[thewer]

TabbedDock 1.0 FINAL
--------------------------
Get and see here:
http://www.deviantar.../view/34123027/



Hi there,

this is a (tabbed) launcher for up to 50 shortcuts (similar to ObjectDock Plus).

There is of course a lot of this stuff out there (Rocket-, Aqua-, Moby-, Yz'Dock, RK Launcher, ObjectDock), but only ObjectDockPlus has Tabs (to switch between different sets of icons) so far -
still I made this because:

- AveDesk can a lot more than just launching stuff of course - and if I use it anyway, why run a lot of other progs as well...

- need for tabs

- the setting up with OD+ I find a bit complicated - adding shortcuts is easy, but I hate this:
rightclick icon, wait... "change image" - default folder for OD (wait for wrong folder/images loading)... choose other folder... click, click, click...
(note, that I don't have OD's latest version, so maybe this'll change in future). That's why I choose a different method for this!

- this little app is easy skinnable, too (see later), if you make own skins/mods, please post a link here! ))

- Also all the launchers have better mouseover effects, the only "tabbed" version (at least the latest version I have) uses just a slight "magnify" effect - this got more...

- you can place the dock anywhere on the screen

- comes to front (on top of all open windows) when pressing a "hotkey" (selectable) or - if you use the "hotspot desklet": http://www.deviantar.../view/33382825/ -
when you hover with your mouse over a "hotspot"

- If you don't use the hotkey feature, you can set it "Always on top" with the AveDesk "desklet properties" dialog and use the "Slide" effect to slide on your desktop from the edge of the screen

- Available as "ring" as well: http://avedesk.philc.ca/modules/PDdownload...hp?cid=9&lid=80 or http://www.deviantar.../view/32661498/
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IMPORTANT:
-----------------
This is for the latest version of AveScripter!
Some issues will be solved with next version of AveDesk (see below)
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INSTALL:
------------
Rename the downloaded "TabbedDock.zip" (deviantArt) to "TabbedDock.aveinst" and doubleclick it while AveDesk is running (Avescripter has to be installed)...
(You can alternatively unzip the file in your C:programs??... ...AveDeskDesklets folder) - If there are problems with the install by doubleclick,
go to your AveDesk folder and run the "register.bat" to associate AveDesk file extensions... (I think this'll help - not sure so...)
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HOW TO:
-----------
- DRAG and DROP icons/images or files onto an empty socket/placeholder: A shortcut will be created/the icon
will be changed (note that PNG-images look best, get them e.g. at deviantArt or wincustomize: "Dock Icons").
So I set up the dock like this:
- Got an explorer window showing my folder with downloaded PNGs (from wincustomize.com or deviantArt.com). I then drag'n drop these images for the programs I want onto the dock.
- Got another explorer window showing my "Programs" folder(s) - I drag'n drop the files onto the dock, too...
NOTE that you have to drop the actual FILE onto the dock, dropping shortcuts/ *.ink-files only works, if your Windows version can handle WSH/WScript (normally the case) - just try!

- RIGHTCLICK an icon for advanced options for each shortcut: Set Arguments, Label, ... there
(Press ENTER after changing the name!!!). You can also drag and drop images or files on this window for changing the icon's
appearance/shortcut or press the two buttons on the right to select a file. Don't use empty PNG's for an icon -
there should be at least one non transparent pixel left. Otherwise you might have difficulties to change this icon
again later.

- LEFTCLICK an icon to launch the chosen program

- LEFTCLICK the "tabs" (small silver icons within the outer ring) to switch between 5 sets of each 10 icons. Drag
and Drop icons/images onto the tab for changing its appearance.

- LEFTCLICK the tab right to the right ("Options") to switch to "General options": Here you can change the skin (two
square - about 900*150px - pic for the background, a 900*60px for an "overlay", that'll cover part of the icons and one for the tabs background).
There are other backgrounds in the deklet's folder also ("Skins" folder). If you want to make an image invisible (not the icons), use the
"EMPTY.png" file in the desklet's folder for it. You can also change the name of the Tabs (Press ENTER!)

- If you set up a "HOTKEY", the window behaviour MUST be set as "Normal window"!
(Rightclick the desklet background image - not an icon - and choose the "desklet properties" or select these options via the AveDesk control panel.
Right on top of the "effect" drop down menu there should be another drop down menu entitled "style" or so - not absolutely sure cause I haven't got the english version of AveDesk.
Here you can set the desklet as "normal window" instead of "on desktop", "showcase", ...)
For creating a hokey you must set a Shiftkey (Alt/Strg/Windowskey) and a normal key - for the last one you must enter its ASCII code (e.g. 032 = "Space").
The ASCII codes for the keys (standard keyboard!) can be found below - press ENTER after changing a value!
Pressing the hotkey again should (depending on the hotkey) send the desklet back on desktop.

