bao's blob

Switcher 2.0.0 released

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 21:13:23 GMT

The final version of Switcher 2.0.0 has been released together with an updated web site. The only difference from 2202 is an installer and a few minor bugfixes.

Regarding the abnormally long delay between beta and final, no, I did not spend the last 2 months redesigning the web site :) Things actually became quite busy and I didn't have time to work on Switcher until recently. I haven't become un-busy either, so Switcher work will unfortunately remain slow.

In the meantime, enjoy this release, and thanks everyone for the bug reports and feature requests. I haven't forgotten them :)

Update: To clarify "minor bugfixes", they were stability fixes, so most of the issues reported still remain.

Switcher 2.0.0 BETA

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 04:57:12 GMT

Download 2.0.0.2202 BETA - Requires Windows Vista and Aero.

It's finally ready! Please leave a comment if it works. Bug reports and suggestions are also welcome, but I'll likely only fix major problems before releasing 2.0.0 final. Additional features or non-trivial tweaks will have to wait until the next version, otherwise I could easily spend a few more months working on Switcher

Summary of features and changes:

New: Windows now have a label, background color, and border. All are customizable. Labels can display the following information:
- Filename of the application.
- Window icon.
- Number shortcut.
- Memory used in megabytes.
- Process name.
- Window title.
New: The first 9 windows can be activated by pressing the respective number on the keyboard.
New: Filters can be applied to narrow down the windows that appear. They can also be toggled during a session. Available filters:
- Search by window title (default shortcut Ctrl+F, or simply type to automatically display the search box). You can search using regular expressions (an obscure feature that I keep forgetting about).
- Exclude minimized windows (default shortcut Ctrl+M).
- Hide a particular window (default shortcut Ctrl+H).
- Show only the windows belonging to a certain program (default shortcut Ctrl+W).
The default shortcut to remove all filters is Ctrl+R.
New: You can now close windows during a session (default shortcut Alt+F4 or middle-click a window).
New: Added Grid View, which arranges windows in a grid. It is intended to make the window numbers easier to use.
New: Mouse shortcuts can now be restricted to a certain monitor instead of applying to all monitors.
New: Added the "Begin and Select Next" command that begins a session and selects the next window.
Change: Animations may appear smoother due to using a different method of smoothing stuff.
Change: The default shortcut for minimizing all windows except the selected one changed from middle-clicking anywhere to right-clicking on a window. Beware: middle-clicking a window will now close it.
Change: Reorganized settings into tabs.
There may be other changes that I've missed.

Switcher 2.0: Window filtering

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 07:56:24 GMT

The search feature wasn't created in a vacuum; rather, it was part of a larger set of features that all revolve around the ability for an application window to be in the background or hidden. Here are the available filters in Switcher 2.0:

Close a window. I had many requests for this one
Hide a window.
Show only the windows from the same program.
Search for a window by text.
Hide minimized windows.

All the above are commands, so you can assign your favorite keyboard and/or mouse shortcut to them. With exception to the first, they're also all toggleable, which is a new ability for 'hide minimized windows'.

There may be worries of each filter adding a significant amount of bloat. That's actually not the case. They all share a common framework. The filters themselves are quite simple and lightweight; in fact, most of them took only a few minutes to write. And considering how many requests there were for 'close a window', it made sense to me to write a common framework and implement that plus a couple other filters on top. If you're baking a cookie, you might as well bake a batch of them.

Switcher 2.0 screenshots: Window labels and search

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 06:48:19 GMT

It's been a while since my last update. Work is still continuing on Switcher, although at a slower pace than expected due to a variety of reasons (summer weather, vacation, Starcraft).

I thought I'd share screenshots since a beta is not ready yet. Note that the screenshots represent a work-in-progress. Things will change before the final release.

A couple new features in these screenshots:

Windows have labels that include the window title and icon.
The number in the label is a shortcut key. For example, pressing 4 in the first screenshot will activate the Pictures window.
There's a search box for searching by window title. The second screenshot demonstrates a search for "picture".

Comments and suggestions welcome. And yes, there are more features in 2.0 in addition to the above.

Switcher 1.2.1 released

Sat, 26 May 2007 07:29:50 GMT

1.2.1 is done. Download here.

In addition to the fixes in 1.2.1 beta, the final version also fixes Messenger Plus! windows in tile view, and fixes missing Sidebar gadgets.

