I’ve just released global_hotkeys_manager a new gem that integrates some command line tools like xbindkeys and xdotool to enable you to assign global hotkeys (shortcuts) to existing windows that will toggle their visibility for quick access. It supports Linux/X11.

The idea is that you can quickly hide or show your browser, your terminal emulator, instant message app, code editor and so on by assigning each window a different global hotkey which I find more comfortable than pressing Alt+Tab multiple times until I find the application I’m looking for, or using the mouse.

Just install the gem (gem install global_hotkeys_manager), the dependencies (sudo apt-get install xbindkeys x11-utils xdotool), run global_hotkeys_manager and access http://127.0.0.1:4242/ to access the simple web interface that allow you to capture existing windows and replace the hotkeys for captured windows. After you click on the window you want to capture you’ll be presented with a small blank window. Just press some key combination and it will use it for toggling the window visibility. You can change the key binding later through the same interface. It’s a simple Sinatra application.