Minimized windows

[CMD-CK]

Would it be possible to restore the positions of minimized windows? Currently, windows that are minimized when a monitor is disconnected do not retain their size or position when the monitor reconnects.

[relikd]

I'll have to check whether the Accessibility API allows that, but sure, I'll look into it. Can you give me a few short reproducible steps so I have a way to test it?

Could also be an issue with the duration since last monitor change. I did write the app primarily for quick monitor changes, e.g., plugging and unplugging. It remembers the last screens by number of monitors. So if you had the window open in a 1-screen setup, then minimized it in a 2-screen setup, it will restore the un-minimized window of the 1-screen setup if you unplug the monitor.

Though I am not sure what the best practice should be... Forget previous states after 5 minutes or so? But then what happens if the walk to the next conference is longer than the 5 minutes. Or if you minimize and unplug the monitor in less than 5 minutes?...

[CMD-CK]

My current setup is an M1 Mac mini connected to a 4K monitor via a USB-C to DisplayPort cable. When the monitor goes to sleep, I suspect macOS treats it as disconnected. When the monitor sleeps, I'm typically finished working for an hour or more. With Memmon.app running, all visible applications are now retaining their size and positions. (Hooray!) Minimized applications - Calendar.app and Music.app are two reliable examples - get resized and moved to the bottom left quarter of the screen. Apps running with smaller window sizes like Messages.app are only moved to that bottom left quarter.

Reproducible steps:

1. Size Calendar.app to take up most of your available screen space
2. Minimize Calendar.app
3. Turn off or disconnect any external displays
4. Reconnect external display after 3 minutes
5. Restore Calendar.app and note window size and position

[relikd]

Haha, exactly my scenario: M1, work, external display with dongle... Thats why Memmon exists 😄.
Thanks for the steps, I'll try that tomorrow ... and hopefully fix it too.

… and then I started coding ... and 3 hours later ... still nothing ...

The problem is I use different APIs to get (CGWindowListCopyWindowInfo) and restore (AXUIElementSetAttributeValue) the window positions. I have no clear mapping between which windows in the CG-API correspond to which windows in the AX-API – CG can't set the position and if I use AX to get the positions it is already too late and the window positions were updated already...

The only way I see is get the full CG list (replace .optionOnScreenOnly with .optionAll) and filter the windows which are most likely the ones that are shown in AX. But that turns out to be really complicated. Xcode for example lists 7 windows even though only one is shown on screen. Other apps have windows for the menu bar and some mysterious zero-size windows. There seem to be no certain way to filter out bogus windows. ... oh, and AX can't access windows by id. You can only get the full list for an application with unknown order.

In the end, I did try to sort the windows by id but not sure if this will help – or make the problem worse. You can try this version:
Memmon_sorted.app.zip
(you will need to add it to the system pref security accessibility pane again)

If that does not work, I have no clue what to try next.

[CMD-CK]

Wow, what a mess. Unfortunately, the problem still exists in Memmon_sorted.

I'm happy to test any other solutions you might come up with. Really appreciate your efforts here.

[relikd]

You can test version 1.1. I fixed the window mapping problem. Hopefully that includes the minimization issue. (breaking change: if you used the "invisible" defaults option, that was renamed to the new "icon" option)

[CMD-CK]

Version 1.1 does indeed seem to nearly resolve the minimization issue. In my testing, I noticed that the issue still exists on my setup if the monitor is turned off at the power switch. If macOS puts the monitor to sleep, then the issue is definitely no longer present. I expect that macOS sees these as two different events. At any rate, version 1.1 is hugely useful as the vast majority of the time, my monitor is going to sleep when not in use. It is rare that I actually turn it off completely.

[relikd]

And what does happen with the windows if the monitor is powered off? On my monitor if the switch is off, the windows are still shown on the same monitor. It seems the monitor is still detected by macOS even though the power switch is off. If you move a window to the monitor and then turn it off, I assume it will stay there. Memmon only switches between the states when the number of attached monitors changes, which does not seem to happen if you switch off the monitor.

