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MonsterDeck v0.1.2

Release date: 2025-10-11 Highlights

  • Ultra-Aggressive Window Activation - Fixed window activation when using Stream Deck buttons
  • Stream Deck Parity - Identical behavior between MonsterDeck UI clicks and Stream Deck presses
  • Bug Fixes - Fixed assembly name mismatch in Stream Deck plugin
  • Build Improvements - Fixed package.bat reference to correct installer script

What's New

Stream Deck Integration Fix

This release fixes a critical window activation issue when using Stream Deck hardware buttons. Previously, windows would activate but not reliably come to the foreground, especially when multiple windows from other applications (like Cursor) were on top.

The Problem: When pressing a Stream Deck button to activate a window that was buried behind many other windows, the target window would activate internally but not come to the top of the Z-order. This made it appear as if the button press didn't work, even though the window was technically activated.

The Solution: Enhanced the window activation mechanism to use the HWND_TOPMOST technique. The fix:

  1. Temporarily sets the target window as HWND_TOPMOST (always-on-top)
  2. Forces Z-order priority to bring it above all other windows
  3. Immediately removes the topmost flag so it doesn't stay always-on-top

This works reliably even when there are many windows from other applications in front.

Technical Details

Modified BringToFrontWindowHandle() in ShellHelpers.cs:

// ULTRA-AGGRESSIVE: Temporarily make window topmost to force it above all others
SetWindowPos(hWnd, HWND_TOPMOST, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_NOMOVE | SWP_NOSIZE | SWP_SHOWWINDOW);
// Immediately remove topmost flag so window doesn't stay always-on-top
SetWindowPos(hWnd, HWND_NOTOPMOST, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_NOMOVE | SWP_NOSIZE | SWP_SHOWWINDOW);

This ensures identical window activation behavior between MonsterDeck UI clicks and Stream Deck button presses.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed assembly name mismatch - MonsterDeck.StreamDeck.csproj now correctly outputs AppSwitcher.StreamDeck.dll to match expected filename
  • Fixed package.bat - Updated to reference monsterdeck.iss instead of deprecated appswitcher.iss

Developer Tools

  • Added test-ipc.ps1 - PowerShell script for testing IPC connection to MonsterDeck named pipe

Downloads

System Requirements

  • Windows 10/11 (x64)
  • .NET 8 Runtime (included in self-contained build)
  • Elgato Stream Deck software (for Stream Deck plugin)

Upgrading from v0.1.1

Simply download and run the installer, or replace the MonsterDeck.exe with the new version. Your existing configuration at %APPDATA%\MonsterDeck\config.json will be preserved.

The Stream Deck plugin does not require reinstallation unless you experience issues.

Known Issues

  • None at this time

Source Code

View the complete source code and commit history: