Re: [RP] support for multiple screens in ratpoison?

[Martin Samuelsson]

This message may come in two copies. I'm not sure were the first try went...

On Fri, Oct 05, 2001 at 09:21:28AM -0400, Yanni Kouskoulas wrote:
> Greetings. This is my first post to this list, so if I ask questions that
> have already been covered, bear with me.

Welcome!

> Is there any interest in fixing this?

I don't see that it could be a bad thing... So, yes please do! =)

> Is anyone working on this?

Not that I know of. Most likely not.

> If not,
> would people be willing to suggest where to get documentation/information
> on the X windows API? (I have never done gui programming for X, but I
> learn quickly, and I might be willing to put a couple hours into fixing
> this, depending on how complicated it is.)

I'm afraid I can't help you with the coding issue or where to learn coding 
X. But I have thought about multiple screens for a few minutes since I tried
running rp on a dual head machine a while ago.

You have no experience coding for X you say, but do you know how X works?

I'm not an expert, but as far as I have understood (everyone, please 
correct me if I'm wrong) the different screens are to some aspects 
considered as different X-servers. Meaning that you can't move a window 
from screen A to screen B in any simple way.

Which leads me to think that there has to be a window list for each screen.

I'll try to visualize my thoughts below:


Window lists:

   screen A:            screen B:

    __________            __________
   |          |_         |          |_
   | window 0 | |_       | window 3 | |
   |__________|1| |      |__________|4|
     |__________|2|        |__________|
       |__________|


Switching focus between 1/2 or 3 is clearly no problem. That's what we have 
today with only one monitor.

Adding the same functionality for a second screen don't seem that hard.

But as far as I have understood there's no way to move 3 to screen A. This 
has to be the case since screen A and B could have different properties
(resolution, color depth, problary more).

I hope this limitation doesn't take your motivation away. (If it does I have
a very good idea on how to work around it. And I mean WORK. A LOT of coding
hours)

I haven't read the entire rp source (lazy me!) so I'm not the best person to
tell you how your feature add should be coded. But from a user point of view
i find it suitable to see screens and frames the same way. I'll try to 
illustrate again. Even if the ascii art isn't bringing the message by them
selfes(spl?) I'm sure it does a better job than my english alone.

   screen A:             screen B: (with split screen)

    __________            __________
   | frame a  |          | frame b  |
   |__________|          |__________|
   | frame d  |          | frame c  |
   |__________|          |__________|


Frame a and d can contain the windows 0, 1 and 2 from the first picture. We
already have that today. No change in the way we think.

Screen B's frames b and d should share window 3 and 4. I think I am thinking
right here?

Moving frame focus (C-t Tab) should move in the order frame a->b->c->d->a...
In the most common case, or at least in the start case there should be one 
frame per screen. Which imo makes focus switching very beautiful from a user
point of view.

Hope my mail gave you something in some aspect.

And about this mailing list. People answer most questions, but it sometimes
can take a couple of days. The user base is not (yet) enormous I'm afraid. 
And those who do exist are busy souls. However good souls who gives prio to
rp. (=
--
/Martin