Toggle always-on-top with a key
How can I toggle the always-on-top behavior with a key press?
You can toggle the "always-on-top" behavior of a window by modifying its flags in response to a key press. SDL2 provides the SDL_SetWindowAlwaysOnTop()
function, which allows you to enable or disable this feature dynamically.
By tracking the current state with a boolean, you can easily flip this behavior when a specific key is pressed. Here's an example program:
#include <SDL.h>
#include <iostream>
int main() {
if (SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO) != 0) {
std::cout << "SDL_Init Error: "
<< SDL_GetError() << '\n';
return 1;
}
SDL_Window* window =
SDL_CreateWindow("Always on Top Toggle",
SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
640, 480,
SDL_WINDOW_SHOWN);
if (!window) {
std::cout << "SDL_CreateWindow Error: "
<< SDL_GetError() << '\n';
SDL_Quit();
return 1;
}
bool running = true;
bool alwaysOnTop = false;
SDL_Event event;
while (running) {
while (SDL_PollEvent(&event)) {
if (event.type == SDL_QUIT) {
running = false;
} else if (event.type == SDL_KEYDOWN) {
if (event.key.keysym.sym == SDLK_t) {
alwaysOnTop = !alwaysOnTop;
SDL_SetWindowAlwaysOnTop(
window, alwaysOnTop);
std::cout << "Always on top: "
<< (alwaysOnTop
? "Enabled"
: "Disabled") << '\n';
}
}
}
}
SDL_DestroyWindow(window);
SDL_Quit();
return 0;
}
Pressing 'T' toggles the always-on-top behavior.
Notes
- The toggle key (e.g.,
T
in this example) can be changed to suit your program. - This behavior is particularly useful for debugging tools or applications that require high visibility in multitasking environments.
- Be aware that enabling always-on-top might interfere with user workflows, so use it judiciously.
Window Visibility
Learn how to control the visibility of SDL2 windows, including showing, hiding, minimizing, and more