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Pressing ALT+TAB is very helping in navigating among open windows in the desktop of my windows 8.1 PC.

NOTE 1: The menu that appears gives one the ability to navigate not only between open desktop windows but also minimised to taskbar windows.

  • Effectively ALT+TAB gives one the ability to "switch" among ALL open applications that, off course, are displayed in a window.
  • Now, I am not proficient in programming, in general. Yet I usually have many open windows and would like to navigate rapidly between them.
  • I found that ALT+ESC actually does a better job serving my needs, as it is faster i.e.
  • I don't need to click an extra button to get to the window I am interested in like I have to with ALT+TAB.
  • And that would have been ALL and I would have been a happy windows user, but, ALT+ESC does not cycle through minimised to taskbar windows.
  • In fact it does cycle through them but does not display a preview of them like ALT+TAB does.
  • Actually with ALT+ESC I am more like looking for not the preview but the actual window.
  • I have AutoHotKey installed. Any suggestions for a script that develops ALT+ESC functionality? Or is it impossible?

NOTE 2: ALT+SHIFT+ESC "cycles" through "open" windows backwards.

NOTE 3: I have also installed X Mouse Button control and have assigned ALT+ESC and ALT+SHIFT+ESC to my mouse's buttons 4 and 5, effectively cycling through "open" application windows by pressing buttons on my mouse. If only that were a little better...

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  • Does Win+Tab (Windows Aero "Flip") not work on Windows 8? This would seem to do what you want on Windows 7... cycles through all (incl. minimised) windows, showing you a large preview of each.
    – MrWhite
    Mar 9, 2015 at 9:33
  • What is your question exactly? You are not going to be able to change the behavior of this keyboard shortcut, its a feature within Windows itself, what your end goal is exactly isn't clear.
    – Ramhound
    Mar 9, 2015 at 10:57
  • To the first commentor (I would use the word commentator but it reminds me of sport and politics): No, Windows Aero "Flip" does not work on Windows 8. (There is a utility that is freely available however that adds that functionality to Windows 8. Thanks, I had not considered that). Mar 9, 2015 at 13:06
  • To the second commentor: My goal: I am hoping that an expert in AutoHotKey scripting language has dealt with the same issue as I and has come up with a solution ie. a ready-made script that I can run. (AutoHotKey is a scripting language for windows that gives access to many parameters of the OS. It can be used to automate Windows to user preference, is not larger than 5 MB, yet involves hard-core programming skills. I have been hoping that I learn it fast, but it is very complex. If someone has had the same problem as I, I would have been spared the effort). Mar 9, 2015 at 13:20
  • 1
    TIP: To direct a comment at another user you can prefix their username with @. eg. @Spiros - they will then get notified.
    – MrWhite
    Mar 9, 2015 at 13:21

2 Answers 2

2

OK GUYS I found the solution..................

Somewhere after a lot of searching........

    XButton1::
    Send, {AltDown}{Esc}{AltUp}
    Sleep, 0
    WinActivate, A
    Return

    XButton2::
    Send, {AltDown}{ShiftDown}{Esc}{ShiftUp}{AltUp}
    Sleep, 0
    WinActivate, A
    Return
1

Try this:

#NoEnv
#SingleInstance Force

; equivalent to ALT+TAB    (ALT+ESC cannot activate minimized windows)

F1::
List =
WinGet, AllWinsHwnd, List
Loop, % AllWinsHwnd
{
WinGet, exStyle, exStyle, % "ahk_id" AllWinsHwnd%A_Index%
If !(exStyle & 0x100)
  Continue
WinGetTitle, CurrentWinTitle, % "ahk_id " AllWinsHwnd%A_Index%
WinGetTitle, active_title, A
If CurrentWinTitle = %active_title%
  continue
WinActivate, %CurrentWinTitle%
GoSub, MouseCenterInWindow
  break
}
return

; SHIFT+ALT+TAB menu

F2::
List =
Menu, windows, Add
Menu, windows, deleteAll
WinGet, AllWinsHwnd, List
Loop, %AllWinsHwnd%
{
WinGet, exStyle, exStyle, % "ahk_id" AllWinsHwnd%A_Index%
If !(exStyle & 0x100)
  Continue
WinGetTitle, CurrentWinTitle, % "ahk_id " AllWinsHwnd%A_Index%
WinGetClass, CurrentWinClass, % "ahk_id " AllWinsHwnd%A_Index%
If CurrentWinClass = ApplicationFrameWindow
  Continue
Menu, windows, Add, %CurrentWinTitle%%A_Tab%ahk_class %CurrentWinClass%, WinTitle
WinGet, Path, ProcessPath, % "ahk_id " AllWinsHwnd%A_Index%
Menu, windows, Icon, %CurrentWinTitle%%A_Tab%ahk_class %CurrentWinClass%, %Path%
}
Menu, windows, Show
return


WinTitle:
WinActivate, %A_ThisMenuItem%
GoSub, MouseCenterInWindow
return


MouseCenterInWindow:
CoordMode, Mouse, Relative
WinGetPos,,,Xmax,Ymax,A ; get active window size
Xcenter := Xmax/2        ; Calculate center of active window
Ycenter := Ymax/2
MouseMove, Xcenter, Ycenter
return
2
  • it's not working on my computer! I'll see what parts of it I can use though... Thanks! Mar 9, 2015 at 19:15
  • Make sure that you have the newest AHK version from ahkscript.org installed.
    – Relax
    Mar 9, 2015 at 20:22

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