul Apratim (manzdagratiano)]

That actually does seem rather brilliant! I am totally awed! Maybe I could get used to it after all. But I like your suggestion - retain this behavior, and still use left-click to switch workspaces.

[Bernhard (b.a.koenig)]

I agree with this behavior of the panorama view (left-click moves, right-click chooses workspace). But there is a need for a real workspace switcher, one like the old switcher applet from classic GNOME panel.

[Bernhard (b.a.koenig)]

Another thing I just noticed: when you

1) click workspace switcher on launcher and then say
2) I want to switch to the terminal

Then I can click on the terminal icon in the launcher, but this also required a double-click. Launcher clicks in the panorama view should just require one click only imho.

[Bernhard (b.a.koenig)]

I have two more comments on the panorama view of the unity workspace switcher:

1) when in panorama view, I would like to launch an app and then that app should be opened in the highlighted workspace (it's currently opened in the last active workspace).
2) I would like to be able to quit apps while in panorama view (atm I cannot quit apps because I cannot access the right-click menu of the launcher for that app).

Both 1) and 2) are possible in the gnome-shell panorama view.

[Franko Burolo (fburolo)]

You can configure the left-one-click feature yourself in the CCSM. Look in the Expo plugin configuration. Just replace the bindings between Drag&drop and Exit expo. Although, I don't mind the default setting, as I was occasionally using the Expo plugin even before Unity, so I'm used to.

BUT, I agree the icon shoud change with more/less workspaces and show at least some frames of the windows in each workspace... something like the classic Gnome Panel applet does. Not seeing this reduces usability. One has to change to Expo every time she wants to see if there are open windows on some other workspace... and if she wants to change to the workspace with open windows, the overall process takes more clicks than what it would take with the good old Gnome Panel applet.

It would be cool to have an Indicator clone of the Gnome Panel switcher applet...

[Franko Burolo (fburolo)]

Oh, and I forgot to say... The way we have it now, there is no way to see which workspace one is currently working on, without having to click around, which also adds confusion and reduces usability.

[Cezar Andrei (cezar-andrei)]

+1 for 1 click in Workspace switcher

[mrpotato (estoyhartodeponernombres)]

I was used to the old expo plugin this way (left click = highlight, right-click focus) and I like the ability to move windows around from the expo. However, I agree with:

-Desktop switcher icon should show distribution of windows (as in old gnome)
-It should be possible to change from one desktop to the other without having to go to the expo view, just from the launcher (maybe right/middle click?). Also, a right click quicklist to select desktop could be nice.
-It would be great if it were possible to close windows from the expo view.

[mrpotato (estoyhartodeponernombres)]

I also dislike that if I launch an app from the launcher while on the expo view, it goes to the last active desktop and not to the one I selected.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

This bug is overloaded (two issues rather than one). The single click idea (which is compiz, not unity) has been removed and is being tracked as bug 1033531.