Simple Window Switcher option: Alt-Tab only switches apps

[alexmcco]

I would like an option in the Simple Window Switcher to make Alt-Tab only list [perhaps the frontmost window of] apps running, instead of all apps and all their windows.

This is because I believe there is a certain cognitive load advantage to having the two different hotkeys (Alt-Tab, and Alt-`) execute only their specific and distinct functions: switching apps, and switching windows within the current app.

Thank you to all contributors. ExplorerPatcher is a must-have for me on Windows, coming from MacOS, and trying to salvage my computing productivity.

[valinet]

I have an initial implementation in the latest pre-release (22000.434.41.6).

Idk how well it makes sense, but this is all I could come up with for now. Other than the actual usefulness (in Windows, Alt+Tab traditionally switches among all windows, I don't like it when only apps are shown as it is the default in some GNU/Linux desktop environments and maybe on OS X), the window previews were my biggest concern: for now, as you suggested, the preview of the last window of that application is shown. Maybe the design and layout should be better rearchitected to emphasize the icons more when in this mode... anyway, obtaining proper icons is kind of hard, there is no real, universal way to do it in Windows and not all apps may support/offer high resolution ones. For now, the current implementation will do.

There is an option in Properties - Window switcher to enable this: "Display only the most recent window (per application switcher)".

The settings are stored, as usual, in HKCU\Software\ExplorerPatcher\sws:

• SwitcherIsPerApplication (enables this mode)
• AlwaysUseWindowTitleAndIcon (in this mode, the displayed previews show the icon and the title of the executable file; if you set this to 1, it will instead show the icon and window title of the window whose preview is shown, as is the case for the regular, per-window Alt-Tab).

Beware, this mode might behave unexpectedly (at the moment, at least). I mean, idk what the expectations should be, really: what is the correct criteria for the things to display in this mode. Think about this, for example: on one hand, programs like web browsers open a new process for each new window. You'd want those grouped. So group by location of the executable that created the window. On the other, programs like rundll32 execute arbitrary code from any location. Those can be totally different programs. You'd want those ungrouped, but the criteria above doesn't hold. Also, for a rundll32-like app, what should be displayed: each individual window, or windows created by an instance, or a single entry... it's actually more complicated to do this right than it seems on the surface. It kind of works for now, but idk, I don't think it is 100% correct. explorer.exe (for the taskbar) and Task Manager seem to do it properly. I personally don't know how to do it properly properly at the moment, neither have I looked how they decide how to group windows into apps, I am sure it is pretty complicated, needing to cover all the possibilities. I am too tired to disassemble and wonder around their implementation. Pity they never open up things like these, one always has to dig a lot. Doing it the same way as them would benefit both this mode and Alt-`; hopefully someone can contribute with a better implementation on this front, eventually a reimplementation of how Microsoft does it.

Thanks.

[JonasDoe]

Just stumbled upon the ExplorerPatcher, and really, this feature is a life-saver when you have, say, mutliple WebStorm, multiple GoLand and multiple Chrome Windows opened (amonst all the other clutter)! In Ubuntu WIN+` allowed to toggle between instances, while WIN+TAB allowed to toggle between the (grouped) applications, and it's really great to find this feature in Windows as well. Thank you so much!
A minor question: Is it possible to change the keybinds so that WIN+TAB and WIN+` are used instead of ALT+WIN and ALT+`? This would render it a bit easier to switch between Windows and Ubuntu all the time.
Anyway, thank you again for this great tool! :)

[pyrates999]

Just stumbled upon the ExplorerPatcher, and really, this feature is a life-saver when you have, say, mutliple WebStorm, multiple GoLand and multiple Chrome Windows opened (amonst all the other clutter)! In Ubuntu WIN+allowed to toggle between instances, whileWIN+TABallowed to toggle between the (grouped) applications, and it's really great to find this feature in Windows as well. Thank you so much! A minor question: Is it possible to change the keybinds so thatWIN+TABandWIN+ are used instead of ALT+WIN and ALT+`? This would render it a bit easier to switch between Windows and Ubuntu all the time. Anyway, thank you again for this great tool! :)

Please submit this under a new discussion.

[JonasDoe]

Just stumbled upon the ExplorerPatcher, and really, this feature is a life-saver when you have, say, mutliple WebStorm, multiple GoLand and multiple Chrome Windows opened (amonst all the other clutter)! In Ubuntu WIN+allowed to toggle between instances, whileWIN+TABallowed to toggle between the (grouped) applications, and it's really great to find this feature in Windows as well. Thank you so much! A minor question: Is it possible to change the keybinds so thatWIN+TABandWIN+ are used instead of ALT+WIN and ALT+`? This would render it a bit easier to switch between Windows and Ubuntu all the time. Anyway, thank you again for this great tool! :)

Please submit this under a new discussion.

As a question as "is it possible that ...", or in case it's not, as a suggestion?

[pyrates999]

all new features are to be posted under discussions. And since your feature request is not what the original poster is asking for, it be easier if it was a new discussion. You can link it to this one so that you can say they are related to each other.

[JonasDoe]

all new features are to be posted under discussions. And since your feature request is not what the original poster is asking for, it be easier if it was a new discussion. You can link it to this one so that you can say they are related to each other.

Okay, just wasn't sure whether it acutally IS a new feature. Just created a new discussion for it.