Version 2 is released.

GoMa thanks again for your advice and help! I sure hope 3rd party skinnability is coming soon. It's a real shortcoming if you ask me

New in this version:
1) Skinnable Background Buttons (sort of)
2) List Output for buttons
3) Grouping configurability (this one is gonna be a thorn in my side, i just feel it)
4) Scrollable if you have autofit off and you run out of space for buttons
5) Refresh option in context menu that will recreate everything from the ground up. Good for if you place background images in the plugin directory, this way you won't have to restart.
6) New Bugs I'm sure

Vote for your request now!

Outstanding Dev Requests:
1) Window thumbnails on mouseover
2) Drag and drop of items onto taskbar buttons, just like Windows does
3) Allow an application chosen to run when double-clicking on an empty space
4) Detail window with properties, a large icon, full application name , etc.
5) Add context menu to the context menu of grouped buttons. So that specific windows within a group can be min/max/close etc.
6) If a group button is flashing, highlight the item in the context menu that is causing the flashing

Available in the XX

For reference purposes here is the beta testing thread

For reference purposes here is the alpha testing thread

In case anyone is interested here is the source code. If you find a use for it all I ask is that you give me credit.

The latest version of this panel works great! No painting problems! You are doing an AMAZING job!

I am eagerly waiting for request #4.

I installed it now, first time. (Yeah, I'm lazy and didn't want to be a guinea pig )
Installation went fine.
Looks like a great panel. Very useful indeed.

One problem: when I double-clicked on an empty space in the panel, I got a message box with some numbers.

I have a feature request for this action - please allow us to choose what application we would like to run when double-clicking on an empty space.
I thought that opening "My Computer" would be useful for me, but I assume other people would find other things useful.

OK as usual in the last several versions! It's nice to see the panel in the XX at last!

Since you closed the other threads...SpywareBlaster does not appear in the panel when it is opened.

You can get a copy of it at:
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

If you don't know, it is a anti-spyware program that blocks connections to bad sites, so you can't download anything bad, and if you already have it, it can't contact another computer on the internet.

I agree. It's still working great! No painting bugs.

I don't know if it is already on the TODO list, but I would appreciate a feature that could turn off grouping...I don't use it on my taskbar b/c I like access to individual windows without the intermediate menu. What do you think?

Following eitaneko's suggestion, I would like an option to group only when there isn't any more room in the panel.

Me like no grouping or like Goma said.

Can you guys test this version before I go to the exchange. GoMa, can you make sure Babylon behaves itself with this version.

BTW: in the plugin directory there is an ico file that is the default icon if there isn't one present. It should almost never show, but if wanted you can change it to something else.

The only time I get it to show is on a File Download dialog, but that pretty much always combines with my IE so I don't care what the icon is

*****I found a problem with this version. This will be a little trickier then expected. With this version a command prompt won't show.

****removed attachment

Nice to hear that you will develop my request.
I'd like to suggest another one:
When chatting in Messenger or in ICQ, the taskbar flashes in red. However, in the panel, such an option doesn't exist.
Therefore, I can't see if I got a new message

eitaneko,

Try this version... It should work.

GoMa,

Please double check babylon.

robc,

Please make sure this doesn't undo the work you did.

I've added this version to the exchange, as I'm pretty sure it is better. It definitely isn't worse About the only one I'm not sure of, is robc and his crazy app But he has the source so he can fix it himself j/k of course, let me know when you get back rob.

This version fixes the SpywareBlaster problem, thanks. Prism's point about double clicking on the panel is still there.

I cannot download ths version from XX. The download button gives me Host not available

I hate to upset the apple cart but I'm still getting this problem with the latest version: The Firefox button indicates there are two instances although I only have one open; if I left-click it lists two identical choices.

Due to installing the latest version of the package I had to close and restart Desktop Sidebar whilst Firefox was already running. Other instances of Firefox have subsequently been opened since and then closed.

