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Topics - cracksloth [ switch to compact view ]

Pages: [1]
1
Post New Requests Here / IDEA: Transparent window container
« on: September 23, 2008, 06:10 PM »
i have several programs that are related in some way and that i want to bring to the front together simultaneously.  for example:

Widget style status applications:
   - system monitoring application (samurize)
   - calendar (rainlender)
   - task manager
   - taskbar
   - systray
   - cd art display
   - volume sliders

Audio management:
   - audio player
   - file manager
   - tag manager
   - volume sliders

Work:
   - ms access
   - skype

there are many more examples - pretty much any common computer task that would become more efficient or requires reference to more than one program.  so my idea for a program is this:

the program allows the creation of multiple "window groups".  each window group is bound to a unique hotkey.  when a hotkey is activated, the list of associated windows is brought to the front.  this allows the user to access related programs more quickly without having to bring them each to the surface individually using a taskbar or alt+tab.  using the examples above, if i wanted to access any of my small widget-like programs, i could just hit a hotkey to access the whole window group.  or if i decide to delete/rate the currently playing song, i can switch to the audio window group.  if i see my boss coming, i can quickly switch back to my work window group.  sometimes it may be useful to only specify a single window in a "group" for frequently accessed programs like IM clients (some programs do not support hotkeys).

so there are at least three ways to approach this:
  • one is to create an autohotkey script that would set the defined windows to "always on top" and then sets them back to "normal" (it is a more reliable method than standard "bring to front").  This is probably the easiest way.
  • another way is to create an invisible window that "docks" the programs on its surface - when it is brought to the front, the other windows naturally follow.  this method might be more difficult but it seems like it may *possibly* be more responsive in the real world (but i don't know for sure).
  • the last way i know of, uses an autohotkey command called GroupAdd found here:
    http://www.autohotke...ommands/GroupAdd.htm
    i really don't know much about this or how it might be different than the other options listed.

what do you guys think?  does anyone know which of the 3 options above would be the best way to go?

2
Find And Run Robot / cliptext
« on: August 24, 2008, 08:14 PM »
Can anyone explain why this doesn't work:

I want to create a single hotkey for all cliptext relevant aliases (to simplify things). To do this I created an alias called "clip" containing:

define | define %cliptext%
lookup | lookup %cliptext%
search | search %cliptext%
etc.

Then I created a single hotkey that would copy the selected text and enter "clip" into the search box.

As expected, when I press the hotkey, I'm presented with options for define/lookup/search. But when I select one, I get an error saying "Windows cannot find 'define X'..." (where X is the phrase copied to the clipboard)

I was hoping FARR would present me with results from those aliases. Is there a fix?

3
Find And Run Robot / Question about result display size
« on: August 24, 2008, 06:56 PM »
I've been trying to figure out how FARR determines the size of the result listing - maybe someone can help me out? From options I see 3 options:
1) normal results list - I think I understand this. Any regular parse result that is not a perfect alias match or a path in directory browse mode
2) extended result list - I'm not clear on the definition of this. Alias listings and die browse seem uneffected. Is the "+sall" suffix used to switch from regular to extended? Is there a hotkey for this?
3) max size to grow results - again, I'm not sure on this one. FARR respects my screen size and doesn't display more than I can handle. Does this just limit the number of "regular" search results (non-alias and non-dirlist)?

Can anyone help clarify this for me?

4
Find And Run Robot / date and time in statusbar
« on: August 21, 2008, 05:26 PM »
Especially now that FARR forces the presence of the statusbar, I would really like to be able to modify the option:
  "text to show on statusbar on launch"
with something more useful (specifically the time and the date).  are there currently any variable strings i can insert to accomplish this?  if not, would you consider adding these variables:

%a - Abbreviated weekday name
%A - Full weekday name
%b - Abbreviated month name
%B - Full month name
%d - Day of month as decimal number (01 - 31)
%H - Hour in 24-hour format (00 - 23)
%I - Hour in 12-hour format (01 - 12)
%m - Month as decimal number (01 - 12)
%M - Minute as decimal number (00 - 59)
%p - Current locale's A.M./P.M. indicator for 12-hour clock
%S - Second as decimal number (00 - 59)
%y - Year without century, as decimal number (00 - 99)
%Y - Year with century, as decimal number
%C - center text in the statusbar
%% - Percent sign

for example, if i wanted the statusbar to read:
Wednesday, August 21 - 3:11 pm
and have it centered in the statusbar, i would insert:
%A, %B %d - %I:%M %p%C

other useful variables could eventually be added later by users request (like uptime, cpu load, memory usage, etc.)

thanks for the continued work on FARR! it's working great!

-cracksloth

5
Post New Requests Here / IDEA: collect files in a virtual folder
« on: December 07, 2006, 01:17 PM »
most filemanagers do not have the ability to create "virtual folders".  these are not physical folders but they still allow you to create holding pens for files you want to group together (but not physically move).  this concept is similar to a search results window where files from many different disk locations are viewed together as a collection allowing the user to perform file operations and access the explorer contect menu for the items in the list.  a "virtual folder" is similar in that it allows you to drag in whatever files that you want.  this is useful for collecting a bunch of files from various locations and performing a single action of them all from the context menu.  if the virtual folder supports saving and loading of file lists, then a user could quickly show all files relevant to a particular project.  as mentioned in another thread, if used with "log monitor" then a list of recently added or updated files can be displayed.  scripts could be created that display dynamic lists of files based on virtually any search criteria.