As for future versions, yes, I'm aware of the feature requests both posted here and emailed. It's too early to tell what will be in the next version, but I do hope to incorporate some of the requests. I've actually been waiting for months to work on the upcoming version (due to being sidetracked by the input stuff); I have some ideas that I think people will like :)

On a related trivia/historical note, the input work was probably the most underestimated feature I've ever written that I've finished. Originally the 1.2.0 release was just going to fix tile view with multiple monitors and add more flexible input customization, with approximately equal weight given to each. In the end it took me a day to fix the former, and several weeks to finish the latter. Input-related code is approximately 30% of the project, and the input UI has 5 custom controls, including my own HotKey control since the .NET (and underlying shell) control does not support hotkeys involving the Windows key. I'm generally happy with the results, however. There are less input bugs than I expected, for which I am deeply, deeply thankful :)

Switcher 1.2.1 BETA

Sat, 19 May 2007 18:56:59 GMT

It's that time of month again (although I actually never plan it as such): Switcher 1.2.1.1756 BETA.

Update: 1746 has a serious bug where it can make your screen unresponsive to mouse clicks; I'll get an updated version uploaded shortly.

Update: I've uploaded 1756 that fixes the above issue.

This is a relatively minor release with a bunch of bug fixes and the following improvements/features:

New: Mouse shortcuts can now have required keyboard modifiers: Control, Shift, Alt, and the Windows key. This lets you create shortcuts such as Ctrl+Middle click.
New: Settings now upgrade across versions. The settings are unique to wherever you placed Switcher, so they will not upgrade if you move the Switcher executable around.
New: Added setting to hide notification tray icon for Switcher. You can either right-click the icon and select Hide, or uncheck the Show tray icon checkbox in the main window.
Change: Throughout the UI, input triggers are now called shortcuts. I feel the latter is a better-known term.
Change: Cleaned up UI in Input Settings dialog. It should be less cluttered and confusing. Added tooltips.
Change: Starting secondary instance of Switcher now activates and shows the existing instance.
Change: Pressing Esc in Tile view now does not change the activated window. Previously it would activate whatever window your mouse had moved over.

Let me know if it works or if you experience any serious bugs. I plan on releasing 1.2.1 final within a few days assuming nothing serious comes up.

Thank you everyone for the comments and suggestions. And just so you know, while I can't incorporate all feature requests due to conflicts or resource constraints, I do consider all of them. More versions to come :)

Switcher 1.2.0 released

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 20:37:08 GMT

Switcher 1.2.0 has been released. Download here.

Major new features:

You can now choose between Dock and Tile view in the main window. This was probably the most frequently-asked question :) Other settings have also been moved to the main window for easier access.
Fully customizable keyboard and mouse settings. Middle-clicking now minimizes everything except the selected window.
The desktop can now appear as a selectable window. Selecting it minimizes everything.
Many bug fixes.

A complete list of changes is available here. Thanks everyone for the feedback and bug reports. And yes, there are more versions to come!

For those who beta tested 1680, the following changes were made:

Multimon: When desktop is displayed as a window, only the primary screen is displayed.
Switcher doesn't attempt to minimize windows lacking a minimize button anymore.
Fixed problem where Skype caused an invisible window to show up in Switcher.

Switcher 1.2.0.1680 BETA

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 04:59:54 GMT

Another beta with minor changes. This is the last one before 1.2.0 final. Download here (zip only).

Changes since the last beta (1661):

Fix: Winamp doesn't cause small windows anymore in tile view. Known issue: Winamp windows are treated as separate application windows.
Fix: Lessened flickering in Input Settings dialog when selecting new command.
Change: The command list box in Input Settings now looks cleaner. Less commands are visible with this change, but if that's a problem you can resize the dialog to see more.

Old:

New:

Thanks for the comments everyone. Keep them coming!

Switcher 1.2.0.1661 BETA

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 05:15:50 GMT

In case you weren't aware, the previous entry about losing Switcher was an April Fool's joke :)

I've released Switcher 1.2.0.1661 BETA. Download here (zip only).

Complete list of new features, changes, and fixes available here. Summary of major changes:

Keyboard and mouse bindings are now completely customizable. (As a safeguard, Esc always works to end a session.)

The default bindings now let you:
- Middle-click to activate the current window and minimize everything else.
- Click the background to minimize all windows.
- Press Windows+CapsLock to start Switcher in a mode that stops Switcher when you release all keys.
Some settings now appear in the main window and are easier to change.
Desktop can now be displayed as a window; see the "Show the desktop" setting.
Tile view arranges windows across all monitors.
Fix: Google Talk doesn't cause windows in tile view to be small anymore.
Fix: Vista Virtual Desktops' hidden window doesn't show up as a selectable window anymore.
Fix: Wacom tablet tooltips don't show up as selectable windows anymore.

Known issues:

Keyboard and mouse bindings do not work if active application is elevated (i.e. Registry Editor).
Multimon: Really wide or long windows have messed up thumbnails.
Google Talk doesn't minimize when you perform a minimize command. It then refuses to participate as a selectable window. Unfortunately, Google Talk has a bizarre window setup and quirks, so I'm not sure I can fix this.
Yod'm 3D may show up in Switcher if you activate Switcher while Yod'm 3D is activated. It's a Switcher bug that probably won't get fixed until post 1.2.0.
Some global mouse triggers theoretically make your mouse unusable: move mouse anywhere, or left/right click anywhere. Switcher ignores these triggers but doesn't tell you.

