[DESKTOP] Grouping Windows

[OldManRiver]

All,

I run Kubuntu 12.04 LTS on 4 Desktops and 1 Laptop.

According to all the HOWTOs, and it works on my other computers, I should be able to do:

Click: Settings + System Settings + Workspace Appearance and Behavior + Window Behavior + Window Behavior + Advanced Tab

Then enable (click on):

Automatically group similar windows,
Switch to automatically grouped windows immediately

Then click "Apply" and I should have all similar windows move and stay in one window container as tabs.

This works on my other machines, but on this one desktop it refuses to take or hold.

I do SEO and development (OOP & Framework extension), so have to have many sessions open. Right now have 50+ open, so this grouping, to keep a clean desktop is very important to me.

Hope someone has seen this before and knows what is making this machine be a "hold-out" on me!

All help appreciated!

Cheers!


OMR

[OldManRiver]

Help

All, Can I get some help here? OMR

[SteveRiley]

None of us may have an answer for you. I've never actually used this feature, so I can't predict how it might fail. Have you consulted Google?

[millusions]

do you other computers run the same OS?

i can only confirm that it works as default in Kubuntu 14.4 because its one of hte first things i get rid of.

good luck

[OldManRiver]

None of us may have an answer for you. I've never actually used this feature, so I can't predict how it might fail. Have you consulted Google?

SteveRiley,

Thanks for the reply! Was confused by your "Google" comment, then realized you meant searches and no found nothing on this. Realize this is a fairly new feature and I really love it when working, cause I love a clean desktop and usually have 50+ sessions open so this keeps it clean, and now no code stands alone any more, so need these for writting, tracing and testing purposes, during development.

do you other computers run the same OS?
i can only confirm that it works as default in Kubuntu 14.4 because its one of hte first things i get rid of.
good luck

millusions,

Yes all boxes are running Kubuntu 12.04 LTS, even the server which has both DT and SVR components running so I have full and total control of it and can use TeamViewer RDT for remote control. I also use WebMin for control, but not as robust and having TeamViewer, where I can "see" everything I'm doing there.

Will probably convert to 14.04 LTS by years end, but still consider it unstable now. I have found that it takes 9-16 months after an LTS release before it becomes stable. Proof is in my laptop which uses the Intel Centrino 100N controller, requiring iwlwifi6. You can not find this driver anywhere online and is only available in/on the Live DVDs. The non-stable versions do not support this, so can not use them and therefore only upgrade when all my boxes can be migrated.

Since no one has an answer, at least here, will have to post on other forums to get the right answer! Will also try the IRC Chat channel!

Cheers!

OMR

PS

Have 2 identical HP DC 7700 desktop machines, one works the other does not. Only diffs in the 2 boxes are:
Working: HD 40GB RAM 3GB,
Non-Working HD1: 80GB HD2: 1.5 TB RAM: 3GB

Expect to add 2TB to the "Working" machine later this month!

OMR

[Teunis]

I just tried on my machine and the grouping works.
But I also had to right click the Task Bar and open it's settings to disable the 'Only when task bar is full'.

Now with your 50 tasks filling the task bar should be easy...

[OldManRiver]

I just tried on my machine and the grouping works. But I also had to right click the Task Bar and open it's settings to disable the 'Only when task bar is full'. Now with your 50 tasks filling the task bar should be easy...

Teunis,

What do you mean by "Task Bar"? Is this supposed to be a setting under "System Settings"? I find no such item.

OK found this with right-click on Task Bar, then "Task Manager Settings"

But still no change! Do I have to reboot to see change? Did not have to on other machines, was immediate!

Cheers!
OMR

[Teunis]

I did not have to reboot.

You could try by setting up another, fresh, taskbar and see if that works better.

[kubicle]

You and Teunis seem to be talking about two different features, you probably mean "window tabbing" (having two or more applications windows inside the same window changeable by titlebar tabs) and Teunis meaning Task grouping (grouping two separate windows under one task bar entry).

First thing that comes to mind that are you using a window decoration that supports window tabbing (not all of them do), IIRC oxygen and qtcurve support window tabbing.

EDIT: Added screenshots (first one shows window tabbing with dolphin and kate, second one task grouping with 2 dolphin instances)

[OldManRiver]

Cubicle,

Your screen shots are so low res that even blowing them up, they are not readable.

Cheers!

OMR

[kubicle]

Your screen shots are so low res that even blowing them up, they are not readable.

They are not really low-res, the second image just shows the thumbnails of windows when you hover over the taskbar entry of two grouped tasks and the thumbnails are small (unreadable) by default.

The contents of the windows in question are irrelevant anyway, you should see the difference between the two screenshots clearly (at least if you open the images), the first one showing the titlebar of a window that has two tabbed applications, and the second showing two grouped taskbar items.

[anika200]

Your screen shots are so low res that even blowing them up, they are not readable

It is too small for me to read as well, I guess I must be blind these days...

But as it is irrelevant anyway

[otisklt]

Is it that the setting is both not applying and also the setting not staying set?
Is there are part of your home that is not yours then permission wise? Seems like it cannot access/save it.

Works ok for me on 14.

[kubicle]

It is too small for me to read as well, I guess I must be blind these days...
But as it is irrelevant anyway

2
Yes, the two thumbnails in the second image are unreadable (these are two small thumbnails of big windows, created by plasma for the task manager tooltip), but what's "important" in the image is what is around the thumbnails (the plasma tooltip and the task manager at the bottom). Those parts should "be readable".

The images are there just to show the difference between "window tabbing" and "task grouping", two different features that seemed to be confused in the thread.

[OldManRiver]

The contents of the windows in question are irrelevant anyway, you should see the difference between the two screenshots clearly (at least if you open the images), the first one showing the titlebar of a window that has two tabbed applications, and the second showing two grouped taskbar items.

Kubicle,

Where do I find the taskbar grouping to set it. Obvious the Windows Behavior settings do not work, totally unresponsive and do not change setting or unsetting them.

I did open the images and like I said not readable, too low res!

Here is real problem, Main Desktop (DT) has these problems. This is the machine I do all my work from currently. Used to use laptop as primary, but it has been out of service for 6 months now, due to other 14.04 LTS problems, which I have recorded under my "Networking" thread.

Laptop and Backup DT machine do the windowing tabs just fine. Backup DT does the taskbar grouping fine. All machines Kubuntu 14.04 LTS now and all settings the same, but totally different results. Both DT machines are HP DC7700, so should be exact dups, but not functioning the same.

None of the machines, hold the taskbar settings, because every logout/login or reboot, have to reset all icons, by position in the taskbar every freaking time.

Cheers!

OMR