Request: Power alt-tab

[cool-RR]

Here's something I found myself needing many times over the years. (Working on Windows 7 here.)

Sometimes I'll be working on my computer and having many windows open. So I use Alt-Tab to navigate between them. But the annoying thing is that sometimes Windows has windows that don't show up on alt-tab, like small dialogs. For example, try opening a folder in windows, selecting a file and pressing the Del button. Windows shows a dialog to delete the file. Now, say you've already switched to a different window and you have a mess of windows covering that delete dialog. Now say you want to navigate back to it. You try using alt-tab, but that delete dialog doesn't appear in the alt-tab window list!

My idea: A program that listens for win-alt-tab and shows an alt-tab window that scrolls through all those windows that aren't on the original alt-tab list. That way I could get to them without having to use the mouse and search for them visually.

If anyone feels like taking up this challenge, please let me know!


Thanks,
Ram.

[MilesAhead]

I don't have exactly what you want.  But in your example you could Control right click on the dialog to make it Topmost.  Topmost Toggle also has Alt Tab visibility toggle.  But it only works on Windows that can have a Maximize Box.  It toggles PopUp Window/Toolbar window style.

You can get Topmost Toggle on my page of free Windows Downloads:
http://milesaheadsoftware.org

[tomos]

I think this one might do the job - if you follow the link [edit] you'll get a 404 in the end :-/ I'll check tomorrow to see if I still have a copy of it [/edit] you'll see it was last updated 2013 (I think).

also try this alternative Alt-Tab replacement, coded in Autohotkey.

-lanux128 (October 29, 2007, 10:36 PM)

IIRC, I didnt use it for long because it showed too much stuff...


[edit] unfortunately I dont have a copy of that - maybe lanux128 or someone else might (?) - will attach to next post - at a quick look, it works fine here on Win7. I can see a settings tab in my version, but could not figure out how to access it. [/edit]

[tomos]

Sorry for the flurry of edits to previous post:

attached below is the file AltTab.AHK - as shown in screenshot above, but a more recent version.



Note:
# it misses my open Screenshot Captor window.
# I cannot figure out how to access the settings tab
# it is not showing in the tray here (AHK scripts normally do)

I havent explored the context menu (as shown in previous post - you can access and modify hotkeys from there.

(Win 7 x64)

[lanux128]

Note:
# it misses my open Screenshot Captor window.
# I cannot figure out how to access the settings tab
# it is not showing in the tray here (AHK scripts normally do)

-tomos (July 03, 2015, 05:07 AM)

@tomos: this is a very good ahk script. i had used this for quite some time.

as for the notes:
item #1: that has something to do with SC itself. i have highlighted this to mouser.

unfortunately the settings tab is incomplete but you can edit the script and change manually starting from line 80 onwards. you can also view the "Alt_Tab_Settings.ini" which is created by the script.
also if you don't let go of the Alt key when you press Alt+Tab, you can access more settings by right-clicking on the list-view (as can be seen from the screenshot that I had posted).

for item #3, you have comment line 149 by adding a ;  e.g. ;#NoTrayIcon and reload the script.

hope this helps.

[tomos]

^ many thanks for those tips lanux

item #1: that has something to do with SC itself. i have highlighted this to mouser

-lanux128 (July 03, 2015, 07:59 AM)

that could well be the case,
but the main Screenshot Captor window does show in the regular Alt-Tab (and does not show in the AHK script version of AltTab).

I do remember there being some problem alright with SC though
was it that it disappeared from Alt-Tab when a dialogue (e.g. preferences) was open?

[lanux128]

that could well be the case,
but the main Screenshot Captor window does show in the regular Alt-Tab (and does not show in the AHK script version of AltTab).

I do remember there being some problem alright with SC though
was it that it disappeared from Alt-Tab when a dialogue (e.g. preferences) was open?

-tomos (July 03, 2015, 08:59 AM)

on my Win7 (x64), SC icon disappears from the taskbar when it goes behind other windows and also when I move the main window from one monitor to another. I bet mouser will have a look into this soon, now that his cabinet project has been successfully completed.

[cool-RR]

That works! Thanks everybody!