Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

Axiomo · 2014-02-20 04:12:22

When I press Alt-Tab when there are some windows I haven't used for a while open, those unused ones will be grey. How can I disable this feature?

ToZ · 2014-02-20 04:21:34

The grey icons are for minimized applications. If you don't want them to show up in the Alt-Tab cycle, then uncheck "Include hidden (i.e. iconified) windows" in Settings Manager -> Window Manager Tweaks -> Cycling tab.

Axiomo · 2014-02-20 16:17:55

I want to see them; I just don't want them to be grey.

MountainDewManiac · 2014-02-20 20:11:27

Then do not minimize your application windows.

Regards,
MDM

InnerBushman · 2015-09-17 21:14:28

Dear MountainDewManiac,

What if I want to cycle through the minimized windows in the same order what I cycle the not minimized windows? The last one used first? Just the way I did it for the last 20 years?
Your suggestion to "not minimize" my application is not helpful at all since some of my full-screen application minimize themselves upon Alt+Tab because they don't have a windowed mode. This was not an issue in other DM I have used before xfce, so why should it be now?
The graying out of icons and sorting them based on whether they are assigned to a minimized application should be a matter of user choice. Imposing new "innovative" ways to use computer on users is simply not right.
MDM, if you don't know how to solve someone's problem, please refrain from giving any answers.

That being said I repeat Axiomo's question to everyone, and I also ask:

How can I disable graying out feature? And/Or How to disable "sorting" of minimized icons as the last ones on the list?

Thank you in advance for constructive answers,
Bushman

PS: moderators, please forgive me the archaeological excavations. It was one of first google hits.

MountainDewManiac · 2015-09-17 23:27:36

It's been a while since I got griped at in a member's first post on a web-forum, lol. (I'm not complaining, BtW, just making an observation.)

Have you tried adding

cycle_minimum=false

to your $HOME/.xfce4/xfwm4rc file? I read once that the line changes the behavior of what is displayed in the alt-tab process. IDK if it will invoke the behavior that you're looking for or not, TBH, but it's a simple thing to try and if it doesn't provide satisfaction you can simply remove the line.

I've read that the Window Switcher has been markedly improved in Xfce 4.12. What version are you using?

You might want to ask your question on the Xfce developer email list, as that's where they "hang out" (although occasionally you might see this or that developer post here). Unfortunately, I cannot provide specific "sign-up" information for that list, because the web page uses a secure connection (https) but its security certificate has been expired since the middle of July (Xfce folks doing things at their own somewhat relaxed pace and all, lol, I couldn't guess when that little problem will be fixed ). But if your web browser will let you access it, information about all of the official Xfce email lists can be found here:

https://mail.xfce.org/

There are also alternatives, such as Skippy-XD which aim to provide increased functionality. One of them might be more configurable and do what you are seeking.

Finally, I have read that Compiz has "all kinds of" options where task-switching is concerned. I cannot comment on the accuracy of that statement as I've not used Compiz with Xfce, but it might be worth checking into if all other options fail.

Regards,
MDM

sixsixfive · 2015-09-18 14:26:38

Axiomo wrote:

I want to see them; I just don't want them to be grey.

there are 2 possile soultions afaik.

#1 replace xfwm by another windowmager such as openbox

#2 disable composite and install the magicchicken gtk2 engine

its the only engine that can modify the display of icons eg:

style"alttabicon"{
engine "mgicchikn" {
stock-image-saturation[INSENSITIVE]	 = 1.0}}
widget_class"*Xfwm4TabwinWidget*Image*"style"alttabicon"

discussing a a change in xfwm in bugzilla will just give you a headache. I did this so many times after the introduction of xfwm4.12 since i'm not happy with some changes(eg the color bug & co).

there is also another possebility - try to get comfortable with lxqt since xfce will change so much with the next gtk3 release(eg: no menu icons, no underline menu shortcuts and all the other great stuff that may come from the freaking gnome/gtk world)

Last edited by sixsixfive (2015-09-18 14:27:23)

MountainDewManiac · 2015-09-18 17:08:29

sixsixfive wrote:

no underline menu shortcuts

By that, do you mean that it'll be "mouse only?" <SHUDDERS>

Regards,
MDM

InnerBushman · 2015-09-20 20:58:07

MDM, thank you for your reply.

