Topics

1

Circle Dock / Exciting e-mail / News today

« on: July 23, 2012, 03:02 PM »

Hello folks

I first apologize for my absence. After the incidents with our former CD savior I was left broken hearted, and also with my contracts piling on, I have had little time to answer questions, and maintain VideoInPicture's web site.
I want  to thank this great community for keeping CD and the faith alive. 


Apparently there has been some sort of resurgence with CD.

I received the following e-mail a short while ago and want to share:

Hi. Rich Bowen here from SourceForge. I wanted to let you know that your project is featured on the front page of SourceForge.net this week. You may wish to take this opportunity to brush up on your project summary page, improve the project description, or check that you've got an up-to-date project icon. Also, if you'd like to do further publicity, I'd be glad to do an interview with you - email or podcast - for the SourceForge blog.

Projects are chosen due to growth in activity over the previous weeks - perhaps due to a recent release of news story.

I know that some of you have more than one project, so I've listed the featured projects below so you know which one I'm talking about, and what company you're keeping.

Thanks for being part of the SourceForge community.

Some contact and signature information omitted for security considerations

I have returned an e-mail eager to represent Circle Dock, Eric Wong (VideoInPicture) and the DC community.

What say you folks, I would have your thoughts and opinions

2

Post New Requests Here / IDEA (Concept Follow through): Small program that Show/Hides Desktop Stuff +

« on: June 15, 2011, 01:42 PM »

Greetings folks.

I come to you humble and frustrated  

Some years ago, a programmer developed a neat little piece of software (albeit needing additional work) that would show and hide desktop icons with a simple Shortcut and command line. This program worked famously in Windows XP, and failed (partially) in Vista.....you can imagine the headache in Windows 7.
More information on that program at How-To-Geek: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/create-a-shortcut-or-hotkey-to-turn-the-desktop-icons-on-or-off/

Over the years I have contact many programmers to re-create an update to this, by creating a similar program that would work in Windows Vista and higher, in both 32 and 64 bit flavors.
I have had several serious attempts to tackle this issue, to include folks that would be paid upon completion of program.
Many have outright given up or have created bloated/failed attempts.
Two have come so close.
A former programmer here (that I will not mention by name) came the closest, with Clean Desktop
Can be downloaded here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/cs2z6ilfj3etanm/Clean%20Desktop.zip

Clean desktop will Show/Hide Desktop Icons, Side Bar Gadgets, and the Menu Bar

The problem (that seems to be at issue) is hiding the Menu Bar and then making the space available.
In Vista and 7 it is easy to hide and show the menu bar, but typically the area seems to be "reserved" and no application expanded to full screen can make use of this area.
As shown in the following image:


This is the single area of frustration that apparently can not be overcome in Vista and 7!!!  

That being said; this should be do-able!
Object Dock has successfully done this for many years now, where the Menu Bar can be locked in a down position (or made to disappear) and the Menu Bar area made usable.
So, as far as I know, this goal is obtainable.

I like the structure and small program of Clean desktop, and would see that continued/re-created, so users can identify what and when "X" desktop Items Show/Hide.
The program is universal in that it works in 32 and 64 bit arenas.
The two big things to overcome is Hiding/Showing the Menu Bar, while making the Menu Bar area usable, and creating a system where the last state is remembered (?).
Doing this and wrapping it up into a small .exe controlled by Command Line through End User created shortcuts.

I would see this program posted as a DC Community program, and made available here, If Mouser approves

NOTE:
Yes there is a way that the Desktop Icons can be hidden in all Windows Platforms. This has been available since Windows 95, and Side Bar can simply be shut off, but this does not address the Menu Bar, nor make Desktop Icons, side Bar gadgets, or the Menu Bar easily accessible to instant access. Which is where this small program comes in very handy.

If there are any programmers here willing to tackle this project, I would be very grateful.

Thanks in Advance
Regards
The Sarge

3

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Rainmeter 2.0 Unleashed

« on: February 06, 2011, 02:42 PM »

Apologies folks, I know I have failed to keep you updated as I should.

But here we go  

Two years ago, an abandoned, virtually unknown piece of open-source software was suddenly embraced by a small team of designers and programmers with a vision of its potential. Since then, Rainmeter has become the premier desktop customizing platform for Windows PCs, and with over 3 million downloads*, its passionate and supportive user community is growing by the day. The result is a gallery of hundreds of creative skins, gadgets and plugins, and an app that just keeps getting better.

To commemorate the second anniversary of Rainmeter's "rebirth," we've decided to surprise our users with the big jump to 2.0. A whole-number jump may not mean much at Google anymore, but it's still a big deal for us. Here's the gist of what Rainmeter users can expect:

• Adding new skins is easier than ever. Rainmeter can now recognize and install downloaded skins automatically in just a few clicks. It'll even make a backup if you're copying over an old version, while leaving your personal settings untouched.
  
• We've added Illustro, a new set of default skins, which have been specially designed to help new users learn the basics.
  
• You can now do a lot more with skins than just look at them. Skins now support text input, letting you tweet, search Google, jot down a quick note - and whatever else you can think of - directly from Rainmeter. This feature also reduces the need to edit code by hand, making it faster and easier to change your personal settings: colors, fonts, passwords and more.
  
• Rainmeter itself is much lighter. There is now a single installer for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. Users can choose which of our featured skins to download during the installing process, or later, if they prefer. Our downloads page can be opened directly from Rainmeter's context menu.
  
• A portable install option has been added.
  
• New plugin integrates Rainmeter with the CPU temperature monitor, CoreTemp.
  
• We've improved support for grouping skins, making it easier to toggle skins' visibility and lock them in place to prevent accidental dragging.
  
• Under the hood, there are plenty of new tools for skin developers. Support for the Lua scripting language is now baked in, as is a template for C# plugins. Expanded styles and modules now behave more like CSS. And we've added some powerful image manipulation tools for automatic cropping, flipping, rotating, tinting and more. We can't wait to see what creative programmers can do with these features.
  
• We've overhauled Rainmeter's online manual, including our in-depth, hands-on tutorial series, Rainmeter 101.

To coincide with this special occasion, we're also pushing major updates to our three flagship skin suites - Gnometer, ABP, and the well-known Enigma. These suites' new features include expanded support for web services, including Twitter, Facebook, Remember The Milk and Google Calendar; media players, including VLC, Spotify, Windows Media Player and Zune; and, as always, much more.

