Weird Taskbar Behaviour

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elmood

Weird Taskbar Behaviour

Post by elmood »

Sorry if someone already asked this, but I don't even know what to call this problem. I'm on 18.0 MATE and sometimes I experience a strange bug (feature?) with the taskbar:

Sometimes I click on a program in the taskbar and instead of coming to the top, the title text just turns bold. Clicking other buttons in the taskbar makes them bold too, but none of them come to the top. The only way to get this effect to stop is to click on a bunch of visible windows directly... this seems to "reset" whatever feature was engaged.

Can someone explain what this is? So far I haven't found any use for this mode or whatever it is... it just occasionally happens and frustrates me. It's never permanent but I'd like to know how I end up enabling it, and what it's for. And more importantly, if there's a way to disable it since clearly the function isn't useful to me. :D


Thanks!
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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all41
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Re: Weird Taskbar Behaviour

Post by all41 »

Hi elmood,

Welcome to the forums.
I am a long time MATE user and have to say I have not encountered this.

It sounds like you are saying that sometimes some open application is holding focus and will not allow other windows
in your panel (aka the taskbar) to regain focus.
There are controlled by Caja the window manager for MATE, and by the panel applet 'Windows List'
Try this:
Open your /home directory (or any other folder), it will appear in your panel along with a small seperator bar just to the left--right-click on that seperator and uncheck 'Lock to panel' then right-click the seperator again and choose 'Remove from panel'
Now click an empty spot on the panel and choose 'Add to panel'. In the window that opens scroll down to 'Windows List', highlight it and click the
'Add' button. These steps will have removed and reinstalled the 'Windows List' feature.
Try it out to see if you run into the same difficulties.

Cheers
Everything in life was difficult before it became easy.
stormryder

Re: Weird Taskbar Behaviour

Post by stormryder »

all41 wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 7:54 pm I am a long time MATE user and have to say I have not encountered this.
Happens to me on 17.3 mate, but not daily. It doesn't seem to be associated with any specific program that I can tell. Just had it happen yesterday on an install less than two weeks old, almost nothing but default programs on it.
I don't think it ever happened on 18.3, but it became extremely unstable in other areas so I had to go back to 17.3.
elmood wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 1:50 pm The only way to get this effect to stop is to click on a bunch of visible windows directly
Ya, seems like the only thing I can do.
elmood

Re: Weird Taskbar Behaviour

Post by elmood »

Hi folks,

Thanks for the replies!

all41: Your description isn't really what's happening I think. It's not "locked" applications.

stormryder: Sounds like you have the same issue as me. The reason I think it's a desktop manager thing and not a problem with an application is that the application in question isn't always the same. Also, the fact that the program name becomes bold on the task bar seems to indicate that it's in some kind of other "mode", although I have yet to figure out what this mode is. For now let's call it the "freeze the current window layout" mode. :?
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sdibaja
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Re: Weird Taskbar Behaviour

Post by sdibaja »

Check your "preferred applications". It may be trying to use the wrong app.
Peter
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trytip
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Re: Weird Taskbar Behaviour

Post by trytip »

try a different window manager in control center > desktop settings > windows > window manager
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pcpunk
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Re: Weird Taskbar Behaviour

Post by pcpunk »

elmood wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 11:23 am Hi folks,

Thanks for the replies!

all41: Your description isn't really what's happening I think. It's not "locked" applications.

stormryder: Sounds like you have the same issue as me. The reason I think it's a desktop manager thing and not a problem with an application is that the application in question isn't always the same. Also, the fact that the program name becomes bold on the task bar seems to indicate that it's in some kind of other "mode", although I have yet to figure out what this mode is. For now let's call it the "freeze the current window layout" mode. :?
I have the same issue, in fact ever since Mate 18.0 has come out, I've been pulling my hair out as most people don't experience this?

The problem seems to be only with the File Manager for me.

1. Open File Manager and Minimise it (usually a USB with all my personal files on it): And I've tried many USB's
2. Then Open the Menu, usually to do something else, but just to test it, I can just open the Menu.
3. After the Menu is opened at least once, go back and try to Maximize the File Manager, it will be stuck with the BOLD letters on it.
4. The only way I've found to fix it is to Right Click on Close the File manager from the Panel.

It's the weirdest thing, and a huge shame for Mint Mate.
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vimes666
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Re: Weird Taskbar Behaviour

Post by vimes666 »

It happens here too when I click the menu button twice (mint mate 18.1). All but one task (the active one) in the taskbar turn to bold and seem unresponsive when clicked (they even flash in my theme). After I click the button of the active screen the other task buttons will respond again although they remain in bold until clicked. Looks like something is not reset when you leave the menu without doing anything in it.
If you think the issue is solved, edit your original post and add the word solved to the title.
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