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Extension Exchange

Panel Documentation


At first i would like to thank you for the excellent work you're doing. Since i was in a need for a virtual desktops manager that could be incorporated in DS, i thought that it would be a good idea to try and develop one.

This plug-in was solely developed in VB .NET (obviously using calls to windows API). I hope you will like it and provide me with feedback so that i can procceed and correct any bugs(hope a few of them) or better improve its overall functionality,appearance,performance etc...

Please don't hesitate to send email or reply on this topic.

Now, for the installation i know that many of the forum users are very familiar. I think that just copying the .dll and .dsplugin in your installation directory and then performing a Regasm on the dll is more than enough. If again you have a problem then you may need to copy the dsidebarpia.dll(included also in the zip file) to your installation directory. In either of these cases i believe many users can provide help.

That's it for now!!!
Looking forward for your help!!!

Install was a tad painful. Couple of errors first couple of attempts.
But pretty neat.

I was able to install without any trouble. I am not very familiar with virtual desktops, but so far this seems like a pretty cool plugin. I'm doing some research into this plugin and other virtual desktop programs and will post again later. So far I am really impressed.

~acommonjo

Hmm... more feedback.
I'm sure the skinners are going to want to skin the buttons on the panel. A nice feature would be to see which windows are under each desktop. Or maybe be able to move the Windows around from desktop to desktop. I think this panel is going to be a steady favorite, though.

I haven't installed it to my machines at home which have multi-monitors. I'll let you know if I experience any weirdness there.

I know this is a beta version, so I hope this is a helpful bug report...

The wallpaper functions shows bitmaps (bmp files) in the preview area, but it doesn't set the actual desktop wallpaper. I use a bmp file and its frustrating that it does not work.

The wallpaper tab does not remember the file you pick if you had browsed for your own wallpaper and not used the list on the right. When I clicked to change my wallpaper (as it didn't work, described above), I kept getting an exception that reads:

An unhandled exception has occurred in a component in your application. Click continue and application will ignore this error and attempt to continue.

C:\windows\web\wallpaper\

Details or Continue

I assume if you move the file to the folder, it wont crash, but still won't show bitmaps.

I hope this helps. Great idea and panel though.
Eitan

Very cool idea, but I can't seem to get it to work. I just downloaded this program so I'm not sure if I'm doing this right. I copied the files to the install directory and I get "Cannot load plugin VirtualDesktopsPanel. The system cannot find the file specified". Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Read some of the other pinned topics which show the steps necessary to register .NET plug-ins with regasm.exe.

To get this panel to work you need to do the following:

1. Close Desktop Sidebar
2. Go into DOS and navigate to the c:\Program Files\Desktop Sidebar directory.
3. Enter this command: c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\regasm.exe VirtualDesktopsPanel.dll

~acommonjo

So far this works very well for me. Good work!

i see great things in the future for this plug-in. its a great start.

i am fairly new here, i came on board just before build 63. so this is really the first plug-in that i am using with ds. so i have all kinds of questions. let me stick to a few basic ones here.

if i want to skin buttons, and change to code to use the new buttons, where do i find the bitmaps for the button, and the code for the plugin?

i use a wallpaper changer. how will that interface with the plug-in, which wants to set its own wallpaper. it shouldnt be a problem on the primary desktop, but what about the aditional desktops?

i have a big wishlist of features that will make this plugin the mother of all plugins. but ill keep that for later.

I am a Desktop Manager user for longtime I use altdesk from astonshell that seem to me to be the more consistent (I have tested several DM). I have just dowloaded this plugin and I am testing it. So here are some new fatures I think that would increase it's acceptance:

- Shortcuts to exchange from one desktop to another
- Possibility to have small screens of each desktop instead the TextButtons (several in one line like performance panel squares)
- Possibility of moving windows from one Destop to another.

Until now I did not see any bugs I will get you informed

MZ

BUG 1

I have just see some bugs. A common problem with many DM's (not with altdesk) is that when we change from on desktop to another the order of the programs in the taskbar change. For me this is capital, has I have several windows of the same program open, and the place of each is very important to me.

MZ

eitaneko

stuffedtiger79

stuffedtiger79

MenosZero

if you make the wallpaper management through the plug-in as optional, then it wont interefere with people who use an external wallpaper manager.

also, itll be nice to chose the number of desktops you want. some pepople need all 4. some might need just 2 or 3. the extra icons just hogs space and resources.

cs97gh1

Regarding my issue with BMP files:

I have as my background a picture called sky1024.bmp. When I set up your desktop manager, that graphic was not on the list of wallpapers, so I hit browse wallpapers. I found it and selected it, and it was added to the list, so I set it for all 4 desktops as it maches my DS skin. When I hit OK, the wallpaper didn't show at all. I saw the background color defined in Display settings, but not the wallpaper. So I opened up the properties again, and wanted to change to a jpg that was listed, since I needed something as a background. When I selected a desktop to modify, I got that error described before. I then had no problem with JPG backgrounds.

