pip-controller-pro

PiP Controller Pro v2.2.1

Professional Picture-in-Picture Window Controller

A powerful Windows utility that enhances your Picture-in-Picture experience with automatic transparency, click-through functionality, and professional system tray integration.

What’s New in v2.2.1

• In-app update check: new “Check for Updates” tray item, plus a silent automatic check 10 seconds after startup.
• Signed and checksummed releases: every artifact ships with SHA256SUMS.txt and Sigstore keyless signatures — see SIGNING.md.
• CI startup smoke test: every push boots the freshly-built exe and requires it to survive 5 seconds.
• Hardened CI/release pipeline: all actions SHA-pinned, with Dependabot keeping them current.

Highlights from v2.2.0: multi-browser support (Brave, Vivaldi, Opera; Firefox best-effort), per-browser PiP test items, fixed Ctrl+Alt+P pause, fixed tray menu state, fixed factory reset, tag-triggered releases, single-source versioning.

See the full list in CHANGELOG.md.

Features

• Automatic transparency: Makes PiP windows semi-transparent when mouse hovers over them
• Click-through: Allows clicking through the PiP window to interact with content behind it
• Shift override: Hold Shift key to make the window fully opaque and interactive
• Multi-browser support: Chrome, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera (full), plus Firefox (best-effort)
• Settings persistence: All preferences saved automatically
• Auto-start option: Start with Windows automatically
• Professional system tray: Complete control from your system tray
• Status dashboard: Real-time monitoring and diagnostics
• Multiple transparency presets: 6 preset levels from almost invisible to opaque
• Response speed control: 5 performance levels from ultra fast to slow
• Browser tools: Test and reset PiP windows for troubleshooting
• Hotkeys: Quick access to all features

📥 Download & Install

🔧 Option 1: Portable Version (RECOMMENDED)

File: PiPControllerPro-v2.2.1-Portable.zip (~0.6 MB)

✅ Choose this if you want:

• No installation required
• Complete package with documentation
• Run from anywhere (USB drive, desktop, etc.)
• Easy to share or backup
• Settings saved to user profile

📥 How to use:

1. Click the download link above
2. Extract the ZIP file anywhere
3. Run pip-controller.exe
4. Done! No installation needed

📁 Option 2: Direct Executable

File: pip-controller.exe (~1.2 MB)

✅ Choose this if you want:

• Single file download
• Just the executable
• Quick and simple
• Minimal download size

📥 How to use:

1. Click the download link above
2. Save the file anywhere
3. Double-click to run
4. Done! Ready to use

🚀 Quick Start Guide

After installing or extracting:

1. Launch the app - It will appear in your system tray
2. Right-click the tray icon → Access all settings and options
3. Open any supported browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, or Firefox) and play any video (YouTube, Netflix, etc.)
4. Right-click the video → Select “Picture in picture”
5. Hover over the PiP window → Watch it become transparent! ✨
6. Hold Shift while hovering → Makes it fully opaque and clickable
7. Use Ctrl+Alt+C → Open Status Dashboard for monitoring

🎮 Hotkeys

• Ctrl+Alt+C - Open Status Dashboard
• Ctrl+Alt+P - Pause/Resume transparency
• Ctrl+Alt+X - Exit application

🎯 System Tray Features

📊 Status Dashboard

• Real-time monitoring of PiP windows
• Current settings and status
• Window information and diagnostics
• Quick access via Ctrl+Alt+C or tray menu

🎨 Quick Transparency

• Almost Invisible (25) - Very transparent
• Very Light (64) - Light transparency
• Medium (128) - Balanced transparency
• Default (179) - Recommended setting
• Slight (230) - Minimal transparency
• Opaque (255) - No transparency

⚡ Response Speed

• Ultra Fast (10ms) - Maximum responsiveness
• Very Fast (25ms) - High performance
• Fast (50ms) - Recommended setting
• Normal (100ms) - Balanced performance
• Slow (200ms) - Lower CPU usage

