[Windows] Hide Pointer While Typing

[x-15a2]

For many versions, Windows has included a mouse option: Hide Pointer While Typing.

Enabling this option in many (most?) programs has no effect, one notable exception being Notepad, where the feature works perfectly.

I've looked for an extension that will enable this feature in PM but have been unsuccessful. Is it known what is required for a program to enable the use of this mouse option and what would be the potential impact of supporting it in PM, or is it even possible programatically?

[Night Wing]

I would "never" hide my mouse pointer while typing and I seriously doubt many people would hide their pointer. And I guess this is why you can't find an extension to do this in Pale Moon.

Maybe you should make a poll and see how many people would actually hide their mouse pointer while typing.

.

[x-15a2]

I would because the cursor often obscures part of what I'm typing, so for me it's nice for it to go away. With the slightest touch of the mouse or cursor, or by not typing the pointer reappears. Besides, it's a Windows feature (option), so why not support it if wanted by the user?

I didn't and don't want a debate on the merits and demerits of the feature, that's up to the individual. Rather, I'm asking if support for this provided Windows option is possible.

[Moonchild]

It should be possible, since the mouse pointer can be changed by the application it's hovering over.
Whether it is easy is a completely different question The browser UI isn't your standard windows application for starters, and it is mostly event-driven, not timer-driven. That alone will make it difficult for a feature like this to be implemented properly.
That being said, it may even be possible to implement something to this effect in an extension, binding the cursor change behavior to text input fields, but it will be tricky even then, and will need some solid design to cater to all contingencies.

[Mercury]

Not sure if this is helpful, but it seems that it's up to each application to respect the setting, which can be retrieved by using SystemParametersInfo and passing SPI_GETMOUSEVANISH as the first parameter.

[Moonchild]

Not sure if this is helpful, but it seems that it's up to each application to respect the setting, which can be retrieved by using SystemParametersInfo and passing SPI_GETMOUSEVANISH as the first parameter.

It's easy enough to read the preference from the Windows OS, sure, but the actual implementation has to be done by the actual application itself, and that is the problem.

[x-15a2]

Thanks for the explanation, Moonchild. I was hoping that this was controlled by Windows, didn't realize that each program needed it's own code to accomplish the feat. Makes me wonder why the option was ever included in the Windows mouse setup instead of just being an option in individual programs. Oh well, a lot of things in Windows just don't make sense.

I have look for an extension, so far I've not found one, but I did find a program called Cursor Hider that I'm looking at, it seems to work but seems a bit quirky and I'm not convinced that it's worth $15 per workstation.

Thanks again for the info, much appreciated.