Is that clearer?

cs97gh1 I must say first of all, than I'm really surprised about your plugin, I was using the Desktop manager Power Toy from microsoft, and incredible, your plugin is way faster than the one from microsoft, as I see it, right now it offers exaclty the same features than the one from microsoft but faster, so I'm using your plugin right now

As for the new features and things, please anything you do, try to keep the performance of the virtual desktop change as fast as it is right now(changing from one desktop to another is pretty fast)

My vote for features in order will be:

1 - little screenshot of the desktop, in the worst case scenario, put a thumbnail of the wallpaper used in the virtual desktop, that would do, but ideally, on desktop change, take a screenshot and put it as a thumbnail... on the other hand if the image treatement for the screenshot is too heavy for the cpu, I would prefer only the wallpaper thumbnail...

2 - Programs in use on mouseover, a little popup for each thumbnail that shows icons ( or better yet, icons + window title) list of the programs in that desktop

3 - Change a window from one desktop to another. I would prefer to have a little menu in the window title bar, maybe a new button left of the close and windows size in the top right corner, then the menu will propose the virtual desktops. No drag and drop, no Keyboard shorcuts, nothing else, only that little context menu.

Well that's all for asking, as I told you before I'm really impresed right now by your desktop manager, and if you could only put wallpapers thumbnails in place of the buttons, that would do the trick enough for me the other features we don't really need them

I found a little bug, sometimes when I switch from one desktop to another, some windows disapear...

the bug is as follows:

Desktop 1 : I have Ie, Explorer and Visual Studio open

I switch to desktop 2
open Ie, go to url xxx and start downloading 2 files

I switch to desktop 3
open Ie and messenger, check my hotmail

Go to desktop 2, the Ie and the files aren't there, desktop empty
Go to desktop 1, Ie and explorer aren't there, only VS
Go to desk 3, everything seems fine
Go to 2, open Ie and start download again
Go to 1, open explorer and Ie
Switch to 2, everything fine, switch to 3, fine, then 1, Ie isn't there... humm... desk 2 and 3 are fine... open Ie again in desk 1, fine, switch 2 fine, 3 is fine too, 1 is fine... bug doesn't repeat...

hummm strange...


Edit : A couple of hours running, and bingo the exact same bug It looks like it happens only with Ie and Explorer, no other programs, I have Ie windows opened on desk 2 and 3, then I open a Ie window in Desk 1, nothing happens, then open a second, nothing happens, a 3rd and ops, the Ie windows in Desk 2 and 3 are gone... I have mirc open in desk 2 and messenger with adobe in desk 3, the only windows that disapear are explorer and Ie... I wonder if I open different instances of another program if his behavior would be the same...

Thank you this is great I am a Linux user so when I need to use my Windows box I can have more of the same features.

-Reg

drakecoldwinter

sometimes, what can happen... is that a confirmation dialog window will pop up at the end of downloading. since the windows are isolated in each desktop, but new windows that pop up open in the 'current' desktop, windows gets confused, and puts the pop-up confirmation window in no-man's land.

does this only happen when you are downloading something using IE? or does it happen even when you have IE just open with a webpage?

when this bug happens, try to close the plug-in and force all the windows to one desktop. see if your lost windows reappear.

eitaneko

I understand that this is frustrating for you. So can you help me on something? Repeat the whole procedure and after pressing ok in the properties goto your wallpaper drive (possibly C:\WINDOWS\Web\Wallpaper) and check whether the sky1024.bmp file is there.If it's not please try and copy it there and set it as any desktop's wallpaper from the panel properties(obviously now is in the list). Please respond so i can figure out where the problem is.

drakecoldwinter

I do really appreciate your nice words. I'm trying to solve all the reported bugs for now(currently trying to figure them out) so i can produce something that works for all. For now, it's something very basic and whatever is to be added in the future i will make it parametric and as fast as possible, but that's just for later.

Thanks

eitaneko

I've done some modifications so now you can check if it works for you.
Attached is the modified DLL

Thanks

After spending a few hours testing your VD plugin, I can identify the following issues:

1 Whilst working in a separate VD to the one with email (Lotus Notes) opened, notification a new email message automatically opens the same email session in the current working VD whilst retaining it in the original VD in which the app. was started. Isolate Desktops has been selected in Virtual Desktops Settings.

