Documentation

We try to keep the documentation up to date. However, there may be a delay in updating after releases. All hotkeys listed here are relevant for macOS. For Windows and Linux default hotkeys may differ.

Introduction

Installation

Activation

Hotkeys setup

• Hotkeys customization

• Examples of some specific window actions

• Cycling different actions on repeated pressing of shortcuts

Active Window Actor

• How to call Window Actor

• How Window Actor works

• When Window Actor loses focus

Active Window Switcher

• How to call Window Switcher

• How Window Switcher works

• When Window Switcher loses focus

• Where to show Window Switcher

• Where to show a window when it is activated in Window Switcher

Running Applications

• How to blacklist an application

Embedded Browser Window

• Create Profile

• Create Embedded Browser Window template

• Frameless Embedded Browser Window

General Settings

• Hide Application in the Dock

• Desktop Notifications

• Play Sound

• Immediate shortcuts save

• Language

• Default Search Engine

• Save/Restore Settings

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in our window manager and switcher!

On this page, you will find the complete documentation for SMBAct. If after reading it you still have any questions after reading, please don’t hesitate to ask through contact form here or write directly to me on Twitter @AEsakova.

Moreover, we have Video Tutorial on YouTube. After watching it, we’re sure you won’t have any questions at all.)

Installation

1. First download SMBAct application from https://smblob.com/products/smbact/download/ . Here there are different versions for different operating systems: macOS, Windows, Linux. Choose yours.
2. Install it. During the installation process accept license conditions. Move SMBAct application to your Applications folder.

3. If your operating system is macOS you have to give permissions to the application. In the right top corner, you can see a notification asking for permission to show notifications. Click “Options” => “Allow”. If you missed it you can always go to System Settings => Notifications => turn the toggle for SMBAct on.

Besides, give permission for “Screen Recording”. For this click the “Open System Settings” button in the notification pop-up “Screen Recording” in the center of the screen.

And switch on the toggle for SMBAct, enter your system password, and click “Later” in the window that pops up.

Finally, we have to give permission to be able to control windows and applications. Go to “System Settings” => “Privacy&Security” => “Accessibility” and switch on the toggle for SMBAct. After this restart the application.

For Windows and Linux you don’t need to give permissions, so the process of installation is a bit easier.

Activation

The next step is an activation of the application. At the moment you don’t have access to the tabs, except for “Dashboard” and “License”. To activate it go to “Dashboard”, enter your Name and E-mail. Then click on the “Get” button. The license key was emailed.

Go to your emails, find the letter, copy the license key.

Then go to “License” tab and insert the key in the text area. Ready! Now your program is activated and you can use it.

Hotkeys setup

Hotkeys customization

Let’s look at how and where to customize the hotkeys.

Go to the “Hotkeys setup” tab. Here there are many positions and actions you can perform with windows. They are divided into three tabs: most common, less common, and the rest (thirds, fourths, sixths, and eighth positions).

Most of them have default values. But you can set your own hotkeys. To do this, go to the field, enter your hotkeys, and click on the “Save” buttons.

If you want all changes to be saved automatically, go to Settings and activate the “Immediate shortcuts save” toggle. (After that, there are no “Save” buttons anymore.)

Examples of some specific window actions

In addition to the traditional actions and positions, such as dividing into halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, and eighths of the screen, SMBAct can do the following (with default shortcuts values):

Fullscreen   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + ⌘ Cmd + F   / Restore   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + Delete

SMBAct supports a full-screened window moving between displays: imagine you have a full-screened window on display №1. Then, if you move this window to next or previous display it will be restored, moved to display №2 and full-screened again on display №2.

Maximize   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + Enter   / Restore   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + Delete

Minimize   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + ⌘ Cmd + H

Maximize Height   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + ⇧ Shift + ↑

Center   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + C

Move left/right/up/down (customized shortcuts)

Blacklist (customized shortcuts)

Use this shortcut if you need to block some applications so that they do not appear in the Window Switcher, and they are not affected by the SMBAct’s actions.

Hide all windows on active display   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + ⌘ Cmd + /   or on all displays   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + ⌘ Cmd + "

Move to previous display   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + ⌘ Cmd + ←   / Move to next display   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + ⌘ Cmd + →

Cycling different actions on repeated pressing of shortcuts.

If you repeatedly execute the hotkeys of certain window positions, it allows you to loop some actions.

Here are these positions:

Left half   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + ←

If you re-press the left half shortcut, the window will cycle through the left two-thirds, three-fourths, left third, left fourth positions, and vice-versa.

Right half   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + →

If you re-press the right half shortcut, the window will cycle through the right two-thirds, right three-fourths, right one-third, right one-fourth positions, and vice-versa.

