Messages

1

General Software Discussion / Re: Idea: Wavy mouse or motion mouse (or something)

« on: December 15, 2021, 05:06 PM »

Hi Jason, I'm in!

This is 100% doable via "hide & overlay" (taking over the cursor), traditional API hooks and a little math in between

...If you're around after Christmas, please do "ping" for me to extend some love to it 💖. Chances are it's a 2021 release.

-publicdomain (December 11, 2021, 01:05 PM)

Great- will do!  I'm traveling myself and have limited time before the  holidays.  Enjoy them and stay safe!  Talk to you then-

-J

2

General Software Discussion / Idea: Wavy mouse or motion mouse (or something)

« on: November 24, 2021, 01:24 PM »

Hey all,

Hope this is the right place for this.  Previous post got moved around a bit and I forgot where I posted it first.  I did a donation code once before and it went pretty well! 

Anyway- this is a fun one.  Summary-  Long ago, for the Apple Macintosh system 7, there was a simple little app that made the mouse cursor point in the direction you were moving it.  Now I found this app very very neat and played with it all the time.  Looking to recreate it for windows 10 (+).

I'm not sure if it's possible, of course.  Depends on what Windows will let you do with the cursor.

How to describe the motion?    It's actually kinda hard to describe or possibly visualize.

Take a piece of paper, ideally one you cut out into the shape of a cursor.  Make it large, using maybe a half sheet or a full sheet of paper.  Or at least just take half a sheet.  Put it on some very smooth surface where you have a lot of room to move.

Take your finger, or the eraser side of a pencil and put it on the very tip of the arrow, or on the very edge of a corner of the paper.  That corner is the tip of the arrow.  Now move the arrow around your surface.  See how the arrow 'follows' your movement?  How it keeps turning to point in the direction you're moving?  THAT'S all this cursor program did. 

Another way to visualize it is to watch this video of the old video game Time Pilot.  But imagine that the ship is actually moving, not the background, of course: https://youtu.be/cNv0_wY5jp8

That's as best as I can describe the mechanics- the force is applied at the very tip of the arrow, and the rest of the arrow body behaves like normal physics would.

I constantly found myself doing loops on my way to 'ok' buttons, or min/maxing windows, etc.  It was honestly fun.  And this was a long time ago so I was a lot younger then, lol....


Is this possible in Windows?  Anything else like it?  Anyone interested in coding it?

Thanks!


(Previous DC project was 'enfolder', by vic, found here:  https://www.donation....msg446282#msg446282)

3

PublicDomainVic / Re: EnfolderSendTo - Enfolder equivalent designed to be used from "Send to" (v0.1.0)

« on: August 24, 2021, 10:39 AM »

For sure- Donate people, donate!  Where else can you get a (mostly) bespoke application created by you!


I donated already, when the first iteration of this program was complete.  That version had some issues and would not work in a lot of situations.  It would not work with large files, large numbers of files, files that were on external hard drives, certain file types, etc.  So this is more of a fix of the original concept.

4

PublicDomainVic / Re: EnfolderSendTo - Enfolder equivalent designed to be used from "Send to" (v0.1.0)

« on: August 23, 2021, 03:52 PM »

Ok, so I (finally) tested it a little more, and have not seen any problems.  I have note quite tested it as much as I'd like, but I had a couple hard drives crash on me, and because of the chip shortage, it will be some time before I can get those drives back up.

But the testing I did do, was moderately involved.  And as mentioned-  No problems at all.

-J

5

PublicDomainVic / Re: EnfolderSendTo - Enfolder equivalent designed to be used from "Send to" (v0.1.0)

« on: July 19, 2021, 12:56 PM »

Ok, so first basic run looks good!

Will give it a more involved trial over the next couple days.

-J

6

PublicDomainVic / Re: Enfolder - Move a group of files/directories into a new custom folder (v0.1.0)

« on: May 26, 2021, 03:12 PM »

Well,

There is still the problem of Enfolder not showing up as an option sometimes.  There are pics earlier in this thread.

I've confirmed this happens on the system drive (non-system partition, the D drive) and on external disks.  Variety of file types.  Video, jpg, etc.

