Starting with a specific window size and position

Turbocapitalist · 02-27-2022, 01:10 AM

I would like to open a simple text editor in a predesignated position on the screen with specific window dimensions. Maybe I am remembering incorrectly but I though it could be done in X11 with the -geometry option, but it does not seem to be recognized:

Code:

$ pluma --geometry 100x100-1000+1000 
Unknown option --geometry
Run 'pluma --help' to see a full list of available command line options.

$ gedit -geometry 100x100-1000+1000 
Unknown option -geometry

$ mousepad -geometry 100x100-1000+1000

Running "pluma --help" does not show any relevant options.

What is the new way to do it?

This is on Devuan GNU/Linux 5 (daedalus/ceres)

pan64 · 02-27-2022, 02:20 AM

interesting. I think that should work, but probably removed intentionally (or this is just a bug).

boughtonp · 02-27-2022, 08:04 AM

The option is -geometry, but not all applications support it (and I don't know what the criteria is - even when it works it's not guaranteed to be in the --help output).

A potential workaround is to use xdotool - e.g. "xdotool getactivewindow windowmove 100 100; getactivewindow windowsize 1000 1000", but of course that needs the application to be started first.

pan64 · 02-27-2022, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boughtonp

The option is -geometry, but not all applications support it (and I don't know what the criteria is - even when it works it's not guaranteed to be in the --help output).

A potential workaround is to use xdotool - e.g. "xdotool getactivewindow windowmove 100 100; getactivewindow windowsize 1000 1000", but of course that needs the application to be started first.

I found an old man page where it was documented, but now gedit does not understand that option.
For example you can check here: https://man.fyi/ubuntu1604/1+gedit and https://man.fyi/ubuntu1804/1+gedit

Jan K. · 02-27-2022, 08:23 AM

If you open the window, resize, position and close, won't it open like that again?

boughtonp · 02-27-2022, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pan64

I found an old man page where it was documented, but now gedit does not understand that option.
For example you can check here: https://man.fyi/ubuntu1604/1+gedit and https://man.fyi/ubuntu1804/1+gedit

A quick search of the gedit repository reveals this 2016 commit:

Quote:

Originally Posted by https://github.com/GNOME/gedit/commit/1b5d9acb24374f203098ff5f49916c89d3972313

Remove --geometry command line option (deprecated in GTK+)

Geometry handling in GTK+ is deprecated. See the deprecation warning of
gtk_window_parse_geometry().

The "deprecation warning" referred to there appears to be nothing more than:

Quote:

Originally Posted by https://docs.gtk.org/gtk3/method.Window.parse_geometry.html

Deprecated since: 3.20

Geometry handling in GTK is deprecated.

:/

Turbocapitalist · 02-27-2022, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan K.

If you open the window, resize, position and close, won't it open like that again?

I'm always opening and closing windows and whole applications. What I am aiming for is to have a script be able to always open one application's window in a specific place each time it is called.

pan64 · 02-27-2022, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boughtonp

A quick search of the gedit repository reveals this 2016 commit:

The "deprecation warning" referred to there appears to be nothing more than:

:/

wow, in that case gnome-terminal is buggy, it still supports this option (and other apps too).

Anyway, the solution is to implement a script where you can start gedit and set its size and location with wmctl or xdotool or similar. Or eventually the commit can be reverted.

Jan K. · 02-27-2022, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbocapitalist

I'm always opening and closing windows and whole applications. What I am aiming for is to have a script be able to always open one application's window in a specific place each time it is called.

Yes understood, but what I meant was; if your windows remembers size and position, there must be a newly written conf/inf/reg file somewhere for you to manipulate...

Turbocapitalist · 02-27-2022, 12:13 PM

I just tried a few applications and the location is not remembered. If I close the program and run it again, it appears in a new location. This is on XFCE4 with the default xfwm Window Manager, if it matters.

Jan K. · 02-27-2022, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbocapitalist

...the location is not remembered. If I close the program and run it again, it appears in a new location.

Good grief!

That behavior would drive me up the walls. Why would anyone want that??

Perhaps a request upstream? Or ask them if your intentions are even possible... https://forum.xfce.org/viewforum.php?id=4

pan64 · 02-27-2022, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan K.

Good grief!

That behavior would drive me up the walls. Why would anyone want that??

Because when you start the same app several times it will be always placed next to the previous one. Using the same size and location will be very annoying.

rnturn · 02-28-2022, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbocapitalist

I would like to open a simple text editor in a predesignated position on the screen with specific window dimensions. Maybe I am remembering incorrectly but I though it could be done in X11 with the -geometry option, but it does not seem to be recognized:

Code:

$ pluma --geometry 100x100-1000+1000 
Unknown option --geometry
Run 'pluma --help' to see a full list of available command line options.

$ gedit -geometry 100x100-1000+1000 
Unknown option -geometry

$ mousepad -geometry 100x100-1000+1000

[snip]

What is the new way to do it?

I feel your pain. The "-geometry" option -- and other things that I used to put into my .Xresources file -- don't seem to work very reliably any more. It's rather annoying that so many applications have poor support for the traditional X11 CLI switches like `-geometry'.

If you're using KDE, you have the ``Special Windows Settings...'' option:

Right click on the title bar ->
`More Actions' ->
`Configure Special Windows Settings'

which brings up a comprehensive dialog that lets you specify all the things (and many more) that the "-geometry" switch would normally provide.

HTH...

EdGr · 02-28-2022, 10:14 AM

GTK has been getting rid of the ability for applications to handle absolute screen coordinates. This functionality is missing entirely from Wayland.

IMO, this is a bad decision. My programs need the ability to save and restore their window positions.

This may or may not be helpful, but you have the source code and can fix the behavior yourself (at least on GTK 3 and X11).
Ed

rnturn · 02-28-2022, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdGr

GTK has been getting rid of the ability for applications to handle absolute screen coordinates.

Yep. For work, I use Oracle VirtualBox VMs with RedHat and the Gnome windowing environment doesn't seem to honor .Xresources at all. It does, though, allow me to write wrapper scripts that include the ``-geometry'' switch to force terminal-based applications to be a specific size. I suspect that even having that workaround is planned for future deprecation. (I just love having to manually resize and move application windows around by hand... just like I have to do when I need to work with Windows applications. \end{sarcasm})