Desktop client "urgency" hint for Windows, Linux

Feature Proposal
1

When there is an unread message, the chat window should be marked “urgent” so that explorer’s taskbar (or any given linux wm) can react as appropriate.

“Urgent hint” is what X11 called it. Wayland eventually adopted support, though it apparently required months (years?) of persistent complaints that notifications alone are not sufficient.
Hopefully we’re on the same page already :stuck_out_tongue:
Windows seems to refer to it only by “window flashing”.

This is an old, established, and common feature that everyone will have seen having used any desktop OS, so I assume it is not necessary for me to thoroughly describe this in detail- but I will provide screenshots.

Unfortunately my screenshots will be limited to Windows examples:

how-to-change-the-number-of-taskbar-icon-flashes-in-windows-10-version-1709-519686-3
how-to-change-the-number-of-taskbar-icon-flashes-in-windows-10-version-1709-519686-3761×420 87.8 KB

Optional: if it’s trivial to do, why not also support the Windows taskbar thing where it shows a number badge like so:

84724554-63026f00-af80-11ea-836a-feb4d033e8c1

Thanks!

2

the badge is already used next to the native notification feature of your desktop. we can discuss window flashing, though.

3

the badge is already used

Ah, that’s good. I recently transitioned to linux and assumed incorrectly about this aspect of the Windows client.

Is there any opposition to Explorer window-flashing and linux urgent? I assume the userbase who aren’t missing windowflashing have a wide overlap with users who use the system tray- where you can’t flash the window :wink:

If so, it’s unlikely to have any impact on users not looking for it.