Grab the active window's title bar and "shake" it back and forth, and
all other windows minimize to the taskbar. I've tried it on both
Vista and XP.
Not done yet: Shake the window again and the other windows restore.
The question becomes which windows to restore: all of them? maintain a
list of the ones previously minimized, which may or may not still be
open? I guess I need to know how it should function before I code the
second half.
Let me know what you think. Also, it may need a GUI to adjust the
"shake parameters" (how far, how many times back-n-forth, time period).
Nice stuff, I really like this, but it needs a few fixes, it doesn't
work for office 2007 under vista (when you shake nothing happens).
Also, I think the minimizing should only affect other windows on that
screen (or make this a boolean option), so when I just wanna clear one
screen it doesn't wipe out everything on both :)
Otherwise, nice work!
On Nov 9, 6:11 am, bobbo33 <menke.rob...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Grab the active window's title bar and "shake" it back and forth, and
> all other windows minimize to the taskbar. I've tried it on both
> Vista and XP.
> Not done yet: Shake the window again and the other windows restore.
> The question becomes which windows to restore: all of them? maintain a
> list of the ones previously minimized, which may or may not still be
> open? I guess I need to know how it should function before I code the
> second half.
> Let me know what you think. Also, it may need a GUI to adjust the
> "shake parameters" (how far, how many times back-n-forth, time period).
Thanks for the feedback. I forgot about Office 2007, it doesn't
follow windows conventions for controls (or colors or fonts or... but
I digress). And I really like your multimonitor idea, that will be a
nice enhancement. I'll see what I can do.
So how do you think the restore ought to work? In my mind, the "undo
minimize" really only helps if you accidentally shake a window and you
want it undone. Normally, after the shake you'll proceed with
arranging other windows in the space you cleared out, so the undo
would just be confusing later on. I'm thinking the undo would only be
available until you open/move/restore another window.
I just uploaded the updated script. Three improvements:
1. Works with Office 2007 (unfortunately, it assumes a fixed titlebar
height of 26 pixels, anyone know a better way?)
2. For multimonitor setups, option to only minimize windows on current
monitor (default on)
3. If all windows are minimized, shake restores the other windows
On Sun, Nov 9, 2008 at 10:54 AM, bobbo33 <menke.rob...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I just uploaded the updated script. Three improvements: > 1. Works with Office 2007 (unfortunately, it assumes a fixed titlebar > height of 26 pixels, anyone know a better way?) > 2. For multimonitor setups, option to only minimize windows on current > monitor (default on) > 3. If all windows are minimized, shake restores the other windows
I was just wondering: did you consider using Win-D and then restoring the active window (or finding some other way to keep it active)? This could alleviate some of the lag involved in separately minimizing Windows.
I'm guess you considered this, so maybe there's a reason you didn't take that route?
On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 11:05 AM, Adam Pash <adam.p...@gmail.com> wrote: > Okay, just published this one on the site. Keep your eyes open for bug > reports/feedback! :)
> On Sun, Nov 9, 2008 at 10:54 AM, bobbo33 <menke.rob...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I just uploaded the updated script. Three improvements: >> 1. Works with Office 2007 (unfortunately, it assumes a fixed titlebar >> height of 26 pixels, anyone know a better way?) >> 2. For multimonitor setups, option to only minimize windows on current >> monitor (default on) >> 3. If all windows are minimized, shake restores the other windows
Seriously Adam, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I didn't think this
utility was ready for the full LH community yet. In my mind, this
group is for closed alpha/beta testing, where we eliminate bugs, add
features, and polish. I'm no marketing guy, but people have an
expectation of quality when something gets posted on Lifehacker.
And because it's open source, one person may start the ball rolling,
but other people can contribute as well. I only got one feedback, and
it's already out there!
That said, I got several good suggestions from the LH comments:
1. Add a GUI for configuring shake parameters (Adam, does the LH legal
team want any logo, copyright, disclaimer, etc.?)
2. Add "fast minimize" mode a la Win+D (easy to do, but the downside
is that your active window disappears momentarily, which annoyed me
when I tried it - I'll make it a GUI option so the user can choose
which mode they prefer)
3. Remember which windows to restore
4. Exception list to help people with Sidebar, Samurize, etc.
Would you rather me post these fixes one-at-a-time as I get to them,
or wait until it's fully ready?
On Nov 10, 2:26 pm, "Adam Pash" <adam.p...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I was just wondering: did you consider using Win-D and then restoring
> the active window (or finding some other way to keep it active)? This
> could alleviate some of the lag involved in separately minimizing
> Windows.
> I'm guess you considered this, so maybe there's a reason you didn't
> take that route?
> On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 11:05 AM, Adam Pash <adam.p...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Okay, just published this one on the site. Keep your eyes open for bug
> > reports/feedback! :)
> > On Sun, Nov 9, 2008 at 10:54 AM, bobbo33 <menke.rob...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> I just uploaded the updated script. Three improvements:
> >> 1. Works with Office 2007 (unfortunately, it assumes a fixed titlebar
> >> height of 26 pixels, anyone know a better way?)
> >> 2. For multimonitor setups, option to only minimize windows on current
> >> monitor (default on)
> >> 3. If all windows are minimized, shake restores the other windows
> Seriously Adam, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I didn't think this > utility was ready for the full LH community yet. In my mind, this > group is for closed alpha/beta testing, where we eliminate bugs, add > features, and polish. I'm no marketing guy, but people have an > expectation of quality when something gets posted on Lifehacker.
