DONE: Windows management script

[tomos]

prompted by Skwires offer

I was hoping one of them would support Right-click on window titlebar to close.

-tomos (August 15, 2011, 03:40 PM)

This functionality is very easy to accomplish with a bit of AHK script.  Did you need something like that or do you currently use a different application for this functionality?

-skwire (August 16, 2011, 01:39 PM)

I'm now going to ask for an arm and a leg
I used have the majority of these running under PowerPro but haven't installed it in new Win 7 machine (& dont want to try).

Windows management (and closing OS) with suggested keys

Minimise active window	Ctrl+Alt+F10 [AltGr key]
"Normalise" active window	Ctrl+Alt+F11 [AltGr key]
Maximise active window	Ctrl+Alt+F12 [AltGr key]
Minimise all windows except current	Ctrl+Alt+F9 [AltGr key]
Close active window:
	Right-click titlebar
	Ctrl+Q
OS related: (see note below)
Shutdown Windows	Win+Q
Sleep Windows	Win+S (?)
Hibernate Windows	Win+H

With windows shutdown, opening the options would be just as good (like you get with Alt+F4).

I'm usually able to edit a script to change shortcuts but never did get beyond that stage
I did find this list of AHK scripts
http://www.autohotkey.com/wiki/index.php?title=Script_Listing#Window_Manipulation
but couldnt find what I wanted (no, I didnt follow all links )

[justice]

This is a start. Untested code follows:

Code: Autohotkey [Select]

1. #NoEnv
2. SendMode Input
3. SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%
4. <^>!^F10::WinMinimize, A
5. <^>!^F11::WinRestore, A
6. <^>!^F12::WinMaximize, A
7. ^Q::WinClose, A
8. #Q::Run,shutdown -s -t 5
9. #H::Run,rundll32 powrprof.dll`,SetSuspendState Hibernate

Can't find a working command for sleep. Also, note I have an AltGR key instead of a right alt key. Not sure if this makes a difference, but AutoHotkey help seems to think it's important to make the distinction.

[tomos]

Also, note I have an AltGR key instead of a right alt key. Not sure if this makes a difference, but AutoHotkey help seems to think it's important to make the distinction.

-justice (August 17, 2011, 07:10 AM)

that exactly what I meant to say - it's AltGr here too
Thanks Justice will try it out

[justice]

If you can find out a windows 7 commandline sleep command that will help, there is a lot of discussion but I found no answers, apart from using a third party tool. Maybe someone else can bolt on right click title bar for you.

Few pointers:
To do the Minimize other windows you have to WinGet the pid of the active window,  then WinMinimizeAll, then WinRestore the current window. If you don't like that your current window minimizes then restores when you do this, you could Loop all visible windows and minimize all except the active one - however I've never been able to write code to list all current windows. Instead I had to log all windows as they became active, which means this route won't minimize windows that have not been active since the script started.

[justice]

Also you can find better shutdown / hibernate code here, than what I used (just found out):
http://www.autohotke...ommands/Shutdown.htm

[Curt]

I understand very little of what is going on here.
On my desktop Vista "Alt+F4" will close active window/program at once. Did I get this feature from strangers?
Right-clicking a titlebar will pop up an important menu. Why would you want to disable such a feature?

[skwire]

Here's how to do your right-click titlebar request.  I've purposefully made it so that you can still right-click the titlebar icon to get the so-called SysMenu to show for a given window.  Thanks for covering the rest of the bases, Justice.   

Code: Autohotkey [Select]

1. ~RButton::
2. {
3.     CoordMode, Mouse, Screen
4.     MouseGetPos, ClickX, ClickY, hWnd
5.     {
6.         SendMessage, 0x84, , ( ClickX & 0xFFFF ) | ( ClickY & 0xFFFF ) << 16,, ahk_id %hWnd%
7.         If ( ErrorLevel = 2 )
8.         {
9.             WinClose, ahk_id %hWnd%
10.         }
11.     }
12. }
13. Return

[Stoic Joker]

I understand very little of what is going on here.
On my desktop Vista "Alt+F4" will close active window/program at once. Did I get this feature from strangers?

-Curt (August 17, 2011, 11:18 AM)

Nope that's normal windows behavior. Also Ctrl+F4 will close the active child in a MDI application. Come to think of it, In Windows 7, if you click (and hold) on a window, then shake it. It will minimize all other windows. Shake it again and they come back.

[skwire]

Here's a somewhat inelegant way to minimise all except for the active window (using your AltGr-F9, I believe):

Code: Autohotkey [Select]

1. <^>!^F9::
2. {
3.     CurrentWinID := WinExist( "A" )
4.     WinMinimizeAll
5.     WinRestore, ahk_id %CurrentWinID%    
6. }
7. Return

Of course, the elegant way would be to get all IDs for all windows, loop through them and minimise all except the active window.  However, you then run the risk of minimising stuff you don't want like widgets, special hidden windows, etc.

[tomos]

Wow, this is great

everything is working nicely - only thing I havent tested yet is shutdown. **

Here's a somewhat inelegant way to minimise all except for the active window [...]

-skwire (August 17, 2011, 01:43 PM)

this works well -
and what with win7 graphics it looks fine too

Re shutdown (remember, not tested yet), is there a way of raising the Alt+F4 windows shutdown dialogue?
That way I would get to choose exactly what I want, but more importantly I would have to confirm, so I would be covered in case of mistaken use of shortcut.

[tomos]

I understand very little of what is going on here.
On my desktop Vista "Alt+F4" will close active window/program at once. Did I get this feature from strangers?

-Curt (August 17, 2011, 11:18 AM)

I've always considered Alt+F4 a fairly tortuous shortcut to use. You dont have to be quite so acrobatic to use it with your right hand, but then it's on the wrong side of the keyboard.
Ctrl+Q is used in many graphics programmes (I think maybe it was 'ported' from earlier mac versions - where I think it is the default shortcut).

