Workspace names (even per-monitor)?

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Teqleez Motley

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Sep 17, 2018, 10:18:57 AM9/17/18
to qubes-users
Hi, is it possible to set custom names for workspaces in Qubes 4.x, for example using the xfconf settings editor?

I want them to show permanently in the workspace switcher panel app, like we can do with for example the dconf-editor in Gnome.

Regards,

Teqleez Motley

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Sep 17, 2018, 2:23:36 PM9/17/18
to qubes-users
Thanks for the reply. I have already the names technically just there as you say, but they do not show up in the switcher unless..:

a) I have to hover over the WS in the switcher to get a pop-up showing the name, but that only works if;
b) I have either minimized all windows so that no window shows in the WS switcher, or at least not maximized any of them, so that it leaves a tiny spot that I guess is possible to "hit", but which makes it too inconvenient, too easy to point to an open window instead of the workspace background, which then causes the popup to show the window name instead of the WS name.

So the point is how to show the workspace names without pointing, just visible all the time.

Alternatively, if each WS could be given a customizeable color, maybe that panel app could put a colored frame around each one, so we can easier distinguish between them.

And: 2+ monitors adds to the need for visible names:

With 2 or more monitors, both belonging as "monitor-0" and "monitor-1" to each WS, then the panel app has 2 sets of "areas" per WS... This is very practical when showing miniature windows, BUT, it ends up becoming an issue when we cannot see the WS name for the actual "pair". Not easy to see if it is the right or left one that belongs in the same group as the one you are looking at in the panel.

Complicating perspective;
- We are most likely going to get _more_ monitors, not less...

On a side note, related to navigating open windows on multiple Workspaces:
- The Tails live USB system has an ultra-practical (and "cool") "hud" that appears as an overlay when placing the cursor in the upper-right corner.
Is such a thing possible to get working with Qubes 4.x?

Regards,


On Mon, Sep 17, 2018, at 17:27, Daniel Allcock wrote:
> This is part of xfwm, and not qubes-specific. You can do it in the
> workspaces preferences panel. Under Names, where it says Workspace 1
> etc., double click on one of them and you can then edit the name.
>
> Not sure about your other questions. Something I would like is for the
> backgrounds of the labels in the window list on the panel to be color-
> coded. the icons are color-coded but they are small and differences can
> be subtle.
>
> Best wishes,
> Daniel
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--
Regards,
Teqleez

Chris Laprise

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Sep 17, 2018, 4:45:47 PM9/17/18
to Teqleez Motley, qubes-users
On 09/17/2018 02:23 PM, Teqleez Motley wrote:
> Thanks for the reply. I have already the names technically just there as you say, but they do not show up in the switcher unless..:
>
> a) I have to hover over the WS in the switcher to get a pop-up showing the name, but that only works if;
> b) I have either minimized all windows so that no window shows in the WS switcher, or at least not maximized any of them, so that it leaves a tiny spot that I guess is possible to "hit", but which makes it too inconvenient, too easy to point to an open window instead of the workspace background, which then causes the popup to show the window name instead of the WS name.
>
> So the point is how to show the workspace names without pointing, just visible all the time.
>
> Alternatively, if each WS could be given a customizeable color, maybe that panel app could put a colored frame around each one, so we can easier distinguish between them.
>
> And: 2+ monitors adds to the need for visible names:
>
> With 2 or more monitors, both belonging as "monitor-0" and "monitor-1" to each WS, then the panel app has 2 sets of "areas" per WS... This is very practical when showing miniature windows, BUT, it ends up becoming an issue when we cannot see the WS name for the actual "pair". Not easy to see if it is the right or left one that belongs in the same group as the one you are looking at in the panel.
>
> Complicating perspective;
> - We are most likely going to get _more_ monitors, not less...
>
> On a side note, related to navigating open windows on multiple Workspaces:
> - The Tails live USB system has an ultra-practical (and "cool") "hud" that appears as an overlay when placing the cursor in the upper-right corner.
> Is such a thing possible to get working with Qubes 4.x?

Yes,

KDE 5 pager settings lets you set how desktop workspaces are labeled.
KDE also resolves quite a few bugs and annoyances I had with Xfce,
although it does introduce a bug where VM systray icons aren't displayed
(but are still present and work).

I don't know about labeling screens, but the pager settings do have a
checkbox for displaying only the current screen.

--

Chris Laprise, tas...@posteo.net
https://github.com/tasket
https://twitter.com/ttaskett
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