Minimize all windows

[skallal]

In Windows 10 there's a feature to minimize all Windows for given item in the taskbar. This is NOT for ALL windows, but for all windows for an item. For example there can be multiple instances of File Explorer open, which are usually grouped as one item or icon in the taskbar. With Windows 10 (possibly 11 too), pressing the shift key and right clicking will produce a context menu with the option to Minimize all windows. Earlier versions of Windows such as XP did NOT require pressing the shift key for this option to appear in the context menu.

So in MX 23 XFCE there's NO such option. I can have multiple windows of the Thunar file manager open, but there's NO option to minimize all instances of Thunar. Instead I have to look for each Thunar instance and minimize each manually.

I realize XFCE has it's own forum. And I'm not asking for this feature here. Rather I'd like to know if such a feature already exists. Nor do I wish to make XFCE like Windows. It's more a familiarity with Windows after decades of using it.

Update: Just realized that the Windows Buttons Tasklist type in MX Tweak has the minimize all option already built in. I've stayed with doclike because it allows me to pin items to the doc. Guess each Tasklist type is a compromise?

[toyyoda]

You can switch to Window Buttons and use launchers for commonly used programs, or just add a Show Desktop button and press that which minimizes everything. Right-click on the taskbar -> Panel -> Panel Preferences -> Items tab to add what you want, move them around, and change item preferences.

[operadude]

@skallal

So in MX 23 XFCE there's NO such option. I can have multiple windows of the Thunar file manager open, but there's NO option to minimize all instances of Thunar. Instead I have to look for each Thunar instance and minimize each manually.

I use the Plank dock, which can be found in MXPI, Popular Applications, Docks.

I like to have many separate Thunar windows open for each of my drives (internal & external); I "shade" them by pressing the up/down arrow, found in the upper right-hand corner of the Title bar, which "minimizes" the window into a thin band on the desktop; I can then tile all of these thin bands, one on top of the other.

Then, with a Thunar button on the Plank dock (which is there by default, I think), by simply pressing the Thunar button on the Plank dock, all of those nicely tiled slimmed-down Thunar windows collapse "automagically" to the Plank dock, and are no longer on the desktop. One more click of the Thunar button/icon on the Plank dock, and all of the Thunar windows reappear on my desktop (the way they were before-- slimmed-down into thin bands, one on top of each other).

This functionality with Plank currently works on MX-23, Xfce and Fluxbox.

For some reason, on MX-23, KDE, there is a slight problem collapsing and re-constituting all of the windows simultaneously. I plan to post the problem some time soon to the KDE subforum. However, for both Xfce & Fluxbox (MX23), this works perfectly.

If you do plan on using Plank, there is a slight glitch with the Firefox icon, which I have posted a solution for.

Anyway, I hope I understood your issue correctly, and...

HTH

[operadude]

A picture is worth a thousand words:

My tiled windows setup:

tiled windows.png

My Plank dock:

plank dock.png

Minimizing ALL Thunar windows to the Plank dock (Press Thunar icon in Plank dock):

plank dock minimize windows.png

See that ALL Thunar windows minimize at once to the Plank dock:

windows minimized to plank dock.png

Reconstituting ALL Thunar windows at once to the desktop (by pressing again the Plank Thunar icon, as shown above):

tiled windows.png

This is the best I could do to show you, pictorially, how this works, without uploading a movie!

Again, HTH !

[skallal]

Again, HTH !

This requires a response from me. But I'm not sure how to respond?

I've already used the other responder's suggestion to use the XFCE dock panel in Windows Buttons style. It's not perfect but nothing ever is.

I assume the Plank dock replaced the XFCE dock. It reminds me of the MacOS dock. But I haven't even fired up my Mac recently. I once saw a launcher on another distro reminding me of the Mac Launchpad. See image below. It might have been on Gnome desktop. But I really that design, but not so much to adopt Gnome.

Screenshot_2023-07-31_08-50-13.jpg

I'll have to try out the Plank dock, but worry about removing the current XFCE panel.

[skallal]

You can switch to Window Buttons and use launchers for commonly used programs, or just add a Show Desktop button and press that which minimizes everything. Right-click on the taskbar -> Panel -> Panel Preferences -> Items tab to add what you want, move them around, and change item preferences.

So far I've adopted your idea. Using the Windows Buttons style.

[manyroads]

In Windows 10 there's a feature to minimize all Windows for given item in the taskbar. This is NOT for ALL windows, but for all windows for an item. For example there can be multiple instances of File Explorer open, which are usually grouped as one item or icon in the taskbar. With Windows 10 (possibly 11 too), pressing the shift key and right clicking will produce a context menu with the option to Minimize all windows. Earlier versions of Windows such as XP did NOT require pressing the shift key for this option to appear in the context menu.

So in MX 23 XFCE there's NO such option. I can have multiple windows of the Thunar file manager open, but there's NO option to minimize all instances of Thunar. Instead I have to look for each Thunar instance and minimize each manually.

I realize XFCE has it's own forum. And I'm not asking for this feature here. Rather I'd like to know if such a feature already exists. Nor do I wish to make XFCE like Windows. It's more a familiarity with Windows after decades of using it.

Update: Just realized that the Windows Buttons Tasklist type in MX Tweak has the minimize all option already built in. I've stayed with doclike because it allows me to pin items to the doc. Guess each Tasklist type is a compromise?

Be advised in some 30 years of Linux use, I have discovered that with Linux the greatest strength and weakness are the 'same'... you can do what you like. The key is 'you'.

[CharlesV]

Cairo dock also has this feature.

And using MX Tweak, you have the ability to backup ALL of your panels too. (If you want to experiment and NOT loose your panel settings. but THIS is what a VM is for :-) )

[skallal]

Cairo dock also has this feature.

And using MX Tweak, you have the ability to backup ALL of your panels too. (If you want to experiment and NOT loose your panel settings. but THIS is what a VM is for :-) )

You just answered my next question before I asked it. I have about 2 months worth of doodling in my one panel currently docked on the bottom. Don't want to lose it!

That said, can Cairo dock be used along side an XFCE panel? They both can't be the bottom dock. I assume Cairo runs within XFCE? Probably need to back up the XFCE panel and temporarily remove it. Looking for a way to temporarily hide an an XFCE panel without removing it. Another idea is to test the Cairo dock on the top instead.

And yes I have two VM environments installed: QEMU/KVM/virt-manager and Virtual Box. Have yet create a bridge network for them but that's a different topic.

[CharlesV]

Yes, Cairo dock can exist with teh standard XFCE docks (Thats how I run - xfce4 on the side, and Cario on the bottom.)

You COULD just MOVE the xfce4 panel to the right or even up top, temporarily and run cairo on the bottom.? (I would auto hide the xfce4 panel on the right, while you try Cairo out.)