Window re-centers vertically when results appear instead of growing downward

[mttgermano]

Describe the bug

1. When the Albert window spawns, it appears at a fixed position with dimensions W × H.
2. As the user types and results populate the list, the window grows in height, but instead of expanding downward, the window re-centers itself around its previous center point, causing the input bar to visually jump upward with each new result.

Expected behavior

The window's search bar should remain fixed at its spawn position. As results populate, the window grows downward only. The input bar stays visually stable (it does not move).

Actual behavior

Each time results are added and updateGeometry() triggers a resize, Qt re-centers the window around its old center, causing the entire window (including the input bar) to shift upward. The input bar position is not stable.

Root cause

I belive the problem is in resizinglist.cpp.

When ResizingList::onUpdateSelectionAndSize() calls updateGeometry(), which propagates a new sizeHint() up to the top-level window. Qt's default behavior when resizing a top-level window is to keep the center point fixed, which produces the observed shifting.

The fix would be to snapshot window()->pos() before calling updateGeometry() and restore it immediately after, so the top-left corner is always anchored.

Something like:

void ResizingList::onUpdateSelectionAndSize()
{
    if (current_row_count_ < maxItems_)
    {
        QWidget *topLevel = window();
        QPoint anchor = (topLevel && topLevel != this) ? topLevel->pos() : QPoint{};

        updateGeometry();

        if (topLevel && topLevel != this)
            topLevel->move(anchor);
    }

    current_row_count_ = model()->rowCount();

    if (!currentIndex().isValid())
        setCurrentIndex(model()->index(0, 0));
}

Environment

• OS: Linux
• Albert Version: albert 34.0.10
• Plugin: widgetsboxmodel (latest main)

[ManuelSchneid3r]

Is this Ai slop?

Qt's default behavior when resizing a top-level window is to keep the center point fixed

Give me a source for this

[mttgermano]

Is this Ai slop?

I guess describing a bug in detail is a crime now

Give me a source for this

Fair point tho, "default" was a poor choice of wording on my end. Didn’t mean it as some official framework behavior, just what I observed while digging through resizinglist.cpp, tracking the bug

---

Btw, I tested on X11 (bspwm), KDE, and Wayland (hyprland). The issue only occurs on wayland

[ManuelSchneid3r]

I guess describing a bug in detail is a crime now

i absolutely appreciate that, but please bear with me, these AI dudes drive me nuts. from times to times I get elaborative issues full of bs and get ghosted when I ask clarifying questions. This is kind of annoying.

[mttgermano]

That's reasonable, completely understand

If you want any logs or more info about the bug, just ask me 👍

[ManuelSchneid3r]

The fix would be to snapshot window()->pos()

probably not. I strongly assume that this is wayland behavior. X desktops usually do not touch the window position. so if using wayland this wont help because setting window position is not allowed and pos probably does not return valid values.

wayland is a cluttered mess and simply a software developer nightmare. see #958

considering your problem:

• please confirm my assumption of wayland
• which desktop are you using?
• you may find some help online maybe you can disable this automatic window repositioning