WindowTitler

WindowTitler is a small AutoIt utility for Windows that continuously annotates the titles of all visible top‑level windows with useful process information. It is handy for debugging, profiling, and keeping track of which process owns which window.

Features

• Continuously monitors visible top‑level windows (every 2 seconds).
• Updates each window title with:
  • Executable filename
  • Executable file size (on disk)
  • Window size (width × height)
  • Process ID (PID)
  • Parent process ID (PPID)
  • Parent executable filename
• Skips AutoIt / SciTE / WindowTitler’s own windows to avoid self‑noise.
• Adds an exit reason tag to already‑modified titles when the tool exits.
• Runs in the tray with a custom icon.
• Global hotkeys to stop the tool:
  • Esc
  • Ctrl + Alt + Q

Example title format:

[notepad.exe (4.1 MB)] [Size: 800x600] | PID:1234 | PPID:5678 | Parent: explorer.exe | Exit: User

Requirements

• Windows 10 (tested on LTSC) or later
• AutoIt v3
• WindowTitler.ico in the same directory as the script (for EXE + tray icon)

Building

1. Open WindowTitler.au3 in SciTE or your AutoIt editor of choice.

2. Ensure the icon file is present:

   • WindowTitler.ico in the same folder as WindowTitler.au3.

3. Compile using Aut2Exe or SciTE’s Tools → Compile.

   • The script uses the directive:

   #AutoIt3Wrapper_Icon=WindowTitler.ico

   so the compiled EXE will automatically use the custom icon.

Usage

1. Run the compiled WindowTitler.exe (or run the script directly via AutoIt).
2. A tray icon will appear using the WindowTitler icon.
3. Open some windows (e.g., Notepad, Explorer, etc.).
4. Watch their titles update in place every couple of seconds.

To stop WindowTitler:

• Press Esc, or
• Press Ctrl + Alt + Q.

On exit, WindowTitler performs a final pass over windows it modified and appends an exit tag (e.g. | Exit: User) so you can see that the tool has stopped.

Configuration

The main behavior is controlled directly in the script:

• Update interval: AdlibRegister("_UpdateWindowTitles", 2000)
  • Change 2000 (ms) to a different value to adjust the refresh rate.
• Exit reason text: in _Quit():

  $g_sExitReason = "User"

  Change "User" to "Esc", "Ctrl+Alt+Q", or any label you prefer.
• Filtering: the script currently:
  • Only touches visible windows.
  • Ignores windows whose title already starts with [ to avoid re‑tagging.
  • Skips its own process (WindowTitler.exe), autoit3.exe, and scite.exe.

Feel free to fork and adjust the filters for your own environment (e.g., only touch specific executables).

Known Limitations

• Some protected or UWP-style windows may not allow title changes.
• Very frequent update intervals can increase CPU usage on systems with many open windows.
• Run WindowTitler at the same integrity level as the target apps (normal user vs. elevated) for best coverage.

License

MIT (or whatever license you choose.)

Credits

• Built with AutoIt.
• WindowTitler icon: custom flat design created for this project.