Xfce Forum

fireonthemountain

Member

Registered: 2021-10-14

Posts: 3

[Solved] Help with Display settings for docked laptop

Hi. I have a problem with something that seems like a common scenario.

I'm using openSUSE TW and Xfce 4.16.

I have an AMD ThinkPad that I use docked with the lid down. It's attached to a single monitor via HDMI with a different resolution (1920x1080 on the laptop and 1920x1200 on the monitor). I disable the laptop screen in Display settings so the desktop is only for my external monitor. That works as expected...

...until I walk away and the display goes to sleep. When I wake it up with a key press, the display comes back correctly but Xfce now thinks the maximum screen height is the laptop resolution of 1080 so all the maximised windows are shorter. I still have the full height of the display and can move windows into the extra 120 pixels, it's just the maximisation height that's confused.

To fix this I go into Display settings and find that the laptop screen is re-enabled. I disable it and everything is back to normal - the maximised windows return to full height. I have to go through this little dance every time after wake.

I think what's happening is the main display goes to sleep so Xfce enables the laptop screen as a fallback but gets the maximised height into a muddle when the main display awakens.

Note that it's just the display going to sleep after a timeout, not the computer. If I suspend the computer then all is well on wake, same with reboots - all good.

I have tried deleting my displays.xml to no avail. I feel like perhaps I'm setting this up wrongly in the first place.

Thanks for helping.

Last edited by fireonthemountain (2021-10-15 08:41:01)

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 11,486

Re: [Solved] Help with Display settings for docked laptop

Hello and welcome.

Have you tried using display profiles (Settings Manager > Display > Advanced)? Try creating a profile for your current configuration when it is correct and then checking the 2 switch options directly below "configure new displays when connected" and "automatically enable profiles when a new display is connected".

Last edited by ToZ (2021-10-14 18:49:41)

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fireonthemountain

Member

Registered: 2021-10-14

Posts: 3

Re: [Solved] Help with Display settings for docked laptop

ToZ! I think you've have cracked it. I added one display profile with my correct settings and ticked the two Connecting Display options as recommended and the screen has come back correctly twice now. I had actually tried this before but with two profiles, one for docked and another for stand-alone laptop - that didn't work, perhaps because it would have triggered both profiles. With just one correct profile it does the trick.

Thank you so much for helping.