Starting February 6, 2011, Rainmeter 2.0 can be downloaded at Rainmeter.net. New versions of Gnometer, ABP and Enigma are expected to drop the following week. Rainmeter runs on all versions of Windows XP, Vista and 7.


I have considered writing a review, but feel that my bias would compromise any such review.
If someone is willing to write a review with pro's and con's, I would be grateful, and deliver the review to the rest of the Rainmeter community  

Have fun

Regards
The Sarge

4

Circle Dock / Merry Christmas | happy Solstice

« on: December 24, 2010, 11:34 AM »

Greetings folks.

For many of us this is a time of good cheer and happy togetherness, for others it is a time of reflection and contemplation, and for others it is other things. This time of year is so many things to so many people, even those that do not celebrate the recognized holiday, this is still a time of togetherness and merriment.
I recognize you all.
I wish I had more to give than words for all that many of you have given us.

To that end, in the spirit of this particular season; From me and mine to you and yours, the very best of all things to all of you.

Regards
The Sarge
Circle Dock

5

Circle Dock / Can I speed up CD's Folder switching/Redraw (CD Quick Tip)

« on: August 08, 2010, 09:20 PM »

Hello folks.

Here is the question: Is there a way for Circle Dock to re/draw folder graphics/Switch folder Views faster???

It is a continuing issue that even I am painfully aware of. Especially with those of us that are on very low end dual cores and single core processors.
I am on the low end of the Dual core Spectrum on my laptop and waiting for Circle Dock to Draw or re-draw graphics can be a testament to an End User's patients.
The more graphics you use on any folder, or sub-folder, level makes Circle Dock work harder and draw the graphics slower.
One solution that many have derived is to run multiple instances of Circle Dock. I find this unacceptable due to system resource constraints.
Most just; "Deal with it"

So is there a way to make Circle Dock load/switch folders faster; YES 

One of the primary slow downs of Circle Dock in drawing the graphics is in Resizing.
Resizing is where Circle Dock takes the original image and then re-sizes it to a size defined by you as an end condition.
As most custom Icon graphics are 256x256 or 512x512, this is a lot of work for Circle Dock.
Say you have a folder with 30 Icons, all of these are set in the settings to be 54x54pixels.
Well Circle Dock then has to take that huge 256 or 512 graphics and shrink it.
This takes huge amounts of time and resources.
Circle Dock also re-sizes all graphics and then shows them all almost at once.

So how to help Circle Dock Draw faster?
Reduce your graphics images to slightly larger than the size you need 

For a case demonstration; Take new graphics I introduced for the Dexpot tutorial (Project).
Each one of these graphics is 256x256 at 256k
On just 8 graphics that I use, it can take Circle Dock almost 47 seconds to load.
Now reduce the Graphics to 100X100, you are not going to be using anything that big anyways 
You will find that the images size is now 100x100 at approximately 12k -/+
That's right; You will eliminate approximately 20% of the foot print size, while shrinking the graphic before hand, this will allow Circle Dock to work less to draw/produce you graphics.
You will also find that at 100x100 Pixels, if you use icons that are 72x72 or smaller, you should still have a really good HD Graphics displayed on Circle Dock 

All this being said; be careful which graphics you reduce and to what size.
A Center graphic that is set to 100x100 will look fairly crappy from a 96x96 image.
Do not even think about reducing background images. Many of these are variable and at there limit as it is 

Even Just a change of graphics at 128x128 can significantly improve Circle Dock's draw time, and get you to your folders faster.
After having completed this experiment, I have found that Circle Dock will load my Dexpot control Graphics in about 3 to 4 seconds.
That is a lot improved over the 17 to 40+ seconds I may have waited before.
This test was done in a 32bit environment, so I expect a massive improvement in a 64bit environment

Hope this helps 

Have fun 

Regards
The Sarge

6

Circle Dock / Return of Funds donated to the Touchscreen project.

« on: August 05, 2010, 12:01 PM »

I am posting this as I have received too many opinions.
They basically break down to this:
1.) Since the project is not going to move forward I should return the donations (This is what I feel is the right thing)
2.) Keep the donations as some or all may feel insulted

So what say you?
I do not really need more confusion, rather a yes or no.
If any One that has donated to this project wishes their donation return, advise me and it will be done directly.

7

Circle Dock / cranioscopical: "Markham what we could do to further the project."

« on: August 05, 2010, 11:56 AM »

Just a comment,

I'm sure that it's unintended but, to me, the direction of this topic is starting to look a bit like ingratitude.

Perhaps we should ask Markham what we could do to further the project.

In fact:

@Markham & Sarge: In your opinion, what could we do to further the project?
We did raise some donations for you recently, which you then generously assigned to the NANY prize.

-cranioscopical (August 04, 2010, 04:43 PM)

I have reconsidered this question after much thought and lack of sleep last night.

Maybe there is something.
Help us with the business model concept.

Essentially:
What can we do to make this pliable enough to to remain appealing to Current End Users, while building/Maintaining a forward movement towards business licensing.

I would appreciate any thoughts. From Pricing Scheme (outside of the box included) to the effects in consideration of a non-business end user, to considerations of a fair price..
Any and all thoughts and considerations, regardless of how improvisational or unwieldy.

Probably not what cranioscopical actually meant, but this is an opportunity for All of us to ring in and make a difference in the direction that CD may go.
An opportunity for all DC members to be part of a solution 

8

Circle Dock / CD Makes PCMag list (again)

« on: August 04, 2010, 07:43 PM »

Three of the software I love and support are all right here
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2367226,00.asp

Big round of applause to
Circle Dock
Rainmeter
Dexpot

 

9

Screenshot Captor / Multi-Shot Capture (???)

« on: July 22, 2010, 12:23 PM »

I am having a stroke, or stroke of genius; I am unsure 

Is there a way to set up SSC to take Multiple shots over a short defined period of time?
Something Like Speed shot for a Cannon Camera.
I can set a defined Burst to Capture "X" photos/Frames over "X" seconds with a start of "X" delay.
I can only imagine the system resources that may have to be incurred.

That being the case would it be better to use Camtasia to do a video, save as an AVI, then capture screens using a still capture from a Media player such as VLC???

Looking for options.
I need to capture something in action, but NOT as a video 

10

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Rainmeter 1.2 Full Release available now!!!

« on: June 13, 2010, 02:43 PM »

After almost 6 months of development and beta testing we have released Rainmeter 1.2.

Many improvements and additions have been made which make this a great upgrade for all users of Rainmeter.

