PyWorkspace

A Windows virtual desktop workspace manager built with Python and PyQt6. Save snapshots of your running programs, open files, and virtual desktop layout — then restore everything exactly as it was with a single click.

Features

• Save Workspaces — Automatically detects all visible programs on your current Windows virtual desktop (executables, arguments, working directories, open files) and saves a complete snapshot.
• Resume Workspaces — Restores all saved programs, files, and routes them to the correct virtual desktop.
• Switch Workspace — Instantly switch your active Windows virtual desktop to a saved workspace's desktop.
• Multiple Workspaces — Manage as many named workspaces as you need (e.g. "Coding", "Research", "Design").
• Local JSON Storage — All workspace data is saved locally to ~/.pyworkspace_data.json. No cloud account or API keys needed.
• Delete Workspaces — Remove workspaces you no longer need.

Requirements

• Windows 10/11 (virtual desktop features require Windows)
• Python 3.10+

Installation

pip install pyworkspace

Usage

Launching the GUI

After installation, simply run:

pyworkspace

This opens the PyWorkspace Manager window with two sections:

1. Save/Replace Current Desktop

1. Select an existing workspace name from the dropdown to replace it, or choose "Add New..." and type a new name.
2. Click Save Workspace.
3. PyWorkspace will scan all visible programs on your current virtual desktop and save a full snapshot (program paths, arguments, working directories, window titles, and open files).

2. Resume Workspace

1. Select a saved workspace from the dropdown.
2. Click Resume Selected to restore the workspace:
   • Switches to the workspace's original virtual desktop.
   • Clears any existing programs on that desktop.
   • Re-launches all saved programs with their original arguments and working directories.
   • Re-opens all previously open files.
3. Click Switch Workspace to only switch your view to that workspace's virtual desktop (without launching any programs).
4. Click Refresh List to reload the workspace list.
5. Click Delete to permanently remove a workspace.

Programmatic Usage

You can also use PyWorkspace as a Python library:

from pyworkspace import Workspace, Session

# Create a workspace
ws = Workspace("Development")
ws.add_program(r"C:\Program Files\MyEditor\editor.exe", args="--project myapp")
ws.add_file(r"C:\Projects\myapp\README.md")

# Save and manage via session
session = Session("dev_session.json")
session.add_workspace(ws)
session.save()

# Later, resume everything
session.resume()

How It Works

1. Scanning: Uses psutil and pywin32 to detect all visible windows on the current virtual desktop, capturing executable paths, command-line arguments, working directories, and open file handles.
2. Virtual Desktop Detection: Uses Windows COM APIs and the pyvda library to identify which virtual desktop each window belongs to, and to move windows between desktops.
3. Storage: Workspace data is persisted locally as JSON at ~/.pyworkspace_data.json.
4. Restoration: Programs are re-launched via subprocess.Popen, files are opened with os.startfile, and windows are routed to the correct virtual desktop using pyvda.

Dependencies

Installed automatically via pip:

License

MIT