task switch between applications

belhifet · 04-10-2007, 07:11 PM

I want to make a simple task switcher.
When a special event happens (e.g. when the mouse wheel is clicked), I want the program to switch the current application with the lastly used one.
I'm using C.

1. How can I get which is the current application running (having focus in X.org) and the lastly used one?
2. How can i switch the focus from the current one to the lastly used one (like if you had clicked at the lastly used application on the taskbar, and it would bring it to front, getting the focus)?

rocket357 · 04-10-2007, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by belhifet

I want to make a simple task switcher.
When a special event happens (e.g. when the mouse wheel is clicked), I want the program to switch the current application with the lastly used one.
I'm using C.

1. How can I get which is the current application running (having focus in X.org) and the lastly used one?
2. How can i switch the focus from the current one to the lastly used one (like if you had clicked at the lastly used application on the taskbar, and it would bring it to front, getting the focus)?

Couple of questions:

1) what window manager are you using, as it will more than likely be the one to handle those tasks?
2) are you attempting to write a task switcher that is wm-independant, and if so, are you crazy?

Just kidding about the crazy stuff...but seriously, that's where I'd look first. Let me know if you run into trouble finding information...

belhifet · 04-11-2007, 07:21 AM

Thanks for the answer.

1. I'm using KDE, so kwin.
2. I would prefer to make a daemon that constantly runs and checks if the event happens. If it happens, it should switch the 2 applications.
But I would rather use some API in X.org, if there is one, because that would make it more independent of the user's WM choise.

Don't think at "task switcher" like the low level kernel scheduler.
I was thinking of using some X.org API or something.

Any ideas?