Gnome 44 / Ubuntu 23.04 / Desktop Icons NG: Desktop is handled as own window

[dsentker]

(1) Issue/Bug Description: When Window Tiling is enabled, it seems that the Desktop with its icons are handled as own window. This results in two errors:

1. When clicking the active window again, the window behind the window gets active. this is the desktop. This gets visible when watching the active hint (border) switches to the desktop area.
2. The desktop icons have the same z-index as the previous active window which makes the icons visible.

It seems that the per-default-enabled ubuntu extensions "Desktop Icons NG" are incompatible with this shell.

(2) Steps to reproduce (if you know): This bug does not happen with Ubuntu 22.10, but with 23.04.

1. Install Ubuntu 23.04, make sure "Desktop Icons NG" is enabled
2. Install PopOS Shell
3. Create a desktop icon
4. Open the Terminal
5. Click to the terminal again. The desktop icon gets visible and the desktop is focused
6. Disable Desktop Icons NG. Bug does not appear.

(3) Expected behavior:

1. Clicking the active window again will not change the focus of other windows (or the desktop)
2. Z-Index of desktop is not changed

(4) Distribution (run cat /etc/os-release):

PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 23.04"
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION_ID="23.04"
VERSION="23.04 (Lunar Lobster)"
VERSION_CODENAME=lunar
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
UBUNTU_CODENAME=lunar

(5) Gnome Shell version: 44.3

(6) Pop Shell version (run apt policy pop-shell or provide the latest commit if building locally):

(7) Where was Pop Shell installed from: make local-install

(8) Monitor Setup (2 x 1080p, 4K, Primary(Horizontal), Secondary(Vertical), etc): Laptop screen 1920x1080, 2x Monitor 1920x1080

(9) Other Installed/Enabled Extensions: Desktop Icons NG

(10) Other Notes: This is maybe related to #1656 and #1649

[dsentker]

I found out that the Gnome Extension "Desktop Icons NG (DING)" (shipped with ubuntu) is causing this issue. Disabling it seems to work.

Is there an option add the "Desktop Layer" (sorry i do not know how to better describe this) as exception in pop-os shell?

[jacobgkau]

Can you please provide the output of echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE? I've heard Ubuntu 23.04 is defaulting to Wayland, so I'm wondering if the issue is specific to Wayland. We know pop-shell has issues handling DING on Wayland, e.g. https://github.com/pop-os/shell/issues/776, https://github.com/pop-os/shell/issues/1257, https://github.com/pop-os/shell/issues/1538, and https://github.com/pop-os/shell/issues/1586. Does the issue still occur if you log into an Xorg session?

Is there an option add the "Desktop Layer" (sorry i do not know how to better describe this) as exception in pop-os shell?

I'm not sure about this off the top of my head, I can see about testing it. gjs (which extension interfaces sometimes show up under) already has an exception enabled by default. Does turning off Show Minimize to Tray Windows in the extension settings (accessed through the Extensions app) help at all?

[dsentker]

XDG_SESSION_TYPE is wayland.

You're right, X11 does not have this problem. I notice a very short "desktop icons flickure" when reactivating an active window, but the issues described are not present.

Show Minimize to Tray Windows does not help.