I just tried it again, 24 files, all jpg, external drive, and-
22 files, all .png, D drive.


(edit to add:  And I just notice that it doesn't work inside an android phone plugged in to pc.  I get the enfolder option, but when I select it nothing happens.  4 files, 2 gpx and 2 kml.  But this isn't a big deal and not my primary usage of the program)

7

PublicDomainVic / Re: Enfolder - Move a group of files/directories into a new custom folder (v0.1.0)

« on: May 26, 2021, 01:50 PM »

Thanks for reporting

I'm checking Enfolder + a few other proggies to close the month 

Cheers!
 
Vic

-publicdomain (May 25, 2021, 01:52 PM)

Well, I noticed this problem again, where enfolder doesn't open, it asks me what program I want to use to open the file.

1 file, a png. On the desktop.



Uninstalling and reinstalling seems to have fixed the problem.

8

PublicDomainVic / Re: Enfolder - Move a group of files/directories into a new custom folder (v0.1.0)

« on: May 24, 2021, 01:19 PM »

Here's another one.

Tried to enfolder 3 icons on the desktop.  2 jpgs and a .txt.  (The three items in the top right of the pic)

I get the enfolder option, but when I select enfolder, instead of the enfolder window, it asks me how I want to open the files.



It did this moused over the jpg and the txt.  Although the program it offered me to open differed with the program I was moused over.  Eg- If I was moused over the jpg, it offered me photos.  If I was over the .txt, it offered me notepad.

9

PublicDomainVic / Re: Enfolder - Move a group of files/directories into a new custom folder (v0.1.0)

« on: May 24, 2021, 10:37 AM »

Here's another pic, this time with file types attached.



It was an external hdd, Western Digital.  As you can see, a variety of file types.

10

PublicDomainVic / Bug

« on: May 18, 2021, 08:22 PM »

Hey all,

Sorry the absence, but 'life happens'.

So I saw that glitch again where 'enfolder' doesn't show up.



I made sure that the arrow was over a file name, or attribute or something.  I'd have to guess I had around.... 25-30 files selected.  All video files.  My best guess is that maybe there's a file type in there that enfolder can't read?

I can do some troubleshooting if there's something particular you want me to test for...

(I had thoughts about continuing the other parts of the conversation, tweaking the program.  But let's work on the bug and then maybe I'll just use it for a while to see what I think long term....)

-J

11

PublicDomainVic / Re: Enfolder - Move a group of files/directories into a new custom folder (v0.1.0)

« on: May 11, 2021, 04:18 PM »

Okay! We're going to have separate "Enfolder-inspired" programs

One for @Nickodemos with his suggested functionality + the simplified version you have in mind

Chances are we get to have both within the next few weeks (i.e. within May)

Cheers!
Vic

-publicdomain (May 11, 2021, 04:00 PM)

Sweet!  Please-just-though... I listed two possible 'roads'... Give me a day or so to figure out which one I prefer.  And, take a look, the 2nd option might not be possible.  Do let me know if one is not possible or 'incredibly hard' to do...

12

PublicDomainVic / Re: Enfolder - Move a group of files/directories into a new custom folder (v0.1.0)

« on: May 11, 2021, 12:30 PM »

Ok, so I've spent a couple days with the program and overall I love it.  It does what I want it to, and I've already used it in 'real situations', not just testing.

As I wrote in PM, I love the 'extra touches'- the uninstaller, the files/directories count, the readme/instructions, and of course the fact that it works well so far.

Of course, being who I am, I do have some thoughts.  I'm not decided on these, they're just discussion points at the moment.  And unfortunately, they're in the opposite  direction of Nickodemos.  They're making the program more simple, not expanding functions.

So-

Real quick-  I notice when you click "browse" it goes to.... the 'top' of file explorer and you have to navigate your way around.  For me particularly, I wonder if the window that opens shouldn't start at the directly where the files are and then navigate from there.  Just a thought, and implementing it or not depends on the rest of the conversation.

