Linux build: Default window location is suboptimal.

[OoMrFlibble]

Testing with the appimage on 1920x1080 desktops (LinuxMint 22.3 xfce4, and AnduinOS), the splash screen manifests itself near bottom right of screen.

Also, the game window, although it remembers its size, also always appears with the bottom right corner at the bottom right of screen.

This is with the most recent appimage in a fresh folder. Same happens when testing with my usual OXP heap.

[OoMrFlibble]

Further tests show similar results on different DEs:

Debian 13.3.0 Gnome, KDE, LXDE, LXQT and LinuxMint 22.3 Cinnamon
Splash manifests itself botttom right.
Window position not saved on exit. Always opens in a terrible position.
Resizing window is very 'lumpy'.

LinuxMint 22.3 Mate
Same as above, apart from:
Window all visible, none off the bottom right.
Resizing a bit less lumpy.

TrixiePup64 260103 (wayland)
Resize a bit less lumpy.

All: Resizing the window at main menu can cause the music to stop.

[brianread108]

Can Confim this on Mint 22.3 (Cinnamon 6.7). If you resize the window you can easily end up with a blank window / window outside the desktop, clearly the "mapping" between the movement of dragging and the window size and position is not correct.

[mcarans]

This is not specific to appimage. This happens for a standard build on Kubuntu on my machine. From my testing this line doesn't work:
SDL_putenv ("SDL_VIDEO_WINDOW_POS=center");

Changing to the below puts the window to the top left:
SDL_putenv ("SDL_VIDEO_WINDOW_POS=0,0");

@AnotherCommander Does SDL_VIDEO_WINDOW_POS=center work properly on Windows?

[AnotherCommander]

@AnotherCommander Does SDL_VIDEO_WINDOW_POS=center work properly on Windows?

It seems so, yes. I have not witnessed any issue with window positioning and haven't received any such reports on Windows either.

[mcarans]

@OoMrFlibble @brianread108 Please try the version with fixes here and let me know how it goes:
https://github.com/mcarans/oolite/actions/runs/22598233891

[OoMrFlibble]

@OoMrFlibble @brianread108 Please try the version with fixes here and let me know how it goes: https://github.com/mcarans/oolite/actions/runs/22598233891

Now top left, which is preferable to 'hanging out the bottom'. Resizing is now sane too. Well done commander!

Perhaps picky, but is it do-able to make the splash appear centre of screen, and have the game window save and restore its whole geometry (size and position) on normal exit?

If tricky, one for the back-burner.

[mcarans]

@OoMrFlibble Does this centre for you? https://github.com/mcarans/oolite/actions/runs/22599825952

Retrieving window position in SDL1.2 is not possible so I cannot save it. Newer SDL versions can do this. Does centring work better than top left?

[OoMrFlibble]

@OoMrFlibble Does this centre for you? https://github.com/mcarans/oolite/actions/runs/22599825952

The main window is indeed centred.

However, the splash is quite a bit left of centre. Looks like the top left of splash is being placed at the same origin as top left of main window. which is not (normally) the same size.

Retrieving window position in SDL1.2 is not possible so I cannot save it. Newer SDL versions can do this. Does centring work better than top left?

Fair enough. Back burner then. I personally prefer the main window appearing centred rather than top left.

[mcarans]

@OoMrFlibble By splash you mean the Oolite logo that appears before the main window launches right? For me, it is in the centre like the main window.

EDIT: I see now. It depends on the size of the main window.

[OoMrFlibble]

@OoMrFlibble By splash you mean the Oolite logo that appears before the main window launches right? For me, it is in the centre like the main window.

EDIT: I see now. It depends on the size of the main window.

Yes, by splash, I mean the initial loading logo.

I'm testing on XFCE4 (LinuxMint22.3). And the splash seems to always have its left edge where the left edge of the game window will subsequently manifest.

I can't quickly tweak the initial window size for the game window... or do you know a userland way (plist or somesuch)?

If the geometry (size and position) for the game window can/could be set from a plist, that might be useful to some folk. Of course, the splash ought to be centred based on it's own size, and need not be tweakable.

[dsalt]

Just tested it here. Dual-monitor setup, primary on the right.

Without the patch: opens with the top left corner at the centre of the right monitor. This makes me think that the problem is actually one of window size, with the window being resized after its top-left position is set.

With the patch: opens on the left monitor. This is not ideal (assumptions about monitor layout) but is not properly fixable with the SDL 1.2 interface, be it old 1.2 or the current compat layer – although being able to save the window position would be a useful workaround.

What's really needed here is to switch to SDL 2.

[OoMrFlibble]

Just tested it here. Dual-monitor setup, primary on the right.

Without the patch: opens with the top left corner at the centre of the right monitor. This makes me think that the problem is actually one of window size, with the window being resized after its top-left position is set.

With the patch: opens on the left monitor. This is not ideal (assumptions about monitor layout) but is not properly fixable with the SDL 1.2 interface, be it old 1.2 or the current compat layer – although being able to save the window position would be a useful workaround.

What's really needed here is to switch to SDL 2.

Ah! I'd imagined the splash to be a window that got destroyed to make way for the game window. I get now that it's the same window. How frustrating. Can the expanding of the window be done symmetrically, rather than left-anchored, thus allowing the centring to be based on the splash size, then preserved by the initial resizing as game menu opens?

The monitor it appears on ought not to matter too much, as it could be dragged to the correct screen, or, short-term, that could be bodged around by power-users if geometry (for the game window) were settable somehow.

Moving up an SDL version or two seems the best-long-term move for many reasons.

I guess if it's a pain to centre splash, then re-centre for game, or destroy splash and make new window for game, then you've cracked it as much as is sane for now.

[mcarans]

@OoMrFlibble @brianread108 Please try: https://github.com/mcarans/oolite/actions/runs/22605261125

This version attempts to dynamically call SDL3 (assumes SDL2compat and SDL12compat) and failing that SDL2 (assumes SDL12compat) to centre the screen. Both splash and main windows were centred for me (using the SDL2 fallback).

[OoMrFlibble]

@OoMrFlibble @brianread108 Please try: https://github.com/mcarans/oolite/actions/runs/22605261125

This version attempts to dynamically call SDL3 and failing that SDL2 to centre the screen. Both splash and main windows were centred for me (using the SDL2 fallback).

`$ ./Oolite_test_1.92.1.7800-260303-6443c4c-x86_64.AppImage
2026-03-03 02:41:38.449 oolite[160724:160725] Truncating thread name 'OOLogOutputHandler logging thread' to 15 characters due to platform limitations

Centered via SDL2 reach-through (ID: 2).

Centered via SDL2 reach-through (ID: 2).
`

Works for me... and possibly the first step toward SDL2 and beyond :)