Command line option to override alwaysOnTop

[vefatica]

Is there a way to override these (maybe even others) when creating a new window?

-w -1 -M and -w -1 -F are limited versions of what I want to do.

I've read a few (old) threads on specifying a settings file on the command line (valid only if creating a new window). That would seem to be the most robust way to override anything and I'm surprised it hasn't been implemented.

Another thought (hardly well thought-out) ... allow (possibly multiple) command line options like
--option (-o) global_option_name value, again only for new windows.

[DHowett]

You know, I dunno if we've ever given thought to something like --option. That's an interesting thought!

Right now, we have --pos and --size. --pos is measured in pixels from the top left of the primary display and --size is measured in characters (columns x rows).

For example, wt -w -1 --pos 0,0 --size 80,25 will create an 80x25 character window in the top left of the primary display.

FWIW, these are all listed in wt --help.

[zadjii-msft]

I'm almost POSITIVE I had this in a thread or card or note somewhere. https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/projects/5#card-50760344 specifically mentions:

• Needs 14 to be able to specify the location of the new window.

And I can't find 14 anywhere....

---

wait tho

• initialPosition (and others) should be available as commandline args #4620
• Add --pos and --size cmdline args #13730
• 1.17 - Add documentation for --pos and --size cmdline args MicrosoftDocs/terminal#591

[vefatica]

Thanks, that's great. I have WindowsTerminalPreview: 1.17.10234.0; --pos and --size work but I don't see them in wt --help or on this page.

[zadjii-msft]

Are you sure wt.exe is pointing at 1.17?

[vefatica]

Oops! I also have WindowsTerminal: 1.16.10261.0 (both unpackaged) and that's where wt.exe points (via AppPaths). Had I issued wtp --help I would have seen it. And I reckon it doesn't make it to the web page until it appears in a release version.

[zadjii-msft]

Wait but the docs with this should be live: https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/terminal/blob/69955b0636de7a47f164019611d23745c6e046c3/TerminalDocs/command-line-arguments.md

did I blow this away in MicrosoftDocs/terminal#649?

Wait no it got blown away in MicrosoftDocs/terminal@b6e1ab9

Huh.

[vefatica]

I wish I could do the same for alwaysOnTop.

I'm not crazy about devenv's "terminal". I have a lot of room in devenv and could easily tuck a small stay_on_top WT into a corner ... start it as an external tool. You can consider that a request ... alwaysOnTop command line option.

Will that URL (preview's command line options) remain constant from version to version?

[zadjii-msft]

Will that URL (preview's command line options) remain constant from version to version

Sure should.