Xfce Multiple Monitors Desktop Icons and Files

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Hypersphere
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Xfce Multiple Monitors Desktop Icons and Files

Post by Hypersphere »

I am running LM19 64-bit Xfce with three monitors. Because I have two other computers connected to these monitors, there are times when I would like to have the LM19Xfce computer configured with the primary monitor on the far right. Unfortunately, it is still not possible in Xfce to control the placement of desktop icons and desktop files -- they are always displayed on the monitor on the far left. In my setup, the far-left monitor will sometimes be displaying the output of one of my other computers, so that the desktop of the LM19Xfce computer will be hidden from view.

With some other desktop environments, such as KDE, Windows, and Cinnamon, it is possible to control the placement of desktop icons and desktop files so that they can be displayed on any monitor chosen by the user. This is not yet possible with MATE or Xfce. I could simply switch to KDE or Cinnamon as my desktop environment, but for a number of reasons apart from desktop management in a multiple monitor setup, my strong preference is to use Xfce.

I realize that Xfce is currently developed independently of Linux Mint, but perhaps the Mint developers could discuss features with the Xfce developers or even consider undertaking a fork of Xfce for future editions of Mint.

I will also post this feature request on the Xfce site.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Timmi

Re: Xfce Multiple Monitors Desktop Icons and Files

Post by Timmi »

I just learned of ARandR that might be of help with that.
Perhaps something to check out.
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Hypersphere
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Re: Xfce Multiple Monitors Desktop Icons and Files

Post by Hypersphere »

Thanks, but ARandR did not help. The issue is that Xfce sees multiple monitors as a single large display, so that the desktop icons always fly over the far left-hand monitor.

I hope that the Xfce developers will solve this problem in the next release. It has been solved, at least to some extent, in Cinnamon. In addition, it has been possible for years to place desktop icons on any display you choose in KDE (with Folder View) or Windows.

Despite this limitation, I still prefer the Mint implementation of Xfce over Cinnamon or MATE, and even if a KDE edition of Mint were still available, I doubt that I would ever go back to KDE.
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