Displays have separate Spaces

[FelixKratz]

Since v2.20.0 SketchyBar will refuse to start if the system settings "Displays have separate Spaces" is turned off. The macOS default is that this option is turned on and it is required for certain things to work properly.

The setting is located in System Settings -> Desktop & Dock -> Displays have separate Spaces and should be on.

[FancyFurret]

@FelixKratz This unfortunately makes it impossible for me to use SketchyBar. I have a bit of a unique scenario - I have an ultrawide monitor (32:9), that in order to make the full resolution and refresh rate work with my macbook - I have to run in "Picture by Picture" mode. Meaning the monitor acts as two 16:9 displays side by side to macos. Now, in order to have windows across this middle "seam" without part of the window getting cut off, I have to disable "Displays have separate Spaces".

It would be fantastic if SketchyBar could support this configuration (even better if we could make it so the bar can span multiple displays, so I could have one long bar spanning the full width of my ultrawide monitor, broken up into two displays in macos) (this is a pain point with macos's native bar, it only shows up on one display, ie: half of my full ultrawide monitor)

[incanus]

Related to this, I'm using SketchyBar with AeroSpace WM and they recently began recommending turning this setting off.

https://nikitabobko.github.io/AeroSpace/guide#a-note-on-displays-have-separate-spaces

I only found out when I logged out/in to toggle the setting and SketchyBar wouldn't come up, then I tried it manually and got the error message.

Just an FYI / linking the info for context.

[diogox]

Came here to say the same thing as @incanus.

Can this restriction be removed? Will have to use something else otherwise :(

[FelixKratz]

I am all for supporting this configuration. If I remember correctly, there where some issues with this configuration

• This function always return the main display: https://github.com/FelixKratz/SketchyBar/blob/c713afe574d1652eee7967ea490c6061ecca9f29/src/display.c#L137-L139
• The event NSWorkspaceActiveDisplayDidChangeNotification is not fired.
• The spaces component likely needs some work, because it also assumes that displays have separate spaces. Apart from that most other things are unaffected (see https://github.com/FelixKratz/SketchyBar/issues/392#issuecomment-1892768778).

That being said, I took the lazy route back then and simply assumed no one would really need that setting disabled, hence I did not feel like putting the effort required to create a workaround solution and put in the check on startup (and also because yabai will not start with this option disabled as well): https://github.com/FelixKratz/SketchyBar/blob/c713afe574d1652eee7967ea490c6061ecca9f29/src/sketchybar.c#L200-L202 But if there is significant demand then it might be time to put this back on the agenda because there definitely is a way to make it work with a bit of effort.

What is needed is the following:

• A new way to get notified of the active display other than using NSWorkspaceActiveDisplayDidChangeNotification.
• A new function to determine the active display id.

[diocletiann]

works again, thanks!

[FelixKratz]

This is my first shot at it: https://github.com/FelixKratz/SketchyBar/commit/fb5923291182e5070b1aef5feaed0caaa2b36074 everything seems to work at a first glance. I would appreciate help testing this commit. There is still some work required to get it ready for a release.

[PhrantiK]

Unrelated but in the neighbourhood - https://github.com/FelixKratz/SketchyBar/discussions/213#discussioncomment-10255366

[bassamsdata]

@incanus @diogox Would you mind sharing your SketchyBar configuration for Aerospace? I've been trying to set it up but haven't had any luck so far.

Thank you in advance!

[thewinger]

This is my first shot at it: fb59232 everything seems to work at a first glance. I would appreciate help testing this commit. There is still some work required to get it ready for a release.

To install this commit I have to compile from source or is there a brew-ish way of installing it?

[albinabc]

Tried compiling from source on a MBP with M3 Pro, then running ./sketchybar_arm64 -c ~/.config/sketchybar/sketchybarrc (got "could not locate config file if not specifying the config path). Just getting a blank bar on both my screens. And I have the display have separate spaces off, since I'm also running Aerospace. Any suggestions?

Edit: oh and ofc, this is running from the fb59232 commit

[albinabc]

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/324632f6-9fee-4cdb-9d3b-525434dfc8c9

[albinabc]

Aha! Found this: https://github.com/FelixKratz/SketchyBar/issues/608 and updated lua, and now it's working!

[aspauldingcode]

This is great, I can't wait for this to be a feature!

[zhuoqun-chen]

Any updates on this thread? Will we be able to use sketchy bar with displays have separate spaces disabled in the next release?

[FelixKratz]

Yes, I think it should be ok to do a release with the current state of this feature if no one else has encountered issues with the current HEAD version.

[Anaritus]

For folks who are wondering how to easily install HEAD version (which includes that fix), it is very easy. brew install sketchybar --HEAD

credit to https://github.com/FelixKratz/SketchyBar/issues/646#issuecomment-2460283104

[aspauldingcode]

Omg I’m so excited

[FelixKratz]

v2.22.0 now contains compatibility