diff --git a/doGui.go b/doGui.go
index e500b04..2ccd9a1 100644
--- a/doGui.go
+++ b/doGui.go
@@ -51,60 +51,83 @@ func drawWindow(win *gadgets.BasicWindow) {
 	group1 := vbox.NewGroup("Zookeeper Settings")
 	grid := group1.NewGrid("buildOptions", 0, 0)
 
-	var tbwin *tableWindow
-	grid.NewButton("show zoo", func() {
-		win.Disable()
-		defer win.Enable()
+	/*
+		var tbwin *tableWindow
+		grid.NewButton("show zoo", func() {
+			win.Disable()
+			defer win.Enable()
 
-		if tbwin == nil {
-			log.Info("show zoo here")
-			tbwin = makeTableWindow()
-			tbwin.showTable(me.machines)
+			if tbwin == nil {
+				log.Info("show zoo here")
+				tbwin = makeTableWindow()
+				tbwin.showTable(me.machines)
+			}
+
+			if tbwin.Hidden() {
+				tbwin.Show()
+			} else {
+				tbwin.Hide()
+			}
+			return
+
+		})
+
+		grid.NewButton("update table", func() {
+			newwin := makeTableWindow()
+			newwin.showTable(me.machines)
+			newwin.Show()
+		})
+	*/
+
+	var testWin *genericWindow
+	grid.NewButton("machine list", func() {
+		if testWin != nil {
+			testWin.Toggle()
+			return
 		}
+		testWin = makeMachineWindow(me.machines)
+	})
 
-		if tbwin.Hidden() {
-			tbwin.Show()
-		} else {
-			tbwin.Hide()
+	var test2 *genericWindow
+	grid.NewButton("test2", func() {
+		if test2 != nil {
+			test2.Toggle()
+			return
 		}
-		return
-
+		test2 = makeMachineWindow(me.machines)
 	})
 
-	grid.NewButton("update table", func() {
-		newwin := makeTableWindow()
-		newwin.showTable(me.machines)
-		newwin.Show()
-	})
-
-	grid.NewButton("me.machines.ShowTable()", func() {
-		t := me.machines.NewTable("test 2")
-		t.AddHostname()
-		t.AddMemory()
-		t.AddCpus()
-		t.AddStringFunc("sMB", func(m *zoopb.Machine) string {
-			return fmt.Sprintf("%d mb", m.Memory/(1024*1024))
+	/*
+		grid.NewButton("me.machines.ShowTable()", func() {
+			t := me.machines.NewTable("test 2")
+			t.AddHostname()
+			t.AddMemory()
+			t.AddCpus()
+			t.AddStringFunc("sMB", func(m *zoopb.Machine) string {
+				return fmt.Sprintf("%d mb", m.Memory/(1024*1024))
+			})
+			t.AddStringFunc("zood", func(m *zoopb.Machine) string {
+				return findVersion(m, "zood")
+			})
+			t.AddTimeFunc("age", func(m *zoopb.Machine) time.Time {
+				return m.Laststamp.AsTime()
+			})
+			t.ShowTable()
 		})
-		t.AddStringFunc("zood", func(m *zoopb.Machine) string {
-			return findVersion(m, "zood")
-		})
-		t.AddTimeFunc("age", func(m *zoopb.Machine) time.Time {
-			return m.Laststamp.AsTime()
-		})
-		t.ShowTable()
-	})
 
-	grid.NewButton("ConfigSave(me.machines)", func() {
-		log.Info("saving config...")
-		me.machines.ConfigSave()
-	})
+		grid.NewButton("ConfigSave(me.machines)", func() {
+			log.Info("saving config...")
+			me.machines.ConfigSave()
+		})
 
-	grid.NewButton("ConfigSave(me.machines2)", func() {
-		log.Info("saving config...")
-		me.machines2.ConfigSave()
-	})
+		grid.NewButton("ConfigSave(me.machines2)", func() {
+			log.Info("saving config...")
+			me.machines2.ConfigSave()
+		})
+	*/
 }
 