    * Rainmeter now includes a new default suite of skins: Gnometer by Poiru. Gnometer is a colorful and exciting alternative to the default Enigma suite. It contains skins which show off with all the information you could want on your desktop, and is fully configurable by the user with an easy to use settings tool.



    * Rainmeter 1.2 introduces Rainstaller and the .rmskin format. This utility makes it much easier to distribute and install skins and suites. Rainstaller allows skinners to include addons, fonts and themes along with their skins in a single .rmskin package. Skins and suites are then installed by the user with just a double click or directly from a download site in their browser.

    * Rainmeter 1.2 has a host of improvements to better support Windows 7. Fully configurable support for muiltiple monitors has been added, so you can position and save your Rainmeter setup in your multiple monitor environment. Rainmeter 1.2 now supports having your skins stay on the screen if desired when Windows 7's "Show Desktop" is used.



    * A new RainBackup utility is included, so users can save their entire setup as a Rainmeter .rmskin file, making moving your setup to a different computer or recovering from a system crash / reinstall much easier.

    * Rainmeter 1.2 now supports having both the program and the skins / settings stored on network shared drives using UNC paths like "\\SERVER\FolderName".

Other improvements in Rainmeter 1.2:

    * Many improvements to the default Enigma suite of skins.
    * The Rainmeter installer has been improved making the process quicker and easier.
    * Image meters can now be modified using a host of new functions such as ImageTint, GreyScale and ImageRotate.
    * WebParser can now download and use HTML files locally, so skins can work when you are offline.
    * New feature of the Speedfan plugin to convert Centigrade to Fahrenheit if desired.
    * You can now define the order in which skins are loaded on your desktop by using the new LoadOrder setting.
    * You can now use Processor=n in a CPU measure to specify particular cores.
    * New variable #CRLF# means you can add a carriage return / line feed to a STRING meter.
    * New bang !RainmeterRefreshApp, allows you to fully refresh Rainmeter from a skin or command line.
    * Improvements to RainThemes and Rainstaller to better support running in a PortableApps.com environment.
    * The PLAY function for playing an sound file has been fixed so it does not "pause" Rainmeter for the duration of the sound.
    * New Mouse Actions (LeftMouseDoubleClickAction RightMouseDoubleClickAction MiddleMouseDoubleClickAction).
    * StringCase function added to string meters. Now you can set the "case" of the displayed text.
    * Improvements to the RainThemes utility.


More details can be found at the following.

Rainmeter Mainsite and Downloads:
http://www.rainmeter.net

A very long Change Log:
http://www.rainmeter.net/RainCMS/?q=History

Rainmeter is also looking for Programmers to become part of our Development team.
More information here:
http://rainmeter.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4187

11

Circle Dock / The Dexpot Project (This is going to be fun ;) Circle Dock working in VDM Enviro

« on: June 12, 2010, 01:33 PM »

Greetings folks.

I know I have made a lot of promises, and delivered of few, I can make no apologies as certain unforeseen issues have taken a hold of my life and not to mention my back and several other physical locations on my body  
The drugs that the Doctors have prescribed are just this side of intolerable and have made me "Stupid" more often than not. So I have been subject to a lot of down time.
So bare with me as I go and am drugged more often than not.
I ask for your patience  

The Dexpot Project
As of today I am working on an aggressive plan  
I am going to document my efforts to have Circle Dock work with Dexpot VDM

So what is Dexpot???
I will let them tell you  

Dexpot 1.5 turns your monitor into up to 20. Dexpot creates additional workspaces you can quickly switch between. Take, for example, Desktop 1 to listen to your favourite music, surf the web on Desktop 2, use Desktop 3 to handle your daily word processing or switch to Desktop 4 for a game of Solitaire.

Different icons, wallpapers, start-ups, and much more can be configured for each desktop.

Dexpot is a Virtual Desktop Manager (VDM) and like so many before it, it handles multiple Virtual Desktops across your computer to a primary monitor.
Unlike so many before it, it has the advantage of two Highly aggressive programmers (Sebastian and Patrick) and a small team of Beta testers (I am one of them). Dexpot is a great alternative to many old outdated VDM's and a great competitor to VirtuaWin (Who has been around for many years and many OS's), but Dexpot offers more. More in options. Options that extend beyond the UI settings page. When the settings dialog is not enough; you can reference their forums FAQ to reach down into some of the workings and get even more options.
You all know me, and I believe options are good  
But more than this; Dexpot is ultra low resource and works like a champ on my little laptop (intel T3200 2.0Ghz 512 L2 Cache x2, 4Gigs RAM, integrated/shared Intel Graphics 4500) with all 20 Virtual Desktops available. I typically use four as I am also used to a Linux OS, and I am comfortable at that level.
Dxepot also has the advantage of being very user friendly in Windows 7 environment, and many of you already know that I am using the 64bit version.
Dexpot has also recently released an SDK (I recently submitted for this years N.A.N.Y. Project here at DC Concepts) that can be built upon to develop Plugins for Dexpot, but also (if it passes the beta testing phase) you will also soon be able to operate VirtuaWin "Modules" with Dexpot (Which is proving to be a mixed bag, but most work
Enough of Dexpot; moving right along  

What is Circle Dock:
You are here?
I hope you know and understand this much  
If not; give Circle Dock a spin  

Rainmeter integration???
I originally opened a dialectic with the folks at Dexpot looking for a Collaboration project between Circle Dock, Rainmeter, and Dexpot.
Sebastian and Patrick have been more than willing to help us expand Dexpot's capabilities.
I will be making an initial skin for Rainmeter (Rainmeter 1.2 is due for full release tomorrow), but that is for another forum venue, and I will place a link here regarding this in the future, but first I wish to complete the Circle Dock functionality at this time.

The project outlined
The project I intend to document here is to have Circle Dock be able to switch between screens as needed, with a forward, previous and back buttons. I also wish to add as many options as possible, with out being overly crowded.
This may sound initially easy, when you know how, but there are other things top consider, Simple but time consuming;
Graphic Icons (Customized of course
Knowing what to use, and what to skip
Placement in Circle Dock
So I begin, and may expand as I go on capabilities, if possible as I go  
I also wan to address the awkward issues of utilizing some programs if they are on a different VD and you need to control these with out switching Virtual desktops.
ie: Winamp is on VD 3 and you are working on VD1, you want t ochange teh song (Next Track), and you co not want to switch to VD3 to change the music....Circle Dock maybe your answer  
I will address this as I continue  
So get excited folks and also be patient as this will be complete in several steps/parts and may take some time, as I will be documenting as I go.
So this is not a done deal! This is an experiment in motion and I will take you along as I go  


Where to start??? With the Graphics of course  
As many of you know; I have a desktop wallpaper collection that is insanely large. I have selected a few that I want to place of Each Virtual Desktop (Yep; You can have a different wallpaper per VD ) , but I also want matching Graphics for each Icon that I will be placing into circle dock. This creates and easily identifiable , Visual, Icon that I can thne select so that I can then go to each Virtual desktop as needed, via visual reference.

