Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

daSnoop · 2011-01-17 12:59:02

First of all i want to say hello to everyone

Today i upgraded XFCE to version 4.8 on a Gentoo system.

Now i got 2 little probs with the new xfce4-panel:

1.) I cant change the position of runnig programs displayed in the taskbar. lets say i open firefox, thunderbird, terminal an they are placed in this order on the taskbar i can't drag terminal to the left side of the taskbar. in the previous version this was no prob. any way to reenable this?

2.) grouping: in the old version the panel grouped same applications to one entry only if the usable space of the taskbar was filled. now in the nem version i only found the possibilty for allways group or never group. is there a way to get the old behavior back?

thx in advance for every answer!

Nick · 2011-01-18 09:01:57

No, dnd was removed. Maybe it will return maybe not. We (or I at least) preferred good sorting over dnd.

Auto grouping was never completed, but items should be moved to a menu at the end of the list when they don't fit anymore.

daSnoop · 2011-01-18 09:08:07

oh please return dnd. just make it optional or wahtever but bring it back. im feeling like win XP....

the grouping behavior of 4.6 was perfect. as long as there is free space on the task bar new apps just get an own item in the bar. if the bar gets to full same applications are grouped to one item with list.
i cant get it why u changed this.

so please bring this back (optional) too. its just one more entry to never or allways.

in my eyes 4.6->4.8 is not an upgrade but a downgrade.... cant see any new/better for now, sorry.

Nick · 2011-01-18 12:38:30

Well you can learn to use workspaces too, to feel less windows xp , which is a bullshit argument and everybody knows that. Anyway, it's already a feature request in the bug tracker.

Grouping is very complicated to get right. It may seem to work right in 4.6, but it wasn't and due to the iconbox/tasklist merge the old code didn't apply anymore. Anyway, will be worked on for 4.10 and maybe even backported to 4.8.

If its not an upgrade four you, you can use gnome-panel too or stick with 4.6; both use the wnck tasklist. That's the freedom you have in open source software. Patience or willing to contribute (!) is another requirement for FOSS.

angmar · 2011-01-18 13:25:24

Just a huge +1 to daSnoop's request for dnd to be returned. I found it very usefull in 4.6 (as well as auto grouping). I even have spent some time in search of dnd-enable-checkbox after 4.6 to 4.8 upgrade. Just couldn't believe that the feature has gone.

Nick · 2011-01-25 07:20:58

I'm already working on returning it and most likely this will land in 4.8 too, so no worries, dnd will return, auto grouping too when I figure out a reliable way to implement it.

mr. bg · 2011-01-26 00:21:20

Nick, I apologize for my harsh comment yesterday -- I was pretty tipsy. Thank you for your polite response! You kept it cool despite me being nasty, and I am impressed. I am not worried; in fact I am sticking with Xfce til it dies -- or until something MAJOR breaks down. Take your time, as it is quality that matters over speed. I will update my installation very soon (running on Arch).

cgarcia · 2011-01-30 01:35:02

Nick wrote:

I'm already working on returning it and most likely this will land in 4.8 too, so no worries, dnd will return, auto grouping too when I figure out a reliable way to implement it.

Many thanks: I'll also vote for this. I'm get to a two lines taskbar (due to my panel height) and I feel that dnd is even more useful in such scenario.

During heavy and duty work, at times the lack of manual arrangement forces me to close and reopen again the windows to get a particular more "natural" order in the tasklist, more closely related to the windows "information hierarchy". Otherwise, one spends time thinking/remembering which button points to which window (each day potentially in a different position) with continuous switching errors specially when all have a similar title.

Manual organization was a very valuable feature in 4.6!

Last edited by cgarcia (2011-01-30 01:36:48)

solamour · 2011-09-13 01:20:45

I'd like dnd as well, because I'd like to have more control over how the programs are placed.

I hate to admit it, but I also like Windows 7's "pinning" feature as well. When I pin apps, their positions stay same whether they are open or closed. It's a little different from Windows XP's Quick Launch icons, because those are just shortcuts that spawn new windows.

Anyhow, I'll just get used to the auto-sort until dnd comes back. Thanks to the great dev team.
__
sol

Nick · 2011-09-13 07:05:07

Dnd is already in xfce4-panel-4.8.5, you just need to enable it in the sort option.

mr. bg · 2012-02-07 23:04:35

Nick wrote:

Dnd is already in xfce4-panel-4.8.5, you just need to enable it in the sort option.

Nick, thank you very much for re-adding this. I totally did not expect it so soon, so I had not even bothered to check.

Cheers, mate!

I am a happy Xfce user and am embarrassed at how harsh my previous post was. Again, I apologize.

realbezo · 2012-02-27 10:47:47

Hi, i couldn't find how to enable "sort option" for my panel. Could you please tell me where it is?
i use ubuntu 11.10 ( installed later xfce desktop) and my panel version is 4.8.6.0, isn't there an option for my version?
and i cannot see any upgrade in my package manager, shall i download xfce from website and use the last version?

Last edited by realbezo (2012-02-27 11:03:36)

stqn · 2012-03-07 19:39:23

Right-click somewhere on the panel, select Panel -> Panel preferences, then Items, Window Buttons, click on the edit button (white page with a monkey wrench), and there you have the Sorting order.

Nick · 2012-03-08 07:19:54

You can also hold Ctrl and right-click a tasklist button to open the plugin menu.

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#1 2011-01-17 12:59:02

Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#2 2011-01-18 09:01:57

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#3 2011-01-18 09:08:07

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#4 2011-01-18 12:38:30

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#5 2011-01-18 13:25:24

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#6 2011-01-25 07:20:58

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#7 2011-01-26 00:21:20

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#8 2011-01-30 01:35:02

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#9 2011-09-13 01:20:45

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#10 2011-09-13 07:05:07

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#11 2012-02-07 23:04:35

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#12 2012-02-27 10:47:47

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#13 2012-03-07 19:39:23

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

#14 2012-03-08 07:19:54

Re: Updated to XFCE 4.8. 2 Problems with xfce4-panel

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