Option to change focus to whichever window is under the mouse cursor, without bringing it to the front
This means that typed text, mouse scroll and any other input goes into that window without having to click on the window (potentially moving the present location of the keyboard cursor inside that window), and allowing it to remain partially covered by other windows.
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Anonymous commented
Focus follows mouse or "sun-mouse" is a fairly standard configuration option for most Unix window managers. fvwm2 had LazyFocus which was nice where focus was either in the current window under the mouse or if you moved it to the Desktop (no window), it would remain on the last focused window. I currently use a separate Window 10 app for this feature but it would be nice if AquaSnap had this feature too.
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Kristofer Vesi commented
It's pretty much done. You can focus a window, then with Aquasnap Pro running, the default hotkey for moving window back is middle click. You can change it.
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rob commented
Experiment with send back function. I edit a maximized document which I sent back in order to look at something else as reference. Of course, a part of the document is covered by the reference window(s).
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rob commented
There are utilities which put windows into ghost mode. Windows in ghost mode allow clicking through them to the window below until brought back to life via a shortcut.
May be combo of ghosted and top window will make sense for browser in the example given below. It might be easier than ghosting a few putty windows.
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Lars Hallstrøm Eriksen commented
I do have a mouse with a wheel: that's how I meant to scroll in whichever window the mouse pointer is pointing at, without first clicking on the window (which moves the keyboard cursor inside that window).
I find that some Microsoft Office programs (depending on version) are able to scroll without focus, but not the majority of programs. At least not when running under Windows 7. But perhaps in newer versions of Windows?
I do know I can switch window focus in various ways as well as use multipe desktops. The point is that I want the option of typing in a window not in focus (for the reasons stated) while seeing other windows (that is, on the same desktop), like in X-Windows for Unix.
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rob commented
You should get a mouse with a wheel, I can scroll inactive browser and other windows using mouse wheel. It also serves as clickable middle button.
Keyboard use requires focus change. If you fix putty windows on top, you will be able to activate browser and switch tabs using shortcuts (Ctrl + Tab).
Alternatively, use multiple desktop function. Dexpot allows to exclude monitors from desktop switch. If using default W10 desktops, see if moving browser window to another desktop meets your needs.
Other alternative would be window rollup / unroll utility. May be AquaSnap can add the function.
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Lars Hallstrøm Eriksen commented
> Could you please give a concrete example where this function would be a real advantage?
Derek said much of it I guess, but the advantages are:
1. I don't have to click on a window to be able to scroll it or type into it. All I have to do is move the mouse pointer to it. (I save a click, small advantage.)
2. I can scroll or type into a window without moving the keyboard cursor inside it, which a mouse click would do unless I click specifically on the title bar. For example, if I click a random place inside a word processing or spreadsheet window and start typing, text will not go where I left off last but somewhere else. So to scroll or type into a window, I don't have to aim and click specifically at the title bar: I can just move the mouse pointer to anywhere inside the window. (This is the main time saver.)
3. If the window I want to scroll or type into is partially covered by another window, but I see what I need to see, I can scoll it or type into it without covering up the currently topmost window.
By the way, this is how X-Windows for Unix (the window management software typically used for Unix) works -- well, anyway, that's how it worked when I used it in 1992-1994 :-)
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Derek commented
Grégory:
I have also wished for this functionality; changing focus to a window without moving the window to the top. (A click, for example, could cause the move-to-top event to occur).
This is a useful productivity tool. For example, during my day-to-day tasks I commonly have multiple putty sessions open in the foreground with a browser window or some other reference open behind it. In order to scroll in the browser window, there are two things I could do:
1. Make all the putty sessions remain on top, which I would have to undo to get the browser window on top (e.g. to switch tabs).
2. Bring the browser to the top, scroll, and bring all the putty windows on top again.Being able to aim the cursor at the browser and scroll without bringing it to the top would ease this process significantly.
The only change necessary to the way Windows handles focus is to prevent a window that gains focus from changing the z-ordering until some other event occurs (like a click, for example).
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Hi Lars,
It seems quite dangerous, changing the way Windows handles the focus can have unexpected side effects.
Could you please give a concrete example where this function would be a real advantage?Regards,
Grégory