So say I have the following background:

[ Invalid Attachment ]

I want a matching Icon for my Circle Dock shortcut on my laptop or Netbook.

[ Invalid Attachment ]  Maybe I want it to have the Number of the Desktop  [ Invalid Attachment ]

Now you are saying; "But; what if I have a Desktop, or want another type of Icon?"
You can always customize your icons as you see fit.
I have decided to do a release set of Icons and accompanying wallpaper for this project. I do not expect everyone to utilize them ,but may be helpful for a reference, so if you want something different you can have icons such as the following;

[ Invalid Attachment ]  [ Invalid Attachment ]  
[ Invalid Attachment ]  [ Invalid Attachment ]

Holly Sweet Hanna; how did he do that???
Time and patience, and still making these, for this example project.
You can make them as well  
The following PNG images are the base exemplars for all these images.

[ Invalid Attachment ]  [ Invalid Attachment ]  [ Invalid Attachment ]

I am using Gimp to complete these images as fast as possible.
All I am simply doing is taking the Background/Wallpaper image I want to utilize in a Dexpot Virtual Desktop, and then shrinking it down to match the appropriate image. Stretching the image as needed, to obtain the appropriate visual effect (You will notice this in the desktop Icon image, as the wallpaper is slightly at a perspective angle).
I have packaged the PNG's and the Gimp XCF (Gimp Raw layer saving format) file in the following download:

Icon Blanks Download Zip


Continuing on (06/12/2010 16:25 -7 GMT)

Ok I have completed the graphics and these will be made available through the Circle Dock Mediafire account.
While this Zip files is uploading, here are a few notes regarding graphics and associated file.
This is a large files with a ton of graphics. Approximately 16.26M (Wish 7-Zip was more common, files would be smaller than a Meg)
This un-packaged folder will break down into several sub-folders:

• Blanks: Same file as made available earlier
• Desktop Icons: As it says. This is a series of Icons with a desktop look
• Examples: This file is full of mixed graphics that I will explain in detail later in this project
• Laptop Icons: Similar to Desktop Icons, but with a Laptop graphic
• Monitor Icons: Similar to the Desktop and Laptop Icons, but with just a Monitor Image
• Wallpaper 1280x800: Exactly as the folder name. All wallpaper is in a 1280x800 format, as this is what I use on my laptop.

The Wallpaper and Icons have all been re-labeled so that these will match.
ie. WallPaper 01 will match with MonitorI 01, Laptop 01, Desktop 01 Icons
This was done to make things easier on me for this project  

Ah good; The file is now finished.

The graphics in the following files are the ones I will be utilizing through out this portion of the project:
01 Circle Dock Dexpot Project.zip

So now that I have the graphics completed (the most time consuming part. Took many hours to complete these). It is now time to move forward and put Circle Dock to work with Dexpot.


Putting Circle Dock Shortcuts together to work with Dexpot

First an ugly note here:
This initial work up is going to be based on Command line.  
Ultimately it is not what I would see happen. I would have a greater integration with Dexpot.
* I would love to see a corresponding Icon in Circle Dock, be lighted or somehow marked, so that the users of Circle Dock can more readily identify what desktop they are on by simple visual identification.
* Dexpot has a drag and drop capability for desktop items. so that Icons, shortcuts, files, and folders can be moved from Virtual Desktop X to Virtual Desktop Y.
I will document more of a "Wish List" as I continue on.
So this first project build may be less than some readers are anticipating (For Now!!! Markham is apparently not Vacationing, as he should be, and is "Hot On" this project as well. Read through additional posts in this thread for greater detail), but the folks at Dexpot recently expanded their Command Line functions in order to accommodate requests that I had proposed.  

The necessary information regarding Dexpot Command Line Parameters can be found here:
http://dexpot.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1914
If necessary I can post the full command line list here.
So if necessary, let me know and I will do so.  
I will also be covering many of the relevant Command Line parameters as I go along on the project  

Now that that note is done; This project will still be well worth the read through, and I will continue, as there is more than just Dexpot to consider in this.
Stay tuned you will see  

(Continued 06/13/2010 1355 -7 GMT)
Apologies for the late updates in this project.
Rainmeter 1.2 was just released today, and that took priority this morning

First updates, as a lot has happened since yesterday.
First off; Our beloved Circle Dock Programmer Markham, who has a inability to vacation properly; like he's supposed to. Has pointed out that he will work towards better Dexpot integration.
So I may need to re-write this project, or do a continuation of it, in the future.
That ain't Nutt'in but a thing

Secondly:
As Markham pointed out, this possible temporary resolution, may have some consequences to your system resources (in spikes) and be slow to react, but should still be functional

Ok....Let me get some stuff put together here, and I will continue shortly

Ok I am going to start today with the assumption, or not, that some of you have downloaded and reviewed the graphics file listed above yesterday.
In the Examples folder there are a few graphics with what appears to be a 2x2 screen capture.

[ Invalid Attachment ]  [ Invalid Attachment ]  [ Invalid Attachment ]

So what is this for?
This is the Images I will use for a couple of Icons, But initially this is going to be my default Dexpot Icon for my Circle Dock.

So how do we make that Graphic????
Well; For those of you that caught my final notes yesterday. I used Dexpot's "Full-Screen Preview" and Screenshot Captor.
As far as I know Screenshot Captor may be the only capture tool that can capture this particular image, at least as far as I am aware of.
I then shrunk the Image using Gimp to fit the blanks, also posted yesterday.
Besides; The Dexpot mascot "Dex" is so retro I got gray hair  

Dex =

So I needed a new Image for the Circle Dock Icon Shortcut, that will be created later

A moments pause to make sure you have what you need
I am going to assume that you have downloaded and installed Dexpot.
If you have not, then you can get more information on Dexpot and the appropriate download from here:
http://dexpot.de/index.php?id=home

Gimp can be downloaded here:
http://www.gimp.org

More of Screenshot Captor here:
https://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/screenshotcaptor/index.html

Now that is done, we are moving right along.
I am not going to go into great details about Gimp, unless I have to, and not in this project venue, so if you need help, let me know, and I will go into greater detail at some other time.

