SpectraTact

Desktop application manager with intelligent window orchestration for Windows.

Overview

SpectraTact manages and arranges desktop applications through automated window management. Launch multiple applications and organize them in grid or side-by-side layouts with configurable profiles and multi-monitor support.

Key Features:

• Launch and arrange multiple applications in defined layouts
• Grid layout (NxM matrix) and side-by-side layouts (horizontal/vertical split)
• Multi-monitor support (span, distribute, primary overflow modes)
• Profile-based application management with priority ordering
• Keyboard shortcuts for common operations
• Dark and light themes

Dark Theme	Light Theme

Grid Layout	Side-by-Side Layout

Quick Start

Installation

From Release:

Download from releases page:

• NSIS installer: SpectraTact-v0.1.0-Setup.exe
• Portable: SpectraTact-v0.1.0-Portable.exe

From Source:

git clone https://github.com/dhaneshbb/spectratact.git
cd spectratact
pip install -r requirements.txt
npm install
npm run dev:win

See Installation Guide for details.

Configuration

On first run, copy configuration examples:

cp docs/examples/settings.example.yml config/settings.yml
cp docs/examples/loaded_apps.example.yml config/loaded_apps.yml
cp docs/examples/load_apps.example.yml config/load_apps.yml

Edit config/loaded_apps.yml to add application profiles:

apps:
  - name: "Gmail"
    app_path: "C:\\shortcuts\\Gmail.lnk"
    keywords: ["Gmail", "Google Chrome"]
    priority: 1
    enabled: true

See Configuration Guide for all options.

Basic Usage

1. Start Applications: Select apps and click Start (Ctrl+S)
2. Arrange Windows: Click Arrange (Ctrl+G) to reposition
3. Minimize/Restore: Minimize all to taskbar or restore to positions
4. Close Applications: Close all managed applications

See User Guide for operations and features.

Architecture

Hybrid Python + Electron application:

• Python Backend: Window management using pywin32 (detection, positioning, layout calculation)
• Electron Frontend: GUI with IPC communication to Python subprocess
• Communication: JSON-RPC over stdin/stdout

See Architecture Guide for system design and communication flow.

Documentation

User Documentation:

• User Guide - Interface, operations, keyboard shortcuts
• Configuration Guide - Settings reference
• Troubleshooting Guide - Common issues and solutions

Developer Documentation:

• Developer Guide - Development setup, testing, building
• Architecture Guide - System design and data flow
• API Reference - Python and JavaScript API

Additional Resources:

• CHANGELOG.md - Version history
• CONTRIBUTING.md - Contribution guidelines
• docs/ - Full documentation

Development

Requirements

• Python 3.8+ (3.8-3.13 supported)
• Node.js 18.0+
• Windows 10/11

Setup

pip install -e .[dev]
npm install
pre-commit install

Commands

# Development
npm run dev:win                    # Run in development mode
python -m spectratact              # Run Python component

# Testing
npm run test                       # All tests (Python + JavaScript)
pytest                              # Python tests only
npm run test:frontend              # JavaScript tests only

# Building
npm run dist:win                   # Build Windows distribution
npm run pack                       # Development build (no installer)

# Code Quality
black src/spectratact              # Format Python code
flake8 src/spectratact             # Lint Python code
mypy src/spectratact               # Type check Python code
npx eslint src/desktop             # Lint JavaScript code

See Developer Guide for workflow details.

Contributing

Contributions welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Before Contributing:

1. Read CONTRIBUTING.md
2. Check Issue Templates
3. Review Developer Guide
4. Run tests: npm run test

Platform Support

Current: Windows 10/11 (pywin32-based window management)

Planned: macOS (AppKit), Linux (X11/Wayland)

The Electron GUI is cross-platform ready. Platform-specific implementation needed for window management layer.

License

GPL-3.0-or-later. See LICENSE for details.

Third-party licenses and notices in THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.txt and NOTICE.

Links

• Repository: https://github.com/dhaneshbb/spectratact
• Documentation: https://github.com/dhaneshbb/spectratact/blob/main/
• Issues: https://github.com/dhaneshbb/spectratact/issues
• Changelog: CHANGELOG.md

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Version 0.1.0 | Beta | Python 3.8-3.13 | Node.js 18.0+ | Windows 10/11

Copyright 2025 dhaneshbb. Licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later.