Messages

1

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009 Release: Trout (audio player)

« on: November 04, 2011, 10:37 PM »

Now, as to the other hotkey issue, that is something I can look into.  As you can imagine, Win98 testing for Trout has been extremely minimal on my part but Drugwash has kept me honest over the years.     Anyway, try this latest build and see if it solves the Ctrl+C problem.  You're immortalised in the changelog forever now.   

-skwire (November 04, 2011, 10:18 PM)

Whew!!  That was quick.  Works fine.  TYVM.  I'll keep an eye out for the other issue and thanks again.

2

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009 Release: Trout (audio player)

« on: November 04, 2011, 09:52 PM »

I'm at a loss as to why it's doing as it doesn't exhibit the issue under XP and Win7.  Trout sets very few hotkeys by default and none of them are Ctrl+C.

-skwire (November 04, 2011, 09:04 PM)

Wanted to thank you for the nice app and certainly considering that there is no problem on more modern OS's I would not feel put off in any way if you decide not to pursue the problem.

One other possible clue though is the global and the local option in under hotkeys.  They do not work as I would expect.  For instance, choosing volume up for local with numpadadd as the key functions for volume only when trout is in focus; expected behavior.  However, focusing notepad and pressing numpadadd results in nothing being typed.

I can understand this may be very difficult to solve.  So please don't spend too much time on this.

3

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009 Release: Trout (audio player)

« on: November 04, 2011, 07:58 PM »

Did this just start recently?

-skwire (November 04, 2011, 06:36 PM)

i installed the portable version from the zip file.  Just now I installed a second copy from zip and tested and the same problem occurs.  All I have are guesses.  Perhaps the Add URL function or the hotkeys option might be the source of the problem.

4

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009 Release: Trout (audio player)

« on: November 04, 2011, 07:46 PM »

Did this just start recently?

-skwire (November 04, 2011, 06:36 PM)

I have only used trout since this most recent release  of 11-01-11.  I noticed this only today.

5

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009 Release: Trout (audio player)

« on: November 04, 2011, 05:11 PM »

Control c willl not copy text while trout is running.  Control x works as does a right click and selecting copy.  I'm guessing this has something to do with the Add URL function.  It may or may not matter that i'm running Windows 98se.  I am using v1.0.6 build 41 - 2011-11-01.

6

Find And Run Robot / Re: A few problems and a suggestion

« on: February 28, 2006, 08:53 PM »

Funny, I just happened to check out what's going on with the ini.  I made a change that I wanted to keep.  I saved the config file thru the file menu.  Then I looked at the ini.  What was changed was the ini.tmp.  Then I exited FARR and the ini file changed.  Then I backed it up due to the problems I've had.  Then I realized what's probably happening.  If I get a windows crash (this is millenium after all - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it) the ini file is not updated but the ini.tmp is still there so I haven't lost anything.  FARR just has to find it.  So that must cause the funny error messages and tray trigger running at startup instead of -tray.  It's probably usually fixed just by closing tray trigger and bringing up -tray.

The only reason I even tried the uninstaller is because I wanted to get the program back to a clean install type of state with the oriiginal backup ini file being used.  I thought if I could do that the problems I have had would go away.  I didn't continue trying when I realized that it was basically a standalone.  I must try to avoid those windows crashes.

Also, I think FARR loses its timing when its being used at about the same time as an explorer hang.  FARR has never crashed but it seems to lose track of its ini if there's an explorer hangup.  What happens is that something has happened and an explorer slowdown is just starting but before it realy takes hold I bring up FARR which cannot complete its job as the everything sort of just stops. 

Just wondering if I can install another copy of FARR and use a different ini for it if I don't run them both at the same time.   