- TOO BIG? Within the "desklet properties" dialog of AveDesk you can scale the desklet down (W:H = 6:1, default is 900*150px) -
BUT you must set it up while still in original size first:
Dropping files/images onto empty shortcuts only works securely if the desklet isn't resized.

- LABEL for the names of the shortcuts, the font, position etc. can be changed with the "desklet properties" dialog of AveDesk as well.

- ROTATE the desklet with the "desklet properties" dialog of AveDesk to e.g. position it at the side of your screen.
Note that it might react rather slow on old computers (like mine...) This'll also rotate your icons - Rightclick an icon and press "Rotate icons"
to set it right or it'll look strange. It's best I think to set up your dock (images, etc.) before rotating it...

- Choose between different EFFECTS on mouseover, if you find one too jumpy (see issues), select e.g. normal "Magnify" instead of "XtraMag"...

- SAVE your desklets settings by saving the whole AveDesk theme or EXPORT the desklet to use in other themes also:
You can save a single desklet configuration by opening the AveDesk Control panel, rightclick the desklet in the preview there and choose "Export" - you then can import the saved file in another theme again!

- There are other SKINS in the desklet's folder (C:programs...? ...AveDeskDeskletsAveScripterTabbedDockSkins).
The desklet folder contains the pics for the default skin (Background, overlay, tab and attention pics), the "Skins" folder contains two more folders:
"Normal" and "Curved". Within The "Normal" folder you'll find pics that can replace the default ones.
The "Curved" folder contains pics for a curved Launch bar - to look "curved" you must replace the "TabbedDock.xml" in the desklet's Folder with the "TabbedDock.xml" in the "Curved" folder -
The xml-file sets the positions of the icons (see below).
If you want the default version back, just re-replace the new "TabbedDock.xml" in the desklet's Folder with the one in the "Normal" folder.
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ISSUES:
----------
- Regarding speed and flickering of the hover effects it seems that with the upcoming(!) version of AveDesk this desklet will run a lot smoother... as all others of course, too...
- Sometimes the "XtraMag" effect gets stuck when leaving the desklet - this is rather strange as I made a function that'll reposition the icons when you leave
the desklet area or deselect the desklet (click something else). For some reason, if you leave its area at the bottom of the desklet, it works.
If you leave it at the top - won't!? Hover over the desklet with your mouse again or click something else should help...
If it's too disgusting or to slow, choose the "Magnify" effect instead - similar and should work...
- The "rotate" effect seems to work in the upcoming version, too - with AveDesk 1.3 at least I experienced some icon images to get "cut off"
- When changing the hotkey, the old one will not be deleted before AveDesk restarts - I can change this with next version of AveScripter
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Last but not least:
-------------------------
- If you've got some nice SKINS (background/label pics) for that desklet, please post a link/the PNGs here. I'll do
so too, if I got some new ideas...

- This desklet was only possible cause PCM gave me a lot of lessons in js... I'm not a naturally born
programmer and never will be, so that it got this far is mostly owing to him and his patience to help me out
every time I got stuck!

- Making new skins/mods:
Besides new graphics it's easy to change the position of the icons and tabs. Once mostly bugfree, I'll release a version of my "Curvedbar" (SysStats) as well...
If you open the "TabbedDock.xml" with an editor, you'll find pretty at the top the lines:





...

...

"ylab" is the height of the tabs, x0, y0 the coordinates of the icons (top left corner, 0-9 from left to right)
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More stuff of mine at my deviantArt page:
http://spider4webdes...deviantart.com/
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[AndreasV]

Man :| I'm stunned, this is some incredible piece of work!

[nightcrawler1089]

This looks pretty darn cool . Downloading right now!

-NC

[The Cereal Mouse]

WOW! This is awesome

[shmengie]

who is this thewer guy? every one of his releases is a flat out jaw-dropper...

[pcm]

Its nice to see someone use the power avescripter And nice to see him submit me the bugs

Very cool

[thewer]

Hi - thanks a lot for the nice comments!!
I try to honor them by hopefullly making it bugfree one day...

Ah - and I didn't call it a "bug" in AveScripter - more an "unreleased feature". Anyway, you're the one correcting them all - incuding my lousy syntax errors!
(...oh - and answer the "How do I..." questions...)

[pcm]

ya.. and I got a few tips to always share. One that you might not know. You can assign DATA values to layers instead of bunch of parameters. And its also saved automaticallly. I've yet to use this feature myself

[SirSmiley]

nice work.

Edit: Ok. I've got an error in the debugger... this doesn't seem to affect it's functioning though. The code looks fine to me any thoughts?

