Not too long ago I’ve contributed a patch to Plex Media Player which added a “Always on Top” setting.
This feature was very useful if you were not using Plex Media Player in Fullscreen, but as a side window instead.
Unfortunately with the new “Desktop” mode being available now in Plex Media Player, this feature has gone.
Is there any reason why it shouldn’t be re-added?
Is the source code available for the Desktop mode, so I could re-add it?
Needed here as well. Float on top is essential for my plex usage. For any video player I’d consider that basic functionality.
The feature is still available in TV mode, I think? What happens if you enable it in TV mode, and then switch to desktop mode?
Also looking for this feature!
@DaveBinM what answer are you looking for? What should happen? How can I enable this feature in TV mode? From my findings TV mode is fullscreen so float on top makes no sense at all for that view. If you give me a reliable way to switch to TV mode in windowed mode I am happy to test.
It’s in the TV mode settings, “Allow on top”. If you enable it in TV mode, it will still be active in desktop mode. Changing settings is planned for the next release, as far as I’m aware.
“Allow on top” makes sense in TV mode too, because windowed TV mode is still possible.
I have desktop mode that is always on top - kind of the opposite issue in that I can’t disable that within desktop mode 
This is not working. I am in TV windowed mode. Go to Settings > Main > Always on top, enable that setting. PMP switches to Fullscreen. That is odd. Well 1.2.0 has been odd so let’s ignore for now. Switch back to TV windowed and hoover a firefox window over PMP. Expected: PMP should be on top and firefox window below. Currently: PMP not on top, Firefox window above PMP.
Works for me. Tested on Windows and Linux.
Plex “window modes” are generally behaving kind of strange for me. Somehow I managed to enable “TV” mode in windowed mode for a few days. When I started Plex today started in fullscreen mode and it told me I had to sign in again (how is that possible?). After switching back to windowed mode (non-fullscreen) mode, using CMD + SHIFT + F, it loaded the web view instead of TV mode.
Right now I have no idea how to get, TV windowed mode (non-fullscreen) back.
@lukele said:
Plex “window modes” are generally behaving kind of strange for me. Somehow I managed to enable “TV” mode in windowed mode for a few days. When I started Plex today started in fullscreen mode and it told me I had to sign in again (how is that possible?). After switching back to windowed mode (non-fullscreen) mode, using CMD + SHIFT + F, it loaded the web view instead of TV mode.
Right now I have no idea how to get, TV windowed mode (non-fullscreen) back.
Append --tv --windowed to the PMP shortcut as per: https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/1311400/#Comment_1311400
Thanks I will try that.
What I don’t understand: in TV mode (fullscreen) there’s a resize button in the upper right corner. Upon clicking on that, Plex changes into windowed mode (non-fullscreen) and loads the webview. If however, I use switch to non-fullscreen in TV mode (fullscreen) -> Settings, Plex changes into windowed mode but retains TV Mode in non-fullscreen.
I can’t seem to grasp the logic behind the current behavior…
Lots of possibilities ^^
@Xen0sys said:
Lots of possibilities ^^
See, I always preferred less possibilities but more reliable ones (in software)
Well this is the first iteration of Desktop/Web view being built in but technically that is reliable in it’s own right.
You also, before this update, had the option to switch the TV layout to windowed if you wanted. It was just \ to switch before (I think it still is)
Some folks want Windowed TV mode. Some want fullscreen Desktop etc etc. They are trying to accommodate everyone which is hard. Therefore options. One size dosn’t fit all.
Oh I’m not trying to bash the effort, I just don’t understand the currenty strategy. Is windowed/non-windowed, TV/Desktop view explained somewhere in detail? I’m don’t think I’m really even sure what is what.
I also like the web view (desktop view?) more in some occasions, but for the moment it seems to provide less configuration options for audio hardware for example (noticing strange sound problems with my bluetooth headphones). No way to disable exclusive mode (Audio) and so on
Settings can be changed in TV mode, and they will remain in effect even when switching to desktop mode. The desktop settings UI is still work in progress. Seems like it will take longer and not make it into the next (hot fix) release, though.
@lukele said:
Oh I’m not trying to bash the effort, I just don’t understand the currenty strategy. Is windowed/non-windowed, TV/Desktop view explained somewhere in detail? I’m don’t think I’m really even sure what is what.
I also like the web view (desktop view?) more in some occasions, but for the moment it seems to provide less configuration options for audio hardware for example (noticing strange sound problems with my bluetooth headphones). No way to disable exclusive mode (Audio) and so on
So far I think it’s just explained sparsely over various forums posts and not anywhere in particular. There’s a Plex Blog post that overviews it but doesn’t go into details.
It’s not flushed out yet and this is just the first iteration. Also a first for Plex to incorporate two UI’s in one application.
Web view provides as much configuration options as it did/does external to Plex Media Player.
I fail to see how this is so hard to solve. We are a bit OT considering the title, but since the discussion went into the problem area of when which UI mode is applied, I want to elaborate on that.
Possible solution 1: Never switch UI mode when switching fullscreen / windowed or windowed / fullscreen. Have a button that allows a manual switch. In that solution users would mainly live in one UI mode and switch when some task is better done in the other UI.
Possible solution 2: have setting to adjust an default UI for each mode. a) setting for default UI for fullscreen mode b) setting for default UI for windowed mode
Both solutions would result in users being able to use the UI they prefere and easily switch when needed.
If you still have no clue why the current behavior is at least highly confusing (and frustrating - because so far noone seems to have clear steps to reliably use the preferred UI), I suggest you test the current behavior in a macOS environment.
I’m not personally having any difficulty using it reliably but I do think solution 2 is in the works or something like it.
Currently if you want to force a default UI, you just need to add command line arguments to the shortcut. Problem 1 solved.
Problem 2 is figuring out how to switch to what you want which is just using \ or F11 or Shift+F11. Or some other different shortcut(s) for mac cuz mac’s are ‘special’.
What seems to be difficult is getting the TV UI to windowed mode but I think that is a very rare usage for a TV mode.