Browser Tools

• Test Chrome PiP — Detect a chrome.exe PiP window
• Test Edge PiP — Detect an msedge.exe PiP window
• Test Brave PiP — Detect a brave.exe PiP window
• Test Vivaldi PiP — Detect a vivaldi.exe PiP window
• Test Opera PiP — Detect an opera.exe PiP window
• Test Firefox PiP — Detect a firefox.exe PiP window (best-effort title match)
• Reset All PiP — Reset all detected Chromium-family PiP windows

🔄 Reset Options

• Reset Current PiP - Reset active window
• Reset All PiP Windows - Reset all windows
• Reset All Settings - Factory defaults

🛠️ Build Options (For Developers)

We provide a single, powerful build script:

# Build everything (Installer and Portable - Recommended)
.\build.ps1 -BuildAll

# Build only the portable ZIP
.\build.ps1 -BuildPortable

# Build only the installer
.\build.ps1 -BuildInstaller

📁 Settings & Configuration

Settings File Location

Settings are automatically saved to: %AppData%\PiPController\settings.ini

Manual Configuration

You can modify these settings in the pip-controller.ahk file:

transparency := 179       ; Default transparency (0-255, where 0 is invisible)
checkInterval := 50       ; How often to check mouse position (milliseconds)
isEnabled := true         ; Whether the script is enabled
autoStart := false        ; Whether to start with Windows

🔧 How It Works

1. The script continuously monitors mouse position
2. When mouse hovers over a Picture-in-Picture window:
   • If Shift is NOT pressed: Makes window semi-transparent and click-through
   • If Shift IS pressed: Makes window fully opaque and interactive
3. When mouse moves away: Restores window to normal state
4. All settings are automatically saved and restored

🌐 Browser Support

• ✅ Google Chrome - Full support
• ✅ Microsoft Edge - Full support
• ✅ Brave - Full support (Chromium-based, same PiP behavior as Chrome)
• ✅ Vivaldi / Opera - Full support (Chromium-based)
• 🟡 Firefox - Best-effort support via window-title heuristic. Detection depends on the Firefox version exposing “Picture-in-Picture” in the window title; if your build doesn’t, the script won’t see the PiP window. Open an issue if it doesn’t work for you.

🐛 Troubleshooting

PiP Window Not Detected

• Use Browser Tools → **Test PiP** for the browser you're using
• Restart the script after opening PiP mode
• Check if the window title contains “Picture-in-picture”
• Firefox: detection depends on the Firefox version exposing “Picture-in-Picture” in the window title; if your build doesn’t, the script won’t see the PiP window. Open an issue with your Firefox version.

Script Not Working

• Check if AutoHotkey is installed properly
• Run as administrator if needed
• Ensure no other AutoHotkey scripts are interfering
• Use Reset All PiP to clear any stuck states

Settings Issues

• Use Reset All Settings to restore defaults
• Check settings file at: %AppData%\PiPController\settings.ini
• Restart the application after changing settings

Build Fails

• Make sure you have internet connection for AutoHotkey download
• Run PowerShell as administrator
• Check Windows Defender/antivirus isn’t blocking the compilation

📋 System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10/11 (Windows 7/8 may work)
• Memory: Minimal (< 15 MB RAM usage)
• Permissions: No administrator rights required
• Browsers: Chrome, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera (full); Firefox (best-effort)

📁 Files

• pip-controller.ahk - Main AutoHotkey script
• build.ps1 - Master build script
• installer.iss - Inno Setup installer script
• icon-gen.ps1 - Regenerates assets/icon.ico (run once if you change the icon)
• assets/icon.ico - App/tray/installer icon (committed; consumed by build.ps1 and installer.iss)
• VERSION - Single source of truth for the version
• pip-controller.exe - Compiled executable (after build)
• README.md - This documentation
• LICENSE.txt - MIT License

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Development Setup

1. Fork the repository
2. Install AutoHotkey v1.1+ (the script uses v1 syntax — v2 will not run it)
3. Run .\build.ps1 -BuildAll (or -BuildPortable / -BuildInstaller for a single artifact)
4. Test thoroughly on Windows 10/11
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

Free to use and modify for personal and commercial purposes under the MIT License.

🆘 Support

• Issues: Report at GitHub Issues
• Documentation: See README.md included with download
• License: MIT License - free for personal and commercial use

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Enjoy your enhanced Picture-in-Picture experience! 🎬

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