Reconnecting external monitor & Assigned workspaces

[TheDenast]

Context:

• At work I use a laptop with two external monitors
• Sometimes I need to pick it up and go somewhere, disconnecting monitors in the process
  • All workspaces get relocated on internal laptop display, all good here
• When I come back and re-connect the monitors, all workspaces stay on the internal display, and monitors get two fresh unnamed workspaces

Here is my related part of the config:

$ws1=1
$ws2=2
$ws3=3
$ws4=4
$ws5=5
$ws6=6
$ws7=7
$ws8=8
$ws9=9
$ws10=10
$ws11=11
$ws12=12
$ws13=13

monitor=eDP-1,2880x1920@120,0x1080,2
# This sets up monitors based on which are connected at the time
exec = /home/denast/.config/hypr/monitor-setup.sh

workspace=$ws1,monitor:desc:Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB
workspace=$ws2,monitor:desc:Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB
workspace=$ws3,monitor:desc:Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB
workspace=$ws4,monitor:desc:Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB
workspace=$ws5,monitor:desc:Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB
workspace=$ws6,monitor:desc:Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB
workspace=$ws7,monitor:desc:Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB
workspace=$ws8,monitor:desc:Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB
workspace=$ws9,monitor:desc:Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB
workspace=$ws10,monitor:desc:Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB

workspace=$ws11,monitor:eDP-1
workspace=$ws12,monitor:eDP-1

workspace=$ws13,monitor:desc:Hewlett Packard HP E202 6CM023166P

And here is monitor-setup.sh:
(basically, it's a simple script that sets up the monitors based on which of them are connected)

#!/usr/bin/env bash

get_monitor_name() {
  hyprctl monitors -j | jq -r '.[] | select((.model | type == "string" and contains($search)) or (.description | type == "string" and contains($search))) | .name' --arg search "$1"
}

# Get monitor names based on partial matches
hp_monitor=$(get_monitor_name "HP")
dell_monitor=$(get_monitor_name "DELL")
laptop_monitor=$(get_monitor_name "BOE")
home_monitor=$(get_monitor_name "LG")

# Check if we're at work (both monitors present)
if [[ -n "$hp_monitor" && -n "$dell_monitor" ]]; then
  echo "at work"
  hyprctl keyword monitor "${dell_monitor},1920x1080@60,0x0,1"
  hyprctl keyword monitor "${hp_monitor},1600x900@60,1920x0,1,transform,3"
  hyprctl keyword monitor "${laptop_monitor},2880x1920@120,0x1080,2"
elif [[ -n "$home_monitor" ]]; then
  echo "at home"
  hyprctl keyword monitor "${home_monitor},2560x1440@144,0x0,1"
  hyprctl keyword monitor "${laptop_monitor},disabled"
else
  echo "standalone"
  hyprctl keyword monitor "${laptop_monitor},2880x1920@120,0x0,2"
fi

Here is hyprctl monitors output:

Monitor eDP-1 (ID 0):
	[email protected] at 0x1080
	description: BOE NE135A1M-NY1
	make: BOE
	model: NE135A1M-NY1
	serial: 
	active workspace: 2 (2)
	special workspace: 0 ()
	reserved: 0 26 0 0
	scale: 2.00
	transform: 0
	focused: no
	dpmsStatus: 1
	vrr: false
	solitary: 0
	activelyTearing: false
	directScanoutTo: 0
	disabled: false
	currentFormat: XRGB8888
	mirrorOf: none
	availableModes: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 

Monitor DP-11 (ID 1):
	[email protected] at 0x0
	description: Dell Inc. DELL E2318HR 813CF06GARGB
	make: Dell Inc.
	model: DELL E2318HR
	serial: 813CF06GARGB
	active workspace: 14 (14)
	special workspace: 0 ()
	reserved: 0 26 0 0
	scale: 1.00
	transform: 0
	focused: yes
	dpmsStatus: 1
	vrr: false
	solitary: 0
	activelyTearing: false
	directScanoutTo: 0
	disabled: false
	currentFormat: XRGB8888
	mirrorOf: none
	availableModes: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 

