window-specific tasks, delay in window fadeout, etc.

[mortee]

Hi!

I just found your utility referred from betanews.com, I installed it, and really like what I've seen sofar.

I'd have a few comments though. First, it'd be nice if one could create window-specific tasks. That is, activate/enable the given task only if the specified app or window is in the foreground. It'd be the simplest to have a popup menu on the task dialog, with the available automanaged windows (along with an item to define a new one...)

Also, it'd be nice if there would be a slight delay between the mouse going over the window-border-buttons and the window becoming transparent (if it's enabled at all). I find it very useful to have a fast and intuitive way to make a window temporarily transparent, but it's really disturbing if it immediately goes transparent, even if I just want to close it. Also, I don't know if it's possible, but the button in question should be kept opaque, while the rest of the window made transparent (it's quite inconvenient that the very button you're going to click almost entirely disappears...)

Also related to transparency (and I also don't know if it's possible), the enhanced task switcher should not be uniformly transparent - only the background, and the contents (icons, labels, preview) should be opaque.

I like the possibility to block the screensaver from a task, but enabling this from a screen corner should somehow be streamlined a bit. Currently, if I link a screen corner to blocking the screen saver, then it *starts* blocking, but when I move the mouse away, it should also end it. I realize it's not trivial to solve, since the task is a one-time action, and has no notion of the mouse entering and leaving the screen corner. Maybe, a few of such simple actions should be pre-defined for linking to the screen corners (without being separately defined as a task), and this predefined thing should behave as I wrote.

The window rollup function is really nice, as well as the option to roll them down on mouse over. However, if both are enabled, then as soon as the user rolls up a window, it rolls down again in a second (because you have to go over the title bar to roll it up anyway). So I suggest to disable auto-rolldown until the mouse left the titlebar for the first time after rolling up the window.

Keep up the good work! I'm sure I'll have a few more suggestions as I play around with the app.

[Marc G]

Hi!

I just found your utility referred from betanews.com, I installed it, and really like what I've seen sofar.

:D

I'd have a few comments though. First, it'd be nice if one could create window-specific tasks. That is, activate/enable the given task only if the specified app or window is in the foreground. It'd be the simplest to have a popup menu on the task dialog, with the available automanaged windows (along with an item to define a new one...)

Nice idea, i'll add it to the todo list.

Also, it'd be nice if there would be a slight delay between the mouse going over the window-border-buttons and the window becoming transparent (if it's enabled at all). I find it very useful to have a fast and intuitive way to make a window temporarily transparent, but it's really disturbing if it immediately goes transparent, even if I just want to close it. Also, I don't know if it's possible, but the button in question should be kept opaque, while the rest of the window made transparent (it's quite inconvenient that the very button you're going to click almost entirely disappears...)

I'll add a user-defineable delay for the window-buttons-transparency.
I'm not sure if it is possible to keep the window-button opaque because ShellEnhancer doesn't 'own' the window, but i'll take a look at it.

Also related to transparency (and I also don't know if it's possible), the enhanced task switcher should not be uniformly transparent - only the background, and the contents (icons, labels, preview) should be opaque.

This might be possible (i'm not sure). I'll give it a try.

I like the possibility to block the screensaver from a task, but enabling this from a screen corner should somehow be streamlined a bit. Currently, if I link a screen corner to blocking the screen saver, then it *starts* blocking, but when I move the mouse away, it should also end it. I realize it's not trivial to solve, since the task is a one-time action, and has no notion of the mouse entering and leaving the screen corner. Maybe, a few of such simple actions should be pre-defined for linking to the screen corners (without being separately defined as a task), and this predefined thing should behave as I wrote.

This is done by design. The way it currently works is: you put the mouse in the correct corner and ShellEnhancer starts blocking. When you put the mouse a second time in the corner, blocking stops. It allows you to quickly start blocking the screensaver and still do some work like starting a process (for example: a backup). Afterwards, just put the mouse back in the corner and blocking stops.
Don't you think this is more usefull than a block when mouse enters and stop blocking when mouse leaves?
I'll think about adding some predefined corner tasks.

