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PC utilities forum: Hotkey utility to search titles of all windows+browser tabs

by: blaqc June 13, 2012 5:31 PM PDT

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Hotkey utility to search titles of all windows+browser tabs

by blaqc - 6/13/12 5:31 PM

Is there a utility that will do an incremental search on the titles of all opened program windows? (And tabs, for programs that open multiple tabs.) Hopefully, this would be launched via a hotkey.

Use case: say I know I'm logged into Google Calendar in one of my open browser windows; I don't remember which one. I want to press a key, enter "nda" for example, and have the utility display all windows or tabs whose title contains "nda".

I found utilities that searched through all program window titles, but couldn't drill down inside each application to search its tabs.

Thanks!

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That would be difficult.

by Kees_B Moderator - 6/14/12 12:52 PM

In Reply to: Hotkey utility to search titles of all windows+browser tabs by blaqc

The Window title is recognised as such by the OS, and so it's accessible for other programs via some Windows API.

Tabs are just something inside the memory space of the browser, or the pdf-viewer (f.e. Foxit reader) or editor (for example Editpad) or - in fact - any program whose designer and programmer thinks it should have a user interface with tabs. And there's no standard way they offer information about such tabs to the outside world. So it's kind of impossible to present that information the way you would like to see it.

The only thing you can do is to have multiple browser windows open in stead of one browser window with tabs.

Kees


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Thanks

by blaqc - 6/14/12 2:16 PM

In Reply to: That would be difficult. by Kees_B Moderator

Hey Kees, thanks for setting me straight. It's good to know that there is no Windows standard to define tabs. (I thought it might be an evolution of the old MDI system) I'll just have to remember which browser held the desired tab, and possibly use that browser's multi-tab display, like Panorama in Firefox.


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Windows can do this anyway

by MarkFlax Moderator - 6/14/12 5:11 AM

In Reply to: Hotkey utility to search titles of all windows+browser tabs by blaqc

from the Taskbar.

Just hover over the icons and see what is displayed.

If you want to change how the Taskbar icons are treated, right click the Taskbar and select Properties.

Mark


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Doesn't list tabs, just main application window

by blaqc - 6/14/12 7:37 AM

In Reply to: Windows can do this anyway by MarkFlax Moderator

Thanks for the help, but this isn't the solution.

If I hover over the taskbar icons, I will see a thumbnail of each browser window, showing only the currently-active tab in each one. This does not list the title of all tabs. I'm looking for something that will search all windows, plus all browser tabs.


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My taskbar is set to "Always combine, hide labels"...

by blaqc - 6/14/12 7:43 AM

In Reply to: Doesn't list tabs, just main application window by blaqc

...just in case this makes a difference.


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Yes you're right

by MarkFlax Moderator - 6/14/12 11:52 AM

In Reply to: Doesn't list tabs, just main application window by blaqc

Mousing over doesn't reveal tabs in browser windows.

In that case the only solution I know of for browsers is the multi-tabs browser page. Many browsers offer this as my own does, Firefox.

It displays as thumbnails all the tabs and windows you have open in one tab page. That said, I have just tried my Firefox one and can't find how to get started in it.

That won't work with non-browser applications.

Mark


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Try Ctrl+Shift+E

by blaqc - 6/14/12 2:17 PM

In Reply to: Yes you're right by MarkFlax Moderator

Hey Mark,

Panorama's hotkey was changed from Ctrl+E to Ctrl+Shift+E a year ago.

Blaq


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Whoa, Brill !

by MarkFlax Moderator - 6/15/12 3:15 AM

In Reply to: Try Ctrl+Shift+E by blaqc

Hey that's great, and thank you.

Here you are, seeking help with one of your problems, and you end up helping me instead. happy

Thanks again.

Mark


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NO HOT KEY! Think EXTENSION

by R. Proffitt Moderator - 6/14/12 1:09 PM

In Reply to: Hotkey utility to search titles of all windows+browser tabs by blaqc

http://www.ghacks.net/2011/02/02/google-chrome-tab-title-search-extension/ is an example of such a thing for Chrome.

Too bad you didn't note which browser.
Bob


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