It won't seem to reproduce on cue! I'll monitor it and as soon as I identify the pattern of actions that causes it I'll let you know.

In the meantime you'll be pleased to know that I'm seeing no other problem with it.

It be cool if there was some way of making the window of a program (e.g. firefox) to use the area where the task bar was before the hide taskbar function was enabled.

Would there not be some way of using the auto-hide feature for the taskbar in windows to make it possible if u could just some how make it only hide and not auto.

esolu -
With the latest version (5 mins ago... I hope it is the latest), Babylon shows up all the time.

GoMa,

Please try this version before I put it in the XX.

Also, is there a way to determine the plugin directory? I was assuming it was "Desktop Sidebar" in the Application Data directory, but robc has pointed out to me that with multiple installs this is not always true.

robc thanks for all of the help nailing down the filter for the enumwindows call. Your experience with your VB Applet has proven to be invaluable.

robc does this version solve the problem you were having with the first icon?


***Removed attachment... no responses and I have to get this out so I can move on I can always update the XX again if needed.

I have been using the version released a couple of days ago and it has been rock solid. Great stuff.

I am also getting the same thing happening that happens to cyberfrem, but I can't get it to reproduce on cue either! I have seen it happen with both Firefox and Thunderbird for me. Possibly something with the Mozilla codebase? (Just a guess, I have no idea!)

Thanks for the great work,

Coult69

Newest version doesn't work. Apparently, my skin doesn't support the changes you made and an error was returned from the create method. Same error from the beta phase.

New feature request: is it possible to have a way to flash an icon when an application wants to grab your attention, like the flashing on the taskbar or the bouncing on object dock?

Can anyone please help me. I cannot download the DSTaskBar plugin from the XX. It gives me Host not available. Can anyone put the plugin here in a post for me to download it?

eitaneko,

Your fix is in the XX. Sorry about that, you and your iStyle skin errors

Any new features in this release?

So what about new features, then?

Yup. It installed this time. I happen to like this skin a lot! I'm very bad about keeping on top of the skinning. I'm a mac wannabe.

I like the "pressed button" look, and i like how the active window is lighter and not darker than the other buttons. Seems to be working well.

Now, I hardly see the number of windows in each icon. In the picture, the icon with a blue design has 5 windows. Can you see it? neither do I?

I am getting some instances where after closing down an app, DS Taskbar still shows the app, and when you left click on the icon, it gives you a small blank gray area.

I have noticed this with Mozilla apps, and in this case it was two widgets from Komfabulator...

Thanks,

Coult69

I'm answering this since I've spent at least as much time as esolu on the subject That is the "default icon" esolu placed in the plugin folder as dsicon.ico, you can change it to whatever icon you prefer. The reason for this is that there are at least 5 different "official" methods to retrieve the icon shown by a running app using Win32 APIs, but still some apps DON'T have any icon by design: just have a look at the dialog Alt-Tab displays and you'll see that many dialog-based apps (dialup connections, popup windows, messages, etc.) display with a "blank app" icon. To have everything work fine you need to try all standard methods for retrieving the "running" icon; if they all fail you need to get the icon from the physical .exe file on disk and if everything still fails you should provide a "standard" icon yourself.

With all this in mind, there still are some subtle differences in how the taskbar and alt-tab behave, compared to what you can do according to the documentation and your own trial and error: of these, currently I know only two instances, that is the properties dialogs of DS panels that you're mentioning, and ACDsee 5, for which I tried everything in store to retrieve the icon it is showing, but could find no way except for explicitly coding for that app, which of course isn't a good practice.

so thats why I get a black circle... I see. Thanks for the answer robc. Why not change it to "blank app" icon? That's more appropriate than the black circle. The icon is located in shell32.dll. If you want it to be extracted, I would glad to help

That was esolu's choice, I believe as a "placeholder" for whatever icon any user prefers... I'm currently using the attached one.