[Xnee-devel] Self-centered window recordings originally made in Linux does not replay in MS-Windows

[Veijo Ryhänen]

Hello,

here are instructions how to reproduce subject's problem:

1. Start Linux and X-windows (equipped with some window manager which
   draws title bars to all windows).

2. Start xterm

3. Start a self -centering window using command:

artsmessage "This is a self-centering window." &

  or:

xmessage -center "This is a self-centering window." &

  or:

xfce4-about &

  or:

gnome-about &


4. Start xnee and record when you mouse click button 
   which close the self-centering window.

  
5. Start X and xterm by using commands:

  X :1& DISPLAY=:1;xterm
  
  and press Ctrl+F7 and Ctrl+F8 to change virtual console.
  
or: 

  Start Xnest by using command :Xnest :1& DISPLAY=:1 xterm &


Now you are "simulating" Microsoft Windows and some
win32 Xserver software running in MS-Windows
WITHOUT any window manager -> so there is no title bar
in xterm.

Alternatively use can use real Microsoft Windows+some Xserver 
software. Then there is no Unix -titlebar in xterm, but instead 
there is MS-Windows -titlebar (=MS-windows -theme and colors
are in use).
 
  
6. Inside xterm -window, start your self-centering window
   and try to replay that xnee -file (which you recorded in
   phase 4). SURPRISE! Mouse click does NOT hit the Close
   -button!


Explanation: If window manager is used when recording, title
bar height will "push" the whole self centering window little 
bit downwards on the screen. When replaying without titlebar
the whole self centering window will move little bit uppwards.
The difference is enough big so that mouse click does not hit 
to the "Close" -button.

You can see the difference by using command:

   xwininfo|grep upper-left

For example, I was recording with titlebar and using "xwininfo" 
to check "gnome-about" -window dimensions when screen resolution 
was 1280+x1024:

  Absolute upper-left X:  355
  Absolute upper-left Y:  335

When replay without X-wm titlebar = replay with MS-Windows native titlebar:

  Absolute upper-left X:  351
  Absolute upper-left Y:  314

Difference in Y -direction is 335-314 = 21 pixel. 
My guess is that titlebar height is 21 pixel too.

Difference in X -direction is 355-351 = 4 pixel. 
My guess is that frameline width is 4 pixel too.

I would like to solve this problem (when replay without
titlebar) by using command:

  xnee --replay --offset -21,-4 -f gnome-about.xnee
  
"--offset -21,-4" means: xnee will remove 21 pixel 
from every recorded x -coordinate and xnee
will remove 4 pixel from every recorded y -coordinate
during replay.

Unfortunately, there is no --offset switch available
currently in xnee. Propably I am the only person who
would like to use the --offset -switch ?

Maybe it is very rare situation when recording must be done
in Linux -computer (because there is no RECORD -extension
available in MS-windows X-server) and replay must be done
by using several different usernames and several different
MS-Windows+MSWindows native Xservers (because here 
in work is only one Linux x-server available, ie. my dualboot 
workstation).

Imagine situation where somebody records in Linux many days with
xnee by using application which uses self-centered window. 
And when he/she is trying to playback in MS-Windows X-server, he/she 
will discover that it does not work! I had good luck, because
I discovered this problem enough early. But I have used many 
days to examine this problem.

I think that this problem is not a bug in xnee. I think that this 
is a lack of feature (=lack of --offset -switch) in xnee.


Veijo Ryhänen, Finland