Getting the 2x2 Icon image
Make sure you have Screenshot Captor Installed and running.
Go to your Dexpot in the systems tray
Or in:
Start> All Programs> Dexpot> Main Menu> Full-Screen Preview

[ Invalid Attachment ]

Once you have your Screen Preview up, use the following hotkeys:
ctrl+prt sc (Control and Print Screen at the same time)

This will then open up Screenshot captor with a great graphic for our needs.
Go ahead and go to the Screenshot Captor Menu Bar and File.

[ Invalid Attachment ]

In here use: "Save copy of Image As"
Save your image to a location where you can find it and manipulate with the samples, if you wish.

You are welcome to use any image you wish, but I like relational images that show me what I am looking at
So either find an image that works for you, or manipulate an image together based on the image pack I supplied earlier.
You are also welcome to use the images I have supplied. I have created a full set based on what I think I need. So more may be added as we go  

Additional though
For those that have reviewed the download supplied earlier, The Wallpaper is labeled in a manner that I intend to use them. These correspond to to the individual Icons, as I like to have a matching image to my wallpapers, but you are welcome to utilize these images in any way you see fit, or not  
In order to assign a wallpaper to a virtual desktop in Dexpot, Please review the Dexpot "Quick Start Guide".
It is in a PDF format, about 20 pages long and makes for a real fast read  

Time to put it all together
So let's put this thing together. I will be going fast here (I think) so you are welcome to review as many times as need, and if I miss something, let me know

Go ahead and bring up your Circle Dock.
Figure out where you want  to put your desktop Icon.
Keep in mind that the actual Dexpot control will be on the next layer, or Circle Dock folder.
Right Click on the Circle Dock ring you have chosen and go to:
Add> Dock Folder

[ Invalid Attachment ]

Click on "Folder" and wait for the settings dialog.
Track down the appropriate Icon you wish to use.
For Name: I simply used "Dexpot"

[ Invalid Attachment ]

Click "Finished" when you are done  

Now go ahead and click on the new folder, and this will open the next Folder/Layer of Circle Dock (I know; Redundant )

Apologies folks.....Markham caught me working here and needed to run some distraction
Back to it.

This is where we should be:

[ Invalid Attachment ]

Now lets add some goodies  


Dexpot Command Line and Virtual Desktop Switching
Right click on Circle Dock
Go to "Add"
File, Folders or Special Items (Click it)
and wait for the Items settings window

[ Invalid Attachment ]


1.) Image; Once the settings window has come up, you can go ahead and track down an image, or do that later.
Here at the moment we are more concerned with adding the a Name, Target, Argument, and Run Parameters
This first shortcut is going to represent Desktop One

2.) Name; I am going to simply name this Shortcut "Desktop 1"

3.) Target; you will need to seek out, or enter the path for Dexpot.exe here.
Typically Dexpot will be located in:

[Select]

C:\Program Files (x86)\Dexpot\dexpot.exe

Or wherever you saw fit to install dexpot on your system.

4.) Argument; This is where the work will take place for the shortcut: The Command Line.
Once again; The Command Line calls can be found here:
http://dexpot.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1914
Now as we refer to Dexpot's Command Line capabilities. We find that the "Argument" of -w 1 will symbolize Desktop 1.
so in the Argument area we want to enter:

[Select]

-w 1

5.) Run; although not absolutely necessary. I have set mine to Invisible or Hide.

6.) Click Finished

[ Invalid Attachment ]

You should now have an Icon on Circle Dock similar to below:

[ Invalid Attachment ]

Now repeat these steps to make an icon for every Virtual desktop you have; up to twenty:
keeping in mind the following
1.) This will be the next image you have chosen.
2.) The name will change as you see fit to represent Desktop 2
3.) The path to "dexpot.exe" will remain the same
4.) The argument will change to represent the appropriate desktop; ie: -w 2, -w 3, -w 4, -w5, etc.
5.) Remember to set Run to Hide in the drop down
6.) Finished
rinse and repeat again, till you have an icon representing each Virtual desktop you have.

I am going to build three more of these, as I use 4 Virtual Desktops, and I will be right back

While you go along; Be sure to check your new Icons, to ensure they are doing what they are supposed to.
If you hit an issue, let me know, and I will stop what I am doing to get you up and running  

Now hopefully you have something like the following happening:

[ Invalid Attachment ]

Adding Dexpot Options
Now hopefully you are operating your Dexpot via Circle Dock and not through the systems tray, SevenDex, or some other method.
Now we need to add some additional options so we can quick switch Virtual desktops, open the settings dialog, and other visual options.

Let's get started.

First Off I am going to start by adding NEXT, PREVIOUS, BACK
For more information on what these are, again I will point you to the Dexpot FAQ post regarding Command Line Options:
http://dexpot.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1914

Now this is going to be very similar to what we have done already for getting Circle Dock to handle the Virtual Desktop switching  
In fact; All we are going to do different is add different Icon Images and a Different Argument. All else remains the same  

Once again right click on Circle Dock and Bring up the "ADD" and then "Files, Folders or Special Items", Click it ans wait for teh Item Settings Window.
Then following the guide lines outlined in the settings we used before:

1.) This will be the next image you have chosen.
I have included additional images in the "Examples" folder in the download that is listed above

2.) The name will change as you see fit to represent Previous, Next, Back, etc

3.) The path to "dexpot.exe" will remain the same

4.) The argument will change to represent the appropriate option; ie: -next, -prev, -back

5.) Remember to set Run to Hide in the drop down

6.) Finished

[ Invalid Attachment ]

Then rinse and repeat to add other additional Options for Dexpot.

I have included Icon Images for the following Options:

• Previous
• Next
• Back
• Catalogue Desktop
• Settings
• Images "00*****" are designed to be the "Center Image" and the "Full-Screen Preview" option button

I have ensured that these images are in match with the Dexpot Command Line Parameters.

If you desire additional options that are identified in the Dexpot Command line Parameters.
You will need to add custom Icon Images as needed.
I have only included Icon Images for those Options that I use, and feel are most common  

I have ensured that these images are in match with the Dexpot Command Line Parameters.

Now if I just lost anybody; Let me know and I will better clarify what Just happened, or should happen  

But Hopefully when you are done, you will end up with a similar working result as the following:

[ Invalid Attachment ]

Q&A Time

Great to hear the launcher I like so much is going to be even better.  I never liked a launcher before CDo, and I've never liked any virtual desktops, so there's hope for me to change my mind about that, too.  Awesome.