The window rollup function is really nice, as well as the option to roll them down on mouse over. However, if both are enabled, then as soon as the user rolls up a window, it rolls down again in a second (because you have to go over the title bar to roll it up anyway). So I suggest to disable auto-rolldown until the mouse left the titlebar for the first time after rolling up the window.

Nice suggestion, i'll add it to the todo list.

Keep up the good work! I'm sure I'll have a few more suggestions as I play around with the app.

All suggestions are welcome

[mortee]

This is done by design. The way it currently works is: you put the mouse in the correct corner and ShellEnhancer starts blocking. When you put the mouse a second time in the corner, blocking stops. It allows you to quickly start blocking the screensaver and still do some work like starting a process (for example: a backup). Afterwards, just put the mouse back in the corner and blocking stops.
Don't you think this is more usefull than a block when mouse enters and stop blocking when mouse leaves?

It does turn screensaver-blocking off when I move the mouse in the corner next time? I didn't notice that. If it's so, then it's all good (:

[Marc G]

Yes it works that way because the "Block screensaving" command is a toggle-command.

[mortee]

Actually, as I thought about this screensaver blocking thing, I concluded that I still preferred it the other way. After all, screensaver only activates when the user doesn't do anything, so blocking it is only meaningful if the user is idle. Thus, if you want to start a backup or anything, you can do it, the screensaver won't be triggered anyway. And when you want to leave the machine with the screensaver blocked, you just drag and leave the mouse in the hot corner. So, having it in trigger mode (at least when activated by a hot screen corner) doesn't make any sense. And the other way around, which automatically stops blocking when you move the mouse away, is just much simpler.

(That said, I have a little utility which provides this kind of screensaver blocking; and since I'd keep it anyway, because it does other useful things too, it's not really important to me to have this done in ShellEnhancer... :)

[Marc G]

yes, you are right, it is more intuitive to unblock when leaving the corner.
I'll might add this to a future release.

[Guest]

Hi! I just found your utility referred from betanews.com, I installed it, and really like what I've seen sofar. I'd have a few comments though. First, it'd be nice if one could create window-specific tasks. That is, activate/enable the given task only if the specified app or window is in the foreground. It'd be the simplest to have a popup menu on the task dialog, with the available automanaged windows (along with an item to define a new one...) Also, it'd be nice if there would be a slight delay between the mouse going over the window-border-buttons and the window becoming transparent (if it's enabled at all). I find it very useful to have a fast and intuitive way to make a window temporarily transparent, but it's really disturbing if it immediately goes transparent, even if I just want to close it. Also, I don't know if it's possible, but the button in question should be kept opaque, while the rest of the window made transparent (it's quite inconvenient that the very button you're going to click almost entirely disappears...) Also related to transparency (and I also don't know if it's possible), the enhanced task switcher should not be uniformly transparent - only the background, and the contents (icons, labels, preview) should be opaque. I like the possibility to block the screensaver from a task, but enabling this from a screen corner should somehow be streamlined a bit. Currently, if I link a screen corner to blocking the screen saver, then it *starts* blocking, but when I move the mouse away, it should also end it. I realize it's not trivial to solve, since the task is a one-time action, and has no notion of the mouse entering and leaving the screen corner. Maybe, a few of such simple actions should be pre-defined for linking to the screen corners (without being separately defined as a task), and this predefined thing should behave as I wrote. The window rollup function is really nice, as well as the option to roll them down on mouse over. However, if both are enabled, then as soon as the user rolls up a window, it rolls down again in a second (because you have to go over the title bar to roll it up anyway). So I suggest to disable auto-rolldown until the mouse left the titlebar for the first time after rolling up the window. Keep up the good work! I'm sure I'll have a few more suggestions as I play around with the app.

[Guest]

Hi! I just found your utility referred from betanews.com, I installed it, and really like what I've seen sofar.

