Naming viewports in compiz in 16.04

Support & Help Requests
#1

I’m using Ubuntu MATE 16.04, with Compiz turned on from MATE Tweak. I was pleased to discover that I can have more than one desktop, and I can change the way they’re laid out, using CompizConfig Settings Manager (ccsm) and setting the Desktop SIze under General Options. (Technically, these aren’t multiple desktops, they’re multiple viewports on one huge desktop.) The Workspace Switcher widget in my panel respects this layout and shows them correctly, which is great.

However, when using Marco, I’m able to give names to my different desktops, and those names show up both in the Workspace Switcher, and in the “Move to another workspace” submenu from right-clicking on a window title bar. These names don’t seem to be the same thing under Compiz. Moving a window to a different workspace works correctly, but these workspaces have names “Workspace 1”, “Workspace 2”, and so on. How can I rename them? CCSM has a “Workspace Naming” section, but changing the names in here seems to have no effect on the names of the viewports and the “Move to another workspace” menu (indeed, I have five viewports configured in a vertical stack, but the “Workspace Naming” section in CCSM only lists four).

Is there any way to name the workspaces under Compiz?

#2

Hi @sil, As a longtime compiz user I find a lack of integration with the “Workspace Switcher” applet the biggest obstacle. This isn’t new, it’s been that way back to 08.04 as I recall.

I’m running 16.04 (MATE 1.16.2) and just tried Workspace Naming. As suspected, “Workspace Switcher” doesn’t convey the change but they now appear for a few seconds when I switch viewports. It also displays ok in the “Viewport Switcher”.

See what I mean? I’m set otherwise pretty minimal but use Zoom and Cube.

But then, after 10 years of running compiz religiously, I’ve never had a vertical layout.

#3

Interesting. I don't see the names when I switch viewports. Maybe that comes in a more up-to-date version of MATE than ships by default in 16.04; I seem to have 1.12.1 according to "About MATE".

Ah, I have them vertically because I use the Mutiny layout, with a left-hand panel as the Launcher, so I want the desktops to be laid out vertically too so that they fit properly into that panel :slight_smile:

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#4

I have a VM of MATE 1.12 and surprised it’s now stable running compiz. Is that “Workspace Switcher”? Mine’s very drab (nevermind, it’s the theme doing that, apparently).

But yes, my 16.04/1.12 VM has no names appearing in Mutiny either.

EDIT: It took me a while to find the other place I found names ok. Turns out it’s not “Viewport Switcher” but part of cube “Unfold Cube Key” which you wouldn’t have without the cube.