PyGetWindow Quick Start Guide

PyGetWindow Quick Start Guide | Generated by AI

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Installation

PyGetWindow is a Python library for manipulating and querying windows on multiple platforms (Windows, macOS, and Linux). Install it via pip:

pip install pygetwindow

Importing the Module

Start by importing the module in your Python script:

import pygetwindow as gw

Getting Window Objects

PyGetWindow represents windows as Window objects. You can retrieve windows by title, process, or other attributes.

Get all window objects:
Use gw.getAllWindows() to return a list of all open windows.
Get windows by title:
Use gw.getWindowsWithTitle(title) or gw.getFirstWindowWithTitle(title) for partial or exact matches.
Get active window:
Use gw.getActiveWindow() to get the currently focused window.

Example:

windows = gw.getAllWindows()
active = gw.getActiveWindow()
notepad = gw.getWindowsWithTitle('Notepad')  # List of windows with 'Notepad' in title

Common Methods on Window Objects

Once you have a Window object, you can access properties and methods like:

Properties: title, left, top, width, height, isMinimized, isMaximized, isActive.
Methods:
- activate(): Bring the window to the front and make it active.
- maximize() / minimize() / restore() / close(): Control window state.
- resize() / move(): Adjust size and position.

Example:

if notepad:
    win = notepad[0]
    print(win.title)  # Output: e.g., 'Untitled - Notepad'
    win.activate()
    win.maximize()
    win.move(100, 100)  # Move to position (100, 100)
    win.resize(800, 600)  # Resize to 800x600

Handling Multiple Platforms

On Windows and macOS, it uses native APIs.
On Linux, it relies on X11 or Wayland support; ensure your system has it installed (e.g., x11-utils on Ubuntu).
If a method isn’t supported on your OS, it may raise a NotImplementedError.

Examples

Here are a few practical code snippets:

Print all window titles:

for win in gw.getAllWindows():
    print(win.title)

Close a specific window:

firefox_wins = gw.getWindowsWithTitle('Mozilla Firefox')
if firefox_wins:
    firefox_wins[0].close()

Move and resize multiple windows:

windows = gw.getAllWindows()
for i, win in enumerate(windows[:3]):  # First 3 windows
    win.move(50 * i, 50 * i)
    win.resize(400, 400)

For advanced usage, refer to the official documentation. If you encounter platform-specific issues, check system permissions or dependencies like xdotool on Linux.

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