Flash video fullscreen playing behind browser

**ok well the tiltle says it all.
I am using 11.4 with Gnome3 and multimedia pack.
When playing flash videos in the browser if I click fullscreen, the video plays full screen behind the browser window. It does not happen always and it has not happened with youtube yet.

Any solutions would be really appreciated.**

I think it is a flash issue and not related to opensuse / linux as I also see this behavior in Windows7.

Just click on the flash video with your mouse. This will bring it to the front.

I’ve also had this problem, and I have tried that before. You bring it to the front alright, but not in full screen as intended. I didn’t care enough to research the issue, but I generally solve this by restarting Firefox - and therefore, Flash, which appears to be the culprit.

By the way, unlike waqarulhassan, I am using KDE 4.6.4 and I’ve noticed the issue on Youtube as well.

It works for me. I’m not convinced this is a Flash bug, I didn’t come across it or the “flashing rectangle” issue until I upgraded to FF 4.

By the way, unlike waqarulhassan, I am using KDE 4.6.4 and I’ve noticed the issue on Youtube as well.

That’s interesting, I have Gnome 2. Are you using the KDE version of FF?

I think…
It’s not and never has happened here. In kde4, gnome2 or gnome3.

Try a new user account. Make not adjustments from the defaults. Does it still happen?

I simply click to minimise firefox when this happens and it brings the full screen video to the front (true full screen without taskbar).

This works in both windows and opensuse 11.4 KDE.

Definitely not an opensuse or profile problem but either firefox or flash specific.

I’m just quick to blame Flash for any unusual and buggy behaviour of this sort, but it might be something else of course - and as I rarely use full screen, I never bothered to fix it. :shame: However, I have had this problem since (at least) Firefox 3.5 on openSUSE 11.2. I can’t recall whether I have seen it earlier than that.

That’s interesting, I have Gnome 2. Are you using the KDE version of FF?

Nope. The regular version from the stable Mozilla repo.

I’ve actually had this happen to me as well. I usually just alt+tab to the full screen flash window or use Present Windows to click on the full screen window. Never really bothered to look into it too far since it rarely ever happens.

Take Care,
Ian

well as I do not have a minimise button in Gnome3 I have to resize the browser window, then click fullscreen button and then the video behind the browser, and it has never happened with youtube, but in facebook it happens to all embedded videos including youtube. It happens in chromium as well. I have a dual-boot Win7 64bit, never experienced it there. I am using 32bit version of openSUSE 11.4 with gnome 3.

I have fixed this problem on 5 opensuse machines now. You can find the method to do it below. Follow the directions exactly, don’t vary from them and it will fix the problem.

Flash video fullscreen always in background. Found a solution for KDE.

brucecadieux, thank you for linking that workaround.

any ideas for Gnome?

I can confirm this one works for me at the moment, but I guess I’ll try brucecadieux’s fix to prevent it from happening again.

Here is my solution for gnome. It works for me on Gnome 3 on Fedora 15 :slight_smile:

install devilspie
make the directory .devilspie in your home directory
put the below code into a text editor and save the file as /home/your-username/.devilspie/flash-fullscreen.ds

(if
    (is (application_name) "npviewer.bin")
    (begin
       (focus)
    )
)

This will bring the flash window into focus, just like what happens when you alt+tab to the next window.
That should solve the problem.

Next run the command to test it
devilspie
Test video at ESPN Video: Watch Sports Videos and Highlights Online - ESPN

If it worked then you want the program to auto start. To do this run the command
gnome-session-properties
Click the add button
In the Name box type devilspie
In the Command box type devilspie
Click Add button

Now you’re done :D. All that is left to do is to log out and back in again for the auto start to kick in. Or you could just press Alt+F2 and type devilspie, if it’s not already loaded.

If for some reason you want the flash video to “Stay Above All Windows” as well, you can just add the new line “(above)”, like in the code below.
We still need the “(focus)” line because for me switching to fullscreen didn’t give the window any focus without it.

(if
    (is (application_name) "npviewer.bin")
    (begin
       (focus)
       (above)
    )
)

Sorry for the double post, I don’t see an edit feature.

The config file in the previous post only works for Firefox.

Here’s the Chrome solution
Chrome - save as flash-fullscreen-chrome.ds

(if
    (is (application_name) "exe")
    (begin
       (focus)
    )
)

Note that it uses the application name exe. This is all I could find for the windows name. Please do say if you know of a better way to reference it.