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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > macOS > Expose excludes docked windows?

Expose excludes docked windows?
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zizzy
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Nov 7, 2003, 02:59 PM
 
As cool as Expose is, it seems to have one major design flaw. It excludes docked windows.

The purpose of Expose seems to be to reveal application windows to the user that are obscured and thus not easily accessible. Expose should momentarily reveal docked windows as it does other windows. If you choose to select one of the docked windows, it would become undocked. Otherwise, a docked window would remain docked.

Opinions?
     
pahroza
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Nov 7, 2003, 03:23 PM
 
If you docked it, then it's not obscured, you're the one that put it there. Maybe an option to "Bring forward docked windows" should exist for expose, but I don't want my docked windows to be shown, otherwise I wouldn't have docked them in the first place.
     
t_hah
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Nov 7, 2003, 03:58 PM
 
Originally posted by pahroza:
If you docked it, then it's not obscured, you're the one that put it there. Maybe an option to "Bring forward docked windows" should exist for expose, but I don't want my docked windows to be shown, otherwise I wouldn't have docked them in the first place.
I second that.
     
barbarian
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Nov 7, 2003, 04:03 PM
 
I think not having an option to show docked or hidden windows is expos�s biggest failing.

Please send feedback to apple about adding this option if this is something you care about!

--------
re: If you docked it, then it's not obscured, you're the one that put it there.

Well I don't know how many windows you work with, but on a normal project I work with 20-40. Having them all on the screen makes the screen a jumbled mess, having them all in the dock makes them all too tiny to see. I hide my dock anyway.

I would use windowshade with minimize in place but it has a panther bug that screws up the way windows are activated...

Anyway at least for my workflow having an option to show hidden/minimized windows in Expose would be HUGE plus. Right now expose is sort of useless for me because I like a clean workspace and never leave so many windows open on the screen so as to need it. If I had the ability to see docked windows expose would save me lots of time/frustration.
( Last edited by barbarian; Nov 7, 2003 at 04:08 PM. )
     
tabarnak
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Nov 7, 2003, 04:14 PM
 
why do you need to see it in expos� when you sent it in the dock? and you can easily always see in the dock.

___________
edit: i didn't saw your adition to the post, you have a point there. option shoud be available
     
Judge_Fire
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Nov 7, 2003, 05:52 PM
 
There was just a thread on a related issue, exposing hidden windows, too.

Windows are windows, no matter where they are. They should be treated equally, without forcing the user to consciously maintain a map of what modes (visible, docked, hidden, dragged below screen edge) they are in.

Showing hidden and docked windows should be available as a preference in Expos�, if not by default.

Judging from the flames, this logic somehow pisses off some individuals here. I still have no idea why

A preference for this doesn't add too much bloat.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/feedback/

J
     
barbarian
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Nov 7, 2003, 07:19 PM
 
>why do you need to see it in expos� when you sent it in the dock?

The most important reason is that I don't want to have to think about where the window is. Is it behind another window is it in the dock, is it hidden? I just want one action that shows every window and lets me pick quickly. Currently I have to use expose, if the window isn't there I scrub the dock to find it (and if it's not there I know it's hidden). One action to show everything would be vastly superior.

>and you can easily always see in the dock.

I can't actually. Right now for example I have 8 or 9 minimized dreamweaver windows, 2 Word windows, a few safari pages, a photoshop window, a fetch window, and several illustrator windows down in the dock. Only the photoshop window is easy to pick out, all the others look virtually identical. In expose, the windows are much bigger and give me lots more information. Also I hide my dock for more screen space. So I can' easily see the windows in the dock.

----
In our Mac centric office we are big on giving Apple feedback since most of the things we have requested have eventually made their way into the system. Last week all 23 mac heads sent in feedback about this.
     
pahroza
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Nov 7, 2003, 09:15 PM
 
Originally posted by Judge_Fire:
There was just a thread on a related issue, exposing hidden windows, too.

Windows are windows, no matter where they are. They should be treated equally, without forcing the user to consciously maintain a map of what modes (visible, docked, hidden, dragged below screen edge) they are in.

Showing hidden and docked windows should be available as a preference in Expos�, if not by default.

Judging from the flames, this logic somehow pisses off some individuals here. I still have no idea why

A preference for this doesn't add too much bloat.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/feedback/

J

My response was not meant to be a flame, but my opinion. Certain user actions shouldn't necessarily be overridden. As I mentioned, I think it would be a good idea to have this as an option, but not on by default.

My apologies.
     
Dale Sorel
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Nov 7, 2003, 10:50 PM
 
Originally posted by barbarian:
I would use windowshade with minimize in place but it has a panther bug that screws up the way windows are activated...
WindowShade X 3.1 and its MIP feature seem to work fine for me when used with Expos�
     
   
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