Question (possibly dumb):Is the CDo going to stay static through all the desktops?  I've seen multi desktops that change too much, IMH very out dated O and fuzzy recollection.  I think I stand a better chance to be converted if it does, or even better, can be static or fluid.

I hope nobody minds if I use CDo to abbreviate Circle Dock.  I've seen CD used but I needed to set something apart for some reason today.  

Sarge, sorry to hear about your back troubles.  Get better soon.  My sister's husband went through back trouble for months a few years back, but he's back playing football (American) and in the gym again, no problems since, as far as I've heard.

-mateek (June 12, 2010, 02:59 PM)

I needed a bit of clarification on this, but now have it figured out.

Many users utilize Circle Dock in a fixed location on their desktops.
Now, typically, when you switch Virtual Desktops, it is a toss up on what is going to move, and what is going to remain on any given Virtual desktop.
In this instance it is typical that Circle Dock will remain on the last desktop it appeared on.
Dexpot has a solution for such a situation as ours.
As defined in The following article at Dexpot:
http://dexpot.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1915
As described;

The wechsel.ini file is located in the Dexpot root folder (usually C:\Program Files\Dexpot) and offers the capability to create exceptions for switching desktops

The wechsel.ini is note so much a secret, rather just no one really is aware of it.
The wechsel.ini is the answer to many issues that have been experience in VDM environments of the past.
In this case we want CD to be "Static" (in the same place) across all Virtual desktops.
and the wechsel.ini is the answer 

Let's do this 
Go ahead and close Circle Dock and Dexpot.
Once both programs are closed. Navigate to the Dexpot Program file.
Typically in: C:\Program Files (x86)\Dexpot
Find the wechsel.ini and open this with Notepad or an editor of your choice.
MS Word will not work for this so you must use a code editor

Once open; add the following code to the last line in [Klasse] area.

[Select]

CircleDock.exe=sticky

Save the ini file.
Start Dexpot, then start Circle Dock

This should allow Circle Dock to appear on all desktops at the same time.
I have been testing this for a few hours now and have had mixed results, but then again; I have been running Circle Dock through some serious rungs today.
So try it, and if this does not work, or even if it does, please let us know.
If there is a continuing issue, we may have to have Markham and the folks at Dexpot take a look into this jointly to get a solution.

Well that is it for me tonight....I will be back tomorrow to continue.
I think we are ready to move on to part two, and this is where the game gets interesting.

Let me put it to you this way;
How often do you want to switch to Dexktop X to change Winamp, when you are working on Desktop Y ???
Frustrating as hell.

I think I have an answer; Wait and see what I do in part 2 

12

Circle Dock / PCMag.com "Give Windows 7 a Facelift" Yes: We're in there!!!

« on: May 17, 2010, 05:00 PM »

Not only do I get to report on the fact that Circle Dock is here, Which I get to brag about (Mwahahahhahahaaa), and well deserved in my biased opinion  
All thanks once again to Markham for his excellent insight and programming skills
Not to mention; the Users of Circle Dock and their many inputs to making Circle Dock great (Thanks everyone so much)



But also so many more, and a lot of which I support
Circle Dock
Rainmeter
Dexpot
BatteryBar

These are all here.
This is a special moment for me as so many of the software that I support have made it in one promotion at the same time.

Minus the "Starduck" stuff, that I am diabolically opposed to, we are in great company  

13

Living Room / BakaBT under DDoS Attack

« on: May 06, 2010, 05:53 PM »

I would not normally post such a thing, except that I have been watching and monitoring this for several weeks now.
I know this to be a legitimate attack based on the damaged ego of one individual.

This attack has brought a community, I am close to, down; BakaBT
There has been a whole list of B.S and demand made by a singularly band individual at this community, and this individual has followed through.

a request and information has gone out here:
http://storiesofthenewage.blogspot.com/2010/05/hello-bakabt-community-and-people-of.html

This may seem irrelevant to Donationcoder and our great community here and BakaBT is a Bittorrent sharing site, but a legitimate one, if not one of the very few legitimate!!!

The big worry I have is two fold:
1.) The full impact of the DDoS attack on BakaBT
2.) the what if factor.
I say "What if" in a manner of; What if this were to happen here!!!

I am sure I am going to rile some folks on this, but it is upsetting me so much that I had to post.
As usual I am certain that I am setting myself up for the fall, but I have to implore on the good nature of Donationcoder community again.

help if you can

Thanks in advance

14

Circle Dock / Latest Additional analytics for Circle Dock

« on: April 02, 2010, 12:38 PM »

I was floored, as the price has increased almost 230% in the last 90 days.
this may not mean much, but let's go this way.
Rainmeter is only worth about $52,000.00 USD

Check this out:
http://bizinformation.org/us/www.circledock.wikidot.com

15

Circle Dock / Call for CD shots and Screen shots. Help me update The CD Home Page

« on: March 13, 2010, 06:13 AM »

Greetings folks

I have discovered that I am lazier than I thought  

I will be somewhat unavailable over the next few days, I will be drugged out of my mind and in bed attempting to get beyond this damaged back muscle group, but felt that this would be an excellent opportunity to ask the community for assistance.  

I am looking to replace many images at the Circle Dock Home Page, and I have already added a few, but would like to include a wider diversity.
Essentially: I want your screen shots of Circle Dock, and a few full desktop shots wouldn't hurt either.

If you folks would be willing to post your Circle Dock screen shots, I would be greatly appreciative.
What I am looking for is a diversity of sizes Backgrounds and program run settings. Not just Circles, but Ellipse too, if you have this set up.
These images do not necessarily need to be a clutter free desktop, as many of us use our desktops, but can be shown over running programs as well, Like Firefox, Word, FileZilla, I do not care.
I am looking for everyday screen shots, and the the clean shots as well  

If you are willing to share, be aware that I may utilize your volunteered shots for the Home Page, but for advertising Circle Dock as well.
If you need reference, you are welcome to go over the Home Page to see what I have, and make a determination of what I need, I do know that I am sorely missing Practical applications shots (ie. Circle dock over a running program)
So if you post your shots here, you are essentially agreeing to allow me to utilize the posted shots in any way I see fit, and there may be no recognition, other than what I post to the Home Page, or can squeeze a user name in on a post  

If you feel you have a shot that expresses exactly what Circle Dock is to you, to a business, or to a solid all around user, let me have those screen shots.  

