Trying to screenshot all x11 virtual desktops

HeyCanIBorrowThat · 2025-03-26 21:15:42

As the title says, I'm trying to capture an image/render of all x11 virtual desktops, but without cycling through them. By cycling I mean activating the next one, taking an image, and moving to the next. Using `xwd -root` does the trick, but only for the current active desktop. From what I've found online and through chatgpt, it seems like it's impossible. Is there actually a way to do this, or is this a limitation of Xorg, or of xwd? Thanks!

seth · 2025-03-26 21:29:14

I'm trying to capture an image/render of all x11 virtual desktops, but without cycling through them.

Not gonna happen - virtual desktops don't really exist. Your WM shows and hides windows based on the selected virtual desktop.

This is also not really a X11 problem - though technically any compositor (on X11 or wayland or windows) could render those windows offscreen, if you're using a compositing WM it might even provide that feature (by effectively hiding that it's cycling through the VDs)

Since this has all the hallmarks of an https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XY_problem - what are you trying to achieve here? Why is cycling through the VDs not acceptable?

HeyCanIBorrowThat · 2025-03-26 21:49:48

I use bspwm as my WM, and it doesn't come with any way to get an overview of which windows are on which virtual desktops. I'm trying to make something similar to pressing win+Tab on windows. I'd like to get a screenshot/render of all virtual desktops and show them in a box.

seth · 2025-03-26 22:04:59

"skippy-xd --paging"?
https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/skippy-xd-git

https://archlinux.org/packages/extra/x86_64/bbpager/ (no screenshots, windows are grey boxes)

HeyCanIBorrowThat · 2025-03-26 22:17:18

Skippy looks promising, I'll check it out. Thank you!

Arch Linux

#1 2025-03-26 21:15:42

Trying to screenshot all x11 virtual desktops

#2 2025-03-26 21:29:14

Re: Trying to screenshot all x11 virtual desktops

#3 2025-03-26 21:49:48

Re: Trying to screenshot all x11 virtual desktops

#4 2025-03-26 22:04:59

Re: Trying to screenshot all x11 virtual desktops

#5 2025-03-26 22:17:18

Re: Trying to screenshot all x11 virtual desktops

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