[maemo-developers] Moving windows in Maemo

[From: Kalle Vahlman]

2007/4/11, Eero Tamminen <eero.tamminen at nokia.com>:
> Hi,
>
> ext Kalle Vahlman wrote:
> > 2007/4/9, Sean Luke <sean at cs.gmu.edu>:
> >> On Apr 9, 2007, at 4:38 AM, Kalle Vahlman wrote:
> >> >> g = gtk.Window(gtk.WINDOW_POPUP)
> >> >>
> >> >> works fine.
> >>
> >> Thanks.  The primary concern I have about WINDOW_POPUP is that it's
> >> "different" from other kinds of windows.  A myriad of disadvantages
> >> to it are listed here:
> >>
> >> http://www.pygtk.org/docs/pygtk/gtk-constants.html#gtk-window-type-
> >> constants
> >
> > Yes, they are all pretty much saying "the window manager won't do
> > anything with POPUP windows" and that's correct. However, since
> > applications shouldn't be overriding the window manager behaviour,
> > that's the "correct" way to circumvent unwanted window manager
> > intervention.
>
> I think popup type sets the OverrideRedirect flag for the window.

Yes, and as the flag states it overrides the redirection of window
operations to the window manager for consideration.

> > I'm not sure what the "many features" mentioned there exactly are, but
> > since you would be overriding the wm anyway, I doubt there will be
> > much that you lose...
>
> Moving windows is not really overriding WM...

Yes it is, if the window manager enforces a policy that doesn't allow
it. It is the window manager that decides where the windows will be,
whether the user can move them and what kind of borders it has. The
clients can only present their wishes and hope for the best.
User-driven window placement is solely an agreement between window
manager and the user, client software should keep their hands off it
;)

> Dialogs can already e.g. position themselves on the screen how
> they want, WM centers the dialogs only if they haven't set
> co-ordinates before mapping themselves.

Matchbox might allow that, some other wm might not.

So in short:

1) override the wm and manage the windows yourself
2) fix / switch the wm
3) suck it up and go with the flow

I'd suggest number three, as that is the least likely to cause
annoying windowing problems. :P

-- 
Kalle Vahlman, zuh at iki.fi
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