Messages

301

Circle Dock / Circle Dock: Latest Release here (Updated October 13, 2008)

« on: November 15, 2009, 12:11 PM »

The current release is 0.9.2 Alpha 8.2 and available from Circle Dock's SourceForge page.

302

Circle Dock / Re: Circle Dock Release v0.9.3.1

« on: November 14, 2009, 11:09 PM »

Pleased to hear that!


Mark

303

Circle Dock / Need support for Circle Dock? Please read this first before posting

« on: November 13, 2009, 11:28 AM »

A number of users have been sending me - and Sarge ("SgtEVMcKay") - PMs (Personal Messages) requesting support. Unfortunately, due to other commitments, we're unable to provide a personalised service via email or PMs.

If you're unsure about how to use a feature, then you should consult the Help System which very probably will answer your question.

We operate a "peer-to-peer" support system which works like this. If you need support, or have a question about Circle Dock, please read this Forum to see if anyone else has already posted about the issue(s) you face.

If you can't find a topic in either the Help System or in this Forum that deals with your problem, then by all means post a message and you'll receive a response from either Sarge or myself - or even another, perhaps more experienced, user. To help us help you, please include as much detail in your message as you can about the issue(s) you face and include the following:

• The version of Circle Dock you're using
• Your Operating System version, type and Service Pack level (eg: "Windows Vista 64-bit, SP1")
• The version of MS .Net Framework Circle Dock is using. This - and the information for the two preceding items - is given at the top of the "About" Tab in "Settings".
  
• The nature of your problem - giving as much detail as possible; include screenshots if they will help illustrate the issue
• If you're reporting a bug and it's reproducible, then please include the steps necessary to reproduce the problem

Thank you!


Mark

304

Circle Dock / Re: Circle Dock Release v0.9.3.1

« on: November 13, 2009, 11:02 AM »

Rigth after installing, on first launch, i get an error message (see attachment)
Please help i'm clueless. 

-perchera (November 03, 2009, 05:38 AM)

I give up. I'm totally new to this program and not very savy so please be kind as i love this app and wish to keep trying to use it. I installed 9.2Alpha8.2 which i had working for a short time before it wouldn't open again. I thought i'd try the new 9.3.1 version. I had it working until i changed toggle settings and it won't work again. i keep getting the same error as PERCHERA. It won't even let me go in and change config. I uninstalled 8.2 and then reinstalled 9.3.1 again. Still not working.

-Tonke (November 13, 2009, 04:53 AM)

I suggest you try the following:

• Uninstall Circle Dock
• Remove/Delete any Circle Dock folders you have in your Start Menu
• Re-Install Circle Dock

All should be fine now.


Mark

305

Circle Dock / Request for MultiInstanceCircleDock

« on: November 13, 2009, 10:49 AM »

A little problem, when I move mouse pointer on an icon the label appear but if the icon have a transparent area, also in center, the label disappear and the click fault, the same problem I wrote about start menu. It's not a real problem so if it's difficult to fix don't worry.

-Rigel (November 13, 2009, 08:56 AM)

Some icons contain a transparent area such as the highlighted icon in this screen shot:

The blue arrow points to a transparent area within the icon.

When the mouse cursor is placed on an icon, Windows sends a message to the icon which basically says "Icon.Enter" and if you then move the mouse over the icon and onto the background, Windows sends an "Icon.Leave" message. That's fine for most icons but some - like the one I've highlighted above - contain a transparent area within them. If the mouse cursor is placed on that transparent area, Windows gets confused and sends a rapid-fire succession of "Icon.Leave" and "Icon.Enter" messages and this results in flashing of the label as well as other undesirable visual effects. That's because, having sent the "Icon.Leave" message, Windows notices that the mouse cursor is still within the icon's bounding rectangle and so fires an "Icon.Enter" message and then it notices that the mouse cursor is, in fact, on a completely transparent area and so sends an "Icon.Leave" message. This is a "design feature" of Windows and there's nothing I can do about that.

It is possible, using a decent graphics editor, to modify the icon such that the internal transparent area is very slightly opaque - eg 1/255th opaque and that will be enough to overcome this problem.

Request for multiple instance: Instead running CircleDock.exe can you run a window setting for multiple instance (es. MultiCircleDock.exe)? When starts the first time appear a window settings like my screenshot where create add administrate new instances. To show new windows you can add an option in CD normal setting.
Windows autorun start MultiCircleDock hidden and then it starts all the instances. In CD you can change only a thing adding an option arg (CircleDock.exe /nameInstance) where nameInstance are the user titles and subfolder with settings. Or you can add a MultiCircleDock.exe an arg to start hidden for autorun but when you click in start menu it's show the window

Hmmm... judging from the messages on this Board, the demand for multiple instances is somewhat weak. You appear to be asking for a separate program which will remotely start and stop Circle Dock instances and whilst this is certainly possible, it falls outside what I'm prepared to add to a freeware program, given the lack of interest or demand. I have already done a considerable amount of work on multiple instances and would prefer to concentrate on adding features with more popular appeal - eg docklets.

