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Panel cannot span screens in xinerama configuration
Status:
RESOLVED: FIXED
Product:
Xfce4-panel

Comments

Description eric 2005-10-01 15:58:31 CEST
Using a simple dual monitor xinerama configuration I am unable to force the
panel or the taskbar to span both monitors. 

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Use dual head xinerama setup
2. Start XFCE4, turn on the taskbar
3. Configure it to take 100% across the top

Actual Results:  
It sticks to only the first screen, does not stretch into second screen

Expected Results:  
Should have treated the entire desktop as a logical screen. 100% should stretch
across both screens
Comment 1 Jasper Huijsmans editbugs 2005-10-26 13:12:17 CEST
Hmm, yes, there are a few problems with this. First of all, it only works if the
screens are the same size or at least aligned properly on the side you want the
panel to be. Secondly, nobody uses xinerama as one logical screen, so if we act
like you propose there will be lots of complaints.

It is a pretty hard problem to solve, though.
Comment 2 eric 2005-10-26 16:16:44 CEST
--- bugzilla-daemon@xfce.org wrote:
> Secondly, nobody uses xinerama as one
> logical screen, so if we act
> like you propose there will be lots of complaints.

Is this really an unusual use of xinerama? I bought dual 30"
Mac LCDs specifically so I could them next to one
another and have a giant desktop. What else do people
with xinerama besides compose logical screens out of
smaller physical ones, BTW? I'm just curious because almost
every developer I know uses this kind of
configuration. Theres a couple hundred at least in the corporation I work for
doing this at this very moment with thier workstations here.

Anyway, this would be an option: Check here to span
screens. By default you leave it unchecked and there are no complaints.

Theres an API in X that will give you the logical
desktop width so you actually don't have to worry
about weather people have screens next to one another
or not. If the box were checked you simply offset the
left side/top side at 0 and then ask
XineramaQueryScreens what the size of the real desktop
is.

As for different sized screens, that's something that user isn't going to expect
to line up so I would think they would elect to not check the box that would
enable screen-spanning for the panel/toolbar. Some people might still do it
though, as long as two physcial screen edges are logically adjacent. Then they
would just enable the option and XineramaQueryScreens is going to report the
correct dimensions.

The toolbar apps in alot of popular WM's have this very behavior. FVWM, pypanel,
MacOSX for instance.

Thanks,
Comment 3 Jasper Huijsmans editbugs 2005-10-26 19:59:22 CEST
Ok, thanks. I'll think about it and see what I can do.
Comment 4 Jasper Huijsmans editbugs 2005-12-21 16:00:17 CET
Ok, I have just comitted to SVN some code that will make the panel expand across
monitors if they are all of equal size.

Could you please test and tell me what you think?
Comment 5 Jasper Huijsmans editbugs 2006-01-21 19:09:01 CET
Ok, I have added an extra width setting: normal, full width and expand across
monitors. That should give everyone what they want. Please test and reopen the
bug if it doesn't work.

Bug #1169

Reported by:
eric
Reported on: 2005-10-01
Last modified on: 2010-11-20

People

Assignee:
Nick Schermer
CC List:
0 users

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