MountainDewManiac wrote:

Have you tried adding
cycle_minimum=false
to your $HOME/.xfce4/xfwm4rc file?

Yes i have tried that option with settings editor. That does not seem to change anything in the behavior. I'm not sure what is the purpose of this option. Other options from the same branch don't seem to give the effect I need either.

MountainDewManiac wrote:

I've read that the Window Switcher has been markedly improved in Xfce 4.12. What version are you using?

I updated from 4.10 to 4.12 before writing this post. Still no luck.

MountainDewManiac wrote:

You might want to ask your question on the Xfce developer email list, as that's where they "hang out"

I'm not sure that's a good idea. Mailing lists are for developers. I never had luck on those.

MountainDewManiac wrote:

There are also alternatives, such as Skippy-XD which aim to provide increased functionality. One of them might be more configurable and do what you are seeking.

Well, I was hoping it's an easy fix since i was planing to stay with xfce for a while after I've run away from gnome 3. I'm looking for gnome2 look&feel and was told xfce is what i'm looking for.
If there is some other WM that's like gnome2 but up-to-date and very popular, I'm open for suggestions.

MountainDewManiac wrote:

Finally, I have read that Compiz has "all kinds of" options where task-switching is concerned. I cannot comment on the accuracy of that statement as I've not used Compiz with Xfce, but it might be worth checking into if all other options fail.

I migh have a look into it.

sixsixfive wrote:

xfce will change so much with the next gtk3 release(eg: no menu icons, no underline menu shortcuts and all the other great stuff that may come from the freaking gnome/gtk world)

You mean I've been running from Gnome3 only to be hunted down by it's libraries? I... I'll be in my room if you need me, crying in the corner.

MountainDewManiac · 2015-09-21 03:16:24

InnerBushman wrote:

MountainDewManiac wrote:
Have you tried adding
cycle_minimum=false
to your $HOME/.xfce4/xfwm4rc file?
Yes i have tried that option with settings editor. That does not seem to change anything in the behavior. I'm not sure what is the purpose of this option.

I think there was mention that it'd include the panel(s) (and, possibly, the desktop?) in the "Alt-Tab cycling," but I am not positive. The name of the option didn't seem to match what the text described it as doing, though.

InnerBushman wrote:

I'm looking for gnome2 look&feel and was told xfce is what i'm looking for.
If there is some other WM that's like gnome2 but up-to-date and very popular, I'm open for suggestions.

That would be MATE. Some people decided that they couldn't stand the direction that GNOME had gone with its version 3, so they forked GNOME 2 (into MATE) and effectively told the GNOME developers to fork off, lol. I've only used it a couple of times because I am happy with Xfce, but it is a popular DE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MATE_%28software%29
http://mate-desktop.org/

Wikipedia wrote:

MATE (/ˈmɑːteɪ/; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmate]) is a desktop environment forked from the now-unmaintained code base of GNOME 2.

My distro of choice (Mint) has... Well, IDK the correct terminology, but they have both a version based on Ubuntu and one that is based (more directly) on Debian. They have, err, versions of versions of each that have different default DEs. The main edition has a Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce, and KDE version, and LMDE (Linux Mint, Debian Edition) has both a Cinnamon and MATE version. Since MATE and Cinnamon are available as defaults for both editions, I assume that they are the two most popular DEs (for Mint users in general; I have no idea about in terms of linux in general).