Basically, I see two immediate functions - save to folder in the same directory OR browse to another folder.  I'm not sure that both of those functions are necessary.  I'm not sure which one I prefer more between -

1- Subfolder.  This is the one I will probably use the most.  I wonder if it would be more simple and aesthically pleasing if as soon as you select 'enfolder' that the 'subfolder' window opens immediately.  Type in a name, save and done.

Also part of this one is- Can't speak to others, but I don't really need the list of files displayed in the window.  I'm used to selecting my files first, and that's a reasonably error-free process.  And even so, I think it might be easier to just go ahead and save these files, and then add/move any missed files later, rather than go back and cancel, reselect or ctrl-select additional files and run enfolder again.

OR

2-Browse.  As I mentioned, personally I think when you hit Browse, it'd be quicker to start at the directory where the files are.  I also notice that this is a file explorer window that has a "New Folder" option.  Would it be easier, or even possible, to use that?  So that the user clicks 'browse', goes to the directory they want, then click new folder, and "OK" will just save the files in that folder?  So you'd skip/remove the 'subfolder' window as the next step after clicking OK.

------------------
So I'm thinking about those things.  For my personal workflow.... I think about half the time the stuff I'm Enfoldering stays in the directory where they are.  For the rest... I am in the habit of creating the folder there and then moving it to where I want it to be.  Doesn't mean I have to keep doing it that way, of course.  I'll take some time and 'count the clicks' to see if I can firm up an opinion.

I see other people commenting possible features.  Of course for myself, I'd like to keep it as simple an unobtrusive as possible.  And, it's not my program, I didn't write it.  I would hope though, that if/as features get added, that there remains a 'simple mode' and maybe an 'advanced mode' to keep everyone happy.

Again, just my thoughts, looking forward to discussing them!

OH!  Final thought- I did have a right-click window open once and Enfolder was not visible there.  It was a Windows menu, not chrome, firefox, etc.  I don't recall the situation and haven't seen it repeat yet.  I'll follow up if I notice it again.

13

Living Room / Re: 'Culture question' about DonationCoder - How are things done here?

« on: May 04, 2021, 02:04 PM »

Hey! I find community coding rewarding since it is made for the benefit of the entire internet community (and mankind!-when you come to think about it [ Invalid Attachment ] )

Vic

-publicdomain (May 03, 2021, 04:33 PM)

Haha... Ok, I think I got it.  Thank you, everyone, for the input.  I got the 'donate what you can/feel is right' part down.  I was more just clarifying if there were any expectations around it.  Like with tipping in the US.  It's 'optional', but anything below 15% and people will think either there was something wrong or you're a jerk.  Also didn't want to piss off the first guy to pick up my first project.

And I have my answer, and I got it now.  Thanks everyone-

14

Living Room / Re: 'Culture question' about DonationCoder - How are things done here?

« on: May 03, 2021, 03:43 PM »

Suggestion to have it work like you expect it (...to have less uninformative replies for you...)

Enjoy your staying!

(No sarcasm)

-KodeZwerg (April 30, 2021, 06:34 PM)

Thanks for the tips!

(And r/slavelabour is just a forum where people go to have tasks done for low rates.  Internet searches, artistic work, culinary recipe help, anything that people can do they can offer as work, and anything that people need done they can post as a task.  It's a neat place.  But yes, it does have an unfortunate name.  The amounts offered and asked are pretty low.  But- no one has to do anything they don't want to, of course!  www.reddit.com/r/slavelabour  if anyone's interested.)

15

General Software Discussion / Re: Idea: 'Enfolder'- Select a group of files, right click, select 'Enfolder', Windo

« on: May 03, 2021, 11:02 AM »

I took a look at the github.

-Jasong222 (May 03, 2021, 10:35 AM)

Don't sweat it J! First public Enfolder.exe release comes in a few hours.

I'll push v0.1.0 release in handy ZIP format package to uncompress & run

Cheers!

-publicdomain (May 03, 2021, 10:50 AM)

Ok, cool.  No rush, I just misread your message.  For a funny little 'nothing' program, I'm getting excited to see it.  And the other day I was selecting some files and had that thought again- "Damn, I wish I could just put this in their own folder...."  And then I remembered that soon, I can!