The home page is here of course:
http://circledock.wikidot.com/start

Help me fill in images that I am missing so I can fill the Home Page and posts to  other sites with fresh, up to date, and insightful images  

Thanks in advance
The Sarge

16

General Software Discussion / One year ago today (Rainmeter News) A thanks to the DC Community

« on: February 28, 2010, 11:12 AM »

Open Spoiler to read Article:

Spoiler

Originally posted at the Rainmeter Forum 02/26/2010

I write this with a great swelling of pride and tears of joy in my eyes.


One year ago today a call went out, a cry in the darkness of a deadware program.
One voice, that became a few, then many.
No one knew or cared if that one voice was English, Arid, Asian, Gaelic, Italian, French, or any other language.
No one knew, or cared, what origins or color the voice may have been
No one even knew if there would be a large calling.
Each person drawn to develop and ask for more, based on personal wants and needs.
The need to not have an excellent program die before it’s time
Truly the essence of; “E Pluribus: Unum”

The cry in the dark was simple enough:
"Don't let Rainmeter die!"
Regardless of Popular belief; that call initially went out from our highly respected Kaelri
The call was heard, and heeded, by our Beloved Rainy
That call was one year ago today!

Today is one year later
Today users of Rainmeter have a lot to celebrate

Rainmeter has grown so far beyond what we knew a year ago.
So many people, from all walks of life have come forward to help build and expand Rainmeter in any way they could.
Along the way we found old friends and new ones, we have met some of the legends of Rainmeter old, and made new ones.
I have cried great tears of joy for Rainmeter.
I have laughed.
I have been excited, and felt trepidations on advancements.
A full range of emotions, and I thank all of you for it.

All those who have supported Rainmeter, new and old, should feel a great swelling of pride. It is because of all of you that Rainmeter is not only growing, but is back at the top where it belongs

Rainy saw fit to go open source, and the response to the call of "Don't let Rainmeter die!" has been phenomenal.
History has been made, and we look to the future.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you.
I cannot pick one name over any other, as all have contributed in whatever way they could.
Some with Code
Some with Support
Some with Donations
Some with Testing
Some with Promoting
Some in any way they could
BUT, all for the sake of this great program and the great community that has sprung up in its wake.

I want to thank all those Media sources that helped keep Rainmeter alive in the dark years, and those media sources that have allowed Rainmeter to be a part of their stories and articles.

I would officially declare this day (February 26, 2010) be known as the day that the resurrection is complete, and full life has been restored to Rainmeter.

I have never been a religious person, but I have come to believe in resurrection.
Rainmeter, Rainy, and the entire Rainmeter community has made this possible, and has shown me miraculous things, and has shown me what it is to have faith.

Everyone deserves praise for what Rainmeter is now, and will be tomorrow

Let’s keep going
Rainmeter was a dream become reality for many, and there is so much more exciting things to come.

Regards
The Sarge

The experience of being a member here, and the policies I carried over to the Rainmeter forum, helped rebuild the Rainmeter Community
We have a great forum, and members core, because of what I learned at DC.
The Kindness, the patience, and the working to understand, are all values that I gained here, and carried over.

What I learned here help Rainmeter restore itself, so I thank folks here as well
DC has proven itself to be a great community time and again, and I am proud to promote and support this community in any way I can

17

Circle Dock / MOVED: How to open the native StandAlone Stack2 Options (CD Tip)

« on: February 27, 2010, 12:01 PM »

This topic has been moved to CircleDock Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials.

https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=21753.0

18

Circle Dock / MOVED: Toggle desktop Icons Visibility, Using a 3rd party tool (Tips & Tricks)

« on: February 27, 2010, 11:58 AM »

This topic has been moved to CircleDock Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials.

https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=21752.0

19

Circle Dock / Germany Translation

« on: February 21, 2010, 12:07 PM »

Received the following e-mail while away:

Helo Sarge.
I mail this to you, because my mail to Mark was rejected(?).

I recently found this cool application and testet it for some time.
It's really great. I'm using "Magic Formation" at this time which is
kind
of similar to Circle Dock (but with much less features).
So I thought: Why not contribute to the project by translating it into
german language.
When I switched to the translation that is currently integrated, I
nearly laughed for a while, because these automatic translations are
really funny for native speakers.

So here we go with a correct translation.

I hope this helps the project to spread a little wider.

Greetings from Offenburg, Germany

Attached Text file

20

Circle Dock / Video Tutorial suggestions being taken

« on: February 16, 2010, 03:24 PM »

Hello again Folks

As Mouser suggested, and as it is a current project I am working on:
I would like to know what Video tutorials you would like me to see?

I can not guarantee that I will make it, it will not be tomorrow to be sure, and in English, but if you have a suggestion; I want to here it.

Let me know  

Regards
sarge

21

Circle Dock / CD Graphics Gallery and Tutorial Gallery ready for Crituqe at Wikidot

« on: February 16, 2010, 02:21 PM »

Hello folks

I have been busting rear to create A Graphics Gallery and Tutorial Gallery at The wikidot site

The Graphics gallery is fairly straight forward. I just figured out how to enable page "Anchors" so I will be updating in page navigation soon 
http://circledock.wikidot.com/gallery

The tutorial page hes become something special for me. It is my chance to get the Tutorials out, and do a serious promo for DonationCoder.com
DonationCoder.com has provided the venue for me to make the Tutorials, and through the wiki site I can promote CD and get folks here, as I have directed them here for the Full Tutorial 
Not to mention giving CD Top Billing on the page 
I am rather proud of what I have done, but there is always room for improvement.
So if you think there is something I could do better, or give a cleaner presentation with, please let me know
http://circledock.wikidot.com/tutorials

Let me know folks, constructive criticism is always appreciated 

22

CircleDock Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials / How to open the native StandAlone Stack2 Options (CD Tip)

« on: February 15, 2010, 11:17 PM »

Hello again folks.

Time for another quick tip.

I have had several folks ask about what has happened to the native Options window for Standalone Stacks 2, now that Markham has integrated them.

well I will tell you that the native options are still there! 

