protonscr

Incorrect behavior in tiling window managers (i3 bspwm)

steamclosed Window manager
ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#11085 · opened 2024-07-12 by TAforever · updated 2025-02-27 · 6 comments · github
TTAforever 2024-07-12 github

Your system information

  • Steam client version (build number or date): 1.0.0.79-2
  • Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): archlinux
  • Opted into Steam client beta?: yes
  • Have you checked for system updates?: yes
  • Steam Logs: [generate by running this command in a terminal tar -zcvf ~/Desktop/steam-logs.tar.gz ~/.steam/steam/logs]
  • GPU: AMD

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

If you play a game and switch to another workspace, and then back, the focus will be on the Steam client and not the game, and the game will exit fullscreen mode

steam-logs.tar.gz

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/08d509c5-48e0-46e1-b57f-310eb95cbcce

Kkisak-valve maintainer 2024-07-12 github

Hello @TAforever, you've described a game engine specific focus issue with your window manager / desktop environment. The steam client shouldn't be manipulating this.

Report this issue to the game dev(s) and/or your window manager's maintainer(s).

TTAforever 2024-07-12 github

But this happens with all games I tested Counter-Strike 1.6, War Thunder, World of Tanks Blitz.
The problem is not with window managers, it appeared about a month ago after updating the Steam client

TTAforever 2024-07-21 github

I also tested it in awesome wm - the same behavior. If a third-party program should open on the same desktop where Steam is open, then the program does not receive focus when launched, but the Steam client does. This is very strange behavior. The Steam client steals focus from any program opened with it on the same workspace

TTAforever 2024-08-07 github

@kisak-valve I figured out this problem a little bit . In bspwm there is a parameter ignore_ewmh_focus, I set it to true and this problem disappeared, but I don’t know if there is a similar setting in other window managers. It is necessary that the Steam client stop sending window managers a request for EWMH focus because this problem had never occurred before the recent update

TTAforever 2025-02-27 github

It seems to be finally fixed