Call for testing: ubuntu-frame, mir-test-tools (Mir 2.18.0 update)

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[Cross posted from Call for testing: ubuntu-frame, mir-test-tools (Mir 2.18.0 update) - Mir - Ubuntu Community Hub]

Following the latest Mir release (2.18.0) these snaps been updated.

There is also new Ubuntu Frame feature, a “launcher” (described below).

snap version
mir-test-tools 2.18.0-snap171
ubuntu-frame 197-mir2.18.0

To test, just switch to the candidate channel. For example:

snap refresh --channel 24/candidate ubuntu-frame

And use as normal. Please let us know any results here.

If no problems are identified we aim to promote to 24/stable in a week.

Following this update, we will be switching the default track to 24.

New Ubuntu Frame Launcher

Frame can now optionally support the launcher, which is a minimal dock allowing the user to switch between fullscreen application.

Documentation

Ubuntu Frame’s launcher daemon provides users with a way to navigate between multiple applications running on a single frame instance.

To enable the launcher, run:

snap set ubuntu-frame launcher=true

Behavior

The following specifies the behavior that you can of the launcher daemon:

  • When frame starts, the launcher will appear in the left-hand side of the screen with a black background
  • As window are opened, the launcher will display an icon that corresponds with the application for that window
  • Icons will ONLY be displayed for applications that are packaged as snaps. The desktop files for these applications are found in the /var/lib/snapd/desktop directory.
  • When an icon is clicked, the corresponding window will be brought into focus
  • If a window is closed, then the icon will be removed from the launcher
  • If we cannot resolve an icon for a window, then the launcher will attempt to use the application-x-executable icon. If that fails, then the icon will be missing entirely.