Add (fuzzy) search

[max-sixty]

Is your feature suggestion related to a problem? Please describe. I was directed here from this discussion. I've been a heavy user and fan of Contexts. Unfortunately it's no longer in development (though works fine atm).

To quote that discussion:

One of my favorite features is quick switching by holding down Caps/Esc and typing some of the Application / Window name. It'll be fuzzy matched and when releasing Caps/Esc, the selected window will be focused. So if you know the window you want to switch to, it's extremely fast.

And mindfulhack responded:

The dev is currently extraordinarily dedicated to responding to tickets and is in heavy development. I've already helped out and contributed a bit. Recommend to start Github issues for any gripes right away.

To the extent that's something you think would fit into the vision of this app, I find it invaluable.

[lwouis]

Hi @max-sixty! Thanks for sharing this suggestion!

This is a great idea. I had a lot I wanted to discuss, so I made a video response. Please check it out

[max-sixty]

This is amazing! I'm watching now. I already really appreciate the response!

[max-sixty]

This is really one of the most impressive interactions I've had in OSS, I really appreciate it.

A couple of small replies after watching the video:

• Thanks for showing those customizations, I copied them
• Your quick read on Contexts very much resonates. Both the parts you liked — the memory of searches — and the parts you found over-complicated — too many options, too many states
• Definitely no need for arrows keys within the search — generally it's <5 letters. Backspace is more than enough

Thanks again!

[nfekete]

I love this idea a lot. Two things popped to my mind while watching the video.

1. If you were to implement it without a special trigger shortcut, just by having the user start typing in order to narrow the list of windows by fuzzy match, that would conflict with the current shortcuts used to close windows, minimize/unminimize window, quit app, hide/show app. These shortcuts are really useful, I use them quite often so I think they are really worth keeping. Maybe another (optional) modifier key could be used for either of these functions. You could create settings for having another modifier key for the fuzzy match filter and another additional modifier key for the window/app shortcuts. You could make any of these optional, so as no additional modifier key would be required for that particular function. Just need to make sure they are not conflicting with each other. You can't have both fuzzy match filter and window/app shortcuts with the same/no modifier key.
2. An advanced version of this would be to filter not just for app names/window titles, but tab names as well. You could search for Chrome/Firefox/Safari, etc. tabs directly from within AltTab. Maybe it could be done with some sort of plugin architecture. I realize this is a bit stretching the purpose of AltTab and I am not sure it could be integrated into AltTab in a nice seamless way. But I thought it wouldn't hurt throwing in the idea.

[max-sixty]

If you were to implement it without a special trigger shortcut, just by having the user start typing in order to narrow the list of windows by fuzzy match, that would conflict with the current shortcuts used to close windows,

Yes. Contexts has this by holding Caps while typing (or in my case Esc is mapped to the caps key). So that doesn't interfere with Alt+Tab. An it's only one key to hold down — harder to type characters if you're already holding two keys.

[lwouis]

@nfekete

1. Yes indeed there needs to be a solution to allow shortcuts and search to co-exist. You mention adding an optional modifier for each. I like the optionality of it. People who prefer one modality or the other can have the one they like without modifier and put the other on a modifier. We could imagine a key trigger instead of a modifier also. I'm thinking that maybe a key trigger would be nicer because on key press we could switch to search mode, and the user could release their hands from the keyboard keys and search without having to hold anything. The key could be any combination of modifier(s) and/or key btw.

2. There is a ticket in that general area already: #527. I think for search in tabs to be realized, we would need first to get be able to list tabs as individual windows, which we do for standard tabs already through a preference. Of course custom tabs are way messier as we have to write specific code for each browser, and it will break anytime they change their UI slightly.

[nfekete]

@lwouis

I think for search in tabs to be realized, we would need first to get be able to list tabs as individual windows, which we do for standard tabs already through a preference. Of course custom tabs are way messier as we have to write specific code for each browser, and it will break anytime they change their UI slightly.

I don't know, maybe that's a bit of a stretch to have all the browser tabs content rendered as thumbnails, I often find myself having hundreds of open browser tabs. I think that would not scale, not from performance point of view, and neither from UX side. Still it would be great to have some function where I could very quickly narrow down a browser tab from many open browser tabs and switch to that window and the tab inside it directly, even if I have another app focused at the moment. There is a Quick Tabs (github) Chrome extension where you can select a Chrome tab with fuzzy search, but it's not the greatest UX. I still have to focus a random Chrome window first before I am able to activate the Quick Tabs search to switch to the tab I'm looking for.

[lwouis]

I'm not sure how the UX for 100 open tabs works. I type "and" which is contained in, let's say 50 out of 100 tabs. What do we show in AltTab at this point? We have to show the 50 tabs i feel to be useful, no? Or some custom UI on all the Chrome window, like just the number 50?

Can you please describe the UI you have in mind? What i had in mind was simply filtering the thumbnails shown, which implies that before the search, all windows and tabs are visible

[probablykasper]

The way I have Contexts set up is to start fuzzy search immediately when I press a key, so for example if I want to switch to Discord I do cmd + (tab, then D). If that behavior could be replicated in AltTab, that's what I would go for

[cocoonkid]

That would be so amazing! Was about to open a feature request when I happily noticed it is already being discussed.

I work on arch simultaneously and use rofi (https://github.com/davatorium/rofi)

The it works there is that I setup cmd + w and it will show me a fuzzy search for all open windows at the top and all installed apps below these. (window and drun mix mode).

That enables really fast app / context switching.

Adding this to alt-tab would be amazing (even tho that'd need a list view ).

I just deleted hyperswitch and the above would allow me to get rid of alfred as it only always opens apps...

THANKS for this great piece of software.

EDIT: found this which offers a similar option. https://manytricks.com/witch/

[gkpln3]

Would definitely love to have this feature, if anyone is working on it I'd love to help :)

[maxwellhibbert]

Was just about to request the same thing. Something like the Contexts app did.

[muescha]

Given that I don't utilize basic keys for certain triggers:

I would appreciate an option wherein every key (without a modifier) serves as a search term.

[timkgh]

@lwouis

We could imagine a key trigger instead of a modifier also. I'm thinking that maybe a key trigger would be nicer because on key press we could switch to search mode, and the user could release their hands from the keyboard keys and search without having to hold anything. The key could be any combination of modifier(s) and/or key btw.

+1. Alt-Tab, while holding down Alt hit / and enter search mode.