45

Currently when you use the present windows effect the windows are fairly randomly placed. In this idea present windows will try to group or sort windows based on certain factors. The three I came up with is "best spacing", which is the default and what it uses now, "program", which groups the same program together (so for instance all firefox windows will be in one area, all dolphin windows in another), and the third is "last used", which lays out the windows in order of when you last used them based on your language settings (so for LTR languages they will be laid out in rows from left to right and top to bottom, with the most recently-used windows in the upper left).

Because a given situation may call for different sorting methods, having a fixed sorting method set in system settings would be inefficient. So I think it would be better to have it changed easily. I think the best solution is to have 3 icons, probably round to differentiate them from windows, and probably placed at the top or bottom of the screen. Clicking or hovering over the icon changes the view mode for that instance of present windows, but resets it immediately after you select a window. Middle-clicking on an icon changes the default view mode, the view that is used in subsequent instances of present windows.

Don't you think, that to find necessary window is faster as it is now, than to click to sort option and when search for window again even in sorted way.

Is this setting is global (doesnt change until user changes). why to overload view with extra buttons?.
Might be a cashew style button in top could do the job.

It is quicker when you have few windows, but if you have lots it becomes harder. Having a popup menu would work, but it would slow things down and a few small buttons shouldn't be too big of a problem

I'm going to +1 this because, even if we only get to choose from one more advanced sorting option at a time, the idea to group with a superior algorithm could add much more functionality.

Having all the firefox windows in one corner and all the gimp windows or dialouges in another just seems to make too much sense. In addition, it would not be a bad idea to place a dialog window next to (or even slightly overlapping by 1 or 2 px) or behind its parent.

I know if I need to find my firefox downloads window I usually resort to presenting my windows - but sometimes I'll have 20+ windows open and I won't even know what desktop it's on. So when I present all my windows, at least I know they will be grouped together.

+1

I would like to see present windows shown using the task manager's configuration settings. eg; no sort, manual sort, alphabetical, by desktop

you could maybe add a "by location" option in there that would rearrange the task panel by apps location on desktop. eg; app furthest on right side of screen listed last

Don't better add present programs effect? The matter is: how to split windows onto certain programs(and get icons of it)?