16

General Software Discussion / Re: Idea: 'Enfolder'- Select a group of files, right click, select 'Enfolder', Windo

« on: May 03, 2021, 10:35 AM »

It is working but it's slow to collect files...

[ Invalid Attachment ]

Let's see about feedback as first release gets online

-publicdomain (May 03, 2021, 10:32 AM)

OK!  Is it ready to check now?

It might be slower working with folders as it has to look at the files inside.  I actually don't think I'd be using it with folders very often... but that would be a nice thing to have, of course.

I took a look at the github.  I'm actually not that familiar with GH.  I'm used to 'go to file' taking me to an installer of some type.  Can I get a little help as to how to install it? Or maybe it's not ready-ready yet....

17

General Software Discussion / Re: Idea: 'Enfolder'- Select a group of files, right click, select 'Enfolder', Windo

« on: May 03, 2021, 10:33 AM »

I don't understand why you're resistant to using a good general-purpose file manager, especially as there are plenty of good free ones.

Meanwhile, it took days for the name "Piky Basket" to bubble up.  Copywhiz, which is the new name for it, is the closest ready-made thing I can think of to what you want.  Viz.:

Automatically organize files based on their properties

Copywhiz for Windows lets you automatically copy files to an organized folder structure.

-rjbull (April 29, 2021, 02:55 PM)

Because most of them seem like they are orders of magnatude more complicated than what I'm looking for, and many of them don't seem to do what I'm asking at all.  And none except one do it as simply as what I'm looking for. 

I took a look at the copywhiz video.  I counted 12-15 clicks to do what they demonstrated, plus or minus, not including the actual selecting of files.  'Enfolder' is 1 click.  2 if you count selecting 'enfolder' from the right click menu.  And tbh, I don't really understand what it means to 'organize files by attribute' in the sense that it looks like copywhiz is just copying and pasting files.  Maybe it's auto-sorting the desination folder by the attribute I'm selecting?  I don't know but I've already lost interest because I'm not looking to sort, copy, move or do anything by attribute.

There was one suggested that looks simliar.  But it was last updated in 2014.  Probably fine, but... fresher is better.  And anyway by the time that was suggested u/publicdomain had not only already started, but has been working for a few weeks.  I'm not going to go to him and say 'hey- forget all that work you've already done, I found this other thing.'   That doesn't seem right.

Here's a use case:  I have a bunch of pictures of an item I want to sell on craigslist.  Let's say 12 pics.  The pics I took are large because photos are large these days. I select half a dozen that I want to post, and I resize them smaller.  So now they're all in the same folder, originals and resized ones.  But I want the resized ones separate because they're for posting only.  So I select those resized ones, right click, and select 'enfolder'.  Now they're all in their own folder and I name that folder 'resized'.  Easy peasy.    I don't want to copy them, I don't really even want to move them.  I just want them in a folder.

18

Living Room / Re: 'Culture question' about DonationCoder - How are things done here?

« on: April 30, 2021, 06:09 PM »

This is definitely more of a place aimed towards "make whatever sounds like fun" and not somewhere to try and make an income (although, if you can....then do it!).

As for "customs" - just be friendly.  We try not to moderate when it isn't needed (and honestly, it's VERY rare for moderation to happen for anything other than spam, or just to split off a post into it's own topic so the main thread doesn't get derailed).  I wouldn't say this is an "anything goes" place, but the users here basically self-moderate for the most part.

As for your software suggestion, I haven't seen it personally, but it is well established that any suggestion of any single thing on this forum can be expected to have alternatives suggested in its place haha.  Coding Snacks aren't always picked up quickly, and the userbase generally understands this so attempts to give other options for people to use until somebody codes the custom solution

If you have any more questions, then feel free to drop them, or you can also drop by our Discord to chat with us and mouser!

-Stephen

-Stephen66515 (April 30, 2021, 06:00 PM)

Ok, cool.  (I was thinking more about if it's a place where the coders come to make an income or just to hang out and code fun stuff.  Again, back to my example of r/slavelabour on Reddit.)

And I guess I got lucky with my request, it was picked up right away.  Which probably also effected my read on what kind of culture this place had.  I honestly was expecting to have to wait a bit.

