Re: [dwm] Different window modes on different workspaces

On Sat, Mar 15, 2008 at 10:01:43AM +0100, Sander van Dijk wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 15, 2008 at 4:50 AM, Jonny Gerold <fsk141_AT_gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hello,
> > I have a very simple question. I just upgraded to 4.8. And I would like
> > to know if there is a simple way to assign one workspace to be say tiled
> > mode, and another to be float mode. I would like to use tiling on some
> > of my workspaces, but am always pissed when I move to another desktop
> > with a float that gets moved out of place.
> > Thanks, Jonny
>
> There are no different desktops/workspaces, there is only one.
> Applying one or more tags to a window, and selecting one or more tags
> for viewing influences what is displayed on that _single_ workspace
> (to which the currently selected layout always applies).
> I suggest you search the archives, the differences between tags and
> workspaces have been discussed many, many times before (basically, as
> long as you never select more than one tag for viewing, tags can be
> (ab)used as workspaces, but when you select multiple tags for viewing
> it becomes obvious that things like 'layout per workspace' have no
> meaning in the tagging paradigm).
> Also, should you come to the conclusion that the workspaces paradigm
> fits you better than the tags paradigm, xmonad (xmonad.org) might be
> worth looking at.
>
> Greetings, Sander.

another 2c: afaics the `tags' vs. `workspaces' dispute is essentially a
matter of terminology. simply two different words for more or less the
same thing, namely being able to view subgroups of all existing windows while
hiding all the others. that not all (but anyway some) window managers
calling their subgroups-of-visible-windows "workspaces" or "desktops"
allow simultaneous visibility of a window on more than one workspace
seems the main difference to `dwm'.
if you use (not abuse!) the one-window-one-tag approach their is _no_
difference to the usual workspace paradigm, not from the user
perspective.

there sure is no reason which would prevent coupling the layout to the
tags ('layout per tag'). apart from the ability to look at several
tags at the same time, that is. this 'tag merging' of course is only sensible if
one has a common layout for all tags... but that could be handled by
allowing it only if all layouts of all affected tags are currently equal.

even if a window has more than one tag this could be done. how
much overhead the additional bookkeeping would produce is a question
for anselm or the guys who seem to have provided patches in this
direction.

but coming to think of it: _if_ the layouts could be made a tag-specific
thing (i.e. alowing a different layout for each tag)
 and if at the _same_ time the positions of a window in a floating
layout could be memoized to enable restoration of the position if the
layout is becoming 'floating' again, that would be really nice. I
presume without remembering the 'floating position' one would not be
happy if a window actually has two tags and one switches from tag one
(floating) to tag two (tiling) and than again to tag one...

this of course is the same problem one sees right now when switching floating
to tiling and back: loss of previously manually arranged floating layout. it's
not a bug, but sure it's not a feature, too...

joerg
Received on Sat Mar 15 2008 - 18:04:12 UTC