We've released a lot of small utilities just like this one on Lifehacker, and generally we've followed a pretty loose release-first-polish-later structure so we can get reader feedback as soon as possible. That said, I understand where you're coming from, and I apologize for not giving more forewarning/discussing it first. From now on I'll ask for explicit permission before publishing a script on LH.
> That said, I got several good suggestions from the LH comments: > 1. Add a GUI for configuring shake parameters (Adam, does the LH legal > team want any logo, copyright, disclaimer, etc.?)
LH/Gawker Legal doesn't put many restrictions on our software--again, it's been pretty seat-of-our-pants. However, if you check out some of the Lifehacker Code projects we've created (http://lifehacker.com/t/lifehacker-code/), I'd love it if we could get similar branding/about pages/etc. And yeah, a disclaimer is never a bad idea. :)
> 2. Add "fast minimize" mode a la Win+D (easy to do, but the downside > is that your active window disappears momentarily, which annoyed me > when I tried it - I'll make it a GUI option so the user can choose > which mode they prefer)
I don't know if this is at all possible, but is there any way the active window could be set to an always-on-top mode before Win+D is invoked, then set back to normal after that?
> 3. Remember which windows to restore > 4. Exception list to help people with Sidebar, Samurize, etc.
> Would you rather me post these fixes one-at-a-time as I get to them, > or wait until it's fully ready?
I'd say put together a to-do list of what you think are the most important improvements, then roll that into a new release. My goal was that we release early and often with these so we can engage the readers in the process as well. Again, though, I apologize for the hasty release... it's a particularly timely utility, so I wanted to push it to the head of the line, as it were.
> On Nov 10, 2:26 pm, "Adam Pash" <adam.p...@gmail.com> wrote: >> I was just wondering: did you consider using Win-D and then restoring >> the active window (or finding some other way to keep it active)? This >> could alleviate some of the lag involved in separately minimizing >> Windows.
>> I'm guess you considered this, so maybe there's a reason you didn't >> take that route?
>> On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 11:05 AM, Adam Pash <adam.p...@gmail.com> wrote: >> > Okay, just published this one on the site. Keep your eyes open for bug >> > reports/feedback! :)
>> > On Sun, Nov 9, 2008 at 10:54 AM, bobbo33 <menke.rob...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> I just uploaded the updated script. Three improvements: >> >> 1. Works with Office 2007 (unfortunately, it assumes a fixed titlebar >> >> height of 26 pixels, anyone know a better way?) >> >> 2. For multimonitor setups, option to only minimize windows on current >> >> monitor (default on) >> >> 3. If all windows are minimized, shake restores the other windows
New release posted with a _bunch_ of improvements. Highlights:
; v1.2 2008-11-11 Fix bug to reset shake count if left mouse button is
continually held down
; Fix bug in GetMonitorAt so minallmonitors works
correctly for multimonitor configurations
; Add quick minimize mode to suppress window animation
; Add AeroShake.ini file for configuration
; Add tray icon GUI (title, about, settings)
; Add WinGetInOrder to preserve taskbar icon order in
window hide/show operations
I've tested in on an XP Home desktop, Vista laptop, and an XP Pro
workstation with dual monitors. Adam, based on your "early & often"
comment, this one is improved enough to release if you wish.
To-do's:
1. Exception list to help people with Sidebar, Samurize, etc.
2. Instead of an INI file, edit configuration with a nice GUI
(checkboxes & sliders)
3. Test some different multi-monitors (volunteers needed - BYOM)
4. Better way to detect titlebar height, instead of fixed number
5. Is a timer needed (for example, shake has to occur within 5 seconds
or the back-and-forth counter starts over again)
Found a bug: Shaking an application modal dialog box minimizes that
dialog's parent, which in turn minimizes the dialog itself. This
leaves the app in a state where it cannot be restored at all. This was
done with an internal company application running on Eclipse RCP. I'll
see if I can replicate on something else that you can work with.
Expected behavior should be that other applications get minimized, but
not the dialog's parent.
Hi guys!
I found this little app somewhere online and now I'm totally addicted!
I can't seem to find version 1.4 nor where to download the latest
version (could you post it please?) but I found a couple of bugs on
version 1.3:
- when I shake to bring back minimized windows the window I was
shaking doesn't stay on top of the restored ones
- I'm using wlm9 wave 3 + messenger plus! (www.msgpluslive.com) and
when I shake a chat window it minimizes it.
Hope you fix this soon =)
Best regards
On 16 Nov, 17:58, bobbo33 <menke.rob...@gmail.com> wrote:
If you need an executable, download Autohotkey from www.autohotkey.com and use the built-in compiler utility that's included. It's pretty
straight-forward.
i got one suggestion, add a value in the ini file for the max distance
(in pixels) that is comsidered a shake. i like to use it on a low
shake count (2), and when i move the window across the screen, it
sometimes consider it as a shake, and minimizes all the windows. im
also an autohotkey programmer, so i added it to the source myself:
in the ini creation part, add: IniWrite,100,AeroShake.ini,Shake
Detection,Max Distance
in the ini reading part, add:
IniRead,temp,AeroShake.ini,Shake Detection,Max Distance
shake_maxdistance := temp
and in the function that detects shakes:
replace if ( (x-xstart) > shake_distance ) with if ( (x-xstart) >
shake_distance && (x-xstart) < shake_maxdistance )
and replace else if ( (xstart-x) > shake_distance ) with else if
( (xstart-x) > shake_distance && (xstart-x) < shake_maxdistance )
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