[desktop entry spec] new WM_CLASS key

[Aleksey Shaferov]

Hi.

I am the author of DockBar. This is taskbar like applet for Gnome desktop environment.
http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php?content=97822

In the process of creation of DockBar I've found a big problem in that there is no perfect way to found .desktop-file for launched application.
There are several ways to do it, but they are all far from perfection and not always works.

There are some troubles in creation such programs (like DockBar/AWN/Gnome-Do/etc....) because of the above mentioned problem:
- hard to find normal icon
- hard to find localized name for app
- hard to use launchers

Please take a look to launchers in DockBarX
 http://www.gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Dockbar+Experimental?content=101604
Users need to enter wm_class by hands.

Or take a look to Gnome-Do's sources
E.g. http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~do-core/do/0.8/annotate/head%3A/Do.Interface.Wink/src/Do.Interface.Wink/WindowUtils.cs
There is list of commandline prefixes and so on to find .desktop-file for application.

I propose to add a new key to .desktop-files.
Please add WM_CLASS key!


P.S. Sorry for bad English.

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[Brian J. Tarricone-3]

On 08/23/2009 12:54 PM, Aleksey Shaferov wrote:

> I propose to add a new key to .desktop-files.
> Please add WM_CLASS key!

You mean like StartupWMClass?  See

http://standards.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/ar01s05.html

Unfortunately most apps don't fill this in since it's usually not needed
for much of anything.

        -brian
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[Colin Walters]

On Sun, Aug 23, 2009 at 3:54 PM, Aleksey Shaferov<a.shaferov@...> wrote:

> Hi.
>
> I am the author of DockBar. This is taskbar like applet for Gnome desktop
> environment.
> http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php?content=97822
>
> In the process of creation of DockBar I've found a big problem in that there
> is no perfect way to found .desktop-file for launched application.
> There are several ways to do it, but they are all far from perfection and
> not always works.

Yes, we are doing this for the GNOME 3 Shell.  I've typed up this page:

http://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/ApplicationBased

I haven't announced it widely up until now, but it's probably ready
for discussion.   I wanted to investigate adding a hint to
startup-notification with the name of the launched .desktop file, but
haven't had time yet.

Yes, I fully realize ultimately this is heuristic, and we do have a
fallback.  Note also the shell's current heuristics are not complete.
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[Aleksey Shaferov]

>http://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/ApplicationBased
Make WM_CLASS equal to .desktop-file name is a good solution too.
But WM_CLASS consists of two parts: res_name and res_class, and they
may differ (e.g. GNUStep applications).
What to do in this case?

Anyway solution must be system wide, not Gnome only.
I've found that there is StartupWMClass key in desktop entry spec, but
it is not marked as required and not used. (There is only one desktop
file with this key on my system - firefox).
Another solution - make this key required.

2009/8/25, Colin Walters <walters@...>:

> On Sun, Aug 23, 2009 at 3:54 PM, Aleksey Shaferov<a.shaferov@...>
> wrote:
>> Hi.
>>
>> I am the author of DockBar. This is taskbar like applet for Gnome desktop
>> environment.
>> http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php?content=97822
>>
>> In the process of creation of DockBar I've found a big problem in that
>> there
>> is no perfect way to found .desktop-file for launched application.
>> There are several ways to do it, but they are all far from perfection and
>> not always works.
>
> Yes, we are doing this for the GNOME 3 Shell.  I've typed up this page:
>
> http://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/ApplicationBased
>
> I haven't announced it widely up until now, but it's probably ready
> for discussion.   I wanted to investigate adding a hint to
> startup-notification with the name of the launched .desktop file, but
> haven't had time yet.
>
> Yes, I fully realize ultimately this is heuristic, and we do have a
> fallback.  Note also the shell's current heuristics are not complete.
>

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[Aleksey Shaferov]

I've also posted this idea to ubuntu brainstorm:
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/21169/
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