i know xplorer² (a file manager) supports "virtual folders" (actually they call them "scrap containers").  i have seen a few others but i can't recall any names right now.  regardless, these features have always been bundled with the filemanager itself rather than being a standalone prog that can be used universally and can be customized to more powerful uses.  needless to say, plain vanilla explorer doesn't have this feature (and neither do most filemanagers).  it would be great if users of any file manager could take advantage of this concept.  the most universal method would be to allow files to be added to a virtual folder from the sendto menu.  this would necessitate using a commandline parameter for adding files.  as mentioned above, this would open up a huge number of options by using scripts.  also, with "log monitor" users could get an instant display of any new or updated files (such as any newly downloaded music, or any documents that have been updated on a shared drive, etc) and instantly be able to process those files however needed.

so, the skinny on such a program:

filebox.exe "music.box" "x:\path\file.ext"

where "music.box" is the filename for the virtual folder and "x:\path\file.ext" is the path of the file(s) you want to add to it.

if "music.box" does not exist, it will be created.  the file structure for a *.box file is just a text file containing a list of the files included.  changes to the *.box would be automatically saved.

i hope i explained the concept of a virtual folder okay - maybe everyone is already familiar with the idea and i just talk in circles  :)

6
Post New Requests Here / DONE: folder monitor with customizable action
« on: December 07, 2006, 02:06 AM »
i have been looking for a program like this forever but i just haven't found anything.

a program that automatically monitors user selected folders for changes:
- a new file
- a modified file
- a renamed file
- a change in file attributes

the user specifies an action to perform on any new/updated files.  the most basic action would be a commandline such as:
prog.exe -x -y -z "%path%\%file%"

with the diversity of commandline progs and scripts, there is no real limit to what a user could do to the detected files.  a user might:
- selectively backup files as they are created/modified
- run security software on new file arrivals
- automatically rename all files that enter a folder to have x prefix
- popup a notification window with sound when changes are made
- upload altered files to an ftp server
- automatically launch new files
- automatically import new files into a database
- etc.

it would be most helpful if network paths were supported.

such a program, would allow the user to create "rules".  each rule would specify:
- what folder(s) to watch
- what changes to look for (new, modified, renamed, re-attributed)
- what action to take (commandline)

this general idea could be expanded in the future to have commonly used "actions" built in (such as "popup with sound" or "display log") without requiring a separate commandline/script.  one "action" i would find useful is to put all updated files into an explorer results window (just like how files are added to search results).  that way, it not only serves as a sort of log of what has changed, but i can also manage the files (delete, rename, move, edit, etc.).

in addition, rules could also include filters to selectively apply these actions only to certain types of files.  this filter could be as simple as an extension filter or as complex as a regular expression.  but, obviously, none of this is needed for a basic version.

to me, this concept is really useful and really expandable for a multitude of applications.  i sure would get a lot of use out of it anyway.  :)

7
LaunchBar Commander / great idea!
« on: April 18, 2006, 08:51 PM »
i'm impressed with lbc (and i'm a registered user of true launch bar).  it still has a way to go but it shows promise and it it better on resources.  my only request is that i be able to bring up a toolbar by hotkey and be able to navigate it by keyboard.  i also see that you plan on adding folder support which is *great*.  i would just like to comment that the folder node needs two options:
  1) a node that shows the contents of a folder
  2) add folder contents to this node
this offers significantly more flexibility and also allows users to combine the contents of multiple folders into a single node (which is great for AllUsers/DefaultUser/LoginName folders like quick launch, favorites, and start menu).  it would also be useful for combining multiple playlist folders.

regardless, it looks great so far!

-cracksloth

8
Unfinished Requests / IDEA: mouse location launcher
« on: July 16, 2005, 03:59 AM »
a prog that will allow you to specify a command or hotkey to execute when:
   - the mouse cursor is in X screen corner
      ( ) for x seconds
      ( ) with right button click
      ( ) with left button click
      ( ) with left double-click
      ( ) with keypress
   - the mouse cursor is at a screen side for x seconds
      ( ) for x seconds
      ( ) with right button click
      ( ) with left button click
      ( ) with left double-click
      ( ) with keypress
   - a hotkey is pressed

such features can be found in some toolbar applications but you are pretty much screwed if you don't like their launcher.  you could also use this tool to bring f&r to the top when you put your mouse in the corner of the screen.  since you're named mouser, you should love this idea!  :)

9
Find And Run Robot / loading different config files
« on: June 10, 2005, 02:31 PM »
by mouser's request, i am going to start a thread on this.  feel free to move it to feature requests if you want, administrators -- because it is a bigger issue, i thought it deserved it's own thread.  here is my original email to mouser.

i was thinking of a few ideas that would make find & run robot a bit more customizable (and would increase it's uses).  it would be ideal if i could use f&rr to find music, videos, and documents as well as a program launcher.  technically, it can already do this but so many search folders would really clutter results.  the best solution i can think of to this would be the ability to create new tabs that have separate configuration files.  so you could setup a tab tailored to finding music, programs, documents, folders, videos, images, source code, etc.  this would really expand f&rr for me (and i am sure others would benefit as well).  what do you think about this idea?

there may be many suggestions on how to switch between different configuration files.  above, i had suggested tabs.  it would be possible to do this a number of other ways (drop down lists, keyword prefixes, etc.).  ultimately, it all comes down to each user's preferences (each method is beneficial depending on circumstances).  so, eventually, it would not be a bad idea to implement multiple methods of switching config files (to be toggled in preferences).  but for a first version, i am in favor of tabs because they are the quickest visual method to select the seach type you want.  of course, i would eventually like to be able to have an option to keep tabs "on top" while the rest of the window can be hidden by other windows (or to "autohide" the main window).  that way, the window would stay out of the way until you clicked on a tab.  :)

also, i think it is important to have completely different configuration files for each type of search.  this will provide the most customizability and may become more important as features are added to f&rr.

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