If you, or anyone else, wishes to write such a control program, I will supply the necessary API call to enable you to remotely close instances.



Mark

306

Circle Dock / Circle Dock v1.00 Beta 1

« on: November 13, 2009, 02:45 AM »

Ok folks, here it is - Circle Dock with elliptical dock shape! Please read these notes carefully before trying this Beta.

• This is Beta Code and will, in all likelihood, contain some bugs.
• The attached Zip file contains only the Circle Dock executable file. You must already have installed the latest v0.9.3/1 release.
• Before unzipping the Beta executable, exit all instances of Circle Dock that you have running.
• I strongly suggest that you make a backup copy of your CircleDock.Exe file by, for example, renaming it to "CircleDock-0.9.3.1.exe".
• You can now safely unzip Beta 1 into your CircleDock folder and play with the new features
• To change the dock's shape from Circle to Ellipse, bring up the main Properties dialog and select the "Dock Shape" tab, click on the "Shape" combo and select "Ellipse". Having done that, you'll probably want to adjust the height and width of the "rings" using the sliders provided on the "Ellipse" sub-tab. You can also adjust the width of the background on the "Background" sub-tab of the "Elements" tab - this will resize the background using the same aspect ratio as the "rings".

.

• One of the changes made to this release is that all image rendering is now done at the highest possible quality and all the images will now appear crisper and the labels clearer. However, this is at the expense of speed and whilst this won't be a problem for those with faster CPUs, it might appear to be slower on older, less "meaty" PCs. You can disable this option and use the faster image rendering of previous releases on the "Other" sub-tab of the "General" tab.

Please report any bugs you find - and your comments and suggestions - as replies to this Topic thread.

Thank you - enjoy and please psot some feedback!



Mark


Download link: CircleDockBeta1.zip (1434.42 kB - downloaded 1549 times.)

307

Circle Dock / Coming soon ... Elliptical Docks

« on: November 11, 2009, 03:15 AM »

I will be uploading a Beta of the forthcoming version 1.00 of Circle Dock in the next day or so. This will support elliptical as well as circular dock shapes.

Here's a sneak preview:



The background object is, in fact, a circular bitmap which has been 'morphed' into an elliptical shape with the same aspect ratio as the elliptical arc described by the Dock Items. Circle Dock handles this automatically for you.


Mark

308

Circle Dock / Re: Help? Getting Started?

« on: November 08, 2009, 10:39 PM »

Hi Daniel

Yes there is help but only in the more recent releases. You appear to have installed "Alpha 8", which is the last version the original author posted on the Circle Dock website over a year ago. On this site you will find the latest release - in this topic - and if you read this topic, you'll get some understanding as to the program's status.


Mark

309

Circle Dock / Circle Dock: The Past, The Present and The Future

« on: November 07, 2009, 12:11 AM »

Eric Wong - "Video-In-Picture" - is Circle Dock's original author and the first versions were written in Microsoft's Visual Basic. More recently he converted the whole project to C# (pronounced "C Sharp") and that remains the language used for its development. The last version he released was "Alpha 8" and that was in September 2008 and shortly after he released a binary only version which included the ability to set the shape of the dock to be elliptical. He last posted here around 8th October 2008 and also added an entry on the Circle Dock website that the next release - "Alpha 9" - was postponed indefinitely.

Unfortunately he does not appear to have returned either to this site or to the development of this, or any of his other programs, since that date.

I first came across Circle Dock towards the end of August but on finding some nasty bugs, downloaded the source code and began to fix all those I came across. I also added some new features and released an unofficial version in early September. Since that time, I have continued to fix further bugs, make some changes (such as the new Properties dialog) and add a raft of new features. Some of the new features are not mine - the enhanced drag-and-drop and Toggle Button - are the work of another Circle Dock enthusiast, "Dr Wicked".

I will continue to develop and maintain Circle Dock for the foreseeable future and should Eric return in the interim, I will gladly hand-back the development - and kudos - to him. Until that time, you can rest assured that work will continue on Circle Dock.

There's now a new moderating team for this Forum: SgtEVMcKay joins me in keeping some sort of order in this place!


Mark

310

Circle Dock / Re: Circle Dock Release v0.9.3.1

« on: November 06, 2009, 09:51 PM »

Looks like you're trying to use your settings from Alpha 8 and there's a value that is set too high. When I designed the new Properties dialog, I found some of the sliders' maximum values were set at ridiculously high levels and I lowered them to more sensible (and in at least one case, achievable) levels.

I suggest you delete your Settings\Config.ini file -- and only that file -- and re-install v0.9.3.1. That will install a default Config.ini.