5009  Microsoft JScript runtime error
'HShift' is undefined  Line:68   Column:2

[mps69]

OMG, I'm now stuck between a rock and a hard place, there's TabbedDock and RK Launcher, which one do I use ARGHHHHHH I think my little brain is going to explode. :confused:
Nice build mate, I've disabled the effects just now, as you've mentioned at the start I get quite a bit of flicker apart from that it's WAY COOL :cool:

[Zxian]

Wow...I'm quite impressed by this. This is what I was waiting for when you came out with the ring version.

Just a suggestion - would it be possible for the hotkey to return focus to the previous app when it's pressed a second time?

Other than that, it's just wicked.

[liter o cola]

This is amazing!!! THANKS!

[thewer]

Hi - Thanks again!!

@pcm:
I know - that's why I keep on annoying you on msn!
I read about the data values, sounds very interesting - unfortunately I'm not sure how to use them... Well, I wait till you use it and just copy then
Are they saved automatically when you save the AveDesk theme or automatically every time even if not saving the theme?

@SirSmiley:
I didn't declare the variable (HShift is the selected Shift key for the Hotkey), but it doesn't matter in this function I think... Here it's only important if the hotkey is disabled and if it is, there just isn't any...

@mps69_1999:
Well, you can use both of course
If you used AveDesk and RKLauncher at the same time before and if you've got lots of shortcuts to store...

@Zxian:
Good idea! Added the code - the hotkey will, if pressed a second time, just "emulate" Alt+Tab. Have to test that with the hotspot, too...

Well, away over the weekend and I hope there won't be too many bugs when I'm back!
Already adjusted the xml-file to use with CurvedBar, too...

[Dirty Ole]

I am not in a position to use it just now, but the concept and the dock rock. Great. Looking forward to more of you releases.

[pcm]

thewer said:

Hi - Thanks again!!

@pcm:
I know - that's why I keep on annoying you on msn!
I read about the data values, sounds very interesting - unfortunately I'm not sure how to use them... Well, I wait till you use it and just copy then
Are they saved automatically when you save the AveDesk theme or automatically every time even if not saving the theme?

When are you planning to upload it to avedesk.org?

Also the info is data is saved exactly like parameters, at the theme level. And to read and write it is simple just do layer.data = 'blah' .

[warius]

Hi again Thewer.

Let me just say that I really like your dock, (and you know I like your work in general).

Thanks for your reply at DA. I thought I'd move my questions here.

Using the tabbed dock I've experienced some strange things.

Bugs(?):
1. It disabled my space key, making me have to use shift+space instead. A quick restart of AveDesk fixed this
2. Sometimes when adding shortcuts, It simply won't store my input, even though I press enter(!)
3. It consumes huge amounts of CPU, ranging from 30-70% depending on what "effect" I use. Is this normal?
4. Resizing the desklet makes (via desklet properties) causes problems. I resized mine to 750:125 to and it makes the TabbedDock activate the program to the left of what I am actually clicking.

For the record, im using
Win XP, 1024mb ram, 1.7ghz (M) Centrino
AveDesk 1.3 and AveScripter 1.0.6.1

[thewer]

Hi -

@pcm:
Sounds good - will experiment with the data values soon...
Regarding the upload I'll do so as soon as I've got some kind of "final" version - so that most bugs are killed before uploading it to the official website...
Talking about bugs - Do you have an idea about the resizing issue (problem between GetLayerAtXY and AveDesk resizing a desklet)?

@warius:
Thanks for testing!
- I'm not sure about the space key, if no shift key is selected, there shouldn't be a hotkey at all - so space should not be used by AveDesk... Has the space key been "used" just after installing the desklet or did you already set some options before that happened?
- Just to find the bug more quickly: Are you adding a shortcut (...*.exe) or the label for a shortcut (e.g. "Firefox")?
- The CPU Power when magnifiying an icon I guess is normal (also I think it should be a lot less with the upcoming version of AveDesk) - I compared it with ObjectDock (also the normal Magnify effect of OD is a lot more complex of course): OD uses the same CPU Power as long as you move the mouse over the icons.
- The resizing bug I think I can fix - the function I'm using to identify an icon when launching the shortcut/rightclicking one is GetLayerAtXY() - I could use another function (GetActiveLayer) instead...

[Ballena]

GREAT GREAT GREAT.

I love this, Thanks!

[warius]

Hi again

thewer said:

- I'm not sure about the space key, if no shift key is selected, there shouldn't be a hotkey at all - so space should not be used by AveDesk... Has the space key been "used" just after installing the desklet or did you already set some options before that happened?

I think it happened after I tried enabling a hotkey. I removed it shortly after, and after that every time I pressed space (in whatever app) the window (app) was de-focused.

thewer said:

- Just to find the bug more quickly: Are you adding a shortcut (...*.exe) or the label for a shortcut (e.g. "Firefox")?

It was when I was manually typing in the shortcut (i.e. c:program filesultramonultramon.exe)

Keep up the good work!

[bluecifer1]

Thx mate, great ideat BTW