`xdo` fails if the focused bspwm node is not a leaf (window).

[emanuele6]

bspc query -N -n focused shouldn't be used to get the id focused of the focused window since it may return a node that is not a window.

But xdo id can't be used to get that id either: it fails.

How to reproduce (in bspwm):

• go in an empty desktop;
• open two terminals;
• from one of terminals, run bspc node @parent -f;
• from the same terminal, run xdo id; echo "$?" (keep the parent focused while you do it
• the output will be the following (i.e. nothing printed, exit with 1):

  $ xdo id; echo "$?"
  1

pfw from wmutils/core works correctly: outputs the id of the focused (active) window.

xdotool getactivewindow fails exiting with 0 and printing this message to stderr:

XGetWindowProperty[_NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW] failed (code=1)
xdo_get_active_window reported an error

Since xdo is commonly used by bspwm user, I think it should work correctly in this case (like pfw).

[emanuele6]

I discovered that xdotool also has getwindowfocus, that won't work either: it always outputs "276" when the focused bspwm node is not a leaf (window).

I don't know what 276 (0x00000114) is supposed to be, but here is the output of xprop -id 276 (there are my Xresources, my xim server, &c so the output on other people's computers may look different, but maybe someone can figure out what this is by looking at the atoms, assuming that knowing what 276 is is even relevant):

_NET_CLIENT_LIST_STACKING(WINDOW): window id # 0x800009, 0x80003c, 0x800028
_NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW(WINDOW): window id # 0x800028
_NET_CLIENT_LIST(WINDOW): window id # 0x800009, 0x800028, 0x80003c
XIM_SERVERS(ATOM) = @server=ibus
GDK_VISUALS(INTEGER) = 215, 266
_NET_CURRENT_DESKTOP(CARDINAL) = 0
_NET_DESKTOP_VIEWPORT(CARDINAL) = 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
_NET_DESKTOP_NAMES(UTF8_STRING) = "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "10"
_NET_NUMBER_OF_DESKTOPS(CARDINAL) = 10
XFree86_DDC_EDID1_RAWDATA(INTEGER) = 0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, 0, 48, -28, -96, 64, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 20, 1, 3, -128, 31, 17, 120, -22, -114, 53, -109, 88, 86, -112, 41, 32, 80, 84, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 18, 27, 86, 104, 80, 0, 18, 48, 32, 32, 53, 0, 54, -82, 16, 0, 0, 25, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, -2, 0, 76, 71, 32, 68, 105, 115, 112, 108, 97, 121, 10, 32, 32, 0, 0, 0, -2, 0, 76, 80, 49, 52, 48, 87, 72, 50, 45, 84, 76, 77, 50, 0, 59
_NET_SUPPORTING_WM_CHECK(WINDOW): window id # 0xa00000
_NET_SUPPORTED(ATOM) = _NET_SUPPORTED, _NET_SUPPORTING_WM_CHECK, _NET_DESKTOP_NAMES, _NET_DESKTOP_VIEWPORT, _NET_NUMBER_OF_DESKTOPS, _NET_CURRENT_DESKTOP, _NET_CLIENT_LIST, _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW, _NET_CLOSE_WINDOW, _NET_WM_STRUT_PARTIAL, _NET_WM_DESKTOP, _NET_WM_STATE, _NET_WM_STATE_HIDDEN, _NET_WM_STATE_FULLSCREEN, _NET_WM_STATE_BELOW, _NET_WM_STATE_ABOVE, _NET_WM_STATE_STICKY, _NET_WM_STATE_DEMANDS_ATTENTION, _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE, _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DOCK, _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DESKTOP, _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_NOTIFICATION, _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_DIALOG, _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_UTILITY, _NET_WM_WINDOW_TYPE_TOOLBAR
ESETROOT_PMAP_ID(PIXMAP): pixmap id # 0x400001
_XROOTPMAP_ID(PIXMAP): pixmap id # 0x400001
RESOURCE_MANAGER(STRING) = "*.background:\t#252323\n*.color0:\t#252323\n*.color1:\t#cc241d\n*.color10:\t#79740e\n*.color11:\t#b57614\n*.color12:\t#076678\n*.color13:\t#8f3f71\n*.color14:\t#427b58\n*.color15:\t#f9f5d7\n*.color2:\t#98971a\n*.color3:\t#d79921\n*.color4:\t#458588\n*.color5:\t#b16286\n*.color6:\t#689d6a\n*.color7:\t#ebdbb2\n*.color8:\t#32302F\n*.color9:\t#9d0006\n*.cursorColor:\t#bdae93\n*.cursorColor2:\t#252323\n*.foreground:\t#bdae93\ne6theme.acc:\t#458588\ne6theme.bg1:\t#252323\ne6theme.bg2:\t#252323\ne6theme.ext:\t#d79921\ne6theme.fg1:\t#bdae93\ne6theme.fg2:\t#f9f5d7\ne6theme.unf:\t#32302F\ne6theme.urg:\t#cc241d\nurxvt.font:\txft: xos4 Terminus:pixelsize=16:antialias=false, Kochi Gothic:antialias=false, Font Awesome 5 Free:style=Solid:antialias=true\nurxvt.saveLines:\t0\nurxvt.scrollBar:\tfalse\n"
_XKB_RULES_NAMES(STRING) = "evdev", "pc105", "it", "", ""
XFree86_has_VT(INTEGER) = 1
XFree86_VT(INTEGER) = 1

[emanuele6]

xdo uses xcb_ewmh_get_active_window() to get the window id to use when none is provided in the command line arguments.

pfw uses the focus property of the reply of xcb_get_input_focus().

Is using the xcb equivalent of pfw's method ok? @baskerville

---

• pfw's source code.

[emanuele6]

This problem is not specific to the id action of course.

[emanuele6]

I noticed that pfw also returns 0x00000114 not failing some times: when you run it from an empty desktop.

Test:

• use this sxhkd hotkey (POSIX sh):

  super + x
  	notify-send "$(pfw; echo "$?")"

• press super + x in an empty bspwm desktop;
• you will get a notification with this as it's summary:

  0x00000114
  0