Bug 695444 – gnome-base/gnome-session-3.32.0 launch new window disappeared from dash menu

• Status: RESOLVED CANTFIX
• Product: Gentoo Linux

[Description Anton Gubarkov 2019-09-23 10:30:36 UTC]

I have noticed strange behaviour with recent upgrade to gnome-session-3.32. 
I use virt-viewer a lot. I'm running view-viewer-8.0 since Jul 02. 

I have the customized .desktop for it in ~/.local/share/applications.

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=Spice Virtual machine viewer
GenericName=virtual machine viewer
Comment=Spice remote windows
Icon=virt-viewer
Exec=/usr/bin/virt-viewer --attach --connect qemu:///system
NoDisplay=false
Categories=Network
StartupNotify=false
Terminal=false


When there is no instance of view-viewer running, I can see New Window in the context menu of the application's icon. When there is at least 1 instance running, I cannot see an item with New Window. 

What should be done to get the behaviour of gnome-session-3.30?

[Comment 1 Anton Gubarkov 2019-09-23 10:35:43 UTC]

Created attachment 590670 [details]
new window present

[Comment 2 Anton Gubarkov 2019-09-23 10:36:14 UTC]

Created attachment 590672 [details]
new window not present

[Comment 3 Mart Raudsepp 2019-09-23 10:54:56 UTC]

The attached images are identical.

[Comment 4 Mart Raudsepp 2019-09-23 10:59:36 UTC]

If you want to have a new window action, I believe you should actually provide on in the desktop file. I don't know what you meant with it being there in earlier versions of gnome-shell (gnome-session shouldn't be relevant here) when the image attached was wrong.

Something like this chunk in desktop file:

[Desktop Action new-window]
Name=New Window
Exec=virt-viewer --new-window

assuming the command takes such a parameter for achieving this; but whatever is correct to achieve this (that you'd run from the terminal instead).

[Comment 5 Anton Gubarkov 2019-09-23 11:02:44 UTC]

Created attachment 590674 [details]
new window present

[Comment 6 Mart Raudsepp 2019-09-23 11:05:53 UTC]

yes, you need to provide a [Desktop Action new-window] action in the desktop file; gnome-shell doesn't know how to safely launch a new window (instead of new process) otherwise, when the program is already running.
Marking CANTFIX, as I can't fix your custom ~/.local/share desktop file.

[Comment 7 Anton Gubarkov 2019-09-23 11:10:30 UTC]

I changed the image to reflect the difference.

I'll follow your advice to add New Window action (in fact it will be the same as already existing action)

[Comment 8 Anton Gubarkov 2019-09-23 11:12:15 UTC]

I've added the new action:

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=Spice Virtual machine viewer
GenericName=virtual machine viewer
Comment=Spice remote windows
Icon=virt-viewer
Exec=/usr/bin/virt-viewer --attach --connect qemu:///system
NoDisplay=false
Categories=Network
StartupNotify=false
Terminal=false

[Desktop Action New]
Exec=/usr/bin/virt-viewer --attach --connect qemu:///system
Name=New Connection

However this doesn't change anything. As soon as there is a virt-viewer running, New Window action disappears from the context menu.

[Comment 9 Mart Raudsepp 2019-09-23 13:32:32 UTC]

"New window" disappears becaus you named it "New Connection" instead of new-window, so you should have a "New Connection" now always instead, plus "New Window" when nothing is running..

[Comment 10 Anton Gubarkov 2019-09-24 10:54:19 UTC]

not really...

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=Spice Virtual machine viewer
GenericName=virtual machine viewer
Comment=Spice remote windows
Icon=virt-viewer
Exec=/usr/bin/virt-viewer --attach --connect qemu:///system
NoDisplay=false
Categories=Network
StartupNotify=false
Terminal=false

[Desktop Action New-Window]
Exec=/usr/bin/virt-viewer --attach --connect qemu:///system
Name=New Window



Produces the attached screenshot.

[Comment 11 Anton Gubarkov 2019-09-24 10:56:16 UTC]

Created attachment 590868 [details]
new window not present