You can download the Mint MATE (or LMDE MATE, I suppose) .ISO and burn it to a DVD or USB flash drive (or, with a command or two and the editing of your grub file, boot into it directly from your hard drive) if you'd like to try it. The experience won't quite be the same compared to if you installed it (it'd be slower and it'll more-or-less be a "read-only" experience, so you won't be downloading/installing updates), but it would let you play around with it in memory (so to speak) and then reset the computer when you're finished.
Mint Main Edition:

http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

LMDE (Linux Mint, Debian Edition):

http://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php

Of course, many other distros also have both a version that uses the MATE DE and has a downloadable "live/installable" .ISO so that you could try MATE out. I just thought of Mint because - being a user of it - I had the website in my browser's "memory."

As I mentioned, I've been happy with Xfce. I hadn't even looked at Xfce since somewhere around September, 2001 (when I had an aborted "I'm going to switch to linux now" experience :roll: ), because when I eventually did switch to linux, I immediately started using GNOME 2.x. When GNOME went to version 3, I had a bad experience (I wanted to like it, honest) and tried Xfce. My first thought was, basically: The folks who developed Xfce must actually expect me to use my computer, because it's got the things that I need but none of the <BLEEP> and problems that the new GNOME is serving up and if I show it to my twelve-year old neighbor, he won't say, "That's nice, if you're a kid, but I'm twelve and I have no use for..." . Surprisingly - or maybe not, but I was surprised, lol - after having used it for a little while and configuring things a bit, I found myself thinking that Xfce might have been the goal that the GNOME 2.x developers reached for (but did not quite attain) back when they were still working on version 2. I later tried MATE but... Well, it was a newly forked project at that point and, well, I guess everything has growing pains initially . Where my Xfce experience was "Like GNOME 2.x, only better in the ways that actually count," my MATE experience was "That doesn't work. That isn't right either. Hmm..." But I've read that it's much better now. Possibly - IDK one way or the other - somewhat evolved over GNOME 2.x. But, at the least, they seem to have fixed the things that annoyed a lot of people at the beginning.

Just rambling,
MDM

Last edited by MountainDewManiac (2015-09-21 03:17:41)

InnerBushman · 2015-09-21 07:44:43

MountainDewManiac wrote:

I think there was mention that it'd include the panel(s) (and, possibly, the desktop?) in the "Alt-Tab cycling," but I am not positive.

There is another option for cycling through desktops (as in all the items on all workspaces, not just the active one) so this is not it. Also i didn't notice any panels in my Alt+Tab either so either it's broken or it's for something else
All the other options seem to be doing what the name suggests.

What bothers me is why is that even a thing? Why would anyone "sort" those icons in Alt+Tab menu?
I mean by default the last used is last on the list. If you minimize it, it will naturally descend in order due to you normally using all the other applications.
This particular situation where an application minimizes itself only shows this "feature" was not throughly planed.

MountainDewManiac wrote:

InnerBushman wrote:
I'm looking for gnome2 look&feel (...)
That would be MATE.

Oh! Thanks mate! (pun intended) I'm gonna give it a try. I hope it installs nicely from repos on debian.

MountainDewManiac wrote:

You can download the (...) .ISO and burn it to a DVD or USB flash drive...

Yup, I use live-CD/DVD/USB all the time. ;]

Anyway, all in all i hope xfce devs will consider adding this feature as an option so that the issue in question is not a problem any more.

Cheers,
Bushman

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Sub domains

#1 2014-02-20 04:12:22

Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

#2 2014-02-20 04:21:34

Re: Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

#3 2014-02-20 16:17:55

Re: Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

#4 2014-02-20 20:11:27

Re: Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

#5 2015-09-17 21:14:28

Re: Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

#6 2015-09-17 23:27:36

Re: Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

#7 2015-09-18 14:26:38

Re: Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

#8 2015-09-18 17:08:29

Re: Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

#9 2015-09-20 20:58:07

Re: Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

#10 2015-09-21 03:16:24

Re: Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

#11 2015-09-21 07:44:43

Re: Disable greying out icons in the Alt-Tab menu

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