Multimonitor: config option to display on multiple monitors

[felixfung]

Currently in a multi monitor setting, skippy displays only on a single monitor, the current active monitor as indicated by mouse position.

It is possible to display on all monitors, with each monitor displaying the expose/paging layout position of the windows originally from that monitor space.

For switch, probably the current behaviour should be preserved, or perhaps an additional config option could be introduced.

The implementation would be to change the MainWin position and size, and offsets. The complexity of implementation comes from the combinations of options: xinerama compilation, pseudoTrans, xrandr multimonitor setting, the multimonitor display options introduced in this task.

[felixfung]

A bit more thinking:

For switch, it is best to keep it single monitor.

For expose, it is best to have it multi-monitor, i.e. expose applied to the windows on their own monitor

For paging, it is hard to say... I think the current (single-monitor) implementation is pretty good, whereas for multi-monitor (each monitor displays an array of desktops on that monitor), the user has to visually link each desktop from different monitors.

So this feature proposal is bad for switch, great for expose, so-so for paging, and the implementation cost is high, and the risk of bug is high because of the high number of combinations of options...

So not sure about implementing this feature.

[nPHYN1T3]

Well I'd like it if that matters. Grouping all the windows on a single screen makes it really crowded where as if they were split up on the monitor the window was on it would be easier to quickly identify things. That said I also run various "big UI" applications (think Blender, Reaper/Ardour, Godot, Inkscape) on/across two or more screens so that might be a logical gotcha as to where it's displayed.

Thanks for resurecting this btw.

[felixfung]

I think an ideal window selector, which skippy-xd is approaching more and more, should certainly support this option, in addition to the current single monitor option.

In terms of implementation though, it involves calculating the off sets of windows with

• multi monitor display/single monitor display
• XScreens
• xinerama off sets
• pseudo transparency/real transparency
• virtual desktop position
• panel off sets

It'll probably be a headache to implement and fix bugs. Honestly it's putting me off this...

Meanwhile, window class filtering https://github.com/felixfung/skippy-xd/wiki/Customizations,-tips-and-special-set-ups#window-class-filtering might be useful for you?

[nPHYN1T3]

I wrote some things to do class raise so I can find say terms/browsers/media stuff quick but I do like that it's an option. For me this is just when I think of the expose feature it is to expose windows "where they are" screen wise. Currently though it lumps all windows from all screens where the mouse is or the primary monitor which makes them smaller and harder to see and more stuff visually to sift through. If they were "exploded/exposed" on their respective screens it would be cleaner. Though I realize at some point with so many things open it will be a visual nightmare no matter what heh. This is why I set the only show current monitor section to clean things up but then I have to know which screen to trigger on heh. That said the "machines with more than one XScreen" negates it all.

[felixfung]

I am currently busy working with #178, and #180 seems to be important also, so this task won't be high in priority.

If you or anyone else wants to work on this I am happy to give pointers; technically this feature is probably one of the easier ones, despite the tediousness.

[nPHYN1T3]

Don't stress about it, just saying it would be nice but I absolutely understand the hesitence to wade into it.