Can I keep two windows/apps "active?"

[aceith]

I am running a retro game in one application and trying to run chrome in another. The problem is when I select chrome, my game "pauses" because it ceases to be the "active window." There are no application specific settings that will solve this for me. I am wondering if there is anything I can do from the OS level to allow a window to remain active/highlighted even when another app/window is selected.

Would love to know if this is possible.

 

[MacInWin]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't play games, but from other actions, the windows in the background continue to remain active even when they don't have the focus. I suspect the code is in the game itself so that it pauses when it doesn't have focus so that you won't miss something you might need to see. I can say from experience that the other apps keep running for me even when in the background. I can download something, open another app (Pages, for example), edit a document and the download continues. Same for printing, or watching a movie. It all keeps running. So it sort of has to be in the game itself.

BTW, you might want to read the link in my sig about how to make a quality post when you are asking for help here. It makes it easier if we know as much as we can!

 

[aceith]

Thanks. Unfortunately that doesn't solve my problem. What I need to do is keep two windows active at once.

I am happy to rephrase. I am trying to figure out how to keep two applications "active" as my active window on OS X Yosemite on a 2014 Mac Book Pro. By default OS X only allows you to have one active window. I know on Windows there is a way to set a window/application as "always active" I am wondering if there is a similar function in OSX.

 

[TattooedMac]

There isn't anything that I know of. The ONLY thing I can think of, is to have the 2 Applications on Separate Desktops, then use a 4 Finger swipe Left/Right to get to the 'other' Desktop/Application. I do this a lot when I'm Alpha Testing Games on Steam, and I need to throw a Bug Report to the Dev's. I have my Game open Full Screen, on one Desktop, take screenshots, then Swipe to another Desktop, and upload Code to Pastebin and then email link and images to them.
So I have Mail and Safari open on one Desktop, and Game on another . . . But as Jake said above, it could well be coded into the Game itself . .

 

[aceith]

Interesting idea. I'm not super familiar with multiple desktops. Is it possible to run two desktops simultaneously on two monitors (one on each) rather than having to deal with the finger flick back/forth?

 

[MacInWin]

What is happening is that when your game loses "focus" (i.e., isn't the window you are looking at anymore, based on where you clicked) the game pauses. But as I said, on my Yosemite system, that doesn't happen with the few games I do play. The window with the game in it continues to play the game, unless and until an input from me is needed, or the game ends, even if I click on another window to change the focus. So, if your game is pausing when the focus is lost, it HAS to be in your game, not in the OS, since the OS doesn't interfere with what is running in the windows as you change focus. About the only thing I can suggest is to look at the Preferences for the game with the game running to see if there is a game setting for "run in the background" or some such wording.

 

[aceith]

You are of absolutely right, the game decides to pause when the window loses focus. Nothing can be done about that from the game perspective, which is why I am trying to fix it from the OS perspective. If I can "force" that window to always remain in focus, my problem is solved.

Maybe that is a better way to state my problem "How can I force a window to remain in focus, even when I click another window?"

 

[TattooedMac]

Yes it is. I do this regularly, and use a App called CatchMouse, to switch the cursor from one Monitor to another via a KB Shortcut. As you know, it takes a lot of movement to move the mouse across 2 27" Monitors, so with Catchmouse, I use ⌘{ and ⌘} to move it to the Left and Right monitor respectively.
It moves the cursor to the centre of each window when used. . . . . . little App and its free.
When I do Coding I have the Use of 2 Monitors, and go between the 2 100 times a day.
You will need to make sure that within System Preferences>Monitors you have the MenuBar on your Main Monitor, or the 2nd, and you can just draw and Drop it, within System Preferences (you will see what I Mean when you are there) See below

Arrangement will only show once the 2nd monitor is attached.

 

[MacInWin]

TatooedMac, are you saying that this utility lets you have two windows with focus? All I see that CatchMouse does is move the mouse without having to drag it from one window to another. From what I see, as soon as you click in that new window, focus changes, just as it would if you actually dragged the most and clicked in that same new window. What aceith wants is for him to be able to have two windows with focus. I can't see how that can work, given that both windows would now theoretically see the inputs from mouse/keyboard/trackpad, etc. How can the OS know for which window the inputs were really intended?

