Configurable Quake Mode window width, to accommodate ultra-wide resolutions

[riverar]

Summary

Quake Mode (#9274) provides, well, a Quake-like console that appears on use of a global hotkey. This console window opens at the maximum width of the active workspace, however, creating usability issues on ultra-wide displays.

Consider a user sitting at the center of this screenshot:

Proposal

Allow for a user-configurable width, preferably in relative sizing units (to accommodate resolution changes).

Example:

{
  // ...
  "quakeMode.window.width": "50%"
}

[zadjii-msft]

So, IMO quake mode is more of an "easter egg" mode than anything else. If you want exactly the behavior of quake mode, then bind quakeMode. If you want some other behavior, then feel free to bind something else. I personally just use

{ "keys": "win+`", "command": { "action": "globalSummon", "monitor": "any" } },

which just activates the window where it is, without all the other "quake mode" hijinks. So you could bind that, and the window would still obey the normal initialRows, initialCols, etc. Does that seem like a reasonable solution?

(we've also got #9992 tracking "allow users to set settings per-window name", which would let users change the initialPosition, initialRows, etc for the _quake window).

[DHowett]

LOL. Yeah, that makes sense.

@zadjii-msft, perhaps we can roll this into "per-window launch properties" where a launch size/initial width for _quake specifies magic?

[riverar]

This mode was communicated as such at Build 2021:

Quake Mode allows users to quickly open a new terminal window from anywhere in Windows with a simple keyboard shortcut.

I wasn't aware of the global summon action so I'll try that out. I'll be looking for positioning configuration of that window as well.

If the team consensus is that Quake Mode was designed to be a gimmick and not a useful feature per Build comms, then feel free to close this issue. I'm okay with that.

[zadjii-msft]

Meh, yea, that's what we get when we try distilling a big release like this into two sentences 😆

There's actually quite a lot of configuration possible - see the docs for globalSummon

[DHowett]

If the team consensus is that Quake Mode was designed to be a gimmick and not a useful feature.

This is not the team's consensus. An "easter egg" that is a specialization of a much more featureful feature is not "a gimmick" that was designed to be "not a useful feature."

Please assume positive intent when you're on this repository. 😄

[riverar]

Thanks @DHowett no negative vibes intended. But I completely disagree with your characterization of Quake Mode as an easter egg. It's not communicated that way via official Microsoft comms channels. And "easter egg" implies "no support", hence my comment. Happy to be wrong there.

Regardless, @zadjii-msft's workaround is great, so no changes needed! Closing issue.

[xinxilas]

Thanks @DHowett no negative vibes intended. But I completely disagree with your characterization of Quake Mode as an easter egg. It's not communicated that way via official Microsoft comms channels. And "easter egg" implies "no support", hence my comment. Happy to be wrong there.

Regardless, @zadjii-msft's workaround is great, so no changes needed! Closing issue.

Sorry but how did you mannaged to adapt quake mode on ultra wide using the globalSummon directives ? I would like to open the quake mode at the middle of a really big screen with 50% width

[riverar]

@xinxilas I didn't. Wasn't worth the trouble.

[xinxilas]

Lol, ill try to use some custom globalsummon with without quake mode then 😂