GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 559580
Image windows need better default locations
Last modified: 2008-11-12 13:06:20 UTC
When opening images or using copy / paste to create new ones, the window location chosen for each new window is horrible. I'm on a dual screen system, and despite GIMP being open on the second monitor all the windows open on the first screen. That on its own wouldn't be too bad, but all the windows also open in the same location, right on top of each other. Could you please give us an option to change this behaviour, especially if the images are small, so the windows open up in free space whenever possible, and ideally stay on the same monitor as the main program (or current window). Other information:
Your window manager decides where new image windows are opened, not GIMP. If you are unhappy with the job of your window manager, perhaps you should change the window manager you are using. You did not even bother to tell us what operating system you are using, let alone which window manager.
Whoops, sorry about that. I'm still pretty new to Linux, so not yet used to which programs are responsible for what. I noticed that the other Gimp windows remembered their positions, and just assumed it was all part of the same program. I was having the problem in Ubuntu 8.10 which I upgraded to today. I'm not using the 3D effects on that computer so I think that makes Metacity my window manager. Feel free to close this bug, I need to test Compiz again anyway so I'll see if that's any better at positioning the windows.
Actually, I've just tested this and it's definitely a GIMP problem and not a window manager one. If I create new Windows in Firefox or any other program, the window manager tiles them if there's room, or creates them on top of, but offset from other windows otherwise. When I create a new image in GIMP by either creating a new image or pasting something as a new image with shift-ctrl-v, it does not have that behavior. Instead every image goes to the top left of my first screen. No other program I've tested so far shows that behaviour, in fact they all show the behavior I was looking for: New windows tile where possible, overlap when not, and stay on the same monitor. This is on Ubuntu 8.10, with the version of GIMP that came with it - 2.6.1.
Fixed in both branches: 2008-11-11 Michael Natterer <mitch@gimp.org> Bug 559580 – Image windows need better default locations * app/display/gimpdisplayshell.c (gimp_display_shell_style_set): Only set GDK_HINT_USER_POS on the empty display because it gets a position set by gimp. All other displays should be placed by the window manager. Fixes all displays appearing at 0,0.
Heh, 24 hours from me confirming it's a GIMP bug to it being fixed. There's a reason I love open source software. Thanks guys :D