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 Post subject: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:22 pm 
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This issues has been referred to in other posts, but I don't think a proper solution has been offered. I'll describe, in hope of a response:

Chrome allows you to make "desktop apps", from any url you want: basically desktop shortcuts which you can set to open in a separate/tabless Chrome window. (see attached screen shot of a facebook "app") Windows' native taskbar treats these as individual programs, so by default you can only open one instance of each "app" at a time. This means that if you click on the icon of a an open "app", it will open the window of the already-open Chrome, without creating another instance/session. (Unless you right-click on the icon and force another instance being created) The obvious benefit is that this avoids opening multiple windows of the same app (Yes, I'm aware of Windows ability to show you what tabs are open, but it's preferable not to have to check to see if an app is already open, every time I click on the icon.)

On NeXuS dock, however, every "desktop app" is considered simply another session of Chrome. Every time you you click on a Chrome "app" it creates another session of the same window. This leads to multiple windows being open of the same app. (Winstep previous wrote: "Chrome apps are all generated by the same executable, each app being thus a different window/instance of the same application") Also, if "do not launch multiple sessions of the same app" is selected then it becomes impossible open more than one of these Chrome apps at the same time (unless by forcing it with Shift)

If Windows' native taskbar can offer this function, then NeXuS could also offer a solution? Perhaps there's a way to tag each session of Chrome app with an ID? Or have an icon's "session" be defined by it's executable file AND it's argument.
Attachment:
File comment: Perhaps the "target" could be included in the definition of a "session"?
Capture.PNG
Capture.PNG [ 27.52 KiB | Viewed 32176 times ]


Hope to hear from you!


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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:24 am 
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I will have to look into this. Remember that the Windows taskbar is passed information by Chrome that Nexus/3rd party applications are not privy to. Chrome apps would have to be treated as a 'special case', and I will have to figure out if there is some way to uniquely identify individual Chrome apps based on their available window information.

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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:53 pm 
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Thanks! Perhaps, as I mentioned, the "argument" contains some of that unique info?
Anyway, I hope you find a way. Nexus dock is amazing, BTW! It has totally revolutionized my Windows experience and I'm so glad I purchased it!


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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:01 pm 
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Yes, but the enumeration of running applications only returns an executable name and it's path, and that is what Nexus uses to look for matches with the shortcuts in the dock, to know when an application is running or not.

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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:35 pm 
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Have you thought about any ways to make Chrome desktop apps appear as distinct?


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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:28 am 
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havent seen anything new about this:
https://www.windowscentral.com/chrome-a ... l-end-2018
https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/19/1255 ... hrome-apps
but would it be worth it to work on something that will phase out in a year, if that is still their plan


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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:46 am 
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The "Chrome Apps" referred to in those articles are different than what I'm talking about. I'm referring to Chrome "Desktop Apps" which are basically desktop shortcuts to a given URL which open in a dedicated Chrome windows (without bookmarks/tabs/nav tools) This feature will remain as far as I know.


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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 9:16 pm 
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Ok, just added a couple of Chrome apps to see what I could do.

Remember, I need to be able to distinguish apps from the main browser, so I can keep apps separate but still group multiple browser windows.

First issue immediately obvious: both the browser and the apps share the *same* window class (Chrome_WidgetWin_1) so you can't use that to distinguish the two. Google could have given apps a different window class name, but they chose not to.

So, basically, even web pages are treated as apps by Chrome for rendering purposes.

There is no difference in the windows Styles and Extended Styles bits either.

At first sight there is NOTHING I can use from an enumeration of currently open windows that would allow me to distinguish apps from the browser. Another problem is that even if I do find a way, Google can change that any time they want.

I'll keep looking.

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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:47 pm 
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Yep, looks like you guys are out of luck, sorry.

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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 5:53 pm 
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jon.s.nelson wrote:
The "Chrome Apps" referred to in those articles are different than what I'm talking about. I'm referring to Chrome "Desktop Apps" which are basically desktop shortcuts to a given URL which open in a dedicated Chrome windows (without bookmarks/tabs/nav tools) This feature will remain as far as I know.


Well, guess what... Chrome Apps are dead, as Google shuts down the Chrome Web Store section. If you go to the Chrome Web Store page you no longer find an 'Apps' section there. The only thing left is 'Extensions' and 'Themes'.

Personally I hate it when things like this happen. Developers invest time and money betting on the technology, users become dependent on it and then the big fat provider suddenly says 'no more', alleging 'no one uses them'. To Google 'no one' is 1% of Windows users, to you and me it's over 10 million people (assuming Microsoft's claim that Windows has over 1 billion active users).

Reminds me of Konfabulator and the Windows Desktop Gadgets in Windows Vista.

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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:17 am 
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But he's not talking about the Google store apps - he's talking about creating pseudo apps of Google sites like Gmail, Photos, etc (or any website really). Basically, Chrome allows you to create an app of a website where it opens in a window without the navigational elements of Chrome. It is still a Chrome window, but the URL bar, and other navigation elements are hidden, so you only see the aspects of the specific site. So, Gmail looks like a Gmail app, not Gmail opened Chrome. Make sense? I probably did a crappy job of explaining it!


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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 9:29 am 
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Makes sense, thanks.

Problem remains the same, however: there is still no way to programatically distinguish those windows from regular Chrome browser windows, because, in reality, they are one and the same.

The only way would be for the user to do it himself, via some kind of 'group exclusion list' based on the window title or something (windows on that list would not be grouped together). But this would be YAL (yet another list) on top of the already existing taskbar exclusion, thumbnail exclusion and task icon customization lists...

Hmmm.. Taskbar exclusion list... hmmm... I suppose I could add another option to that list (never group). After all, the task icon customization and task exclusion lists are internally the same list (but with different internal 'action' values) already.

This said, even though I made it sound something relatively trivial to add, on further thought it would not be so trivial. There are other implications, in terms of running indicators on the dock, etc...

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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 10:36 am 
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I have similar issues with chrome, though mine is the use of multiple profiles. I use one profile for work, one for personal. It's just inconvenient to have to click twice to get the window I want instead of clicking the specific chrome icon once.

Attachment:
chrome.png
chrome.png [ 191.8 KiB | Viewed 31556 times ]


Won't keep me from using your awesome program. Just adding my 2 cents.

Note that the icon argument is --profile-directory="Profile 1"
It's similar to the --app option but allows a separate cache, cookies and password vault.


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 Post subject: Re: Problem with Chrome "desktop apps"
PostPosted: Wed Sep 08, 2021 11:46 pm 
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Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2021 11:23 pm
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The multiple profiles worked for me. Doubled click on the second profile I needed to open but I only figured out that after extensive changes of dock item properties and 100 of items deleted from the dock

:D :shock: :D :shock: :D :? :D :o :? :? :? :? :?


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