feat: add option to minimize other windows when switching

[JonyEpsilon]

This PR adds a feature to minimise other windows, both as an intentional action from the switching window, and as a configurable default action when completing a switch.

I'm not sure you'll want to keep adding features to AltTab until it becomes all things to all people, so I won't be offended if you'd prefer not to add this functionality :-) There do look to be a few requests for something similar: #1530, #1902, #2086 . These FRs asked for the ability to hide other apps on switching, but that feels like quite a heavy action on MacOS - hiding all windows across all spaces - whereas minimising other windows can be implemented in a way that just applies to the set of windows that the current AltTab action is applying to, whether that be a single space or all spaces.

I've tried to change the existing logic as little as possible, as my impression is that it's probably been polished in the face of a thousand edge cases! I'm not sure the implementation is as clean as it could be, and we could happily streamline it if you're happy to risk changing the logic more (in particular, the thing that could be cleaned up, I think, is how the "action" to either focus the selected window, or minimise the other windows is triggered inside ATShortcut when the triggerPhase is up).

[JonyEpsilon]

I'm not sure about the name of this function, but I can't think of a better one :-)

[lwouis]

You check shouldShowTheUser here. Is it what the user would expect though? Let's imagine I use the command+` shortcut. It shows me only windows of the active app. When I set it to "minimize other windows" on release, I think I expect that every other window on my screen will minimize, except the one I just focused, no? Here it will only minimize the other windows of the active app.

Same logic will keep some windows on-screen, depending on the shortcut filtereing logic behind shouldShowTheUser.

Another point: I wonder if people will expect this single-window mode to be per-Space and/or per-Screen. I'm not sure users expect windows in every Space and on every Screen to minimize when they go for this type of workflow. Maybe they would like to have a "main window" per Screen?

What do you think?

[lwouis]

I think adding the option to minimize other windows is not adding much noise in the existing dropdown "on release:". However, as a secondary shortcut like quit/hide/etc, I think it's too niche to have such a prominent UI in the preferences. This shortcut 1 would also conflict with #210. I think the feature is a bit too niche to have a dedicated shortcut as such.

[lwouis]

Hi @JonyEpsilon 👋

This PR adds a feature to minimise other windows, both as an intentional action from the switching window, and as a configurable default action when completing a switch.

I'm not sure you'll want to keep adding features to AltTab until it becomes all things to all people, so I won't be offended if you'd prefer not to add this functionality :-) There do look to be a few requests for something similar: #1530, #1902, #2086 .

I think it's ok to add yet another preference, if it's in the existing dropdown "On release:". I think it's a dropdown very few people touch in the first place, so it's ok to cram another power-user option there. Regarding adding a new secondary shortcut, I think it's too niche to warrant the added complexity though.

These FRs asked for the ability to hide other apps on switching, but that feels like quite a heavy action on MacOS - hiding all windows across all spaces - whereas minimising other windows can be implemented in a way that just applies to the set of windows that the current AltTab action is applying to, whether that be a single space or all spaces.

I made a comment in the PR to discuss the topic of which windows should be affected by the trigger.

I will add, regarding other people wanting to hide windows instead of minimizing, that I think if we add this feature, we could as well add yet another dropdown option to hide instead of minimizing.

I've tried to change the existing logic as little as possible, as my impression is that it's probably been polished in the face of a thousand edge cases! I'm not sure the implementation is as clean as it could be, and we could happily streamline it if you're happy to risk changing the logic more (in particular, the thing that could be cleaned up, I think, is how the "action" to either focus the selected window, or minimise the other windows is triggered inside ATShortcut when the triggerPhase is up).

You're very kind. I think the codebase is a bit messy, as a result of the million complexities and tricks we do to get macOS to comply to basic functionality (e.g. there is no public API to manipulate Spaces, so we use private APIs/SPIs and side-effects to detect things).

The code in this PR is of very good quality, in my eyes. I think if you're ok to make a few changes from my suggestions, I can merge this PR and release soon after 👍

[JonyEpsilon]

Hey, just a very quick comment to say that the above all sounds reasonable, and I'll update the PR when I have a chance - been a bit busy lately.

I might need some advice on how to select the proper set of windows to minimise, but I should think about it myself first!

[shredthaGNAR]

easier to just use BTT aka BetterTouchTool to add. action to activate via trackpad when hovered over AltTab App Window ex to. hide app window or closing etc and with DockAltTab. and BTT you do the same for dock previews when you hover over apps in doc,. I set it. up. on my system works. great.....still which you would add the few trivial applescript commands SteventheWorker creator of DockAltTab requested because it would allow for apps. to be kept up to date aka not have to use a specially made AltTab instance that only. difference is those. few. lines. of innocuous appleescipt functionality. Having to constantly recompiling every time you update make its confusing and harder users as opposed to having DockAltTabjust be a companioon-like app that track. your up to date AltTab