Right-clicking a titlebar will pop up an important menu. Why would you want to disable such a feature?

-Curt (August 17, 2011, 11:18 AM)

I've actually never in my life used that menu except to close a window, so at some stage I picked up the right-click to close idea.

It's possibly because I have to use a mouse all day (with work) that I really try to avoid the extra journey into the corner, or even using the mouse at all - but I suspect it's probably got more to do with my impatience in general...

[Stoic Joker]

I've never had a problem with Alt+F4, but then again I am left handed...

Double clicking the left corner of the titlebar will also close a window by default. But I'm curious as to why right clicking the titlebar would be easier than using the red X in the right corner. Do you have a lot of large multi monitor windows?

[skwire]

Regarding Alt-F4, I've always used two hands.  Right-hand thumb on the Alt key and left-hand index finger to press the F4 key.

But I'm curious as to why right clicking the titlebar would be easier than using the red X in the right corner.

-Stoic Joker (August 17, 2011, 03:55 PM)

Fitt's Law.  There's a lot more titlebar caption space to click in comparison to the close button.

[tomos]

Double clicking the left corner of the titlebar will also close a window by default. But I'm curious as to why right clicking the titlebar would be easier than using the red X in the right corner. Do you have a lot of large multi monitor windows?

-Stoic Joker (August 17, 2011, 03:55 PM)

I think I started using the right-click with an AHK script years ago (Nifty Windows? it was buggy so I transferred it to PowerPro). And it does save time and effort, even with single monitor & full screen app [& Fitt's Law of course ]. I avoid doubleclicks like the plague - when I'm drawing, I can get through a few thousand mouse-clicks a day. I would prefer almost anything to a double click

[tomos]

The shutdown hotkey didnt work.
[edit] user error. If it works I'll report back tomorrow!! [/edit]

older version...

Not a biggee, but if this were possible:

Re shutdown (remember, not tested yet), is there a way of raising the Alt+F4 windows shutdown dialogue?
That way I would get to choose exactly what I want, but more importantly I would have to confirm, so I would be covered in case of mistaken use of shortcut.

-tomos (August 17, 2011, 03:09 PM)

Edit/ and I had to disable Hibernate earlier, not working properly, ah well...

Edit #2/ weird side-effect - if I right-click on the script, the shutdown dialogue shows as long as I keep right button pressed

[justice]

Change the shutdown line to:

#Q::Shutdown, 8

That will definitely work because I lifted it straight from the AHK help file

[tomos]

Change the shutdown line to:

#Q::Shutdown, 8

That will definitely work because I lifted it straight from the AHK help file

-justice (August 18, 2011, 03:30 AM)

Yeah, the last one actually worked too - I had forgotten that I'd commented it out
But it works scarily good - everything gets killed, no questions asked (so far).
Anyone know if it's possible to bring up the shutdown dialogue? That would feel safer....

[justice]

change

#Q::Run,shutdown -s -t 5

to

#Q::
{
Run,shutdown -s -t 30
Msgbox, 1,,Computer is shutting down in 30 seconds. Press cancel to abort.,30
IfMsgBox, Cancel
  Run,shutdown -a
}

[Stoic Joker]

Why not just have the key combination bring up a system modal dialog with shutdown, reboot, sleep, and cancel options? Sure it's an extra click, but it'll cleanly bypass the oh shit factor.

[tomos]

Why not just have the key combination bring up a system modal dialog with shutdown, reboot, sleep, and cancel options? Sure it's an extra click, but it'll cleanly bypass the oh shit factor.

-Stoic Joker (August 18, 2011, 06:37 AM)

if it's possible,
that would be best option I think, also with having all the choices at hand.


@justice - the last change works, but not very well - the cancel option is hidden behind the message that it will close in 30 seconds.
One of the previous versions also said it would close in 30 secs, but closed after literally a couple of seconds, so I'm a bit wary of it...

[Winkie]

It should be possible to show the standard Windows shutdown dailog. At least, ShutdownWindows works on my WinXP system (Can't test it on Win7).
@tomos: what AutoHotkey version do you use?

[tomos]

It should be possible to show the standard Windows shutdown dailog. At least, ShutdownWindows works on my WinXP system (Can't test it on Win7).
@tomos: what AutoHotkey version do you use?

-Winkie (August 18, 2011, 02:52 PM)

1.0.47.06 - seems to qualify but I may as well bring it up-to-date:
I see there's a 64bit version - would you recommend that?

I'll try one of those options from that link later - thanks!!

feels like between windows updates and testing here I've rebooted about 10 times in the last 24 hours

[tomos]

It should be possible to show the standard Windows shutdown dailog. At least, ShutdownWindows works on my WinXP system (Can't test it on Win7).

-Winkie (August 18, 2011, 02:52 PM)

tried the first example, it works

[Winkie]

I see there's a 64bit version - would you recommend that?

-tomos (August 18, 2011, 03:28 PM)

Not sure about that. I have no experience with 64-bit.

tried the first example, it works

-tomos (August 18, 2011, 03:42 PM)

But if you want to update to AHK_L the hotkey can become this:

Code: Autohotkey [Select]

1. #q::ComObjCreate("Shell.Application").ShutdownWindows()

[tomos]

I see there's a 64bit version - would you recommend that?

-tomos (August 18, 2011, 03:28 PM)

Not sure about that. I have no experience with 64-bit.
[...]
But if you want to update to AHK_L the hotkey can become this:

-Winkie (August 19, 2011, 01:04 PM)

"AHK_L" has a 64bit option when installing,
and, yes, your shortened version works perfectly with it

Thanks Winkie