How to stop window buttons blinking?

YordanPavlov · 2015-03-24 10:15:10

Hi thanks for he reply,
no it is not a Gizmo thing I am facing the problem for skype but other users are facing it for different apps. I have xfce4 with pannel where all the open windows have buttons. When a new message arrives in skype the skype button would keep blinking indefinitely until being pressed.

BR,
Yordan

MountainDewManiac · 2015-03-24 11:42:25

I was referring to Skype, lol. I've never used it so IDK if it's a simple app or some kind of package (so I used the term gizmo).

I knew that the thread was discussing apps in the general sense that call for attention, thus causing their representation in the Window Buttons applet to flash... But I noticed that your issue was with Skype, specifically, so I wondered if there was something in that app that caused it to flash irrespective of the panel applet; I was thinking, if it's a communication application, they might assume that not everyone's desktop environment has a provision for the "attention flashing" and that users might consider notification of a Skype contact(?) to be of enough importance that - possibly - the developer had instituted his/her own attention routine. So I did a Google search and saw a reference to "/alertsoff" for turning off a flashing attention-getter (also /alertson for turning it back on, and /help for getting a list of such commands). It did seem to state that one must use the /alertsoff command for each open Skype window (opening a new window, or running the application fresh tomorrow would see the default (whichever that happens to be) setting). There may - probably is - a way to set the option permanently.

Again, that is only if your issue is specifically a Skype one. IOW, if you have tried the other suggestions in this thread and they do not work for Skype but DO work for other apps in general. In that case, it's probably worth a shot. If it does end up taking care of your flashing Skype representation in the Window Buttons applet, you might be able to find out how to make the change permanent via a web search.

Regards,
MDM

nymanjens · 2015-05-16 21:29:13

Thank you, jlct021 for your great tutorial. I updated it for Ubuntu 14.04:

mkdir ~/Desktop/panel
cd ~/Desktop/panel
apt-get source xfce4-panel
cd xfce4-panel-4.11.0
nano libxfce4panel/xfce-arrow-button.c
    --> change:
        -#define MAX_BLINKING_COUNT (G_MAXUINT)
        +#define MAX_BLINKING_COUNT (0)
nano debian/source/format 
    --> change (quilt) to (native)
sudo apt-get build-dep xfce4-panel
sudo apt-get install devscripts build-essential fakeroot
debuild -us -uc
cd ..
sudo dpkg --install xfce4-panel_4.11.0-0ubuntu1_amd64.deb
shutdown -r now

stoptherock1 · 2016-04-29 18:55:37

nymanjens wrote:

Thank you, jlct021 for your great tutorial. I updated it for Ubuntu 14.04:

mkdir ~/Desktop/panel
cd ~/Desktop/panel
apt-get source xfce4-panel
cd xfce4-panel-4.11.0
nano libxfce4panel/xfce-arrow-button.c
    --> change:
        -#define MAX_BLINKING_COUNT (G_MAXUINT)
        +#define MAX_BLINKING_COUNT (0)
nano debian/source/format 
    --> change (quilt) to (native)
sudo apt-get build-dep xfce4-panel
sudo apt-get install devscripts build-essential fakeroot
debuild -us -uc
cd ..
sudo dpkg --install xfce4-panel_4.11.0-0ubuntu1_amd64.deb
shutdown -r now

Thank you, guys, for the solution.
I can confirm that it works on Ubuntu 14.04
In my case I set the blinking counter value to 3, so it blinks once, and then the button remains highlighted:

Last edited by stoptherock1 (2016-04-29 19:25:07)

reset042 · 2018-05-03 07:19:37

Sorry to bump this thread, but I'm posting so I can remember this workaround.

Bought a new computer and installed Debian 9 and XFCE 4.12. Shame to see this behaviour still exists with no way for the user to set a preference with this. Modifying source code and compiling software seems a lot of hassle (not to mention potential problems that could be caused by my innate stupidity!) to set a simple (but annoying) software nagging preference, so my solution is:

Set the Panel preferences to "Automatically hide the panel: Always". I really don't like it as a solution, but for me it's the least worst option and I don't keep getting distracted from my tasks by an insistently nagging panel.