+/*
 func (tw *tableWindow) showTable(allm *zoopb.Machines) {
 	all := allm.All()
 	for all.Scan() {
@@ -125,6 +148,7 @@ func (tw *tableWindow) showTable(allm *zoopb.Machines) {
 		tw.grid.NextRow()
 	}
 }
+*/
 
 func findVersion(m *zoopb.Machine, pkgname string) string {
 	zood := m.Packages.FindByName(pkgname)
@@ -133,3 +157,36 @@ func findVersion(m *zoopb.Machine, pkgname string) string {
 	}
 	return zood.Version
 }
+
+func makeMachineWindow(pb *zoopb.Machines) *genericWindow {
+	win := initGenericWindow("Machines registered with Zookeeper", "Buttons of things")
+	grid := win.group.RawGrid()
+	grid.NewButton("List", func() {
+		log.Info("list...")
+	})
+	grid.NewButton("more", func() {
+		log.Info("?")
+	})
+	grid.NextRow()
+	grid.NewButton("smore", func() {
+		log.Info("smore")
+	})
+
+	tbox := win.win.Box().Vertical() // a vertical box (like a stack of books)
+	t := pb.NewTable("test 2")
+	t.SetParent(tbox)
+	t.AddHostname()
+	t.AddMemory()
+	t.AddCpus()
+	t.AddStringFunc("sMB", func(m *zoopb.Machine) string {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%d mb", m.Memory/(1024*1024))
+	})
+	t.AddStringFunc("zood", func(m *zoopb.Machine) string {
+		return findVersion(m, "zood")
+	})
+	t.AddTimeFunc("age", func(m *zoopb.Machine) time.Time {
+		return m.Laststamp.AsTime()
+	})
+	t.ShowTable()
+	return win
+}
diff --git a/tableWindow.go b/tableWindow.go
index 5d64bac..089a7dc 100644
--- a/tableWindow.go
+++ b/tableWindow.go
@@ -98,41 +98,3 @@ func makeTableWindow() *tableWindow {
 	// pw.addPatchset(grid, pset)
 	return pw
 }
-
-/*
-func (r *tableWindow) addPatchset(grid *gui.Node, pset *forgepb.Patchset) {
-
-	all := pset.Patches.SortByFilename()
-	for all.Scan() {
-		p := all.Next()
-		// for repo, patches := range repomap {
-		rn := p.RepoNamespace
-		repo := me.forge.FindByGoPath(rn)
-		if repo == nil {
-			log.Info("Could not figure out repo path", rn)
-			rn += " bad repo"
-		}
-		log.Info("Adding patches for", rn)
-		grid.NewLabel(rn)
-
-		// hash := repohash[repo]
-		grid.NewLabel(p.StartHash)
-		grid.NewLabel(p.Filename)
-
-		if repo == nil {
-			continue
-		}
-		grid.NewButton("apply", func() {
-			filename, _ := savePatch(p)
-			if err := applyPatch(repo, filename); err != nil {
-				log.Info("warn user of git am error", err)
-			}
-		})
-		grid.NewCheckbox("").SetChecked(true)
-		grid.NewCheckbox("").SetChecked(true)
-		grid.NewButton("save patch to /tmp", func() {
-		})
-		grid.NextRow()
-	}
-}
-*/
diff --git a/windowGeneric.go b/windowGeneric.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7daae01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/windowGeneric.go
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+// Copyright 2017-2025 WIT.COM Inc. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by the GPL 3.0
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"go.wit.com/lib/gadgets"
+	"go.wit.com/log"
+
+	"go.wit.com/gui"
+)
+
+type genericWindow struct {
+	win   *gadgets.BasicWindow // the window widget itself
+	box   *gui.Node            // the top box of the repolist window
+	group *gui.Node            // the default group
+}
+
+func (r *genericWindow) Hidden() bool {
+	if r == nil {
+		return true
+	}
+	if r.win == nil {
+		return true
+	}
+	return r.win.Hidden()
+}
+
+func (r *genericWindow) Toggle() {
+	if r.Hidden() {
+		r.Show()
+	} else {
+		r.Hide()
+	}
+}
+
+func (r *genericWindow) Show() {
+	if r == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	if r.win == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	r.win.Show()
+}
+
+func (r *genericWindow) Hide() {
+	if r == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	if r.win == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	r.win.Hide()
+}
+
+func (r *genericWindow) Disable() {
+	if r == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	if r.box == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	r.box.Disable()
+}
+
+func (r *genericWindow) Enable() {
+	if r == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	if r.box == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	r.box.Enable()
+}
+
+func initGenericWindow(title string, grouptxt string) *genericWindow {
+	gw := new(genericWindow)
+	gw.win = gadgets.RawBasicWindow(title)
+	gw.win.Make()
+
+	gw.box = gw.win.Box().Vertical() // a vertical box (like a stack of books)
+	gw.win.Custom = func() {
+		log.Warn("Found Window close. setting hidden=true")
+		// sets the hidden flag to false so Toggle() works
+		gw.win.Hide()
+	}
+	gw.group = gw.box.NewGroup(grouptxt)
+	gw.Show()
+
+	return gw
+}