7

Find And Run Robot / Re: A few problems and a suggestion

« on: February 28, 2006, 07:28 PM »

I think you should make sure that the ini file is saved to disk every time a change is made.  I'm pretty sure this is not being done now, at least I'm sure its not being done on my system.  This should be a first.  I notice that you don't have an apply and an OK button for changing prefences.  There are some programs where you can change configs on the fly but they will not take thru a shutdown unless saved.  This is a nice feature but can be complicated if you are not aware of how the program operates.  There are a number of ways of handling config files which I figure you know.  There should be a clear way of saving a config file that once saved will not be lost in under any circumstance short of hard drive failure. 

The uninstaller issue is not a biggie, but it definitely hung.  I was trying to get back to a clean state and then reload my saved ini files.  I tried to do it with the uninstaller.  I had installed usng the installer.  I found out about the installer being put in if you just extracted the files in the installer because I did that in trying to uninstall the right way thru the uninstaller because I thought I'd reinstall to uninstall.  Then I realized that the installer probably didn't do anything but throw in some shortcuts.  So it's odd to have an installer in a program that's just extracted.  I've never seen that before.  So to answer your question, I installed the normal way and let the installer create its shortcuts.

I think in a future release you should get the ini problem fixed perhaps by allowing you to save your own config in under a different file name and allowing the user to revert to a default ini whenever they want.  I think you should also indicate that the program's basically a standalone if indeed it is and the installer just throws in some shortcuts and extracts to some location you can choose.  I think these are real basics for any good windows program.  I think you should also get the system tray trigger / commandline startup option sorted out.  I do notice that the -tray option is faster and its nice to be able  to bring up your most used programs by pressing three keys without having to look at the screen.  That';s not possible with tray trigger. BTW, the start up entry for the -tray opton is called "Find And Run Robot - SystemTray Trigger"???  It doesn't matter to me that  -tray uses more resources than tray trigger because I'm not running some other programs at startup that I used before FARR because FARR replaces them.  So overall I'm using less resources. 

Make it more powerful??  I don't know.  Don't lose sight of the fact that what FARR does best is find shortcuts.  People should learn that the best way to use FARR is thru it's scoring methods and the folders you configure for it to search in.  I've seen the discussion about making it a calc thru aliases.  Might be nice for some like programmers.  But a calc will do a better job and FARR can get to that quick.  Maybe you should throw in a little documentation about setting up a special folder to hold your main shortcuts in and making those score high when being searched for.  Maybe something about naming your shortcuts so that you'll remember them and FARR will find them easily.  Maybe throw in something about a shortcut that can do something real useful by throwing in a script or a batch file or something about using some other freeware programs that if used in conjunction with each other will really save time.  Maybe something about the fact that the number you press for FARR selection is not a number on the number pad or else change it so it is.

Hope this helps.   

8

Find And Run Robot / Re: A few problems and a suggestion

« on: February 28, 2006, 05:46 PM »

Hello Mouser --

I hope you understand the main thing I am trying to get across.  The program is great.  It allows me to run fewer programs at startup and to be more efficient and to use other programs involving command line switches and batch files easily.  Now I am not a coder except for following some examples and modifying scripts and batch files I run across.  I am, though, an experienced computer user who is tenacious and persistent. Because of this, I recognized the exceptionalness of your program after learning how it works.  However, the difficulties I had in the beginning might have made someone less tenacious to have dumped it.  Shortly after I had it configured all to my liking, I got the wierd error message about the corrupt ini file.  I believed it so I went thru the whole configuration process all over again.  Probably it wasn't necessary but I only learned that later. 

I'm not sure if you're right about not needing to save the configuration file.  I had to do it today to reset my toolbar.  I actually tested it by manually reconfiguring it and not saving the MAIN ini file and it didn't stick thru a reboot.  I looked at the toolbar ini file and it had all the buttons I wanted in it but they were not on the toolbar. Then I noticed that the toolbar ini file was configured for a total of one tool.  I thought about doing a manual reconfig again but I decided to just replace it with the backup I had and rebooted whidh brought everything back.