Last edited by reset042 (2018-05-03 07:20:06)

woistmeinauto · 2020-07-06 20:28:24

Sorry to bump as well, I just realised this still happens when you enable draw window frame when hovering a button option.

troff · 2021-01-18 03:36:51

Another bump and apologies. Xfce 4.12, Devuan Beowulf. Default behaviour.
Window Manager Tweaks had an unticked Accessibility / "Notify of urgency by making window's decoration blink" already.

ToZ · 2021-01-18 12:40:26

troff wrote:

Another bump and apologies. Xfce 4.12, Devuan Beowulf. Default behaviour.
Window Manager Tweaks had an unticked Accessibility / "Notify of urgency by making window's decoration blink" already.

Here is a bug report with a proposed patch (for 4.12). Are you able to test it and comment back in the bug report?

troff · 2021-01-19 02:55:17

ToZ wrote:

Here is a bug report with a proposed patch (for 4.12). Are you able to test it and comment back in the bug report?

Not a developer, but the xfconf option I can definitely try.
Odd, though. Tried it first in the graphical xfconf. Then tried the cli xfconf-query to check and it hadn't picked up the option. xfconf-query to set and then query seemed to stick.

... aaaaaaand unless I have to log out and back in again, I can already report that so far, it isn't working. Will try that when work permits.

Last edited by troff (2021-01-19 02:55:30)

ToZ · 2021-01-19 03:10:43

Did you install the patch as well?

troff · 2021-01-19 23:36:27

No. Not developer. At the very least, I'd need a quiet day on the weekend to get to grips with it; so if the patch AND the config are BOTH necessary, I can't respond until at least then.

michielmertens · 2022-02-03 19:37:34

Since https://gitlab.xfce.org/xfce/xfce4-panel/-/issues/50 does not seem to be ending up in the upcoming xubuntu 22.04 LTS, and I was totally getting stressed out from the constant blinking button of my microsoft teams while trying to concentrate, I took another approach.
I changed the appearance of active windows buttons to match those of passive windows buttons. So they are still blinking, but it is not visible anymore.

Disclaimer : I know barely anything about CSS or GTK.

I am running xubuntu 20.04 LTS.
Under Settings->Appearance , I saw my Style is 'GreyBird'.

In the file /usr/share/themes/Greybird/gtk-3.0/gtk.css

I replaced

.xfce4-panel.background .tasklist button:active, .xfce4-panel.background .tasklist button:checked { background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, shade(#398ee7, 0.65), shade(#398ee7, 0.6), shade(#398ee7, 0.5), shade(#398ee7, 0.45)); color: shade(#fcfcfc, 1); box-shadow: inset 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1), inset 0 -1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); }

with

.xfce4-panel.background .tasklist button:active { background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, shade(#686868, 0.4), shade(#686868, 0.4), shade(#686868, 0.4), shade(#686868, 0.4)); color: shade(#fcfcfc, 0.7); }

.xfce4-panel.background .tasklist button:checked { background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, shade(#398ee7, 0.65), shade(#398ee7, 0.6), shade(#398ee7, 0.5), shade(#398ee7, 0.45)); color: shade(#fcfcfc, 1); box-shadow: inset 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1), inset 0 -1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); }

After that you need to reboot or run

xfce4-panel -r

for the changes to take effect.

Last edited by michielmertens (2022-02-03 19:41:38)

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#26 2015-03-24 10:15:10

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#27 2015-03-24 11:42:25

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#28 2015-05-16 21:29:13

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#29 2016-04-29 18:55:37

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#30 2018-05-03 07:19:37

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#31 2020-07-06 20:28:24

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#32 2021-01-18 03:36:51

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#33 2021-01-18 12:40:26

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#34 2021-01-19 02:55:17

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#35 2021-01-19 03:10:43

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#36 2021-01-19 23:36:27

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

#37 2022-02-03 19:37:34

Re: How to stop window buttons blinking?

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