~~NOTOC~~ {{ :xfce:xfwm4.png?nolink|}} ====== xfwm4 - Frequently Asked Questions ====== * **[[#Firefox jumps between workspaces, why?|Firefox jumps between workspaces, why?]]** * **[[#Some of the windows are always centered, why?|Some of the windows are always centered, why?]]** * **[[#Is it possible to have windows remember their position?|Is it possible to have windows remember their position?]]** * **[[#How do I programmatically switch workspaces, move windows, etc?|How do I programmatically switch workspaces, move windows, etc?]]** * **[[#A window suddenly became transparent! How do I undo this?|A window suddenly became transparent! How do I undo this?]]** * **[[#I have only one desktop and can't move my windows anymore! HELP!|I have only one desktop and can't move my windows anymore! HELP!]]** * **[[#How do I start xfwm4 again?|How do I start xfwm4 again?]]** * **[[#How can I customize my Xfce desktop environment|How can I customize my Xfce desktop environment?]]** ---- ==== Firefox jumps between workspaces, why? ==== When a new tab is opened from an external link in Firefox, it asks the WM to show the window containing the new tab. If the window that has requested to be raised is not on the current desktop, the Xfce Window manager will bring it to the current desktop by default. If you do not want this behavior, there is a hidden option to control this behavior. For Xfce 4.4 in ''~/.config/xfce4/xfwm4/xfwm4rc'' you can put the following: activate_action=bring|switch|none For Xfce 4.6 and 4.8 you can go to //Xfce Menu > Settings > Window Manager Tweaks// and go to the tab Focus, or you need to use the //xfconf-query// tool to change the setting: xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/activate_action -s bring|switch|none As the name suggests, the "bring" option moves the window requesting to be raised to the current workspace, the "switch" option switches workspaces, and the "none" option takes no action. The above command edits the file "~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfwm4.xml" by adding or modifying this line: " " [[|Back To Top]] ---- === Some of the windows are always centered, why? === The Xfce Window Manager has a feature called smart placement which can be adjusted based on the window size. Basically it will automatically center windows that are below a certain size and once they get bigger than that, new windows will try to be arranged automatically in the best place to have coverage. You can adjust the minimum size setting under Settings -> Window Manager Tweaks -> Placement. [[|Back To Top]] ---- ==== Is it possible to have windows remember their position? ==== The short answer is: no. Long answer: If the application supports it, it will restore itself at the location and size you last specified (example: Terminal or Thunar). If the application doesn't support it you can use a window matching application like ''devilspie'' or ''wmctrl'' [[|Back To Top]] ---- ==== How do I programmatically switch workspaces, move windows, etc? ==== ''wmctrl'' is a commandline tool that can switch workspaces, move windows between workspaces, move window positions, maximize windows, etc. ''libwnck'' is a library that does similar things. [[|Back To Top]] ---- ==== A window suddenly became transparent! How do I undo this? ==== If display compositing is enabled, the Xfce Window Manager allows you to adjust the opacity of a window by hovering your mouse over the title bar, holding down the Alt key, and using the scroll wheel (down lowers the opacity, and up raises it). So use Alt+ScrollWheelUp to reset the transparency. [[|Back To Top]] ---- ==== I have only one desktop and can't move my windows anymore! HELP! ==== If you have no window borders anymore and can't focus windows, xfwm4 probably closed itself. This happens sometimes and due to the random nature of this annoying bug it's hard to track. But there are workarounds available. [[|Back To Top]] ---- ==== How do I start xfwm4 again? ==== It sounds like the simplest solution. You need a terminal and a command executioner (like xfrun4 (alt + f2)) with focus. In the terminal you enter following command: xfwm4 --sm-client-id=${SESSION_MANAGER##*/} & disown And you're done, xfwm4 should be now in your session again. If this doesn't work, stick with method 2 or 3 below. [[|Back To Top]] ---- ==== The easy solution for every xfce (not for people loving their sessions) ==== Because xfwm4 goes fishy most times at start up it isn't bad if you have to log out. You hadn't done anything important until than. So log out, remove ~/.cache/sessions/* (probably with rm -rf ~/.cache/sessions/* and login back again. Don't do this while you're logged in to xfce! Don't do this if you love the xfce session feature (because you delete all sessions, duh)! [[|Back To Top]] ---- ==== The cool new xfce4.10 solution (again, not for people loving their sessions) ==== If you already use xfce4.10 you have the possibility to use the GUI to delete the sessions cache (as you can see, the devs are annoyed, too). Open xfce4-sessions-settings → Session and click »Clear saved sessions«, than log out and in again. This should be all. ---- === How can I customize my Xfce desktop environment === You can read everything about changing themes in the [[https://wiki.xfce.org/howto:install_new_themes|How to install new themes]] wiki page.See [[https://www.xfce-look.org/browse/cat/138/order/latest/|Xfce Look]] for a selection of themes geared towards Xfce/Xfwm4. ---- [[|Back To Top]] ---- [[:xfce:xfwm4:4.18:start:|Return to xfwm4 4.18 Main Documentation Page]]