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CropAndLock Module

doc/dsc/modules/CropAndLock.md

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CropAndLock Module

Synopsis

Manages configuration for the Crop And Lock utility, which crops and locks portions of windows.

Description

The CropAndLock module configures PowerToys Crop And Lock, a utility that allows you to crop a portion of any window and keep it visible as a thumbnail. This is useful for monitoring specific parts of applications, keeping reference information visible, or focusing on particular UI elements.

Properties

The CropAndLock module supports the following configurable properties:

Hotkey

Sets the keyboard shortcut to activate Crop And Lock for the active window.

Type: object
Properties:

  • win (boolean) - Windows key modifier.
  • ctrl (boolean) - Ctrl key modifier.
  • alt (boolean) - Alt key modifier.
  • shift (boolean) - Shift key modifier.
  • code (integer) - Virtual key code.
  • key (string) - Key name.

Default: Win+Ctrl+Shift+T

ReparentHotkey

Sets the keyboard shortcut to change the parent window of a cropped thumbnail.

Type: object (same structure as Hotkey)

ThumbnailOpacity

Sets the opacity of cropped thumbnails (0-100).

Type: integer
Range: 0 to 100
Default: 100

Examples

Example 1 - Configure basic settings with direct execution

This example sets the Crop And Lock hotkey and thumbnail opacity.

powershell
$config = @{
    settings = @{
        properties = @{
            ThumbnailOpacity = 90
        }
        name = "CropAndLock"
        version = "1.0"
    }
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 -Compress

PowerToys.DSC.exe set --resource 'settings' --module CropAndLock --input $config

Example 2 - Configure hotkeys with DSC

This example configures custom hotkeys for cropping and reparenting.

bash
dsc config set --file cropandlock-hotkeys.dsc.yaml
yaml
# cropandlock-hotkeys.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Configure Crop And Lock hotkeys
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/CropAndLockSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          Hotkey:
            win: true
            ctrl: true
            shift: true
            alt: false
            code: 84
            key: T
          ThumbnailOpacity: 85
        name: CropAndLock
        version: 1.0

Example 3 - Install and configure with WinGet

This example installs PowerToys and configures Crop And Lock.

bash
winget configure winget-cropandlock.yaml
yaml
# winget-cropandlock.yaml
$schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PowerShell/DSC/main/schemas/2023/08/config/document.json
metadata:
  winget:
    processor: dscv3
resources:
  - name: Install PowerToys
    type: Microsoft.WinGet.DSC/WinGetPackage
    properties:
      id: Microsoft.PowerToys
      source: winget
  
  - name: Configure Crop And Lock
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/CropAndLockSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ThumbnailOpacity: 75
        name: CropAndLock
        version: 1.0

Example 4 - Semi-transparent thumbnails

This example configures thumbnails to be semi-transparent for overlay use.

yaml
# cropandlock-transparent.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Semi-transparent thumbnails
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/CropAndLockSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ThumbnailOpacity: 60
        name: CropAndLock
        version: 1.0

Use cases

Monitoring dashboards

Keep portions of monitoring tools visible:

yaml
resources:
  - name: Monitoring configuration
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/CropAndLockSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ThumbnailOpacity: 80
        name: CropAndLock
        version: 1.0

Reference material

Crop and display reference information:

yaml
resources:
  - name: Reference display
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/CropAndLockSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ThumbnailOpacity: 95
        name: CropAndLock
        version: 1.0

See also

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