2 Applications displayed in the TaskBar are only the apps. running in the current Virtual Desktop.

3 In Virtual Desktops Settings - Wallpapers: only jpg files are displayed in the list; however, selecting the Browse Wallpaper button filters bmp files also in the Explorer window.

Overall the add-in seems quite stable and quick. There are a couple of features that would greatly enhance it:

1 Drag and drop of open apps. from one VD to another
2 Display in miniature of each VD, rather than buttons

Keep up the good work.

sswhite

For issue 2, play around with the isolate desktops checkbox


cs97gh1

I just uninstalled MSVDM, I'll try to reproduce the bug, but it could be MSVDM that provoked it, I agree on that one. As for the asking of drag and drop to change windows from one menu to another I think it would be easier and more accurate a dropdownmenu in titlebar window to change the window from one VD to another. As a window VD changing is a high demand feature you should focus on it rather than on the miniatures for the buttons(personaly, I would prefer the miniatures I'm more eye candy than functional... )

For the next release could you simply put thumbnails of the wallpapers chosen for the desktops in place of the buttons ? I think this one should be a easy feature to implement, and that would allow to focus on more important features and bugs. As for bugs besides the disapearing windows(that maybe I'm the only one to have this bug) I don't see any bugs, overall the plugin is well done.

Thanks for this great plugin ^c^

cs97gh1

here check this, it may help you (or maybe not... )
http://www.codeproject.com/dialog/screencap.asp

If I find something interesting I'll post it here for you

as for the bug, it's still here, even if MSDVM has been unistalled, I think that once MSDVM has been installed the register gets screw up... I see a format coming my way...

drakecoldwinter

Your help is more then welcome (and usefull of cource)!!! Thanks for the nice link!!!

Just to notify you, i'm on my way to fix a bug with image extensions (i finally managed to reproduce the error).So this will be fixed really soon.
I will definitely replace those ugly buttons with some nice pictures.

For this, i put a vote:

1)Put screenshots of the whole desktop (This will definitely take less time)

2)Put just the wallpapers but with one exception. Mouseovering causes the wallpaper to take the whole panel and then each process shows it's icon(similar to Aldesk's) inside the enlarged wallpaper, and pressing on each just brings it's window on top. I guess that this sounds better but it's by far more difficult to implement. I don't want to put timers etc... because is not very professional so i'll have to intercept window messages by using global hooks etc... so that it will not slow down your system.(This will obviously take much more time)

3) If you agree on something else please say

Thanks again

can you put a screenshot on the buttons, and a larger screenshot in the details window.

or you could put just the wallpaper on the buttons and a screenshot in the details window.

it would be nice to integrate the taskbar replacement plug-in with your desktop manager plug-in. how about a stack, with one panel for each desktop, containing a list of windows in that desktop. with drag and drop capability between desktops. that would rock.

also can you implement the hook in the next version. it will be perfect for new IM windows to stay in the same desktop as the parent IM window, to keep download complete and other pop-up dialogues in the same window, etc.

I vote for the KISS technique (Keep it Simple and Stupid)

Split the panel in four parts, each one show the VD Screenshot (or wallpaper if taking screenshots consumes too much cpu time) then on mouseover the details window will appear, in the detail windows show the process in that VD. That's all.

My vote then is for no multipanel, no drag and drop, no changing size screenshots. KISS it

As for the window bug, the floating forms of my adobe seem to be able to jump to one VD to another, but that is a small bug I don't really care about, but it would give a more professional look to the plugin to manage this problem.

As for the ability to change one window from one VD to another just check my proposition about a context menu in the window title bar.

http://www.planet-source-code.com/vb/scrip...=38970&lngWId=1

VB 6 code to add a button to the title bar (a button that could show a menu to switch the window from one VD to another)

On the other hand here there are people talking about how to do it in .net... it apears than you must hook the windows form process and paint a button on render time... so to add a button in the title bar could be way more complex than I through at first...

http://www.dotnet247.com/247reference/msgs.../36/180603.aspx

http://www.dotnet247.com/247reference/msgs.../35/178321.aspx

I will keep searching for a simple way to do it

Edit: check this http://www.actualtools.com/titlebuttons/lite/

drakecoldwinter

By turning Isolate Desktops off, the independent integrity of each VD is destroyed . As a number of us have discovered, this feature is not currently as stable as it should be when Isolate Desktops is on; however, I'm confident that it will be fixed in time.