First third   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + D

If you re-press the first-third shortcut, the window will cycle through the center-third, last-third positions, and vice-versa.

Center third   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + F

If you re-press the center-third shortcut, the window will cycle through the first-third, last-third positions, and vice-versa.

Last third   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌥ Option + G

If you re-press the last-third shortcut, the window will cycle through the center-third, first-third positions, and vice-versa.

First fourth   (customized shortcuts)

If you re-press the first-fourth shortcuts, the window will cycle through the second-fourth, third-fourth, last-fourth positions, and vice-versa.

Last fourth   (customized shortcuts)

If you re-press the last-fourth shortcut, the window will cycle through the third-fourth, second-fourth, first-fourth positions, and vice-versa.

Active Window Actor

As you could notice, there are a lot of predefined actions. And of course, it can be difficult to memorize all shortcuts for all these actions. And to be honest, you don’t need it. If you don’t use action very often why do you have to remember all hotkeys?

That’s why an Active Window Actor - the Window with a fuzzy search of actions can be helpful.

How to call Window Actor

Go to the “Active Window Actor” tab.

Set up shortcuts for the activation of Window Actor. There is a default value:   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌘ Cmd + Z . You can change it if you want.

How Window Actor works

Now if to do any window active and press this activation shortcut Active Window Actor will appear.

There are some actions here but not all. To find the needed action use fuzzy search.

Each action has a short and full name.

To find an action start typing the short text. You can easily change them both. For example, you can set the following short names for the sixth parts:

top left sixth - s1,

top center sixth - s2,

top right sixth - s3,

bottom left sixth - s4,

bottom center sixth - s5,

bottom right sixth - s6

Now, if you enter the preset short action name, this action will be found in a second and all you have to do is activate it.

Of course, you can choose not to use short names at all in your search. Just start typing a word that is exactly in the long text. For example, start to type “ei” ( word “eighth”). And here you are! You will see all eighth positions at the beginning of the list with results.

When Window Actor loses focus

To fix this case you need to set up this setting: “Subsequent use of Activate hotkeys”.

Here you have to decide which action will be performed with the Window Actor when it’s unfocused and you press activate hotkeys again.

“close window”: if you activate Active Window Actor and then somehow this Active Window Actor loses focus, then when you press again activation hotkeys   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌘ Cmd + Z, Active Window Actor will be closed.

“activate window”: if you activate Active Window Actor and then somehow this Active Window Actor loses focus, then when you press again activation hotkeys   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌘ Cmd + Z, Active Window Actor will be activated again.

You can also set here the hotkeys by which the Active Window Actor will be closed. Default value:   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + Z

Active Window Switcher

If you have a lot of windows and applications, and they are somehow scattered all over the screens, you really want to be able to quickly navigate among them and find what you need. Not trying to find them on the work panel by going through all the windows randomly. But quickly find exactly the window or application that you need right now. Active Window Switcher helps you do just that.

How to call Window Switcher

Go to the “Window Switcher” tab.

Set up shortcut for the calling the Window Switcher. There is a default value:   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌘ Cmd + X . You can change it if you want.

How Window Switcher works

Run Window Switcher (keep in mind that SMBAct application must be out of focus when doing this).

Their you will see all your windows and applications.

You can use the arrows or your mouse to navigate through them to find the window you want. Or you can use the fuzzy search to do this. Just type in what you are looking for in the search field. For example, let’s find all Chrome browsers.

Once you’ve found the window you want, what can you do with it? If you just press “Enter” on your keyboard you will activate it in its original position and size. Besides, you can fullscreen, maximize, minimize, hide, close this window or close all windows of this application.

When Window Switcher loses focus

Similarly to the Active Window Actor it will be about this setting: “Subsequent use of Activate hotkeys”.

Here you have to decide which action will be performed with the Window Switcher when it’s unfocused and you press activate hotkeys again.

“close window”: if you activate Active Window Switcher and then somehow this Active Window Switcher loses focus, then when you press again activation hotkeys   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌘ Cmd + X, Active Window Switcher will be closed.

“activate window”: if you activate Active Window Switcher and then somehow this Active Window Switcher loses focus, then when you press again activation hotkeys   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌘ Cmd + X, Active Window Switcher will be activated again.

You can also set here the hotkeys by which the Active Window Switcher will be closed. Default value:   ⌃ Ctrl + ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + X

Where to show Window Switcher

If you have multiple monitors, it can be extremely useful to control and clearly understand on which monitor the Window Switcher will appear if you call it. To configure, select one of the options in the “Show Window Switcher” setting:

“where mouse pointer is”: Window Switcher will appear where the mouse pointer is right now.

“on active screen”: Window Switcher will appear on active screen.

“on main screen”: Window Switcher will appear on main screen.

