Bug 1759215 - Alt-tab for siwtching-windows does not work
Summary: Alt-tab for siwtching-windows does not work
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED EOL
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: gnome-shell
Version: 31
Hardware: Unspecified
OS: Unspecified
unspecified
unspecified
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Florian Müllner
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard: RejectedBlocker
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2019-10-07 15:49 UTC by Pierre-YvesChibon
Modified: 2020-11-24 16:17 UTC (History)
9 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2020-11-24 16:17:08 UTC
Type: Bug
Embargoed:


Attachments (Terms of Use)

Description Pierre-YvesChibon 2019-10-07 15:49:02 UTC
Description of problem:
I've been trying to get alt-tab to work to switch windows rather than application.

I've used:
https://superuser.com/questions/394376/how-to-prevent-gnome-shells-alttab-from-grouping-windows-from-similar-apps
as well as:
https://blogs.gnome.org/fmuellner/2018/10/11/the-future-of-alternatetab-and-why-you-need-not-worry/


$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-windows 
['<Alt>Tab']


Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
$ rpm -q gnome-shell
gnome-shell-3.34.0-3.fc31.x86_64


How reproducible:
Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Follow one of the tutorial above
2. Hit: Alt+Tab

Actual results:
Nothing happens


Expected results:
Switch window to the next one


Additional info:
Happy to provide any to debug this

Comment 1 Fedora Blocker Bugs Application 2019-10-07 15:54:13 UTC
Proposed as a Blocker for 31-final by Fedora user chrismurphy using the blocker tracking app because:

 "All applications that can be launched using the standard graphical mechanism of a release-blocking desktop after a default installation of that desktop must start successfully and withstand a basic functionality test. "

I'll argue Alt+Tab application switching is basic functionality. Plus it's a regression.

Comment 2 Chris Murphy 2019-10-07 16:04:48 UTC
I think we need a reproducer because I can't reproduce this on two Fedora 31 Workstation systems (baremetal not VM); one is a F30>F31 upgrade via dnf; the other is a clean install. Alt-tab to switch between applications does work for me.

Comment 3 Mohan Boddu 2019-10-07 16:43:21 UTC
I changed the dconf settings to make it work and it seems to be working once I changed them and I am on the same version of gnome-shell as that of pingou and cant reproduce it (with dconf settings changed)

Although I think it should be working by default without any changes since its how people are used to navigate between windows/apps.

Comment 4 Adam Williamson 2019-10-07 16:43:34 UTC
I think you're misreading the bug, cmurf. The reporter isn't saying that alt-tab out of the box to switch between applications doesn't work. They're saying that a configuration tweak to make it switch *windows* not *applications* - so, if an app has several windows, alt-tab will cycle through *all* of them - no longer works, where it did before. This is a config tweak quite a lot of people like to do because they're used to that behaviour from pre-GNOME 3 days.

Comment 5 Mohan Boddu 2019-10-07 17:08:58 UTC
This is what I have which seems to be working for me:

$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-applications
['<Super>Tab']
$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-applications-backward
['<Shift><Super>Tab']
$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-windows
['<Alt>Tab']
$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-windows-backward
['<Shift><Alt>Tab']

FYI,

$ rpm -q gnome-shell
gnome-shell-3.34.0-3.fc32.x86_64

Comment 6 Pierre-YvesChibon 2019-10-07 18:21:01 UTC
If that can help: the system is brand new (full install from nothing)


Here is my full dconf:
$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-applications
['<Super>Tab']
$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-applications-backward
['<Shift><Super>Tab']
$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-windows
['<Alt>Tab']
$  dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-windows-backward
['<Shift><Alt>Tab']

I'll add that when I press Alt+Tab nothing shows up.

Using dconf-editor to bring back the default values I was able to set back the default behavior (took some work but it works).
In this situation dconf returns nothing on all config keys:
$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-applications
$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-windows     
$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-applications-backward
$ dconf read  /org/gnome/desktop/wm/keybindings/switch-windows-backward     

>They're saying that a configuration tweak to make it switch *windows* not *applications* no longer works, where it did before. 

Tbh before I was using the gnome shell extension: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/15/alternatetab/ which is how I ran into the "correct" way to have the behavior I like.

Comment 7 Geoffrey Marr 2019-10-08 06:20:14 UTC
Discussed during the 2019-10-07 blocker review meeting: [0]

The decision to classify this bug as a "RejectedBlocker" was made as it does not really violate the criteria or appear serious enough to block the release, and may not even be reproducible. It can be re-proposed if more information emerges that makes it seem more serious.

[0] https://meetbot.fedoraproject.org/fedora-blocker-review/2019-10-07/f31-blocker-review.2019-10-07-16.02.txt

Comment 8 Ben Cotton 2020-11-03 15:38:04 UTC
This message is a reminder that Fedora 31 is nearing its end of life.
Fedora will stop maintaining and issuing updates for Fedora 31 on 2020-11-24.
It is Fedora's policy to close all bug reports from releases that are no longer
maintained. At that time this bug will be closed as EOL if it remains open with a
Fedora 'version' of '31'.

Package Maintainer: If you wish for this bug to remain open because you
plan to fix it in a currently maintained version, simply change the 'version' 
to a later Fedora version.

Thank you for reporting this issue and we are sorry that we were not 
able to fix it before Fedora 31 is end of life. If you would still like 
to see this bug fixed and are able to reproduce it against a later version 
of Fedora, you are encouraged  change the 'version' to a later Fedora 
version prior this bug is closed as described in the policy above.

Although we aim to fix as many bugs as possible during every release's 
lifetime, sometimes those efforts are overtaken by events. Often a 
more recent Fedora release includes newer upstream software that fixes 
bugs or makes them obsolete.

Comment 9 Ben Cotton 2020-11-24 16:17:08 UTC
Fedora 31 changed to end-of-life (EOL) status on 2020-11-24. Fedora 31 is
no longer maintained, which means that it will not receive any further
security or bug fix updates. As a result we are closing this bug.

If you can reproduce this bug against a currently maintained version of
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