[SOLVED] New Terminal shortcut key (CTRL ALT T) opens new terminal under active window

[flyingrhino]

When typing <CTRL ALT T> to open a new terminal, have you noticed the odd behavior that the terminal window opens BEHIND the active window if the active window is not another terminal !!!
Then you need to <ALT TAB> once to bring it to the foreground as the active window.

If the active window is already a terminal, <CTRL ALT T> will open a new terminal window in the foreground and it automatically receives focus.

I've seen this in LM 17.3 XFCE & LM 18.3 XFCE.

Does anyone know how to tell the terminal ALWAYS to open in the foreground? After all - by pressing <CTRL ALT T> we actually asked for this program to open!

Thanks

[flyingrhino]

These pages describe this as a bug (my old nemesis dbus), and say it's fixed. But apparently not so in LM.

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=195061
https://bugs.launchpad.net/terminator/+bug/1508531

[MtnDewManiac]

When typing <CTRL ALT T> to open a new terminal, have you noticed the odd behavior that the terminal window opens BEHIND the active window if the active window is not another terminal !!!
Then you need to <ALT TAB> once to bring it to the foreground as the active window.

Nope. I just held down CTRL + Alt and pressed t - which opened a terminal window on top of my maximized Firefox browser window.

Mint 17.3 Xfce, 64-bit.

I've seen this in LM 17.3 XFCE & LM 18.3 XFCE.

Code: Select all

user@Laptop ~ $ cat /etc/linuxmint/info
RELEASE=17.3
CODENAME=rosa
EDITION="Xfce 64-bit"
DESCRIPTION="Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa"
DESKTOP=Xfce
TOOLKIT=GTK
NEW_FEATURES_URL=http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_rosa_xfce_whatsnew.php
RELEASE_NOTES_URL=http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_rosa_xfce.php
USER_GUIDE_URL=help:linuxmint
GRUB_TITLE=Linux Mint 17.3 Xfce 64-bit

Regards,
MDM

[flyingrhino]

Nope. I just held down CTRL + Alt and pressed t - which opened a terminal window on top of my maximized Firefox browser window.
Mint 17.3 Xfce, 64-bit.

Strange. All my 3 LM17.3 machines and one LM18.3 machine do this.

I did CTRL ALT T now behind this vivaldi window and the terminal opened behind it. This distro text comes from that terminal:

Code: Select all

~/ $ cat /etc/linuxmint/info 
RELEASE=17.3
CODENAME=rosa
EDITION="Xfce 64-bit"
DESCRIPTION="Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa"
DESKTOP=Xfce
TOOLKIT=GTK
NEW_FEATURES_URL=http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_rosa_xfce_whatsnew.php
RELEASE_NOTES_URL=http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_rosa_xfce.php
USER_GUIDE_URL=help:linuxmint
GRUB_TITLE=Linux Mint 17.3 Xfce 64-bit

Then I tried firefox to be identical to you.
Same result as vivaldi

[smurphos]

Check your Window Manager focus settings.

[lsemmens]

Works for me here.

[AZgl1500]

Works for me here.

Same here, has always opened "on top"
4.13.0-38-generic x86_64 (64 bit)
Desktop: Cinnamon 3.6.7 Distro: Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia

[MtnDewManiac]

My guess is that it's some kind of configuration issue. Unfortunately, I cannot think of anything that I would have done in that regard that might have affected this thing (if only to make it function as intended, lol). For the most part, I leave things alone - other than switching the desktop background to an outdoor (landscape) image.

If you - or anyone else - can think of any settings that might apply, I would be willing to check to see what I have them set at in both this (17.3) and the other (18 or possibly 18.1(?)) Mint installations that I have here in order to help you figure out why your setup isn't working properly and how to correct it. I'm "linux stupid" but can copy and paste with the best of them.

Regards,
MDM

[MrEen]

One place to check, tipped off by smurfos: Menu > Settings > Window Manager > Focus tab > is "Automatically give focus to newly created windows" checked?

EDIT: Another possiblility. Have you altered the default shortcut and added an ampersand (&) to the end of the command? Check in Menu > Settings > Keyboard > Application Shortcuts tab. I'm not positive this would cause what you're experiencing, but it's worth checking.

[flyingrhino]

Thanks guys.

Yes, "unfortunately" the focus setting and the keyboard shortcut are a described by forum members.
What's surprising is the inconsistency of this behavior, or you may call it consistency in that it ALWAYS follows the pattern I described (foreground if another terminal window is in focus).

Oh well, this minor inconveneince won't stop me from using LM !

[Flemur]

FWIW, it works as advertised w/my xfce.

Since it's strange behavior, see if you own all your files:

Code: Select all

find $HOME ! -user $USER

[flyingrhino]

Since it's strange behavior, see if you own all your files

Actually I don't...
These ones that stick out are:
4 drwxr-xr-x 9 root root 4096 Jan 24 2017 .debug/
AND EVERYTHING UNDER IT TOO!

And ~/.cache/dconf:
4 drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Dec 4 2016 dconf/

Also a coupe more unrelated stuff like lnav, minicom, etc.

[flyingrhino]

I tried to "damage" a new LM17.3 xfce clean install box by replicating all my "settings manager" and xfce terminal settings (including the terminalrc file I edited manually).
No luck - it didn't break.

Something else in my setup is affecting it, don't know what.

Doesn't matter, I'll leave it as is. This is a trivial bug , not as annoying as my earlier dbus post (viewtopic.php?f=57&t=267339).

[flyingrhino]

I kind of found it - something in the settings window is affecting it.
I can't say precisely which setting damaged it because I made several changes to the settings including focus stealing prevention, etc.
Also, I am using the rest of the system clean - before changing xterm settings and other customizations, so it's definitely in the general settings.

But at least I've proved it - you guys were right - unmodified xfce works. Something I did broke it.