Streamlined window focus for macOS
- Swift 80.3%
- Makefile 12.1%
- C 7.6%
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Chris Webb
175bbb3e8d
Rework the TypeToFocus state machine
When we disarm in response to a mouse click, we should wait for the mouse to move outside the window under the pointer, not to move outside the currently focused window. Although the click may focus the window, we receive the event before it does so. As we now enter tracking mode following mouse clicks as well as keystrokes, flipping between the two event taps is likely to be more expensive than a single callback which returns early for irrelevant events. Consolidate the taps, simplifying TypeToFocus back towards the original FnToFocus shape. Resynchronise functions and names which TypeToFocus and FnToFocus share. |
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| bridge.h | Choose APIs more carefully for better performance | |
| COPYING | Import initial prototype | |
| fntofocus.swift | Rework the TypeToFocus state machine | |
| Makefile | Wrap the utilities in application bundles | |
| README | Warn users about broken macOS behaviour | |
| typetofocus.swift | Rework the TypeToFocus state machine | |
TypeToFocus and FnToFocus ========================= Occasional users of macOS are often frustrated by clumsy click-to-focus, which contrasts starkly with the streamlined point-to-focus available on more user-friendly Linux and BSD windowing systems. Traditional point-to-focus doesn't work well with the global menu bar on macOS. As your pointer makes the long journey north to access it, it's all too easy to inadvertently switch focus and be greeted by menus for the wrong window on arrival. TypeToFocus implements a variant of point-to-focus which fits better with this design. When the pointer enters a new window, focus is left unchanged until the user starts to type, but it is changed in time for the first keystroke to be correctly delivered to the intended target. This is done without raising the window using reverse-engineered SkyLight interfaces. Only windows on the standard layer are eligible for focus changes, so there are no awkward interactions with the desktop, menu bar, dock or character viewer. FnToFocus provides the same focus-without-raise action as TypeToFocus, but bound to a keyboard shortcut of tapping the Fn key. Holding the Fn key to use it as a modifier in the standard way will not trigger the focus change. Both utilities run silently in the background without adding UI clutter and are carefully optimised for energy efficiency. Installation ------------ To build the applications, run 'make' at the top of the source tree. This requires the Apple command line tools but doesn't depend on Xcode. macOS will automatically offer to download and install these if necessary. Move the application you want to use to /Applications then launch it from the finder. The first time it is run, you will be prompted to grant accessibility permissions in System Settings, after which you will need to run it again. These utilities intentionally have no dock or bar icon, so you can only check they are running correctly by observing their behaviour or by listing processes, but macOS will prevent you from accidentally running multiple copies in any case. Typically, you would add one of them to the Open at Login list in System Settings -> General -> Login Items & Extensions. If you subsequently rebuild and replace the application, you must manually remove the old entry granting it accessibility permissions in System Settings, otherwise macOS will silently deny access and you will not be prompted to authorise the updated version. TypeToFocus and FnToFocus should work on any recent version of macOS but an up-to-date version of swiftc is required to compile them. Please report any problems or bugs to Chris Webb <chris@arachsys.com>. Copying ------- This software was written by Chris Webb <chris@arachsys.com> and is distributed as Free Software under the terms of the MIT license in COPYING.