[SOLVED] Where is the option to customize window buttons?

[Stormwatch]

I've just updated to 19.3, and the "Windows" preference now lacks the option to customize the buttons layout. Now there's just "Mac style (Left)" and "Traditional style (Right)". And both options are garbage!

I used to set it a la "classic" Mac OS: close button to the left, other buttons to the right. This arrangement is ideal, as it prevents clicking the close button by mistake. Also, toggle shade has its own button, which I also find handy.

[Moem]

I was wondering what the 'What's new' page meant when it mentioned

Simplified window settings

That usually means something has been removed. This is probably it.

[Stormwatch]

That's a horrible, terrible, ABSOLUTELY INFURIATING change.

[smurphos]

I'm not near my Mint 19.3 machine at the moment to double-check but I believe all the original options are still available under the hood in the dconf database. Install dconf-editor to modify via GUI or use the command line tools dconf or gsettings to modify.

If you are stuck I'll be home again next week and will double-check and post back.

[Stormwatch]

Install dconf-editor to modify via GUI

Thumbs up to you, that worked.

The path is: org / cinnamon / desktop / wm / preferences / button-layout
And the string: close:shade,minimize,maximize

[Ecka]

I found two entries in dconf:
/org/gnome/desktop/wm/preferences/button-layout
and
/org/cinnamon/desktop/wm/preferences/button-layout

I figure he'd need to actually change both?

I'll also echo what others said: removing this is super silly enforcing your users to use the dconf editor when it was something they could do from a SIMPLE settings menu.

[Stormwatch]

I figure he'd need to actually change both?

Changing just the cinnamon one works here.

[smurphos]

Install dconf-editor to modify via GUI

Thumbs up to you, that worked.

The path is: org / cinnamon / desktop / wm / preferences / button-layout
And the string: close:shade,minimize,maximize

You are welcome. For the benefit of other readers...

Valid button names - only the first 4 are guaranteed to be defined in any given window border theme.

Code: Select all

close
minimize
maximize
spacer

menu 
stick
above
lower 
shade

To modify the settings via the command line the generic command format is below. The colon separates left hand buttons from right hand buttons

Code: Select all

dconf write /org/cinnamon/desktop/wm/preferences/button-layout "'button1,button2:button3,button4'"

A few examples

Alternative mac style (close button only on the left, minimise and maximise on the right)

Code: Select all

dconf write /org/cinnamon/desktop/wm/preferences/button-layout "'close:minimize,maximize'"

Extra Space

Code: Select all

dconf write /org/cinnamon/desktop/wm/preferences/button-layout "':minimize,spacer,maximize,spacer,close'"

Menu and Sticky buttons on the left

Code: Select all

dconf write /org/cinnamon/desktop/wm/preferences/button-layout "'menu,stick:minimize,maximize,close'"

[JosephM]

I know users never like when things like this are removed but they are typically done with a reason. I don't know if this one was ever really explained.

Very few desktop environments still support the use of metacity (aka window border) themes. This has led to a lot of newer themes having limited support for them. This means that very few actually support theming for any of the titlebar buttons outside of close, minimize, and maximize. So when using many of these themes the old settings simply seemed broken. In addition to that, more and more applications are using client side decorations. Window borders that are drawn by the app itself and NOT by the window manager. These don't support the more esoteric titlebar buttons at all. That just led to those settings having very inconsistent results and in many cases appearing to simply not work. And that leads to confusion and bug reports from users on our side.

All that being said, there isn't any reason we couldn't add a few more presets like the "classic Mac" style you mentioned above.

[Moem]

I know users never like when things like this are removed but they are typically done with a reason. I don't know if this one was ever really explained.

Not that I know of... so, thank you!

[sevenmpd]

Hi wonder if anyone could help I was looking to change the size of my window icons and came across this thread
I used one of the commands
To modify the settings via the command line the generic command format is below. The colon separates left hand buttons from right hand buttons
Code: Select all
dconf write /org/cinnamon/desktop/wm/preferences/button-layout "'button1,button2:button3,button4'"
and now find the 3 icons minimise, re-size and close window have now disappeared so I'm wondering if you could advise how to reverse the above ?
Moral dont mess
Many thanks
H