Any way to toggle an app's focus from the dock icon?

[mcdj]

If I'm browsing the web and want to do something in another app, say iTunes, I click its icon in the dock and the iTunes window gets the focus. If I want to go back to Safari, using only the trackpad, I have to move the pointer back over to the Safari icon and click on it.

How cool would it be if all I had to do was click the iTunes icon again to have the focus returned to the previous app I was using by hiding or minimizing the current window? This would effectively turn a dock icon into an on-off button for a given app's window(s).

As it stands now, clicking the icon of an app that already has focus does nothing....why not give that click a function or at least make it an option?

I do a lot of my work in full screen windows, so this would be nice. I seem to recall Windows doing something similar. Anyone seen an app that could make it happen?

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

I said something like that once in a thread and the fanboys werent accepting of the idea.
Mine was a bit of a variation though, i would like to have the finder icon open a new windows if finder is in focus and i click the icon. But the general idea remains: The dock icon has no function when the app is in focus.

 

[PlaceofDis]

while that functionality wouldn't be bad. i think the current command+tab works well enough and much faster for moving around between apps as it is.

 

[matttrick]

while that functionality wouldn't be bad. i think the current command+tab works well enough and much faster for moving around between apps as it is.

it really doesnt though. it requires multiple keypress commands to be enteres (pressing it 3 times to go through things if your other window is at the end) as opposed to one click.

there is no logical reason to not have a function like this at least optional.

 

[kunze50]

What about for more than one window open within the app that you want to go to when not active. Maybe a expose option, at the bottom of the screen, below the application icon in the dock could show all windows of the application. Maybe thats getting a bit complicated. This thread got me thinking...

 

[rhett7660]

I know using the tab function to cycle through all the open apps can be a pain especially if have a lot of open apps. What I also use with this is the command+H to hide my apps. This seems to work pretty good so when I do cycle through and land on the one I want to open it opens right up. Maybe there is an easier way but this works pretty well for me.

 

[MsHotness]

I find that the Start Bar is one of the things I miss most about Windows. I like see all active windows listed in it and being able to click its name to bring it to the front. In my Mac, if it isn't minimized, then the only way to do it is with the CMD + tab thing which isn't specific to what I want, or to sift through and rearrange my windows.

Blah.

 

[cellocello]

I find Expose a pretty good way of managing several "layers" of windows.

In regards to the "click dock icon to make it lose focus" ... if you're already on the dock, why not just click the other app's icon?

But yea, I do agree that slightly 'more advanced' window management built into the dock would be nice. Maybe like a mouse over that shows the open windows for that program (ala Windows 7 ).

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

Maybe like a mouse over that shows the open windows for that program (ala Windows 7 ).

That would be nice, but it would just give a smaller preview of the window than expose (unless you have a crap ton of windows open) and expose can be used with just one key.

There are so many avenues for osx to become better (cut/pasting files dammit) but certain things seem to never change.

I nice idea (imo) would be kind of like a flyout menu like ObjectDock, but with the windows of an app. That wasnt explained well. Lets say i have firefox open with a few windows because i dont feel like using tabs that day (idk, im sure id have some reason). If FF is focused and i clicked on the dock icon a thumbnail of all the open windows would form a semi-circle around the dock and let me choose which window of that app i wanted. The Dock has so many chances to really shine, but i find myself missing the taskbar alot some days.

 

[cellocello]

If FF is focused and i clicked on the dock icon a thumbnail of all the open windows would form a semi-circle around the dock and let me choose which window of that app i wanted.

Yeah, that's what I was talking about. For apps with many windows, this is something that Windows 7 will be doing. (except without the semi circle part)

But yeah, expose is good for dealing with "layers" of windows and apps on the desktop.