I think I'll be fine here.  Probably, lol.  I did have one comment misread a bit (not the one with CodeZwerg), but while I'm wysiwyg and can be direct, I'm not a hater, ha, I can say that.

Thanks!

19

Living Room / Re: 'Culture question' about DonationCoder - How are things done here?

« on: April 30, 2021, 05:59 PM »

Good day.
Sorry my bad english.
My post 'not interested' plus what to do without any 3rd party tool was not meant to offend you.
Sorry if you interpreted this as such.
On this forum many talented coders/users with great knowledge are taking a request/giving hints.
- To signal others/or OP; i'd say what i say.
From point of donation: give what think is fair. 1cent or a million, it is your free will, no rule.
Mouser (the head from this forum) made a cool 'how much is fair' letter, just search a bit and you find it.
First of all, all software is availabe free, but have in mind, even coders/helpful users must eat!

Everything i write is not meant to harm, i just express myself often rough without knowing it.

Enjoy your staying!

-KodeZwerg (April 30, 2021, 12:40 PM)

Hey man,

No, not offended at all!  It was just unusual to me to see that.  And not just from you but from some other people as well.  In recalling your message, I didn't remember you making alternative suggestions, I thought your suggestions were just regular system functions  ('create folder'-->select-->move.)  I see now there was another suggestion as well.  That's my bad.

I do have to say though, not your post, but many that came later- I mean, a user already picked up my project.  And a couple weeks have gone by and people are still making suggestions.  Good for any future searcher, but.... the guy's already started. Even if someone posted something that was close to what I was looking for, I'm not comfortable going to the guy and saying "Hey- forget all that work you already did, I found something else, never mind."  That would be rude and disrespectful, lol... imo.   Plus, of course, I'm very particular about what I want, lol... and most of the suggestions, while close, aren't exactly what I'm looking for.

And thank you for the comments about donating.  I'm just trying to avoid a situation where -   "Oh, around here donations are expected and usually start at <unexpected amount>".   

 
Thanks for your message, I'm glad to get that clarified, and I'll see you on the forum!

20

Living Room / Re: 'Culture question' about DonationCoder - How are things done here?

« on: April 30, 2021, 05:50 PM »

hi Jasong,
lots of people here aren't coders. If you make a request, people will make suggestions of software that might do that already (why reinvent the wheel) and people will make suggestions of workarounds (fwiw they may or may not be coders, doesn't matter...).
In the thread you posted in, a couple of people were negative about the idea of coding something cause they felt the workaround was a better, or a good enough solution. Everyone who posted in that thread was being helpful -- naturally that doesn't mean you agree with or follow their advice.

People who code 'snacks' or apps do it if they want (and have the time) and don't if the idea doesn't interest them. Re donating: it's always nice to donate to say thank you. If you request something, you could always ask per private-message (PM) what the coder's expectations are. I reckon a lot of people donate according to their means. One could also donate to someone who has given particularly helpful advice. There's no rules about any of it though.

-tomos (April 30, 2021, 11:42 AM)

Ok, thanks, noted.  I recall one person, who commented in this thread also and to whom I'm about to reply to, posted they weren't interested and I thought nothing else.  On reread I see they did actually suggest one thing.  The other thing was just using regular system functions, or at least that's how I read it.

And then on the coding- noted.  I guess I'm looking to orient myself if this is like a place where hobbiests hang out and help people out when they want, or is this more like a place where people come to earn income. Like r/slavelabour, on Reddit.  And places can have customs or conventions/expectations that are unspoken, and if there were any, I'd want to know as a guy is about to finish my request.

Thanks for your thoughts, appreciated!

21

Living Room / 'Culture question' about DonationCoder - How are things done here?

« on: April 30, 2021, 10:40 AM »

Hey everyone,

Apologies if putting this here isn't the best place.  Didn't seem to fit anywhere else.


I'm new here, and had some questions about the culture here, how things are done.  I found this place, I forget where, probably Reddit.  Someone was suggesting here as a place where one can go and request programs to be made in exchange for donations.

