Windows in The GIMP behaving badly. [SOLVED]

52midnight · Last edited by 52midnight on Sun Apr 14, 2013 10:12 pm; edited 1 time in total

I've just started using The GIMP in my new Gentoo/LXDE installation, and in spite of my admiration for the program generally, it now has a most annoying new "feature". I use the standard GIMP layout - Tool Panel on the left, Layer Panel on the right, working windows in the middle.

The problem is this: the Tool and Layer panels are locked onto the top layer, and working windows "slide beneath" them. I've tried using the Window menu to lower them in the stack, the Preferences dialogue which has no such setting, and the Window menu of working windows to raise them to the top, all to no avail. There is no sensible reason that I can see for the utility windows always to be on top, and this "feature" is a confounded nuisance.

This is probably a GIMP-specific issue, although it could be due to an interaction of some sort between it and LXDE; but I thought I'd raise the issue here first before heading to other venues. In early versions of The GIMP, its windows behaved normally; then a version or few ago, the Tool and Layer windows removed themselves from the <Alt-Tab> switching cycle, an inconvenience I learned to live with since I didn't use it much. I'm now faced with several months intensive use and want to fix it.

Has anyone else had a similar problem; and, more importantly, found a way to fix it?

Knute · Guru Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 362 Location: Fargo, ND

What does xprop report on these windows?

I don't have a clue where to start to assist you, so defining the problem seems like a good place.

One of the options in xprop is window state... I don't know if it will tell you anything or not, but if it's locked on top, there may be something that jumps out at you.
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The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
-- Mark Twain

If you want proof of that, take a look at windows sometime.

Etal · Veteran Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 1931

I don't know how to directly fix the problem, but:

You can enable single window mode (Windows -> Single Window Mode)

You can also toggle the tool windows by just pressing Tab
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52midnight · Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 3:23 am Post subject:

> What does xprop report on these windows?

Good suggestion! Knew there was something like this I needed to do ... X properties, coming back ... There's heap of it, so I've posted it here:

http://52midnight.com/gimp.html

Nothing obvious at first glance. Here's something interesting, tho'. Windows from other apps slide over the top of GIMP windows as normal; the layering appears to be specific to GIMP.

Still looking ...

> You can enable single window mode (Windows -> Single Window Mode) You can also toggle the tool windows by just pressing Tab

Interesting workaround, but I still want the thing fixed proper-like ...

52midnight · Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 3:30 am Post subject:

... and when I activate a GIMP working window behind a window from another app, it doesn't 'raise' - i.e. it remains 'behind' the inactive app window.

Also, If you open a file in a new window, the new window is NOT raised; if it's small, it remains 'behind' the active window, and therefore invisible. Someone in the GIMP team has been playing sillyb***ers with layering, pretty obviously.

52midnight · Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:06 am Post subject:

Might be on the track of it. The following from /etc/gimp/2.0/gimprc suggests that the problem CAN be fixed, though I've had no luck yet:

52midnight · Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:35 am Post subject:

I tried using 'normal' and 'utility' modes for 'toolbox-window-hint' and 'dock-window-hint' without any change or success, so I switched to twm and the windows behaved normally.

At this stage it looks like either LXDE (Openbox) isn't interpreting the window hints correctly, or the GIMP isn't parsing them correctly.

Might try the Openbox forum if there is one ... almost certainly not a Gentoo problem.

Knute · Guru Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 362 Location: Fargo, ND

This was a good start.

Now, the other piece of information that is needed is the xprops for a window that behaves normally.

That way, we can see what working options are as opposed to those in question.

Does that make sense?
_________________
Knute
----------
The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
-- Mark Twain

If you want proof of that, take a look at windows sometime.

52midnight · Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:31 pm Post subject:

Commendably methodical, and thanks for your ongoing interest. I've updated the link with xprops from the GIMP working window and an Nedit window that behaves normally for comparison:

http://52midnight.com/gimp.html

I joined the Openbox mailing list and have this so far:

"I'm running gimp 2.8 and it does the same thing. I assumed this was gimp
trying to be clever rather than anything openbox was doing. Does it behave
differently with other window managers?"

I've replied and referred him to this thread. Might try looking for the "hints list" that Openbox follows if there is such a thing.

Knute · Guru Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 362 Location: Fargo, ND

What I see when I look at that output is that the windows that are misbehaving are set to

52midnight · Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:52 pm Post subject:

Many thanks, Knute. I hadn't noticed that. Yes, I think it's an Ob/Gimp issue, so I'll pass along your comments and come back here when I've resolved it.

gerard27 · Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:10 pm Post subject:

I'm using KDE.
I had the same problem with Gimp-2.7.x
Now I'm running 2.8.4.
If my memory serves me right I solved it in the following way:
Start Gimp,uncheck single window mode.
Make sure your toolbox is visible,if it's not the check your panel.
If you see it then close Gimp.
Restart Gimp,the center or drawing window will be small.
Move and drag it to fill the space between the toolbox and the layers windows.
Now check single window mode and close Gimp.
When you close Gimp it will save the last setup.
When you restart Gimp it should behave and the toolbox should remain visible.
Mind you I did this quite a while ago and my memory is not the best.
Gerard.
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52midnight · Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 10:11 pm Post subject:

Solved it - learned something.

I'd never come across a "single window mode" switch, but when I went looking, I found the following in Edit > Preferences > Window Management:

Window Manager Hints:
Hint for the toolbox:
Hint for other docks:

Setting both to 'Normal' fixed things. Thanks to all who contributed. Will check options more thoroughly next time.