Simply Hold the "ctrl" button down and then left click on the Stack with your mouse

ie. ctrl+leftclick

This will bring up the original options windows for Standalone Stacks 2



Hope this helps, and answers some questions 

Reagrds
Sarge

23

CircleDock Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials / Toggle desktop Icons Visibility, Using a 3rd party tool (Tips & Tricks)

« on: February 15, 2010, 10:49 PM »

The following trick is based on the this tutorial at at How to Geek: Create a Shortcut or Hotkey to Turn the Desktop Icons On or Off

Pre-install Notes:
This will work flawlessly in XP and Vista, but there are a number of issues in Windows 7.
Apparently utilizing desktop auto change in Windows 7 , along with other Windows 7 customization, may render this tool useless.
I have been using it in Windows 7 64bit for several months now flawlessly.
Please read the original article at How to Geek for information on known issues
Also: This is temporary solution, when you restart your computer, your desktop Icons will automatically appear, you will need to toggle the Circle Dock button again to get the Desktop Icons to hide again.

Once again I bring you an old program to utilize with Circle Dock.
The ability to "Hide" Desktop icons with a little Context menu navigation has been available since the XP days.
But navigating through the various OS hoops is a pain, and not a simplified solution.
Hence the tool I am about to promote.

Tutorial Writers Notes:
This is part of my ongoing series of Tutorials, and there will be some important steps in this one, as I lead up to some of the more sophisticated Command Line Tools/Programs in my next tutorials. So even if you do not use this tool, you may wish to pay particular attention to the file Structure I am going to create in the Circle Dock core files.
In the future I will assume you know what I am talking about, as I will not start over from scratch in each tutorial, as this is time wasting and pointless!

So let's get on with it.

First we need the very small program that will allow us to Toggle the Desktop Icon Visibility.
The original site no longer exists, so we will use the Make use of Mirror or mt personal link
The tool we want is:
HideDesktopIcons Application (How to Geek)
HideDesktopIcons Application (Personal Link)

Additional Software Note:
If you get an error when you try to run this application, you probably need to have the Microsoft C++ runtime installed, which you can get get from the following link:
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package (x86)
or
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package (x86)
I recommend the 2008 version as it is the most up to date, also both of these have SP updates, so after install, make sure you follow the update procedure as outlined by Microsoft for you OS.

So now that you have the "HideDesktopIcons.zip", what do you do with it???

This where we really start paying attention.
We create a new file in the Circle Dock core directory.
In my case I created a new file in "C:\Alternative Program File\Circle Dock\System\Add ons"
You may create any file name you wish, and place it anywhere you wish, but to maintain portability, you will want to Create a new folder in teh Circle Dock File somewhere. By placing the new folder in the Circle Dock System's Folder, if will be easy to find, and will be packaged if you make a zip and distribute your dock.

So lets create the specified File.
So go to where you have installed your Circle Dock.
In my case I have mine installed in a folder specified for portable and self-contained programs.
C:\Alternative Program File\Circle Dock

In this file I have only one other folder: System



Go ahead and open the "System" File.
As we can see, there are a number of files here, and many of which are dedicated to Circle Dock Graphics



Now lets add an easily identifiable folder.
In my case I have labeled my "Add Ons"

To create a new file (I suggest) right click in the body of the Window, Then Go to "New" then "Folder"
This will add the new folder, you may name it anything you wish at this time.



Now that we have our new file, we need to add the Program to it.
Unzip the package and the "HideDesktopIcons.zip" and place the contents in your newly created folder in the Circle Dock Core.

Tutorial writer's Note:
I suggest creating and additional file to place the "HideDesktopIcons.exe" program in, as this will help keep various add ons separated as you add more 3rd party programs to Circle Dock in my case I created a folder to contain it in the the "Add ons" folder.



Now that we have created a new Add ons folder and placed the new 3rd party program (HideDesktopIcons.exe) lets make the shortcut necessary to toggle our Desktop Icons.

Go to your Circle Dock and Right click on a clear area, and click on "Add" and then click on :File, Folder or Special Item"



This will bring up a new/blank Item Settings window



Now Top to Bottom

let us begin with the name:
I will Name mine; "Toggle Desktop Icons"



You may enter something in the "Description (Optional)" space, but I feel the name says it all, so i will leave this blank

Moving on to "Target"
This is where we will make a link the new program (HideDesktopIcons.exe) for Circle Dock

Click on the "File" Option and then track down where you placed the "HideDesktopIcons.exe" program



Once you have track down where you placed "HideDesktopIcons.exe" click it, then click "Open



This should have entered the address to the program "HideDesktopIcons.exe", if you placed the program in the recommended earlier create file, you will see that Circle Dock has shortened the file path.
This is because Markham has made circle Dock a "smart" program and it can recognize that the program is in a sub-folder of the Circle Dock core files.



No "Argument" is required so we will leave this blank.

"Start in Folder" is un-needed in my build here, but if you run Circle dock from a secondary drive or Partition, you may need to specify the C:/ directory and the explorer there, in order to activate the program in Windows, although I have not had any such issues in portable testing

In "Run (in Window Type)" Markham has graciously given us an additional option of "Hidden" in this drop down list.

Let's select the Hidden Option. Do we need to: No, but this is practice for future tutorials.



Now Click "Finish"



And voila we have our link with default Icon. Now we can Hide our Desktop icons as need.
Now you know how I keep my desktop clean.....It is not clean, just hidden.

Additional thought:
If you need quick access to teh Descktop stuff, create a Stack that is targeted at the desktop, so instead of showing teh desktop , you just open a stack to get access to your desktop goodies  



Now you can drag a nice identifiable icon to this new shortcut, and since "the proof is on the pudding", go ahead and click the icon and see what it will do  

I hope you folks are having as much fun and education with these as I am.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask

Regards
Sarge

24

CircleDock Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials / Accessing Windows Native Context Menu Items (CD Tutorial/Tip)

« on: February 07, 2010, 01:19 PM »

Sometimes we all just need to access a Windows Native Context Menu Option....
Especially true in Window Vista and 7. There is quite a few times that we utilize "Run as Administrator".

So can this be accessed in Circle Dock: Yes  



Simply open the Circle Dock "Settings", and go to:
Elements > Dock Items > Options
At the Option for "Right-Click Menu"
Check the Box: "Show Windows File Folder Menu"



The change will take place instantly.
You will now be able to access the native Windows Options through Circle Dock Items

Have fun  

25

Circle Dock / New Skin/Background (Smoked Glass Thin)

« on: February 06, 2010, 09:22 PM »

Here we go folks a new background, and there are not many, so new backgrounds are always welcome.

Here we go:
Smoked Glass (thin)



Go ahead and save to your Background folder in Circle Dock and make your selection in the Settings menu.

Got a custom Background????
I want to see it, show us what you got, and make it available if you like