hidden/stashed windows.

[blackd]

Hello.

So I have few applications that I need open at all times but rarely interact with. Like

• password managers
• other access and/or log in facilities.
• note taking app
• ....

I need them to be active but I don't want them to be part of the normal window navigation flow.

requirements:

• push-window-1..n - hides the active window and puts it in slot 1..n
• pop-window-1..n - moves the window from stash slot 1..n in the current column and activate it.
• peek-window-1..n - shows the window as a temporary floating window and hides it when it looses focus.
• ideally the stash-window- will be available as a window rule too.

I checked the code if it will be easy to add, however my rust is minimal and from what I understand there is no such thing as hidden window as a concept at the moment. If someone can point me where such feature will fit the current output->workspace->column->window model I can try to implement it.

[stefonarch]

There are plenty of discussions /feature request about this scratchpad implementation.
https://github.com/niri-wm/niri/discussions?discussions_q=is%3Aopen+scratchpad

But I always wonder what's wrong with the systray... All apps you mentioned (and some more) apps are running in my systray here, as they always did.

[sommerper]

What is a systray? Does Niri have that?

[Sempyos]

A system tray is where apps would put a an icon when you close a window to open it again. DankMaterialShell has one, niri itself is not the place to implement a systray as it's generally for bar

[blackd]

It's a window management thing, hiding and showing windows is what Niri does.
I don't want to have separate thing (sys tray or shell in general) running to be able to manage some windows of some applications.

[blackd]

What is wrong with the system tray:

1. accessing apps in the sys tray most of the time is not possible using keyboard shortcuts.
2. there is no consistent way to hide an application.

• some require click on the icon to hide the window
• some require you to close the window.
• for some it's actually impossible to hide the window

3. I may not want to have a sys tray at all.
4. Not all applications support it.

Why building it into Niri is better:

1. Consistency - any application cab be hidden.
2. Shortcuts can be assigned for specific apps.
3. The trigger for showing a window may be external:

• Motion detection shows the camera viewer. Yes this is a notification but it depends on the app to implement it.

4. It gives the users freedom how to interact with their computer.

[stefonarch]

1. accessing apps in the sys tray most of the time is not possible using keyboard shortcuts.

Here my shortcut opens the apps or launches it (feathernotes, keepassxc, meteo-qt, qps, telegram, element), meta+q closes its window. But may not be true for every app.

[Sempyos]

Probably duplicate of: #329

[blackd]

I don't think it's the same as the scratch pads. Probably they can be used to simulate what I'm suggesting, but it's not the same thing.