I3: creating a new workspace with a new terminal in the background

Created on 13 Oct 2019 · 4Comments · Source: i3/i3

I'm submitting a…

[x] Bug
[ ] Feature Request
[ ] Documentation Request
[ ] Other (Please describe in detail)

Current Behavior

No new workspace is being created after i send the command to i3-msg and a new terminal opens in the current workspace

Expected Behavior

I am trying to open a new terminal in a different workspace then comeback to my current work space and not switch to that new workspace

I am expecting while i am in the dev1 workspace and by sending this message below to i3-msg a new workspace will be created with a terminal in it. i dont want to switch to that workspace immediately. I want it to happen in the back ground and not become the new focused workspace

i3-msg "workspace dev2; exec terminator -b; workspace dev1;"

## Reproduction Instructions ## Environment Output of `i3 --moreversion 2>&-`:

i3 version: 
i3 --moreversion 2>&- || i3 --version
Binary i3 version:  4.17.1-2-g225ebb0d (2019-08-30, branch "master") © 2009 Michael Stapelberg and contributors
Running i3 version: 4.17.1-2-g225ebb0d (2019-08-30, branch "master") (pid 10228)
Loaded i3 config: /home/ymo/.config/i3cmd/conf/config.dev (Last modified: Sun 13 Oct 2019 10:14:27 AM EDT, 609 seconds ago)

The i3 binary you just called: /opt/i3/i3-master-225ebb0d/bin/i3
The i3 binary you are running: i3

Logfile URL:
https://logs.i3wm.org/logs/5632254176919552.bz2

- Linux Distribution & Version:
$ lsb_release -a 
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description:    Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS
Release:    18.04
Codename:   bionic

- Are you using a compositor (e.g., xcompmgr or compton):
No compositor. The system is the default ubuntu system execept for the fact that i recompiled i3 from the latest master

4.17 bug

Source

ymolists

Most helpful comment

As I already commented on the other issue:

It also only works if the application actually supports the startup notification protocol. Otherwise you need to use for_window assignments

exec is used to start a process, but if a process ever opens a window, at which point it does so or how many it opens is a completely separate topic. So switching to a workspace, starting a process and switching back doesn't do anything because the window opens at a later point in time. The startup notification protocol is what we use to associate a process with the windows it opens, but it requires support from the application.

Your other options here are to either use for_window assignments (see also these: https://www.reddit.com/r/i3wm/wiki/faq/bind_emulator and https://www.reddit.com/r/i3wm/wiki/faq/assign_emulator) or layout savingg & restoring (https://i3wm.org/docs/layout-saving.html), depending on your use-case.

Airblader on 14 Oct 2019

👍2

All 4 comments

As I already commented on the other issue:

It also only works if the application actually supports the startup notification protocol. Otherwise you need to use for_window assignments

Airblader on 14 Oct 2019

👍2

Given that this is one of the most common problems people encounter I think we can provide some script that works like a one-off for_window rule.

orestisfl on 14 Oct 2019

Another way would be to allow creating match rules at runtime and also with a "validity counter" (or something similar). I feel like we had an issue for this before, but it might be closed.

Airblader on 14 Oct 2019

Thank you folks for your help. Much appreciated !

ymolists on 15 Oct 2019

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