Show workspace applications on hover

[tmarti2]

Pull Request

Motivation

I saw issue #1350 and thought I could give it a try, since I'm into hovering stuff.
This PR add a new setting to show application only when hovered (requires show applications enabled).
I struggled a bit as always and settled on a solution with an evaluation timer:

• If we're hovering the widget directly, show the app
• If the context menu is visible, show the app
• We either exit the context menu or leave the widget, we start an evaluation timer, which on trigger will check if one of the two above is true or not

This solution avoids race condition on hovered status.

It feels a bit rough as is because I did not put any animation for the transition (shall we ?).

Also I found some properties which were not used about hovering, so I just removed them, tell me if they're somehow required. At the moment I feel like the application display isn't responsive at all, unlike pill display which as smooth animation, hovering effect, etc, application display as nothing except border color. I'm adding this at the bottom of my never ending todolist.

Type of Change

Mark the relevant option with an "x".

• Bug fix
• New feature
• Breaking change
• Refactoring

Related Issue

• Closes Workspace widget - add an option to show applications on hover #1350

Testing

Describe how you tested your changes and mark the relevant items.

• Tested on niri
• Tested on Hyprland
• Tested on sway
• Tested with different bar positions and density settings
• Tested at different interface scaling values
• Tested with multiple monitors (if applicable)

Screenshots / Videos

If applicable, include screenshots or videos to help illustrate your changes.

Checklist

• Code follows project style guidelines
• Self-reviewed my code
• No new warnings or errors
• Documentation or comments updated (if relevant)

Additional Notes

Add any additional context or follow-up notes for reviewers.

[tmarti2]

I'm drafting this, I need a smooth transition between both versions of the widget, I'll work on that soon.

[tmarti2]

Ok I did something simple because I did not succeed in making something smarter.

I added three things (in 3 separate commits for review):

• A scale animation when the display of the widget changes
• A scale animation when hovering an icon (I had to change scale depending on layout to avoid icon exiting the group border)
• Change border color (if enabled) when hovering a group

What do you think ? tbh I'm not good with animations so I went for something straightforward but we can make improvements if you think it's needed.

workspace.mp4

[dinhokusanagi]

I looked at this PR and also considered the layout from #1716. I think this PR brings good interactivity with hover and simple animations, which is great for those who prefer a more discreet interface.

My suggestion would be to try combining the best of both: keep the hover logic and animations from this PR, but adopt the more fluid and visual layout from #1716. This way, the interface would be both interactive and give a better sense of the open applications.

Overall, I like the animations and the attention to visual feedback — even simple, they already improve the experience quite a bit.