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Author Topic: NANY 2015 Release: Active Text Notes  (Read 14387 times)

anandcoral

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NANY 2015 Release: Active Text Notes
« on: December 19, 2014, 03:34 AM »
NANY 2015 Entry Information

Application Name Active Text Notes
Version 1.0.0
Short Description Display text from a generated text file in a non-interactive mode
Supported OSes WinXp and above
Web Page https://sites.google...activetextnotes/home
Download Link https://sites.google...vetextnotes/download


Description
We already have many electronic post-it-notes like notes for our computer. Most work just like paper paper version. Well they do most of the job, we normally require from them. They act as a static object, the text of which are added/ edited by us manually.

Well I needed similar desktop note but active. I wanted it to show the text content from a text file. The text file will get altered either manually by me or from another program. Not a big deal here. Well I wanted more. I want the note to run the program generate the text and display it. But, it should not disturb me. It should do it's work silently and update the text on the note on the desktop. I will, when I feel like, will glance at it to get the information.

My free app "Overlap Wallpaper" gave me an idea. I made Active Text Note, which is similar to it, but shows a text file content.

Features
Active Text Note runs a given program and displays the output text file on the desktop. We can display directory listing of a network folder, auto backup log file text, latest text info. from a url etc.
I made few helper programs for downloading url, html to text conversion, text extraction etc.

Screenshots
https://sites.google...xtnotes/screen-shots

Usage
Installation
To install, extract the zip file in a folder, say "Active Text Notes", and run the "Active Text Notes" exe.
To uninstall, right click on tray icon of "Active Text Notes" and select 'Exit'. Then delete all files in the "Active Text Notes" folder and remove the "Active Text Notes" folder.

Using the Application
In settings option set the program to run and the text file name to be read. You can leave program name blank.

« Last Edit: December 31, 2014, 09:48 AM by anandcoral »

wraith808

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Re: NANY 2015 Pre-release: Active Text Notes
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2014, 07:17 AM »
Nice looking program... once I got my head around it.

I'd suggest making your own file that does something non-intrusive, and showing the end result in your screenshots.  I think it would help with understanding the program.

Ath

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Re: NANY 2015 Pre-release: Active Text Notes
« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2014, 12:23 PM »
 :Thmbsup:
And another :up: for joining this year's NANY ;)

mouser

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Re: NANY 2015 Pre-release: Active Text Notes
« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2014, 12:32 PM »
Nice!  :up:

IainB

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Re: NANY 2015 Pre-release: Active Text Notes
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2014, 12:33 PM »
@anandcoral:
Thanks! Nice. I tried this out. It didn't seem able to pass on the text filepath/name to the editor, though it did display that text file's contents correctly.
This is almost exactly the sort of thing I have been looking for ever since I had to abandon Samurize (it didn't work after Windows XP).
One of the features of Samurize enabled the user to display a text file (I have ToDo.txt) as an object on the Desktop wallpaper, complete with transparency, colour and objects as borders, etc. You couldn't edit the object directly, but by hovering anywhere over it (the text object) with the mouse, the user could click to edit the actual text file with the specified .txt file editor, or simply invoke the editor to open the text file using AHK hotkeys. Any changes made to the text file updated the object after you closed the file.
Example of Samurize, below:

Samurize Desktop b - 2011-11-17  083604 Screenshot.pngNANY 2015 Release: Active Text Notes


The closest I had got to it since then was with a Stickies transparent note on the desktop wallpaper as a directly editable object. If the note is "ghosted", then the object is uneditable, and you have to enter Stickies to edit the text of that note. Either way, I would prefer a simple text file, as with Samurize (above).
Example of Stickies, below:

Stickies Screenshot - 2014-12-20 071235.pngNANY 2015 Release: Active Text Notes


dr_andus

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Re: NANY 2015 Pre-release: Active Text Notes
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2014, 01:07 PM »
This is almost exactly the sort of thing I have been looking for ever since I had to abandon Samurize (it didn't work after Windows XP).

Out of curiosity, what was it that didn't work for you post-XP? I'm running Samurize under Win7, 64-bit, and I didn't run into any problems. But I've only ever used it for one tiny feature, so maybe that's why...

IainB

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Re: NANY 2015 Pre-release: Active Text Notes
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2014, 07:12 AM »
...Out of curiosity, what was it that didn't work for you post-XP? I'm running Samurize under Win7, 64-bit, and I didn't run into any problems. But I've only ever used it for one tiny feature, so maybe that's why...
Well, it just doesn't seem to work and I can't see a way to work around it. Maybe you have a different version?

Samurize - installation error.jpg

dr_andus

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Re: NANY 2015 Pre-release: Active Text Notes
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2014, 07:26 AM »
Well, it just doesn't seem to work and I can't see a way to work around it. Maybe you have a different version?

No, I have the same version. I have it installed under C:\Program Files (x86)\Samurize and I'm not even running it in compatibility mode. But I'm only using it to display a few lines of static text permanently from the Config Editor, so it's perfectly possible that some more sophisticated features might not work.

IainB

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Re: NANY 2015 Pre-release: Active Text Notes
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2014, 04:35 PM »
^^ Ah! Thanks for that. It was the installer that gave that error message.
I opened the .exe installer file with 7-zip and extracted the proggy files and folders, and now have Samurize running on my laptop under Win8.1-64 PRO. Still testing the bits, but it seems to work just fine so far. What a pleasant surprise!

Also belatedly discovered this post on samurize.com: (indicating that Vista and 64-bit were not constraints)
Windows Vista blocks Samurize autoload
 Windows Vista blocks Samurize autoload   
[ Troubleshooting ]
Requested and Answered by AdamC on 26-Apr-2007 03:47 (3681 reads)
Unfortunately the Samurize exe's would need to be signed to get around this problem correctly. Due to samurize being freeware this option is not viable because of the cost to get certificates.

There is however a work around that should stop vista blocking Samurize.

Use Group Policy to start Samurize
1) start gpedit.msc
2) go User Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Scripts -> Logon
3) Add client.exe with full path
(Example C:\Program Files (x86)\Samurize\Client.exe in x64 system)
_____________________________________

anandcoral

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Re: NANY 2015 Pre-release: Active Text Notes
« Reply #9 on: December 22, 2014, 01:41 AM »
wraith808, Ath, mouser thanks.

IainB, ATN will not be Samurize.

It's purpose is to display a text file, which is generated by single or multiple exe, from batch file, run by ATN at given interval, in a non-intrusive manner.

The said text file can also be manually maintained instead of by an exe.

There are few more features in the plan and may be some fixes required, but I am planning one more app before the close of 2014, so not working on ATN as of now. Will take up all next year.

Thanks for the encouragements.

Regards,

Anand

anandcoral

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Re: NANY 2015 Release: Active Text Notes
« Reply #10 on: December 31, 2014, 09:49 AM »
Made this released version.

Regards,

Anand