I have several things I love to be coded.  I posted one to get started, a simple thing to select files, right click and create folder for those selected items.  It's over in the requests board.

But since then I've been wondering-

1- A couple people replied specifically to tell me that they weren't interested in coding that.  That was the whole point of their post.
2- A user did pick up my task.  He said "I'm on it" and created a github, etc. etc.

So some of this was unexpected and looking at the effiency of his posts and updates, etc.  I started to have some questions and wanted to just clarify some things.

Why would someone post just to tell me only that they're not interested in taking the project.  Probably it's nothing, just 'how he is', which is fine and cool, but I wanted just to check on that to see if I'm missing something.  Also- with the donations and expectations.  What's expected in terms of a donation?  The word 'donation' implies 'optional'.  I'm happy to donate something, I'm not saying I want stuff done for free.  (Although, of course, that would be awesome).  But I guess I'm seeing that there's a range of potential culture (behavior) between "yeah, chip in if you found it useful" and probably "people expect a donation (and it should be within <number> and <number> based on <factors>).

So tl/dr- how are things done here in terms of 'why' people take tasks and what the expectations are in terms of donations.  I understand in advance that the answer might not be cut and dry and will depend on a lot of factors, the person coding, the difficulty of the project, the time it takes, etc. etc. etc.  Just looking to increase my understanding of the culture here.

Thanks!

22

General Software Discussion / Re: Idea: 'Enfolder'- Select a group of files, right click, select 'Enfolder', Windo

« on: April 26, 2021, 10:16 AM »

Just as a note, Lopesoft FileMenu Tools includes a "pack to folder" option that does what you want (among many other useful things). There's a limit of packing 20 objects for the free version, a license (€10+vat) removes that restriction. I purchased a license years ago and it has worked well.

-x16wda (April 25, 2021, 03:55 PM)

Hey,

Thanks, that does actually look interesting, and does seem to meet many of my requirements.  I do kinda prefer a more simple interface though, since I'm not that interested in the other tools in that kit.   But thanks for passing that on.  So many too resources, lol.. How can anyone ever find them all??

23

General Software Discussion / Re: Idea: 'Enfolder'- Select a group of files, right click, select 'Enfolder', Windo

« on: April 26, 2021, 10:13 AM »

Hi Jason! Nice to see you back

Absolutely! There are several releases to close April; yours included

-publicdomain (April 25, 2021, 02:59 PM)

Excellent!  Yeah, I was worried and am glad it got sorted; I'm psyched to find this place, I actually don't know any other places where you can 'hire' coders.  And I have a couple things I'd love to have done.  Looking forward to it!

24

General Software Discussion / Re: Idea: 'Enfolder'- Select a group of files, right click, select 'Enfolder', Windo

« on: April 24, 2021, 08:13 PM »

I'd love to be able to select a group of files/folders, then right click and select the option 'Enfolder' and Windows creates a folder and places all of my selected files into that folder.

-Jasong222 (April 06, 2021, 03:24 PM)

Hi there Jason, I'm in!

I'm finishing the releases in my signature + some others as I'm finally home & free from work. Stay tuned @ the repo.

Cheers!

-publicdomain (April 07, 2021, 10:48 AM)

Hey man,

Just wanted to ping you- I had some issue logging in, and also see that my post was moved, but I can't quite tell from where to where.  Anyway, just checking in to say hello and still hoping you're up to code this idea!

25

General Software Discussion / Re: Idea: 'Enfolder'- Select a group of files, right click, select 'Enfolder', Windo

« on: April 07, 2021, 04:22 PM »

What KodeZwerg said...

Or, try a third-party file manager.  I use the excellent Total Commander, payware, or start with one of the many free ones, e.g. FreeCommander, Double Commander, Multi Commander, Altap Salamander, Explorer++, Q-Dir, etc.

-rjbull (April 07, 2021, 04:13 PM)

I'm quite sure none of those programs offer this feature I'm describing.  Certainly not as a right-click option.  And as I said, I'm not looking for any other function than that. I don't want to have to run a whole program just to grab a few files off my desktop and put them into a folder once in a while.

Thank you for telling me you're not interested in participating in this.