Helper Windows

[Jehan]

Hello,

I am new to OpenBox and really first, let me thanks the dev because you
have done some pretty great job. So far, OpenBox is the first Window
Manager which has so many of the features I have so often wanted without
finding them. Before, I have known a few typical Desktop (Windows-like
or close, KDE, Gnome), fastly gone to the OpenStep WMs (WindowMaker,
then Fluxbox, and Blackbox, both very good one). And lastly I have been
on Ion3 for several monthes (very good ideas in some place which made me
continue to use it but many other enerving features, and difficult to
customize).

Now I discover OpenBox and I really wonder why this is not better known.
So... thanks.

Now comes my question, for which I subscribe to the list. :-)

In the page for new features of v3.4, I saw the part about the Helper
Windows. I will copy it here so that everyone can have a look without
the time lost to search for it:

______________________________________________________________________
 Helper windows

Openbox 3.4 improves how helper windows for applications behave. Helper
windows are those such as tear off toolbars and menus, and utility
windows like tool boxes.

If you are using an application across multiple desktops, when you focus
a main window, the helper windows will automatically come to that
desktop, so you don't need to move them all back and forth by hand.
Previously, it was so much effort as to be almost impossible to work
across desktops like this, such as having a gimp image open on different
desktops. But now, it's a snap.

Helper windows are also kept above the main window so that they are
always there when you need them. Toolbars and menus are also not given
focus when you click in them, so that you can keep on working in the
main window without having to click back to it.

When focus cycling, such as with Alt-Tab in the default configuration,
helper windows do not show up in the list when the main window is
already there. This reduces the clutter of focus cycling, letting you
choose the application itself easier. Once the application is focused,
however, you can use Alt-Tab to get to any of its helper windows.
______________________________________________________________________

And so... I said "Waw!!!". That's so good. But... I could find no other
reference to this in the documentations, nor in comments in the default
conf files. As for search engines, there are pretty scarce with these
keywords ("helper windows" + openbox).

So the question is: how does this work? Do we have to activate
something? Because if this is supposed to work by default, I don't
understand. For instance Gimp is given as an example in the wiki. And
this is true that Gimp is exactly the example of a program which can
become sometimes a pain in the ass: losing focus all the time, so many
windows (so annoying to cycle through them when you would like to be
able to focus them with one simple shortcut). But I made tests in Gimp
and none of the announced features (I am in 3.4.2) work. So what to do
please? Any hint is welcome.
Thanks.

Jehan

P.S.: by the way, this made me think of some nice feature to come.
Wouldn't it be nice to have an action for cycling windows but only among
the windows of the same program? You have already a focus cycling with
many options (ordered or last used, one desktop or all desktop...), this
would be another one which I would find great.