I'm detailing this for you because I like the program and thinks it deserves a wider audience.  I don't think it will get it unless it does not appear to behave erratically.  Once a user knows windows is really all about shortcuts, he's learned enough to understand the value of FARR. 

As to the uninstaller issue, I tried it twice and it was definitely hung.  Perhaps if I waited longer (like 5 minutes), it might have done something, but I didn't have the patience.  At least one of the times I tried it, all programs were shutdown.  Both times, FARR was shutdown.  As far as I understand, the program is basically a no-install program in that it doesn't effect anything but its own directory like a classic exe stand alone that you can put anywhere and just run.  So I am guessing that the installer does nothing more than install shortcuts on the programs menu and in the startup folder.  I know this might make it easier for a newb, but for me, I would rather not have an install package but just some directions to install the shortcuts myself (not that I would need that because I would do it anyways with a stand alone program).  Also, anyone who needs that type of installer I don't think would have the knowledge to even have a clue of how to use FARR.  As it is, I have now backed up my whole FARR directory and deleted the installer and the uninstaller. I plan to backup my ini file when I make significant changes.  As far as I can tell, I can just delete all of FARR and restore just by putting my backup directory in. 

Shortcuts are the heart and soul of windows.  Five years ago I bought my first computer and knew nothing.  Now I know alot.  FARR can make the computing experience much easier for a newb if they first understand the power of shortcuts.  But shortcuts are useless if you can't find them.  This is what FARR does.  It finds them.  The problem with shortuts is finding a place to put them and then to get at them quickly.  The dektop can become mighty cluttered after a bit.  Now with FARR I am able to do things that I knew could be done before but I wouldn't have bothered because I knew the amount of time  spent looking for the link or remembering the hot key just made the configuration not worth the effort.

I got a feeling that with some clear documentaion (particularly on the use of shortcuts and how FARR makes that easier) and more exposure, FARR could becone a household name.   

9

Find And Run Robot / A few problems and a suggestion

« on: February 28, 2006, 02:23 PM »

This is a great program.  I don't really need to go into that because it just is.  What I want to talk about are its problems because I want to see the program get better.

The uninstall program does not work.  It hangs and causes a system freeze. 

Install thru just extraction of the files leaves an install program in the directory.  This is apparently for installing shortcuts for startup and on the start menu and also installing the uninstaller which does not work.  This is just plain wierd and very confusing.

There is nothing in the documentation about the file menu option to save the configuration file now.  I am still unsure if this always needs to be done if you want to save your configuration.  Surely this is a major point that needs documentation if the program is going to appeal to a wide audience. 

I have had major problems in two areas.  First, FindAndRunRobotSystemTrayTrigger.exe sometimes launches at startup even though the preferences are set to have it not launch.  They were set to use the tray helper command line option.  This seems to happen if there is a system crash or if FARR has been closed before a reboot.  Second, in under the same circumstances, an error message sometimes generates saying that the ini file is not a proper FARR file (or something to that effect) and it should be deleted if the problem persists.  On looking in the program directory there will be an ini.bak file and an ini.tmp file one of which is the proper ini file.  The error message given is totally cryptic and probably bogus as closing FindAndRunRobotSystemTrayTrigger.exe and opening FARR with the tray helper option seems to cure the problem.  However, the default installation ini file is gone.  This doesn't bother me but the documentation implies that it will always be there for the express purpose of backup.

I have worked thru the above quirks because I think the program is great.  I now know how to keep it together with backups of the ini files.  I would not have posted this unless I liked the program alot.

Back to the subject of ini files.  I think there should be a command line option to load different files.  For my purposes, I would like one for my favorite (bookmark) URL's and a seperate one for the shortcuts I've already configured FARR to look for.  I have found it easiest to put the shortcuts I use most in a seperate folder and have FARR search there and also in the start menu and the quick launch folder.  I have seen some discussion here about this but I'm not sure I would like quick switching of configurations unless it were simple and would not cause the problems I've had with ini file corruption.