Linux: how to get a list of all visible windows

Question

Disclaimer: I know there is a very similar question on this topic.

I am trying to get exactly the same result that NoozNooz42 described here. However mdma answer doesn't fit my needs, because I'm interested in doing the same on linux. Preferrably with gnome, if it matters. So using JNA with user32 library is not a option here (or is it?).

Any suggestions will be great, I couldn't find almost anything on the topic.

P.S. The only thing I have found is wmctrl command (I could call and parse it in java eventually) that lists windows but doesn't give me any information about the z-order.

Update: It would be perfect if I could get a notification/callback when the z-order changes.

score 12 · Accepted Answer · edited May 05 '16 at 02:09

12

Use xprop, it shows window properties. List of windows in z-order is in property _NET_CLIENT_LIST_STACKING of the root window:

xprop -root | grep '_NET_CLIENT_LIST_STACKING(WINDOW)'

Output should look like this:

_NET_CLIENT_LIST_STACKING(WINDOW): window id # 0x2000003, 0x4000004,
0x1c00004, 0x1c00030, 0x1c00033, 0x2e00004

Later you can get more info about particular windows with:

xprop -id <id>

or

xwininfo -id <id>

edited May 05 '16 at 02:09

mxmlnkn

1,887
1
19
26

answered Mar 26 '13 at 14:32

Jarosław Jaryszew

1,414
1
12
13

Very good answer, thank you! +1 for this, however I'm still hoping for pure java solution – Adam Pierzchała Mar 26 '13 at 14:46
Please see my update on the question. Do you know about anything that would give me a notification on z-order change? – Adam Pierzchała Mar 26 '13 at 14:55
`xev -root` will show all the changes in root window properties. Just filter after _NET_CLIENT_LIST_STACKING. – Jarosław Jaryszew Mar 26 '13 at 15:00
That is awesome. I am only starting to imagine what are my possibilities now. Is this a standard package in all common linux distributions? – Adam Pierzchała Mar 26 '13 at 15:12
I am not sure. It wasn't standard in Ubuntu few releases ago though now it is. Btw it is x11-utils . – Jarosław Jaryszew Mar 26 '13 at 15:27
3

`xprop -root _NET_CLIENT_LIST_STACKING` filters it without grep. – Petr Skocik May 17 '15 at 21:05

Linux: how to get a list of all visible windows

1 Answers1