Bug reports, comments, and suggestions are all welcome!

Lost all Switcher work

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 21:22:38 GMT

My hard drive crashed last night, and I lost all my work on Switcher :( I've spent the last few hours decompiling the latest release with Lutz Roeder's .NET Reflector and adding comments again. Unfortunately this may take a few weeks out of development time as some of the code was quite... intricate... and really needs commenting and cleanup. What's even worse is that all my work for the next version--several weeks worth of work--is all gone... sigh.

This isn't the first time I've had a hard drive sound odd. My previous bad experience was with an IBM Deskstar; the platter head would randomly make a large clanking sound, but otherwise didn't seem to damage any data. Then one day it started clanking continuously, so I freaked out and started transferring everything to a new drive. Well, something similar happened to my current drive last night, where it started making clanking sounds but then proceeded to corrupt all my source files in a few hours. Now Windows won't even boot anymore; it complains of corrupted binaries in system32.

So thank you everyone for the comments and suggestions, but it'll be a while before you see the next release.

Updated FAQ: UK keyboard, Aero requirement

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 05:19:52 GMT

I've reorganized and updated the FAQ for Switcher. The two major new Q&As:

1) How do I use the key above the Tab key on a UK keyboard as the hot key? A: Try selecting Oem8 as the hot key. Yes, I realize the method of choosing the key is awkward.

2) Switcher doesn't do anything. Help? A: I've had reports of Switcher not doing anything, and I suspect that Aero is disabled. Read more for info on how to check and enable Aero.

Switcher 1.1.0 with multimon support

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 05:23:50 GMT

Download here.

The two biggest changes: multimon support, and fixes for all reported issues involving overlapping windows in tile view. A detailed list of changes is available on my web site. Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Comments, suggestions, and bug reports are welcome. I prefer email (email address at my website) as it's easier to track, but you can also comment here.

Switcher 1.0.5.1440

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 02:29:51 GMT

Hi everyone, I've decided to start a blog to make it easier for people to track Switcher and provide comments.

1.0.5.1440 has been released today. You can download it from my web site. This is mainly a bug-fix release with the following changes:

New: Added settings to configure the dock view:
- DockViewClickToSelect: Choose between clicking a window or hovering mouse over it to select; old behavior is still the default.
- DockViewDockPadding: Spacing between window and dock area edge.
- DockViewDockSize: Size of the dock area.
- DockViewDockStyle: Edge of the screen at which windows are docked.
Change: Tile view now tabs through windows by row and column; previously this was by z-order, but since the windows may be rearranged anywhere, the z-ordering looked random.
Change: Default transition duration is now 0.25 seconds.
Change: You can now start Switcher by clicking the logo in the main window.
Fix: Non-application windows such as Sidebar gadgets and the round Start menu button now show up when switching.
Fix: Hotkey+Shift shortcut was not working.
Fix: Clicking in dock and tile views were inconsistent. Basically now you can use keyboard and mouse to cycle through windows with expected behavior. Also, clicking on empty area in dock view now dismisses Switcher.
Fix: Switching to a maximized window that is minimized did not perform the proper restore animation.
Fix: Clicking "Include minimized windows" did not automatically save settings.
Fix: Fixed a case where sometimes windows in tile view overlap.
Fix: Alt+F4 doesn't close Switcher session anymore. Previously this caused Switcher to be unable to start new sessions, and a crash when Switcher exited.
Fix: A bunch of other minor fixes.

Keep the comments and suggestions coming!

Photo Album: Switcher 2.0.0

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:03:18 GMT

Switcher 2.0.0

switcher-2704-bear

switcher-2704-dock

switcher-2704-grid

switcher-2704-hotdog

switcher-2704-multimon

switcher-2704-search

switcher-2704-shortcuts-labelled

switcher-2704-tile

switcher-2704-windowstyle

Photo Album: Switcher

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 20:58:35 GMT

Switcher

1.2.0: Desktop as a window with a lighthouse on Whidbey Island

1.2.0: Dock view with the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Bird's Eye View at http://maps.live.com

1.2.0: Dock view with Batman Begins playing

1.2.0: Civilization 1, released in 1993, running on Windows Vista, released in 2006

1.2.0: Multiple monitor support

1.2.0: Aftermath of winter wind storm

1.2.0: Tile view with Batman Begins, Guild Wars, Civilization 1, and pictures open

1.2.0: Main window

1.2.0: Input settings

1.2.0: Advanced settings

More Photos...

Custom List: Links

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 02:31:58 GMT

Links

Download Switcher