KDE Plasma 5

Under [KDE Plasma 5]{.dfn}, plugin and various other windows will not stay on top of any main window; therefore a workaround is required.

Workaround for ancillary windows not staying on top in KDE Plasma 5 {#workaround}

In order to force ancillary windows in Ardour to stay on top, the following steps are necessary:

  1. Launch the [System Settings]{.kbd .menu} application.

  2. Open [Workspace > Window Management]{.kbd .menu}.

  3. Select [Window Rules]{.kbd .menu} in the left-hand sidebar. It should default to the [Window matching]{.kbd .menu} tab.

  4. Click on the [New…]{.kbd .menu} button.

  5. On the line that says [Window class (application)]{.kbd .menu}, set the combo box to [Substring Match]{.kbd .menu} and type [ardour]{.kbd .user} in the text entry field.

  6. In the list box that is labeled [Window types:]{.kbd .menu}, click on the option [Dialog Window]{.kbd .menu}, then press and hold [Ctrl]{.kbd} while clicking on the second option [Utility Window]{.kbd .menu}.

  7. Select the [Arrangement & Access]{.kbd .menu} tab.

  8. Check the box next to the [Keep above]{.kbd .menu} option. On the same line, select [Force]{.kbd .menu} from the combo box, then click on the [Yes]{.kbd .menu} radio button for that line.

  9. Click on the [OK]{.kbd .menu} button to dismiss the dialog.

At this point the [System Settings]{.kbd .menu} application can be closed.

Background Info {#bg-info}

According to one of the lead KDE developers, they are not willing to follow the [ICCCM]{.abbr title=“Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual”} standard for utility windows. Apparently they are alone in this understanding, as plugin windows on Ardour under Linux work out of the box on every other [WM]{.abbr title=“Window Manager”} out there.

Under KDE 4, there was a workaround in Ardour ([Preferences > Theme > All floating windows are dialogs]{.kbd .menu}) that would “trick” KDE into forcing certain window types to be on top of their parent windows, but this no longer works under KDE Plasma 5.