is there some way to tell the window manager to block all input to any new window, or any kind of popup dialog for a few seconds?

Aquarius Power

1/14/23, 9:09 PM

(This is not about web browsing), this is about:

system popups (I know only the one about: application not responding).
Windows focus and input grabbing behavior.

what is the worst thing we all (???) ever faced about popups?
We click on their button by mistake, the window vanishes and we dont know what it was about, there is no log, there is no recording to review, my visual memory (on my brain) wont give enough hints about the mess I did, we end up with nothing!!
And it is rare to happen to me, but frequently relatives, not used to technology, have problems with it, they just impatiently keep clicking and the sudden popup/window makes them create unnecessary problems.

not only on ubuntu, anywhere: windows, android (mac too? never saw one, neither iphone).

so, i wonder if there is some config on gnome (that I use) or any other WM on linux, that we could force the new window, or popup (*1) to be blocked from all input for a few seconds, so we have a time to see and understand what it is about.

(*1) like the system popup saying the application is not responding and if we want to missRageClick on force close or missHappyClick on wait, as I also dont really need it because I could just run xkill thru xbindkeys, but another popup could still come above and make me xkill it!!!! not if we could block all input for a few seconds...

So, my concern is about any new windows too, of other applications, that open above other ones we are reading or interacting with. And then that new window grabs the keyboard input, or receives mouse clicks and makes things complicated.
Changing the focus behavior, if the WM allows it, is not a good option (like make windows open below others), as it makes it much more difficult the use it.
What I want is any new window or popup to continue behaving that way, opening above other windows, but do not promptly receive any input! For ex. they could be opened with SIGSTOP for 2s, I think it could work.

ubuntu 20.04 here

PS.: I use machines of about 10+ years old, so applications dont open instantly, or I may have started a heavy application like 10 minutes ago (like UE4Editor) and that app suddenly opens receiving mouse clicks, and the application may receive keyboard input too.

0 + 0

gnome

window-manager

usability

Nmath

1/14/23, 9:40 PM

What are you concerned about, exactly? A popup in your browser can't affect your system in any serious way unless maybe you're running your browser as root (Don't!) But even then, unlikely a popup is going to do anything

user535733

1/14/23, 9:40 PM

There aren't supposed to be random unimportant popups. Please file bug reports against misbehaving applications that emit unimportant popups, and against misbehaving applications that fail to log important events properly. If this is a browser you're talking about, then complain to the website owner about their lousy and intrusive design.

Aquarius Power

1/14/23, 9:48 PM

No no I am not talking about web browsing. My concern is about any new windows, of other applications, that open above other ones we are reading or interacting, and that window grabs the keyboard input, or receives mouse clicks and makes things complicated. Changing the focus behavior is not a good option. What I want is any new window or popup to continue behaving that way, opening above other windows, but do not promptly receive any input! For ex. they could be opened with SIGSTOP for 2s, I think it could suffice.

Aquarius Power

1/17/23, 2:41 AM

Also, the system popup about not a responding focused window that I am trying to interact with, is unexpected too, accepts instantaneous input, and I missclick on it sometimes. It just happened again with another application that crashed and has it's own dialog/modal window that opens above others and requests focus... I was typing text on the terminal and when I was going to hit Enter the window opened, I couldnt read it, I hit enter, it closed, I have no idea what it did :(. Am I the only one bothered with this??? :(

Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: is there some way to tell the window manager to block all input to any new window, or any kind of popup dialog for a few seconds?

TH: มีวิธีบอกผู้จัดการหน้าต่างให้บล็อกการป้อนข้อมูลทั้งหมดไปยังหน้าต่างใหม่หรือกล่องโต้ตอบป๊อปอัปประเภทใด ๆ สักสองสามวินาทีหรือไม่

RO: Există vreo modalitate de a spune managerului de ferestre să blocheze toate intrările în orice fereastră nouă sau orice fel de dialog pop-up pentru câteva secunde?

RU: есть ли способ сказать оконному менеджеру блокировать весь ввод в любое новое окно или любой всплывающий диалог на несколько секунд?

VI: có cách nào để yêu cầu trình quản lý cửa sổ chặn tất cả dữ liệu nhập vào bất kỳ cửa sổ mới nào hoặc bất kỳ loại hộp thoại bật lên nào trong vài giây không?

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