In fact my plugin is pretty much destroyed.... :'( since I unistalled MSVDM the Virtual integrity checkbox doesn't work, I mean if I uncheck it, nothing works, I don't have any VD and to click on the plugin's buttons does nothing. If I check it I keep getting the disapearing windows bug...

Tip for the day: never install multiple VD Managers...

Next weekend I'll format.

Here a clean icon to put in place of a smile face

I think it represents the virtual desktops well, of course is only a sugestion

drakecoldwinter

Thanks!!! This is realy great and it exactly represents the plug-in. I'll come back as soon as possible whith a new release(i've started already). I'll not implement the global hook for now(I'll do it later on), but i'm trying to implement the drag-and-drop feature, screenshots of the desktop etc... In place of the ugly buttons i'm using now, i'll try to find someone to create 4 small buttons for the desktops and another 2 small buttons for the preview pages i'll implement. You guessed correctly, my answer is for you to manage the "look" of the plug-in and work together!!! (In fact i liked the bmp you created and i've already put it in the plug-in). So, the answer is yours, but even in the case you don't want, i'd like to hear your advice.

Thanks alot for the great icon!!!

I would like to give myself credits for that icon but it's not the case, the icon comes from IconBook a little icon manager done by www.2beesoft.com Iconbook has like 25000+ icons, and all of them are royalty free and there is no problem to use it anywhere. When you pay for Iconbook you pay for the program, not the icons, they are free 100%, I have read it in their disclaimer where it's clearly writen.

Now on the other hand, I'm willing to help if I can, you need 6 buttons, 4 desktop buttons and 2 preview ones, could you describe exactly what do you have in mind ? what would you like they look like ?


I have added a screenshot of what the virtual desktops could look like, modify the screenshot to show me what you have in mind

ATTENTION PEOPLE, THIS SCREENSHOT IS NOT REAL, IT'S A NOT VERY WELL DONE PHOTOSHOP WORK

Edit: I changed the screenshot for a smaller one... 1600x1200 is a little big for the forum, I have puted a 1024x768 one...

drakecoldwinter: what program are you using that is on the top of that screenshot? It looks like it mimics the OSX program dock. Nice screenshot btw.

I think that this Virtual Desktop manager is amazing. Still looking for better .bmp support.

looks like hes using objectdock

StuffedTiger you are right, it's object dock

I have tried YzDock but when you do a mouse out the icons in yzdock don't return to his minimized stated, so yzdock it's not really functionnal.

Object dock works very well but I've getting little errors with virtual managers, when I change VD the objectdock doesn't seem to work well

I will try mobydock just for fun



Edit : Tried mobydock, it looks the same as object dock, but...
objectdock uses 9 Mb ram always, when I change VD it seems to hang up, but after a couple of minutes it works, but not always fine...
Mobydock has a changing ram utilization, sometimes it drops to 4 Mb other times it climbs up to 11 Mb, after changing VD it works, but way slowly...

Interesting thing, the 2 have a running programs tray, when I switch objectdock all the items disapear or reapear depending on the VD, on mobydock, when I switch VD some items don't disapear, while others do... hummm

But them again I can't be taken as reference, my System is all crapped out...

Try this:

Aquadock

Its called Aquadock. Its free, and seems to work very reliably. It also works well with the nVIDIA VDM.


K.

I have done a new topic in the General section to discuss about bars, here is to discuss about the Virtual Desktop Plugin...

It's been a while since the last time i posted (i didn't have too much time) and i just want to inform you about the current status of development:

a)Tried and replaced buttons with some more elegant pictures. This way i wanted to minimize the size of the plug-in panel. I also placed a "Preview Screens" picture.

b)In the properties dialog, i added the option of taking desktop screenshots (If you don't use that, normal wallpapers are used in the preview screen)

c)Fixed a problem with bmp wallpapers-FINALLY!!!

d)Implemented a resizable-fullscreen preview screen (Incomplete yet.) By now, you can see desktop screenshots(OR Wallpapers, depending on the option in b ) and you can also switch to the clicked desktop.

So what is still pending in (d)? I'll work on the drag-and-drop feature in the preview screen, so that you can move your windows in different desktops.

So, what is your opinion on that? It sounds ok for the next beta release?



Best Regards

That's really up to you as the developer.
Quite honestly, I figure the sooner you release it...the happier everyone becomes.
Almost like "crack".

I love my crack wait that sounds wrong lol

But I think you are on the right track of what everyone else is thinking but like Indian said its up to you

-Reg

cs97gh1, when can we expect the next release.