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WinGlance

Overview

WinGlance is the award-winning visualizable Alt-Tab replacement task switching utility with extra abilities of instant window closing and duration and memory information viewing.

Ideally for multitasking-minded Windows XP users, this handy, easy-to-use, and visually appealing productivity tools lets users switch from one open window to another, with only a click at the full-screen neatly-arranged window-snapshot list.

The list can be activated by simply pressing Alt-Tab or pointing a mouse over lower right corner of a screen. Moreover, to get a lot more work done in less time, users can easily switch to a recent window or other windows by pressing keyboard shortcuts.

Flexibly, all default key combinations and mouse gesture can be reconfigurable. With WinGlance, You Can:

  • visualize all open windows on your computer,
  • keep track of what you are working on with your computer,
  • visually search for a window that is covered by other windows,
  • view all Web browser windows you are currently navigating through,
  • view and close all pop-up windows that silently appear on your screen,
  • view running duration, virtual memory usage, and total memory usage of each window,
  • and much more …

Flexible Configurations

Configure WinGlance in any settings you like!

  • Keyboard Shortcuts: to assign any key combinations to use WinGlance.
  • Mouse Gesture: to disable/enable mouse gesture; to specify mouse gesture location.
  • Exclusion List: to exclude any particular windows from WinGlance.
  • Advanced: to group snapshots by applications; and to enable WinGlance to restore minimized windows before taking snapshots.

Key Features

  • Simply activate a snapshot-window list with a mouse cursor pointing to the lower right screen corner or pressing Alt-Tab combination key only once
  • Full-screen window showing window snapshots of all running applications
  • Chronically arranged or application-typically arranged
  • Automatically resized window snapshots
  • Unlimited window snapshots of all running applications
  • Instant information (running duration, virtual memory usage, and total memory usage of each window)
  • On-the-fly window closing
  • Fast, reliable, handy, and easy to use
  • Intuitively friendly user interface
  • Flexible configurations
  • Low memory usage
  • Free life-time upgrade
  • Pure C programming with Win32 API guaranteed for fast running with this high graphic quality
  • 95% less occurrences of incomplete window snapshots (black snapshots) than PowerToy Task-Switcher
  • Unlike PowerToy Task-Switcher, no duplicated window snapshots of MS Project and MS PowerPoint

Keyboard Shortcuts

There is no need no more to stick your finger on the Alt key all the time when switching windows!

With WinGlance, you can use shortcut keys to navigate snapshot list comfortably.

  • Alt-Tab – to start WinGlance (can be reconfigured)
  • Tab, Arrow keys, PageUp/PageDown, Home, End – to navigate through snapshots
  • Space or Enter – to activate a selected snapshot
  • Win-Z – to switch to a recent window (can be reconfigured)
  • Win-A – to switch to another window (can be reconfigured)
  • F5 – to refresh the snapshot list
  • Esc – to close the snapshot list

System Requirements

  • Microsoft Windows XP (all editions) or Microsoft Windows Server 2003

Current Limitations

We have nothing to hide:

  • It can’t take snapshots of applications that use proprietary methods or undocumented ways to display their contents. This is due to WinGlance using only documented methods to interface with those applications to prevent any unexpected errors that may occur in their screens. (There are not many of such applications existed, however.)
  • It can’t take snapshots of floating palettes of applications such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. However, the main window will show. (PowerToy Alt-Tab also can’t show them.)
  • It can’t take snapshots of two or more open MS Excel windows. However, the minimized ones will show. (Even PowerToy Alt-Tab can’t display them correctly, anyway.)
  • Occasionally, it can’t take snapshots of two or more open MS PowerPoint and MS Project. However, the minimized ones will show. These applications use proprietary methods to display their contents, and we’ve tried to cope with them. Nevertheless, our methods can’t be perfect. (PowerToy Alt-Tab is no better than ours.)
  • Yet, MSN Messenger is another Microsoft product that uses a proprietary display method. WinGlance will handle windows of MSN Messenger fine as long as you won’t minimize them. You can close them to the traybar and there is no problem, however.
  • When using WinGlance to close MS Word, MS Excel, (and other random proprietary Microsoft applications, heaven knows…), those applications sometimes won’t signify WinGlance that they’ve already closed. Therefore, WinGlance will wait for a couple seconds then ask if you want to return to WinGlance. Just click ‘Yes’ and it will be all right.

License

With Windows Vista and Mac OS X everywhere nowadays, a new version of WinGlance and its source code will be released under an open source license soon.