Signal-desktop: Badge count broken on elementary OS and Ubuntu (Linux)

[peteruithoven]

- [x] I have searched open and closed issues for duplicates

Bug Description

A lot of Linux distro's support showing a badge count on their application, example:

I understand that Electron has an API for this:
https://electronjs.org/docs/api/app#appsetbadgecountcount-linux-macos
It even looks like Signal uses this api:
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop/blob/9abd4e6495ef8384579153e697cf83fb1be594a6/main.js#L868
But I've never seen these badges.

The following issue might contain a solution.
https://github.com/electron/electron/issues/16001

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Signal
2. Get messages
3. Check Application icon

Actual Result:
No badge

Expected Result:
Badge with unread messages / unread conversations count

Screenshots

Plank on elementary OS:

(The dot below that's normally blue turns red, but no badge)
Ubuntu:

Platform Info

Signal Version:

• 1.25.1 through Flatpak
• 1.25.1 through the updates.signal.org/desktop/apt source

Operating System:
elementary OS 5.0 Juno (Built on Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS)
Update: Also tried this on a fresh Ubuntu 18.10.

Linked Device Version:
Android: 7.1.2

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

So it seems like it has never worked for you on that linux distribution and window manager? Do other applications show anything other than that minimal badge with that window manager?

[peteruithoven]

So it seems like it has never worked for you on that linux distribution and window manager?

Correct. Just to clarify, this is probably not dependent on the window manager, but on the application that shows applications. I've understood it's implemented by Plank and Dash to Dock (in Ubuntu) so it's still widely and actively used.

Just to clarify, this is something else than the status icons / system tray which distro's like gnome and elementary OS have removed.
https://blogs.gnome.org/aday/2017/08/31/status-icons-and-gnome/
https://medium.com/elementaryos/developer-tips-backgrounding-system-integration-31c1f7226606#8625

Do other applications show anything other than that minimal badge with that window manager?

Yes, it's also possible to show progress bars:
https://medium.com/elementaryos/developer-tips-backgrounding-system-integration-31c1f7226606#bdfb
https://elementary.io/docs/code/getting-started#system-integration
Is that what you mean?

[peteruithoven]

I've created a simple example that sets a badge count successfully:
https://github.com/peteruithoven/badge-count

One of the important things was setting a desktopName in package.json to "{appname}.desktop". So in my example "quick-start.desktop"

[peteruithoven]

This example also works on Ubuntu btw:

[igorkulman]

Is this fixed in the latest version? I am running Signal 1.25.3 on Ubuntu 18.04 installed from the Snap store and badges do not appear.

I tried the mentioned sample app quick-start and it works fine, shows the badge, so the problem is not by Ubuntu install on config.

[peteruithoven]

There is a change that snaps packaging breaks this. Have you tried installed Signal from the PPA?
It's also broken in Flatpak for example because they rename the executable: https://github.com/flathub/org.signal.Signal/issues/85

[igorkulman]

There is a change that snaps packaging breaks this. Have you tried installed Signal from the PPA?
It's also broken in Flatpak for example because they rename the executable: flathub/org.signal.Signal#85

You are right, Snap is the problem, installing using apt works fine. Thanks.

[igorkulman]

I updated Signal after some time to 1.28.8 and the badge is missing again on Ubuntu 18 LTS.

When I try the sample app mentioned in this thread (https://github.com/peteruithoven/badge-count) it shows the badge just fine so I think the problem is not something changing in my Ubuntu install but in Signal.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@igorkulman How do you install Signal Desktop?

[igorkulman]

Using apt. It has been working for months but stopped working yesterday after I did apt upgrade that also included Signal.

[igorkulman]

I think this commit broken the badges on linux: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop/commit/f79069455932397105e025ef9bc04e74a9e6f612#diff-b9cfc7f2cdf78a7f4b91a753d10865a2.

The desktopName should be {appname}.desktop as mentioned in https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop/issues/3387#issuecomment-500109546

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@igorkulman Sadly, we can't have a - in our .desktop file name, because it causes Signal Desktop to be registered as the system text/html handler.

[igorkulman]

Is it more Important than broken badges? I mean being wrongly registered as a html handler is probably something users will not even notice, badges not working is something the user will notice and degrades UX.

[scottnonnenberg-signal]

@igorkulman Users definitely noticed the incorrect html handler registration. What we need is a solution that breaks us out of the choice between these two bugs.

[kaimast]

Are badges still broken? I do not see any on my Ubuntu install.

If so, maybe reopen this bugreport?

[AdnanHodzic]

Are badges still broken? I do not see any on my Ubuntu install.

If so, maybe reopen this bugreport?

+1, Signal installed via Snap store on Ubuntu 20.04 still has this problem, could you please re-open this issue?

Update: @kaimast if you're interested I opened a new bug regarding this: #4982