I have officially created my first page on shaunk.blog, and this page is dedicated to the xmice.
What are the xmice? Basically they are utilities (one command line driven and one with a GUI) that allow you to activate Windows’ ability to let window focus follow the mouse cursor. This lets you do handy things like scroll background windows with your mousewheel, or enter text into them, without bringing them up in front of everything else.
I first started using this style of window focus a long time ago, when it was a feature in TweakUI, the Windows XP UI tweaker power toy. Unfortunately TweakUI doesn’t work for Vista (or Windows 7 I imagine) and so I went looking on the internet for an easy way to allow for the same thing. Apparently one didn’t exist. The only solution was a fairly complex and sketchy registry hack, which I didn’t like.
So I made xmouse to let me do the same thing, using nary more than a simple Windows API call. I now share it with the world in the hopes that other people like me can partake in the glory that is click-free window focus.
wow, that is cool. Also the more important one – useful?
I might blog about xmouse?
Funny story, turns out Vista/Windows 7 let you control this option through the Accessibility settings.
Those of us using linux have been having focus follow the mouse without clicking this whole time already.
I always thought it would be best to code a high-quality webcam to track where your eyes are looking, and just put the focus on whatever window you’re looking at. I think this is incredibly overdue.
I’ve had xmouse enabled for some time now, and only just now did I realise that it’s not actually doing anything. Windows will focus to the front when z-order is enabled, but I still have to click to get keyboard/scrollwheel focus.
I do have xp home rather than vista here; guess I should look for tweakui.
It works for me and Brad. I think you must be doing it wrong. Did you try clicking the buttons and/or toggling things?
Indeed. Here is a specific test I just tried:
XMouse was open and enabled. I clicked to focus it, moved my mouse over this browser window, hit tab — the button focus changed on the xmouse window.
Disabled xmouse, hit apply, same behaviour.
Re-enable dxmouse, hit apply, same behaviour.
Closing xmouse and re-opening it, it remembers my settings, so I suppose my system is just ignoring them or something?
Ohhhhhh. It’s my fault. I thought the “delay in milliseconds” applied only to z-order, set it high, and enabled z-order. Apparently it applies to focus as well. I am foolish!
Oh man, usability concerns! I suppose it is pretty confusing how they got grouped together down in that options box. Hrmmmmm….
classic c# / ‘visual’ ‘studio’ situation IMO
The xmice are C++
I am becoming disenlightened by the xmice. It is the fault of the many windows applications that choose to raise themselves to the foreground when they acquire focus; most notably, flash CS4.
I am, however, in full support of C++.
Karl, I too feel your pain. Visual Studio, of all applications, will reorder itself at even the slightest hint of focus. It’s very frustrating. I have my delay set to 300ms and I generally can avoid the jarring experience of the window hurling itself towards me, but when others use my machine they are not so fortunate.