Problem
This is a follow-up issue/feature request since #485 has been closed. This issue has been created after talking about it with @danirabbit on Discord:
@danirabbit: I think it was dismissed as written maybe? I think it’s worth opening a new Task issue. The original issue was really old so I think it’d be good to have a new clean updated issue
So as of today, Gala still has two separate overview paths with overlapping responsibilities:
MultitaskingView, which is workspace-aware with dragging between workspaces and polished transitions.
WindowOverview entry points with expose-all-windows and single-app overview hints.
This creates duplicated logic and UX divergence for very similar tasks. In the current code, ActionType.WINDOW_OVERVIEW is already marked deprecated in src/WindowManager.vala, but the separate component still exists and is used by keybindings and desktop integration.
From the #485 discussion, and for context, the discussed tradeoffs were:
- keep fast all-windows discovery (especially keyboard-first)
- keep good multi-display behavior
- avoid confusion around workspace context
- reduce maintenance burden from parallel implementations
Proposal
Refactor toward one implementation path:
- Keep existing public entry points (
Super+A, app-window overview, actions) for compatibility.
- Route overview/spread behavior through
MultitaskingView with a filtered set of windows.
- See the deprecation story, maybe by making
WindowOverview a shim and then removing it after parity.
Prior Art (Optional)
Problem
This is a follow-up issue/feature request since #485 has been closed. This issue has been created after talking about it with @danirabbit on Discord:
So as of today, Gala still has two separate overview paths with overlapping responsibilities:
MultitaskingView, which is workspace-aware with dragging between workspaces and polished transitions.WindowOverviewentry points withexpose-all-windowsand single-app overview hints.This creates duplicated logic and UX divergence for very similar tasks. In the current code,
ActionType.WINDOW_OVERVIEWis already marked deprecated insrc/WindowManager.vala, but the separate component still exists and is used by keybindings and desktop integration.From the #485 discussion, and for context, the discussed tradeoffs were:
Proposal
Refactor toward one implementation path:
Super+A, app-window overview, actions) for compatibility.MultitaskingViewwith a filtered set of windows.WindowOverviewa shim and then removing it after parity.Prior Art (Optional)
expose-windowsshortcut #1795