Where to show a window when it is activated in Window Switcher

Check the last checkboxes if you want the window or application to which you apply the action in Window Switcher to appear on the currently active display. If you uncheck these checkboxes, the window or application after activation will appear on its original display.

Running Applications

How to blacklist an application

Go to the “Running Applications” tab.
Here you see all the applications that are currently running on your computer. You can apply any SMBAct’s action to all of them.

But sometimes there are situations, especially often in Linux and Microsoft Windows, when you need to block some applications so that they do not appear in the Window Switcher, and they are not affected by the SMBAct’s actions. If you want to do it add this application to blacklist: click the context menu button to the right of the application.

  To remove an application from the blacklist, click on the “Erase” button.  

Embedded Browser Window

Embedded Browser Window is our Customized Window Wrapping based on Chromium functionality. It allows you to use frameless windows with topmost functionality to browse any website and to fullscreen it only on a specific part of the screen. For example, you can embed

• -messengers such as WhatsApp, Telegram,
• -or Spotify and other audio streaming service providers to a dedicated window.

Embedded Browser Window supports all streaming platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, Netflix, and so on and so forth. So we can set up the browser, put it in some part of the screen, and while watching a movie or TV show or a Stream or whatever you want, continue to do something else on your computer at the same time.

Create Profile

Go to “Embedded Browser Window” tab.

If you don’t create or select a profile your Embedded Browser Window templates will be saved in Default Profile. Default Profile cannot be deleted.

To add new Profile click “add” button.

Then type in the name of the new Profile and click “Add”. For example, let’s create a profile “Podcasts”.

Create Embedded Browser Window template

How to create a template in created Profile?

Click on “New” button.

And fill out the form to start the window.

Insert url. If you don’t know an url you can enter your search request. Default search engine is Google. But in the settings you can also select Bing or DuckDuckGo.

Input a name. This field is optional. If you don’t fill it in, the main url path will be saved as the name.

Save the window as a Template. If you check this checkbox, this template will be saved in the templates list in the selected profile.

Maximize the window. If you check this checkbox, you will be able to maximize this embedded browser window.

Always on Top. If you check this checkbox, the window will be always in on-top position.

Fullscreen the window. If you check this checkbox, you will be able to fullscreen this embedded browser window.

Frameless window. If you don’t check this checkbox, this embedded browser window will be with frame. Let’s talk about what happens if you check this box in the section “Frameless Embedded Browser Window”

Now if we click the “Run” button, we will have the framed Embedded Browser Window opened.

Besides creating, you can also edit the template, delete or run it whenever you want to.

Frameless Embedded Browser Window

For making the window frameless just check the checkbox.

How to control (move and close) the window when it’s frameless? There are two main options here.

Use System controls.

For this switch on the toggle “Use System Controls”.

System controls are always visible at the top left edge.

Without System controls.

For this switch off “Using System Controls” option. Now you can set up a customized Title bar. There are three options to do it:  

1. Always show a custom Title bar.

The window will look like this. The customized title bar has a green surrounding.

2. Show a custom Title bar if you press and hold the button.

This can be Command, Option or Shift button.

For example, if you choose the “Button press” option and “Command” in dropdown it will work like this: you press “Command” button and the custom title bar is appearing. You can move the window or close it. But when you release the button, the bar is gone. Watch the video below to get a better picture.

3. Show a custom Title bar if you press the button twice.

This can be Command, Option or Shift button.

For example, if you choose the “Double key press” option and “Command” in dropdown it will work like this: you press “Command” button twice, the custom title bar is shown and after two seconds it disappears again. Watch the video below to get a better picture.

General Settings

Let’s take a look at other settings we have in our application. Go to “Open Settings” tab.

Hide Application in the Dock

If you turn on this toggle, the SMBAct application will not be visible in the dock. Opening and closing it from the top menu will only be possible.

Desktop Notifications

If you want to receive notifications (for example, about activation or expiration of your licence key, new updates etc.), turn on this toggle.

Play Sound

If you want to hear an audible alert and notifications, turn on this toggle.

Immediate shortcuts save

If you turn on this toggle, all the hotkeys you set up now will be automatically saved.

Otherwise, every time you change or assign hotkeys, you will have to save them manually.

Language

Here you can choose a language. For now only English is available. In the nearest future, we’re planning to add some other languages.

Respect portrait orientation

Turn this toggle on if at least one of your displays has a portrait orientation. Thus, the positions and sizes will be calculated with this in mind.

Default Search Engine

This setting is actual for Embedded Browser Windows. Here you can set up which search engine you want to use for search requests when creating a new window template.

Save and Restore Settings

You can always download your config or restore it. So you have any time access to it.

Thanks for reading. You are now a professional SMBAct window manager & switcher user )