[solved] Badly behaved windows when using chains

[backwoodsman]

PCLinuxOS 2009, KDE 3.5, Audacity 1.3.7

I use chains to process MP3 files -- import, speed up, export. For some reason Audacity thinks it's a good idea to pop a window up over whatever I'm doing at the start of every operation, which can be anything from inconvenient to a real pain. Some time ago I figured out how to make them pop underneath instead of on top, but I've just reinstalled the OS and now can't remember how I did that, and can't figure it out again. It was something on the window's system menu, Advanced, then Special Window Settings or Special Application Settings, but I've tried everything I can think of, without success. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[steve]

Can you tell us what the "pop up window" says (or post a screen shot).

[backwoodsman]

Can you tell us what the "pop up window" says (or post a screen shot).

When it's importing the file, it opens a window that says "Importing"; the next window says "Changing Tempo", and the third one says "Exporting". Then if I'm processing more than one file at a time, that repeats for each file. I really need these windows to stay in the background, or go away altogether, so they don't interrupt my work.

[steve]

It is not generally recommended to do "other work" on the computer while using resource intensive software such as Audacity, but if you are confident that your hardware can cope, why not work on a different desktop to the one that Audacity is running on?

[backwoodsman]

"Resource intensive?" What ISN'T resource intensive? That's what renice is for.

A different desktop would keep the windows from getting in the way, but it would also prevent me from easily seeing when Audacity is done processing. It would trade one inconvenience for another. It might be a slight improvement, but I know it's possible to solve the problem instead of just put a bad band-aid on it, and that's what I'd rather do. I just need to know how.

[steve]

what I'm looking for here is HELPFUL suggestions that might solve the problem,

Is the suggestion of working on a different desktop not helpful?

The recommendation about not running other unrelated programs at the same time as Audacity is more specifically relevant to when Audacity is running in real time, for example when recording. We get a surprising number of users that try recording streaming audio from the Internet, while simultaneously playing a computer game and burning a DVD and then wonder why they get drop outs in the recording. My passing comment about not doing "other work" was as a general word of caution regarding Audacity rather than specifically about running chains.

In Audacity 1.3.8 alpha Audacity does not automatically grab focus, so you can simply have it processing chains behind your current window.

[backwoodsman]

what I'm looking for here is HELPFUL suggestions that might solve the problem,

Is the suggestion of working on a different desktop not helpful?

I thought better of that comment right after I posted it, and edited it out. Sorry about that..

The recommendation about not running other unrelated programs at the same time as Audacity is more specifically relevant to when Audacity is running in real time, for example when recording.

Resource use isn't an issue for me, Audacity can take all the time it needs with the nice level turned way down so it doesn't slow anything else down. It still takes only a few minutes to process each file.

In Audacity 1.3.8 alpha Audacity does not automatically grab focus, so you can simply have it processing chains behind your current window.

Now that was just the idea I needed. I went to the window menu / Advanced / Special Application Settings / Workarounds and set Focus stealing prevention to Force / Extreme, and it seems to have done the trick. Thanks!

[steve]

Frustration can easily get the better of us

I just had a thought immediately after posting - perhaps PCLinuxOS does not have multiple desktops by default? (I'm getting so accustomed to having 4 desktops it really bugs me when I have to work on Windows PCs with only one).

Anyway, glad you've got it to work the way you want it.

[backwoodsman]

I just had a thought immediately after posting - perhaps PCLinuxOS does not have multiple desktops by default?

It does, although I rarely use more than one since I have almost 3 megapixels of screen space. I love it when my friends think they need a new LCD monitor -- I just got a free 19" CRT to go with the 2 17's I already have. It's not hooked up yet though, so I'm still suffering with less than 3 megapixels.

Lots of things about Windoze seem pretty primitive after using Linux/KDE for the last few years.