Projects/KWin/Scripting Update Notes

The KWin Scripting functionality has been reworked and extended in the KDE Plasma Workspaces version 4.9. Unfortunately it was not possible to keep the API 100 % compatible. This document lists most changes. The new API is documented in Development/Tutorials/KWin/Scripting/API_4.9.

In general the API has been changed to make greater use of Properties. This has been done to be able to use the same API in both JavaScript and QML. So instead of

var opacity = client.opacity();
opacity = opacity*0.5;
client.setOpacity(opacity);

use

client.opacity = client.opacity*0.5;

Workspace

Methods

The following methods have been renamed as properties:

dimensions() -> displaySize
desktopGridSize() -> desktopGridSize
activeClient() -> activeClient

The following methods have been renamed:

getAllClients() -> clientList(), with the addition that sorting for desktop is no longer provided

The following methods have been removed:

clientGroups

Toplevel

All methods are available as properties with the same name as the getter methods in the old API except hasAlpha which is just alpha.

Client

Methods

The following methods are no longer available:

move(): use the geometry property
resize(): use the geometry property
getWindowInfo(): properties of WindowInfo are merged into Toplevel and Client. See notes to WindowInfo.
activate(): use workspace.activateClient() (TODO: currently not yet available)
setCaption(): caption cannot be updated through JavaScript. This was an incorrect exported method. Use XProperties
unminimize(): set minimized property to false.

The following methods have been renamed as properties:

isTransient() -> transient
isTransientFor() -> transientFor
isShade() -> shade
isShadeable() -> shadeable
isMinimized() -> minimized
isMinimizable() -> minimizable
isMaximizable() -> maximizable
isResizable() -> resizeable
isMovable() -> moveable
isMovableAcrossScreens() -> moveableAcrossScreens
isCloseable() -> closeable
isFullScreen()/setFullScreen() -> fullScreen
isFullScreenable() -> fullScreenable

The following methods have been renamed:

close() -> closeWindow()

Events

The events are documented as Signals in the new documentation. The new API follows the pattern of emitting a signal whenever a value changes. Use the property to query the new value. If the old value is required you should save the state in your script.

The following signals have been renamed:

clientMoved -> geometryChanged
minimized -> minimizedChanged
activated -> activeChanged
unminimized -> minimizedChanged
fullScreenSet -> fullScreenChanged

ClientGroup

ClientGroup is no longer instantiable. This was an error in the previous API version. In order to use the ClientGroup just access the Client's clientGroup property. If the value is null this means the Client is undecorated and a ClientGroup cannot be used.

Methods changed to Properties

clients()
minSize()
maxSize()

WindowInfo

WindowInfo is no longer provided. All relevant properties are merged into Toplevel or Client.

Moved Properties

isMinimized -> Client.minimized
windowRole -> Toplevel.windowRole
windowClassClass -> Toplevel.resourceClass
windowClassName -> Toplevel.resourceName

Dropped Properties

isValid
visibleName: best match Client.caption
state: use better properties on Toplevel and Client