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README.md

Window Position Remember

A Cinnamon Desktop extension that automatically saves and restores window positions across sessions and monitors.

Screenshot

Features

  • Automatic Position Saving - Window positions are saved every 30 seconds using a dirty-flag system for efficiency
  • Multi-Monitor Support - Full support for multiple monitors with EDID-based identification that persists even when monitors are reconnected to different ports
  • Session Restore - Automatically restores your complete workspace layout on login, including launching applications
  • Smart Window Matching - Intelligent matching algorithm based on stable sequence, X11 window ID, and title matching
  • Resolution-Independent - Uses percentage-based positioning that automatically adapts to resolution changes
  • Plugin System - App-specific handlers for browsers, IDEs, office suites, and other applications with special requirements
  • Flatpak Support - Automatic detection and launching of Flatpak applications
  • GTK Settings UI - Comprehensive Python/GTK 3 settings dialog with tabs for overview, windows, apps, and preferences
  • Multi-Language Support - Translations available in 15+ languages

Supported Applications

The extension works with all applications out of the box. Some applications with special requirements (multi-window browsers, IDEs with workspace restoration, document-based apps) have dedicated plugins for optimal handling. If you need a plugin for another app, feel free to open an issue or PR at the GitHub repository.

Application Features
Brave / Chrome Multi-window browser support
Firefox Session restore integration
Thunderbird Multi-profile support
VS Code Workspace restoration
JetBrains IDEs IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, etc.
LibreOffice Document path restoration
GIMP Image editor with file paths
Gedit / Xed / Kate Text editors with file restoration
Nemo File manager directory restore
Gradia Screenshot tool (Flatpak)

Custom Plugins

You can create your own plugins for applications with special requirements. Place them in:

~/.config/remember@thechief/plugins/<app-name>/config.json

See the built-in plugins for examples of the configuration format.

Installation

From Cinnamon Spices (Recommended)

  1. Open System Settings → Extensions
  2. Click the Download tab
  3. Search for "Window Position Remember"
  4. Click Install
  5. Enable the extension in the Manage tab

Manual Installation

git clone https://github.com/carsteneu/remember.git
cd remember
./install.sh

Then enable the extension in System Settings → Extensions.

Usage

  1. Enable the extension in System Settings → Extensions
  2. Arrange your windows as desired
  3. Positions are automatically saved every 30 seconds
  4. On next login, windows are restored to their saved positions

Configuration

Right-click the extension in the Extensions list and select Configure to open the settings dialog:

Overview Tab

  • View tracked windows and monitors
  • Quick statistics and status

Windows Tab

  • View all saved window instances
  • Manage individual window entries

Applications Tab

  • Session Restore: Enable/disable per-app auto-launch on login
  • Application Blacklist: Exclude specific applications from tracking
  • Single Instance Apps: Configure apps that should only launch once

Preferences Tab

  • Startup Delay: Time to wait before session restore begins (default: 2s)
  • Per-Window Restore Delay: Time between each window restore (default: 500ms)

How It Works

Window Matching Strategy

The extension uses multiple strategies to reliably identify windows (priority order):

  1. stable_sequence - Most reliable within session
  2. x11_window_id - Persists across Cinnamon restarts
  3. Exact title match - For after re-login when IDs change
  4. First unassigned instance - Order-based fallback

Monitor Identification

Monitors are identified using:

  1. EDID hash - Primary method, extracted via xrandr
  2. Connector + Resolution - Fallback method
  3. Monitor index - Last resort

This ensures your layout is restored correctly even when monitors are reconnected in different ports.

Position Storage

  • Positions stored as percentages (adapts to resolution changes)
  • Absolute pixel coordinates kept as backup
  • Data stored in: ~/.config/remember@thechief/

Troubleshooting

Windows not restoring on startup

  • Check if session restore is enabled in Applications tab
  • Increase startup delay in Preferences
  • Check logs: tail -f ~/.xsession-errors

Application launches multiple times

  • Enable "Single Instance" for that app in the Applications tab

Wrong monitor positions

  • Ensure monitors are connected to the same physical ports
  • Re-save positions after changing monitor configuration

Technical Details

  • Cinnamon Version: 6.6
  • Languages: JavaScript (Extension), Python 3 (Settings UI)
  • Auto-save Interval: 30 seconds
  • Config Directory: ~/.config/remember@thechief/

License

GPL-2.0

Author

carsteneu

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