Peek-A-Boo Task Switching

[HeX]

What Peek-A-Boo will do:

Say you have two maximized Internet Explorer windows. Obviously, one is on top, but you want to view the other one. Normally you would have to switch to it the annoying MS way (even more annoying if you use XP grouping) through either ALT-TAB or clicking the taskbar. This program will allow you to "peek" behind the window, and allow you to activate the one underneath with no hassle.

Upon touching any edge of the topmost window, the window will resize just enough in order to allow you to click the window underneath it.

If you click the window underneath (bringing it to front), or if you move your cursor back within the window, it will resize the window back to its original size.

Just a concept in my mind right now ...any takers?

[blindwig]

sounds like an interesting idea, but here's some concerns I would have:

how would you be able to re-size the window manually? If every time you go to grab the edge, it resizes itself and jumps out from under your mouse...

Also, how close to the edge do you have to be to trigger this re-size? If I am trying to click on a button or scrollbar or something that is near the edge of the window, is it going to keep resizing out from under me?

[HeX]

It will only resize maximized windows . If you hit the restore button, it won't auto-size.

And you'd have to be right on the edge (or beyond it - in consideration of the taskbar)... since it's maximized there's no need to do relative edge guessing.

Each edge will be toggle-able for those who don't want certain edges to slide over.

I saw an UDF somewhere that does rounded corners on AutoIt GUIs...I'm also wondering if there's a way to do rounded corners on windows besides AutoIt's so you can "dog-ear" the window when you're in the top-left corner...no resize would be involved that way.

[blindwig]

It will only resize maximized windows . If you hit the restore button, it won't auto-size.

And you'd have to be right on the edge (or beyond it - in consideration of the taskbar)... since it's maximized there's no need to do relative edge guessing.

Each edge will be toggle-able for those who don't want certain edges to slide over.

I saw an UDF somewhere that does rounded corners on AutoIt GUIs...I'm also wondering if there's a way to do rounded corners on windows besides AutoIt's so you can  "dog-ear" the window when you're in the top-left corner...no resize would be involved that way.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

IIRC that technique used could be applied to any window, you just need to be sure to store the window's current mask so you know what to change it back to...

And if you wanted to do it proerly, you'd also need to catch the apps own attempts to change it's window mask, so that you could keep your stored mask up to date on an app that changes it's shape while running

[HeX]

But applying it to any window (not just maximized ones) would bring the ugly manual resize beastie back, wouldn't it? :-\

It'd be doing a WinGetPos and WinGetState on the active window, and reading mouse coordinates... it'll have to remember what the window state is anyhow to calculate for the resizing..eg. resize window <win> to <width-50> and restore it to <width> after a WinWaitNotActive on the current window times out.

[blindwig]

I was talking about for making round corners. I assume you're thinking that if the mouse goes to a corner, you're going to clip that corner so that the user can see (and click) on the window below?

[HeX]

Precisely