Monitor DP-12 (ID 2):
	[email protected] at 1920x0
	description: Hewlett Packard HP E202 6CM023166P
	make: Hewlett Packard
	model: HP E202
	serial: 6CM023166P
	active workspace: 15 (15)
	special workspace: 0 ()
	reserved: 0 26 0 0
	scale: 1.00
	transform: 3
	focused: no
	dpmsStatus: 1
	vrr: false
	solitary: 0
	activelyTearing: false
	directScanoutTo: 0
	disabled: false
	currentFormat: XRGB8888
	mirrorOf: none
	availableModes: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

One important detail I've also noticed is that on reconnect, both monitors get a new set of DP-X names. On boot they are called DP-9 and DP-10, and after reconnect they become DP-11 and DP-12. I'm also using a type-c dual hdmi adapter which might be a cause of issue? I've tried using desc: to make sure workspaces are matched to the actual physical monitor, not DP-X name, but if it still uses it under the hood, it might cause this issue

[dkirchhof]

I have a similar problem:

Most of the time I just use one monitor. Either my laptop monitor or an external one.
So I have three config files:

internal only

monitor = eDP-1, 1920x1080, auto, 1
monitor = HDMI-A-2, disable

workspace = 1, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false
workspace = 2, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false
workspace = 3, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false
workspace = 4, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false
workspace = 5, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false
workspace = 6, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false
workspace = 7, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false
workspace = 8, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false
workspace = 9, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false

external only

monitor = eDP-1, disable
monitor = HDMI-A-2, 2560x1440, auto, 1

workspace = 1, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 2, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 3, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 4, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 5, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 6, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 7, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 8, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 9, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false

both

monitor = eDP-1, 1920x1080, 2560x360, 1
monitor = HDMI-A-2, 2560x1440, auto, 1

workspace = 1, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 2, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 3, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 4, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 5, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 6, monitor:HDMI-A-2, persistent:false
workspace = 7, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false
workspace = 8, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false
workspace = 9, monitor:eDP-1, persistent:false

When I want to switch from one config to another, I symlink one of theses files above and reload hyprland via hyprctl reload.

Now my issue:

• When switching from "external only" to "internal only", everything is fine. All workspaces will be moved to my internal screen and the external monitor will be disabled.
• When switching from "internal only" to "external only", non empty workspaces will stay on the disabled internal monitor. I can't reach them on my external one.
  hyprctl workspaces also states that theses workspaces are still on eDP-1.

My current workaround:

• Either I use hyprctl dispatch moveworkspacetomonitor "1 HDMI-A-2" to move a workspace manually to the external monitor
• or I switch from "internal only" to "both" and then from "both" to "external only"

[TheDenast]

I think the problematics of our situations are slightly different, but I've solved mine with this kind of script:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

get_monitor_name() {
  hyprctl monitors -j | jq -r '.[] | select((.model | type == "string" and contains($search)) or (.description | type == "string" and contains($search))) | .name' --arg search "$1"
}
dell_monitor=$(get_monitor_name "DELL")

for i in {1..10}; do
    hyprctl dispatch moveworkspacetomonitor $i $dell_monitor
    echo "Moved workspace $i to monitor  $dell_monitor"
done

What it does is, it effectively searches for a monitor with "DELL" in the name and then loops over workspaces 1->10 and moves them to it. Maybe you can adapt it to relocate all of your workspaces to external monitor, and then disable the internal one (hyprctl keyword monitor "eDP-1, disabled")?

[dkirchhof]

Sure. Since I already use a script to change the config file, I could parse the config somehow and move the workspaces automatically to the right monitor (instead of using your loop). But I would like to understand why one direction works and the other doesn't.