My question is: if you have a few windows on said monitor and switch if off, while not using Memmon, will they stay there, or does macOS moves them? If macOS does indeed move them, let me know and I will look further into it.

[CMD-CK]

I'm only working with a single monitor. It's a 4K connected to a Mac mini.

When the monitor is switched off, windows that were visible remain in place. Minimized windows are resized and moved to fit into the bottom left quarter of the screen. Effectively 1920 x 1080. Both of these behaviors occur when Memmon 1.1 is running and when it is not.

[relikd]

For clarification: the windows get moved and resized even though Memmon is not running? Make sure that no other Memmon is running in the background. But if it isn't: you say that macOS does the resizing and you want Memmon to prevent it?

[CMD-CK]

Yes, the windows get moved and resized even though Memmon is not running. It does appear that macOS is doing it and yes I would like Memmon to prevent it.

…

On Oct 22, 2021, at 3:09 AM, Helena Schobs ***@***.***> wrote:  For clarification: the windows get moved and resized even though Memmon is not running? Make sure that no other Memmon is running in the background. But if it isn't: you say that macOS does the resizing and you want Memmon to prevent it? — You are receiving this because you authored the thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. Triage notifications on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS or Android.

[relikd]

hmmm, I only have a Macbook with a built-in monitor which I can't turn off separately. I have no way of testing your issue. But you can try this:

func applicationDidChangeScreenParameters(_ notification: Notification) {
    print(NSScreen.screens.count)
    print(self.getState())
}

replace the current method with this one and run with swift main.swift. Then turn off the monitor and see if the notification is triggered. If so, you can compare if the state did change.

If the notification is not triggered, you could also create a dummy menu entry and call a test method which prints the state manually.

self.statusItem.menu!.addItem(withTitle: "test", action: #selector(self.tt), keyEquivalent: "t")
...
@objc func tt() {
    print(self.getState())
}

You can call this method by clicking the menu icon and pressing cmd+T. First, run the test once to have a ground truth. Then open the status bar menu again, turn off the monitor, and then hit cmd+T again. This should trigger the print even if you cant see it ... hopefully.

oh, and you can call getState() without accessibility permissions (just make sure restoreState() is not called) ;-)

[CMD-CK]

Unfortunately, I am not a developer, but I will give your suggestions a look and see what I can make happen. Version 1.1 is quite effective, so if this is where we leave this project for now, I’m very happy to continue using it.

…

On Oct 22, 2021, at 12:43 PM, Helena Schobs ***@***.***> wrote:  hmmm, I only have a Macbook with a built-in monitor which I can't turn off separately. I have no way of testing your issue. But you can try this: func applicationDidChangeScreenParameters(_ notification: Notification) { print(NSScreen.screens.count) print(self.getState()) } replace the current method with this one and run with swift main.swift. Then turn off the monitor and see if the notification is triggered. If so, you can compare if the state did change. If the notification is not triggered, you could also create a dummy menu entry and call a test method which prints the state manually. self.statusItem.menu!.addItem(withTitle: "test", action: #selector(self.tt), keyEquivalent: "t") ... @objc func tt() { print(self.getState()) } You can call this method by clicking the menu icon and pressing cmd+T. First, run the test once to have a ground truth. Then open the status bar menu again, turn off the monitor, and then hit cmd+T again. This should trigger the print even if you cant see it ... hopefully. oh, and you can call getState() without accessibility permissions (just make sure restoreState() is not called) ;-) — You are receiving this because you authored the thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. Triage notifications on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS or Android.

[relikd]

Well, here you go. Run this from your terminal: Memmon.zip

you will see the output every time you click the test button. Do one click before you turn off the monitor, one while the monitor is off, and one after you turn it on again. Ideally with as few windows open as possible. But with at least one window that shows the behavior you mentioned.

[relikd]

Alright, here we go again.
Here are two versions you can try, they should (hopefully) both restore your window positions after you turn off your monitor. Let me know whether both work as intended. Additionally, the app will now ask on launch, if it detects that the accessibility permission is not granted. If the popup does appear, and Memmon is already in your accessibility granted list, it suffice to untick and tick the checkmark again.
v1_n_2.zip