 

[MacInWin]

I did a quick search and the only hit I got for two windows with focus was a bug report from an older version of OS X. As i said, with the focus goes the input, so I don't know how OS X could have more than one window with focus because it would not know where to send inputs.

 

[MacInWin]

You are of absolutely right, the game decides to pause when the window loses focus. Nothing can be done about that from the game perspective, which is why I am trying to fix it from the OS perspective. If I can "force" that window to always remain in focus, my problem is solved.

Maybe that is a better way to state my problem "How can I force a window to remain in focus, even when I click another window?"

What is the game? And by Preferences, I didn't mean any in-game settings, but the overall application preferences you get access to by clicking on the game name in the upper left corner of the desktop (assuming it's not running full screen). That would be where, most likely, any option to keep running would be located.

 

[aceith]

TatooedMac, are you saying that this utility lets you have two windows with focus? All I see that CatchMouse does is move the mouse without having to drag it from one window to another. From what I see, as soon as you click in that new window, focus changes, just as it would if you actually dragged the most and clicked in that same new window. What aceith wants is for him to be able to have two windows with focus. I can't see how that can work, given that both windows would now theoretically see the inputs from mouse/keyboard/trackpad, etc. How can the OS know for which window the inputs were really intended?

Tried this with the same result. I can see both windows at the same time, but only one can be active at any given time even across both desktops. This didn't help.

 

[aceith]

What is the game? And by Preferences, I didn't mean any in-game settings, but the overall application preferences you get access to by clicking on the game name in the upper left corner of the desktop (assuming it's not running full screen). That would be where, most likely, any option to keep running would be located.

No preferences inside the application that would allow for this.

Looks like this just may not be possible no matter what. I'm definitely ok with a solution that gives both windows the same input (if that is even possible).

 

[MacInWin]

You might not care, but the OS would! I seriously doubt it's possible to overcome what the game is doing. You might try contacting the game developer to see what, if anything, they can suggest.

 

[aceith]

You might not care, but the OS would! I seriously doubt it's possible to overcome what the game is doing. You might try contacting the game developer to see what, if anything, they can suggest.

Fair enough. I'm sure it isn't their concern whether or not I can multitask while playing their game lol. It sounds like this just isn't possible in OSX.

 

[TattooedMac]

No, I just added this, so the OP can move his/her mouse across to Monitors w/out have to grad the cursor. This App has nothing to do with making a window Active. Its just a Utility to make things easier to move the Mouse Cursor . . .
As to active windows, the more I look, the less likely it is doable, without going into Terminal, and changing the System from within. If it is doable via Terminal (I'm still looking) I would say not to do it, because the Mac OS X, is set up in such a way, that if you change one thing, that isn't by default, you will most probably be causing havoc, to the whole OS, and when that goes haywire, it is usually a complete re-install of the OS . .

PS : What is it exactly you are trying to accomplish by having both windows active ?? Do you have a iPad that can run Chrome that you can surf on ??

 

[aceith]

Makes sense, it might not be worth doing, but I'd definitely be curious to hear what you come up with. The mouse trick is nice (I have two 24 inch monitors) but doesn't solve this particular problem. What I really need to do is trick one particular application into THINKING it is always active, again this may not be possible. Thanks for the help!

 

[MacInWin]

Here is a weird thought: What about running the game in a virtual machine? (Aceith didn't say what game, so I don't know if that's possible.) He'd have to get a server version of the OS, I think, to run it in a VM, but then, even though the VM app would lose focus, the app IN the VM would still think it has focus IN THE VM. There would be a performance penalty, and as I recall, the workstation version of OS X doesn't work in VMs and I'm not even sure if it can be done at all, but I'm just speculating out loud here.

 

[aceith]

That would probably work, but running two OS's at the same time tends to give my computer some heartburn. Fan goes nuts and it really ends up being more distracting than anything else. I am almost positive I could do this with Parallels or something, but again I think it is far more trouble than it is worth. Good thought though.

 

[MacInWin]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I use Parallels for one Windows App I need for my wife's business. As soon as I launch the Windows VM, the fans go into jet engine mode...

As i said, it was just speculation.