No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

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wpyoga
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No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by wpyoga »

Hello, I'm new here. I think there's some kind of bug in the Window List, where there is no "Move to Workspace Left" choice when I right-click on a window in the window list.

I'm using Linux Mint MATE 20.1, and I've recently started using the multiple workspaces feature. I get 4 workspaces by default, and on workspaces 1, 2, and 3, when I right-click on a window in the window list, it gives me the option to "Move to Workspace Right". On workspaces 2, 3, and 4, I expect to see an option to "Move to Workspace Left", but I don't see it. Is this a valid bug, and where should I report it?

Another thing: I see options to move the window to "Workspace Up" (in workspaces 2, 3, and 4) and "Workspace Down" (in workspaces 2 and 3). Is this also a bug?
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mikeflan
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by mikeflan »

when I right-click on a window in the window list
Hi. Please explain the wording above. What is the window list?
Maybe take a screen shot with alt-prntscrn.
pg11
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by pg11 »

You can try the following:
1. Open the workspace preference windows (right click on workspace - preference)
2. In second line, change the row number to different number.
3. Change the number back to where you used.
4. Close the preference windows and see if it shows left/right correctly.

If not, then you might have a different problem than mine. :wink:
wpyoga
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by wpyoga »

mikeflan wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 9:28 pm
when I right-click on a window in the window list
Hi. Please explain the wording above. What is the window list?
Maybe take a screen shot with alt-prntscrn.
The "Window List" is the list of windows on the panel, at the bottom of the screen. Is that what it's called?

I've attached screenshots. Btw when the context menu is open, Alt-PrintScreen and PrintScreen don't work. I had to open a terminal, then do

Code: Select all

sleep 3; mate-screenshot
Then I open the context menu and wait.
pg11 wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 9:38 am You can try the following:
Thanks, but I couldn't find where to right click. Did you mean I should add the workspace switcher to the panel?
Attachments
workspace-2.png
workspace-1.png
wpyoga
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by wpyoga »

Just now I added the workspace switcher, and now I get the option "Move to Workspace Left" in Workspace 2. And the options "Move to Workspace Up" and "Move to Workspace Down" are not there anymore.

So... this might indeed be a bug, no?
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by pg11 »

Move to workspace up/down only shows if you have workspaces in 2 rows. If you have single row, it only has left/right.

by the way the preference can be found by right clicking on workspace switcher area.

Image
ajgreeny
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by ajgreeny »

As I think you have now figured out you will not get a Move to workspace left if you are already in workspace 1 because there is no workspace to the left of #1; you should see it in the context menu if you are in workspace #2 or higher.

No, it's not a bug but your misunderstanding of how workspaces are configured and managed from the right click context menu.
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by wpyoga »

ajgreeny wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 2:53 pm As I think you have now figured out you will not get a Move to workspace left if you are already in workspace 1 because there is no workspace to the left of #1; you should see it in the context menu if you are in workspace #2 or higher.

No, it's not a bug but your misunderstanding of how workspaces are configured and managed from the right click context menu.
I do understand that I won't get a "Move to Workspace Left" option when I'm in Workspace 1. I'm sorry if my original description is not easy to understand -- I'll try to describe the problem again. Anyway, I've been able to reproduce this issue by booting from the live ISO.

Please check out these steps:
  1. Boot the Linux Mint MATE 20.1 64bit iso, wait until the desktop appears. I assume we are in Workspace 1 right now (? CMIIW).
  2. On the lower left-hand corner of the screen, click on the Terminal icon. A terminal window will appear on the screen and a button will be created on the Window List.
  3. On the Window List, right-click on the newly opened Terminal button, it will show these relevant options:
    • Move to Workspace Right
    • Move to Another Workspace
  4. Click anywhere on the desktop, so that the context menu disappears.
  5. Press Ctrl-Alt-Right, the desktop is switched to Workspace 2.
  6. On the lower left-hand corner of the screen, click on the File Browser icon. Caja will appear on the screen and a button will be created on the Window List.
  7. On the Window List, right-click on the newly opened File Browser button, it will show these relevant options:
    • Move to Workspace Right
    • Move to Workspace Up
    • Move to Workspace Down
    • Move to Another Workspace
  8. This behaviour is also the same, when I switch to Workspace 3 and open a Firefox window.
The expected behaviour is: on Workspace 2, when I right-click on the newly created button on the Window List, there should be these relevant options only:
  • Move to Workspace Right
  • Move to Workspace Left
  • Move to Another Workspace
I would also expect that same behaviour on Workspace 3.


