I started to use the Overview (Meta + W) as a fast window switcher by typing the name of the window, e.g. “firefo” and press Enter.
However it happens regularly that I accidentally start a new process instead of switch to the window. This happens with two screens when a window is not found on the focused screen. Overview then opens up the app launcher and starts a second instance.
Example:
Open Firefox on screen 1
Open Terminal on screen 2
Focus the Terminal on screen 2
Open Overview (Meta + W)
Type “firefox”
Press Enter and a new Firefox window opens up
For the keyboard-driven window switching workflow, it’s not ideal that each screen only shows only windows on itself.
How would you use the Overview in this context? Is there a shortcut to switch focused screen when in Overview? Is there a better way to quickly switch windows (if you have many windows open, not just “Meta + 1 .. 5” or Alt + Tab?
the search box that comes up in overview is the krunner tool and it works the same way over view that it does elsewhere, it will start a new instance of whatever application you search for.
it’s not intended to be a switcher, it’s intended to be search tool.
if you don’t want to use the mouse to select an open window, then you can just use alt+tab to move between open windows using the keyboard.
Thanks @skyfishgoo – the search bar in the Overview may be krunner. But for me it does not start new instances, it switches windows instead if they are already on the same screen.
And I think the whole Overview is intended as window and desktop switcher.
I’m on Plasma 6.5.5. Does my example (1. to 6.) on your computer really starts a second instance of Firefox?
yes, either from krunner directly or from the overview page, if i type in firefox and hit enter, i get a new instance.
now if i go into overview and just type f then it will highlight the firefox instance i have open and it will switch to it if my focus is on the screen with the firefox window (even tho the f shows up in the search box on both screens)
if i type the f while the other screen has focus, then it highlights my open libre office window (presumably because it’s the only window open with an f in the title).
so maybe you are just typing too many letters and you are evoking the kunner result rather than letting overview take the first crack at it.
Interesting. For me it doesn’t matter if I type “f”, “fi” or “firefox” in the Overview. If there already is an instance open on that screen that window is selected and Enter switches to that window.
It would be nice if this behavior would include windows of all screens.
if you evoke the overview when the 2nd monitor has focus, the overview search box on that screen is the one that has focus and the flashing cursor.
if you just start typing, that search box will only match the text shown below the window thumbnails that are on that 2nd monitor.
so, even tho the search box on the 1st monitor is echoing my search string, it is not searching the window texts on that 1st screen for matches, as it should.
i think this is a bug.
if the search box on the non-active monitor is following along, then it should also be matching window text there as well, but instead it will ignore matches and proceed to krunner searching which is where the new instance behavior comes in, rather than just switching to the open window.
So I don’t see a bug here. And you’re probably right that the Overview isn’t designed for keyboard-driven window switching. Although it’s very close to a great window switcher with the caveat that it sometimes accidentally starts new instances of already running programs that’s a bit sad.
the bug is that in “matching” i mean that that it SELECTS that window with the glow so that you can switch to it.
yes, it will winnow down the number of windows shown on the screen but it will not match it in terms of SELECTION unless it is on the active screen.
it should SELECT it for you even it its on the other screen
if type letters into the search box so that there is only one window left showing in the overview—but it happens to be on the other screen—it is still not selected for me to switch to.
that’s a bit sad.