:D

I'd have a few comments though. First, it'd be nice if one could create window-specific tasks. That is, activate/enable the given task only if the specified app or window is in the foreground. It'd be the simplest to have a popup menu on the task dialog, with the available automanaged windows (along with an item to define a new one...)

Nice idea, i'll add it to the todo list.

Also, it'd be nice if there would be a slight delay between the mouse going over the window-border-buttons and the window becoming transparent (if it's enabled at all). I find it very useful to have a fast and intuitive way to make a window temporarily transparent, but it's really disturbing if it immediately goes transparent, even if I just want to close it. Also, I don't know if it's possible, but the button in question should be kept opaque, while the rest of the window made transparent (it's quite inconvenient that the very button you're going to click almost entirely disappears...)

I'll add a user-defineable delay for the window-buttons-transparency. I'm not sure if it is possible to keep the window-button opaque because ShellEnhancer doesn't 'own' the window, but i'll take a look at it.

Also related to transparency (and I also don't know if it's possible), the enhanced task switcher should not be uniformly transparent - only the background, and the contents (icons, labels, preview) should be opaque.

This might be possible (i'm not sure). I'll give it a try.

I like the possibility to block the screensaver from a task, but enabling this from a screen corner should somehow be streamlined a bit. Currently, if I link a screen corner to blocking the screen saver, then it *starts* blocking, but when I move the mouse away, it should also end it. I realize it's not trivial to solve, since the task is a one-time action, and has no notion of the mouse entering and leaving the screen corner. Maybe, a few of such simple actions should be pre-defined for linking to the screen corners (without being separately defined as a task), and this predefined thing should behave as I wrote.

This is done by design. The way it currently works is: you put the mouse in the correct corner and ShellEnhancer starts blocking. When you put the mouse a second time in the corner, blocking stops. It allows you to quickly start blocking the screensaver and still do some work like starting a process (for example: a backup). Afterwards, just put the mouse back in the corner and blocking stops. Don't you think this is more usefull than a block when mouse enters and stop blocking when mouse leaves? I'll think about adding some predefined corner tasks.

The window rollup function is really nice, as well as the option to roll them down on mouse over. However, if both are enabled, then as soon as the user rolls up a window, it rolls down again in a second (because you have to go over the title bar to roll it up anyway). So I suggest to disable auto-rolldown until the mouse left the titlebar for the first time after rolling up the window.

Nice suggestion, i'll add it to the todo list.

Keep up the good work! I'm sure I'll have a few more suggestions as I play around with the app.

All suggestions are welcome

[Guest]

This is done by design. The way it currently works is: you put the mouse in the correct corner and ShellEnhancer starts blocking. When you put the mouse a second time in the corner, blocking stops. It allows you to quickly start blocking the screensaver and still do some work like starting a process (for example: a backup). Afterwards, just put the mouse back in the corner and blocking stops. Don't you think this is more usefull than a block when mouse enters and stop blocking when mouse leaves?

It does turn screensaver-blocking off when I move the mouse in the corner next time? I didn't notice that. If it's so, then it's all good (:

[Guest]

Yes it works that way because the "Block screensaving" command is a toggle-command.

[Guest]

Actually, as I thought about this screensaver blocking thing, I concluded that I still preferred it the other way. After all, screensaver only activates when the user doesn't do anything, so blocking it is only meaningful if the user is idle. Thus, if you want to start a backup or anything, you can do it, the screensaver won't be triggered anyway. And when you want to leave the machine with the screensaver blocked, you just drag and leave the mouse in the hot corner. So, having it in trigger mode (at least when activated by a hot screen corner) doesn't make any sense. And the other way around, which automatically stops blocking when you move the mouse away, is just much simpler. (That said, I have a little utility which provides this kind of screensaver blocking; and since I'd keep it anyway, because it does other useful things too, it's not really important to me to have this done in ShellEnhancer...

[Guest]

yes, you are right, it is more intuitive to unblock when leaving the corner. I'll might add this to a future release.

[Marc G]

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