So, I think there are 2 bugs here:
  • The Window List button context menu does not show "Move to Workspace Left", when in fact it should show this option.
  • That same context menu should not show "Move to Workspace Up" or "Move to Workspace Down", because I have not configured 2 rows of workspaces.
Did I get it right...? Or, is there some mandatory configuration that I need to do beforehand?
pg11 wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 12:21 pm Move to workspace up/down only shows if you have workspaces in 2 rows. If you have single row, it only has left/right.

by the way the preference can be found by right clicking on workspace switcher area.
Yeah, initially I thought so too. However, in the default boot (and default install), there is no Workspace Switcher. It seems to be an optional component, that I had to add, by doing this:
  1. Right-click on an empty space on the Panel, a context menu appears.
  2. Click "Add to Panel..." on the context menu, a new window appears.
  3. Choose "Workspace Switcher" in the new window, and click "Add".
As soon as I do this, the Window List button context menu works as expected. No more "Move to Workspace Up" and "Move to Workspace Down", and on workspaces 2 and 3 I get "Move to Workspace Left" and "Move to Workspace Right". Even after I remove the Workspace Switcher from the panel, the context menu still functions as expected.

Btw I tried dumping dconf and gsettings before and after I added the Workspace Switcher, but I don't see anything that could have resolved the problem. Should I be looking somewhere else? I'm attaching the diff files to this post.

I'm sorry if this off-topic or the wrong way to approach things, please point me in the right direction. Thanks!
Attachments
gsettings.list.diff.txt
(790 Bytes) Downloaded 53 times
dconf.dump.diff.txt
(2.53 KiB) Downloaded 48 times
ajgreeny
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by ajgreeny »

Sorry, I would help more if I could but I do not use Mate DE but Xfce on all my distros; it just fits me better than anything else!
pg11
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by pg11 »

If you backup the config with switcher, you will find 'object-1' in the file.

You can try to backup the config without switcher and then backup the config with switcher. Compare the 2 files and you will see the only difference is object-1

The way I backup the whole mate setting is:
dconf dump /org/mate/ > /media/Temp/mate-backup

and then restore from my backup file:
dconf load /org/mate/ < /media/Temp/mate-backup

To backup the menu item order (items in the menus), you can backup ~/.config/menus. To restore it, simply remove ~/.config/menus and replace with the backup.
wpyoga
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by wpyoga »

Hello, sorry for reviving my old thread. And thanks to everyone who replied :)
I've now confirmed that this bug happens on Linux Mint 20.2 as well.

Anyway, here is an easier, more straightforward way to reproduce this bug:

1. Boot into the Live CD, I've tested this with Linux Mint 20.2 MATE and XFCE, both exhibit this same problem.

2. When the desktop appears, open a Terminal window.

3. Right-click on the Terminal window button in the panel tasklist, it shows Move to Workspace Right. Click on it, the Terminal window will move to Workspace 2.

4. Press Ctrl-Alt-Right on the keyboard, the display will switch to Workspace 2.

5. Right-click on the Terminal window button in the panel tasklist, it shows Move to Workspace Right, Move to Workspace Up, and Move to Workspace Down. Click on Move to Workspace Right, the Terminal window will move to Workspace 3.

6. Press Ctrl-Alt-Right on the keyboard, the display will switch to Workspace 3.

7. Right-click on the Terminal window button in the panel tasklist, it shows Move to Workspace Right, Move to Workspace Up, and Move to Workspace Down. Click on Move to Workspace Right, the Terminal window will move to Workspace 4.

8. Press Ctrl-Alt-Right on the keyboard, the display will switch to Workspace 4.

9. Right-click on the Terminal window button in the panel tasklist, it shows Move to Workspace Down.

The bug is, on Workspace 2 & Workspace 3, the context menu shows Move to Workspace Right, Move to Workspace Up, and Move to Workspace Down, while it should show Move to Workspace Left and Move to Workspace Right instead. On Workspace 4, the context menu shows Move to Workspace Down, while it should show Move to Workspace Left instead.

If this is not the right place, can someone please point me in the right direction, where to report this bug? Thank you.
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sdibaja
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by sdibaja »

wpyoga wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:17 am Hello, sorry for reviving my old thread. And thanks to everyone who replied :)
I've now confirmed that this bug happens on Linux Mint 20.2 as well.

