Implemented: Open cosmic-launcher/cosmic-app-library on typing in workspaces overview

[SammyMcFly]

Since keyboard input is not used in the workspaces overview (apart from ESC), typing could start the cosmic-launcher (launcher) or the cosmic-app-library (app-library) without compromising any other currently existing feature. The typed character could be handed over to the started program, so that no input is lost.

I already implemented this feature, but I acknowledge that "searching in workspaces" has been a hot topic and has not found its way into the current feature set of the cosmic desktop. I would like to know, what your current attitude towards this is.

I would personally like this feature. Below is a demo of my implementation:

2026-01-30.02-30-12.trimmed.mp4

[SammyMcFly]

BTW this could be a fix to #426

[jacobgkau]

@pop-os/ux Do you have thoughts on this solution? Seems like it could placate some of the users who make the request for a combined menu without really infringing on our workflow of separate menus.

[maria-komarova]

The feature sounds good. We should add a heading to the new section in Settings "Workspaces overview" and change "Disabled" to "None" in the dropdown. I know Super key action was probably used as an example but we should change it there as well.

[SammyMcFly]

The feature sounds good. We should add a heading to the new section in Settings "Workspaces overview" and change "Disabled" to "None" in the dropdown. I know Super key action was probably used as an example but we should change it there as well.

The heading was already in the language files...

[jacobgkau]

@SammyMcFly Would you be able to open a PR with this so we can test it out? (I assume it'll need one PR in https://github.com/pop-os/cosmic-settings for the GUI setting, and one in https://github.com/pop-os/cosmic-workspaces-epoch for the implementation.)

Edit: Let's also make the heading "Workspaces overview" like Maria requested, instead of "Workspace behavior".

[SammyMcFly]

Yes of course.

You are right: cosmic settings and cosmic-workspaces needed changes. Since the cosmic-launcher and cosmic-app-library did not have the ability to receive characters, those needed small additions, too. Otherwise one key-press would have started them but the character would have been lost, which is annoying to use.

Lastly the setting resides in cosmic-comp-config.

[SammyMcFly]

Edit: Let's also make the heading "Workspaces overview" like Maria requested, instead of "Workspace behavior".

No problem.

[SammyMcFly]

FYI, I just opened the PRs:
pop-os/cosmic-app-library#333
pop-os/cosmic-launcher#393
pop-os/cosmic-comp#2046
pop-os/cosmic-settings#1804
pop-os/cosmic-workspaces-epoch#276