Anyway, here is an easier, more straightforward way to reproduce this bug:

1. Boot into the Live CD, I've tested this with Linux Mint 20.2 MATE and XFCE, both exhibit this same problem.

2. When the desktop appears, open a Terminal window.

3. Right-click on the Terminal window button in the panel tasklist, it shows Move to Workspace Right. Click on it, the Terminal window will move to Workspace 2.

4. Press Ctrl-Alt-Right on the keyboard, the display will switch to Workspace 2.

5. Right-click on the Terminal window button in the panel tasklist, it shows Move to Workspace Right, Move to Workspace Up, and Move to Workspace Down. Click on Move to Workspace Right, the Terminal window will move to Workspace 3.

6. Press Ctrl-Alt-Right on the keyboard, the display will switch to Workspace 3.

7. Right-click on the Terminal window button in the panel tasklist, it shows Move to Workspace Right, Move to Workspace Up, and Move to Workspace Down. Click on Move to Workspace Right, the Terminal window will move to Workspace 4.

8. Press Ctrl-Alt-Right on the keyboard, the display will switch to Workspace 4.

9. Right-click on the Terminal window button in the panel tasklist, it shows Move to Workspace Down.

The bug is, on Workspace 2 & Workspace 3, the context menu shows Move to Workspace Right, Move to Workspace Up, and Move to Workspace Down, while it should show Move to Workspace Left and Move to Workspace Right instead. On Workspace 4, the context menu shows Move to Workspace Down, while it should show Move to Workspace Left instead.

If this is not the right place, can someone please point me in the right direction, where to report this bug? Thank you.
First: that is a well written bug report, and thanks for posting a link the here.

(to see responses follow this link: https://github.com/mate-desktop/mate-panel/issues/1239)

In my opinion the tool is working as expected.
**Workspace Switcher is intended to be used from the controls provided on the panel.**

It appears that Linux Mint packages Mate differently than the Debian developers do... the Workspace Switcher in on the bottom panel bu default.

anyway, back on point... it's a matter of context.
refer to your comment above: Tue May 11, 2021 7:57 am

Best of luck, I have noting more to add at this point.
Peter
Mate desktop https://wiki.debian.org/MATE
Debian GNU/Linux operating system: https://www.debian.org/download
Sarkonis
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by Sarkonis »

I've got nearly the same issue so I figured I'd post here. Been using linux mint for about 3 months, getting pretty confident but the panel always drives me nuts. If I click something by accident it's always a nightmare to fix. I clicked on the panel, the window list applet suddenly dissappeared. I managed to figure out what happened and re-installed it, problem is everything is aligned right instead of the left side as it was before. Help?
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by sdibaja »

I having a hard time understanding your question.
1. Are you referring to the Workspace Switcher Applet?
2. Can you provide a better/detailed description of how you fixed it?

Lastly...

3. Did you review the panel settings? (Right click)
Peter
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by Sarkonis »

Yes, Sorry I should have written the question when I wasn't dealing with a bunch of other things. Apologies for the lack of clarity.

Edit: I just realized that this is the MATE subforum, since this was the closest problem I could find I posted here as to not start a new thread before I noticed there was a separate section for cinnamon. I am using cinnamon. I apologize in advance, I have not used MATE, if it's wildly different or completely irrelevant I will remove my posts and put a new topic in the cinnamon subforum if need be.

1. No, I am referring to the List Windows Applet. I must have done something by accident that removed the list windows applet. After doing some internet searching and reading up on the problem I realized that I had accidentally removed it and the solution was simply to re-install the List Windows Applet again. Upon re-installation I found that the problem was fixed, however the windows were appearing incorrectly to what the behavior was before.

Default mint settings are that the open applications appear from left to right across the panel. After this ordeal my listed windows appear from right to left. I guess it really isn't that big of a deal. I more just want to understand what is controlling this behavior.

2. Unfortunately I have not fixed this issue yet. I couldn't find this question answered anywhere on the internet so I brought it here as this community is outstanding when I come across something without an answer.

3. I have reviewed the panel settings, I can seem to change everything else except the orientation of the listed windows. In the applet itself the settings seem to be very limited.

Hope that provides a bit more info about the problem itself.

Thanks again.
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Re: No "Move to Workspace Left" in Window List context menu

Post by sdibaja »

Sarkonis wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 11:56 pm
Edit: I just realized that this is the MATE subforum, since this was the closest problem I could find I posted here as to not start a new thread before I noticed there was a separate section for cinnamon. I am using cinnamon. I apologize in advance, I have not used MATE, if it's wildly different or completely irrelevant I will remove my posts and put a new topic in the cinnamon subforum if need be.
that would be wise. Cinnamon is vastly different
Peter
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