Mark

311

Circle Dock / Re: Variable depth hotkeys and keyboard control

« on: November 04, 2009, 01:33 AM »

Cheers Mark for the prompt response, glad to know that this will be implemented so soon!

-timothyskelton (November 03, 2009, 03:19 PM)

It's implemented now - as of Release 0.9.3.1.


Mark

312

Circle Dock / Re: Rotating icons sound!

« on: November 03, 2009, 08:49 AM »

How about the ability to select a sound when the icons are rotated?
A few ideas already are; roulette wheel, Gun revolver cylinder spinning, fishing reel sound, and just some random sounds associated with a mechanical spinning motion.
Also, sounds can be optionally added when clicking on icons and center button clicks.

-rain922 (November 03, 2009, 06:30 AM)

Future Future Request: spinning effects like wind or like wheel when it turns but without motion blur on icon

-Rigel (November 03, 2009, 07:48 AM)

Sorry but "no" to both of the above.


Mark

313

Circle Dock / Re: Circle Dock v0.9.3.0 is released!

« on: November 02, 2009, 12:34 PM »

FileHippo is currently closed to new applications.

"Open file location" has been added to the list of future enhancements.


Mark

314

Circle Dock / Circle Dock Release v0.9.3.1

« on: November 02, 2009, 12:26 PM »

This version has one bug fix, one change and one new feature.

The bug fix concerns clearing the exception when setting the mouse to toggle the Dock's visibility at one or more screen edges. Simply rearranging the modules in the packed executable fixes that.

The change is that the help system was consuming to much memory and resources. It has now been externalised and can be called-up from the Dock's Context Menus, the main Properties dialog, as well as the Start Menu and Desktop (if you've permitted that on installing).

The new feature is that now Circle Dock can almost entirely be controlled by the keyboard. You will almost certainly need to have a mouse available to configure your Dock but once all your items are added, you can enable the "keyboard emulation" mode. This is documented in the help system.

Download: SetupCircleDock.zip (7633.01 kB - downloaded 8583 times.)

Enjoy!


Mark

315

Circle Dock / Re: Variable depth hotkeys and keyboard control

« on: November 02, 2009, 04:49 AM »

Improved keyboard control is a feature I was planning to add and it will be included in Release 0.9.3.1.


Mark

316

Circle Dock / Re: Circle Dock v0.9.3.0 is released!

« on: October 31, 2009, 01:21 AM »

i hope the item icons can be locked or when drag out from  the CD ,the icon can return to where it is.

-stockgod (October 30, 2009, 09:53 PM)

I guess you're not currently a Circle Dock user and that this is a "pre-sales" inquiry?

The answer is "no". You can re-order the current dock level by dragging-and-dropping the items around the dock; and dragging an tem off the Dock removes that item from the Dock.

Maybe you are looking for a read-only, "kiosk-mode" dock?



Mark

317

Circle Dock / Re: Circle Dock v0.9.3.0 is released!

« on: October 30, 2009, 12:33 PM »

I have changed first the lock at current position and normal level, closed, no problem.
Then i changed the left and right mouse thing and at closing, same warnings as yesterday (or similar, i have not compared today's with yesterday's)

-perchera (October 30, 2009, 07:01 AM)

Ah, okay, you omitted to include the information about the left/right mouse at screen edge to show the Dock in your original post. Now I see the problem and a simple rearrangement of the Netz postbuild cures it. As I'm about done on some further changes, I'll be posting an update hopefully tomorrow.


Mark

318

Circle Dock / Re: We need to make a present for Markham for updating CircleDock

« on: October 30, 2009, 02:58 AM »

Hi Sarge - nice to see you back "on parade"

I feel really awkward about this whole topic. I am not the originator of Circle Dock, merely a user with programming skills. I was encouraged to continue where Eric left-off by many here but principally by you. I've also been contacted privately by an administrator of this board and by users who've encouraged me to continue and coordinate Circle Dock's ongoing development. So really it is you and those who've contacted me that should be recognised for Circle Dock's on-going development: I'm merely the vehicle by which that is achieved.

Please don't forget that "Dr Wicked" has made several major contributions to Circle Dock and he's also helped me solve several "show-stoppers". He deserves recognition for that - though, like me, he does not seek it.

I'm particularly indebted to "Rigel" for helping me sort-out the 64-bit problem and he's responsible for suggesting some of the more recent enhancements.

Circle Dock is evolving to being a community project and whilst it's true that only "Dr Wicked" and I are actively working on the source code, others make valuable contributions by reporting bugs, making suggestions and patiently downloading, installing and using our various versions.

It's interesting to note that whilst there are numerous "Dock" programs available, only two appear to have been around for a while and are under active development: "Object Dock" and "Circle Dock". So spread the word people - "Circle Dock IS the premier dock for Windows and it's free and open-source!"

Oh and whilst I have your attention, Sarge, can I mention "docklets"



Mark

319

Circle Dock / Re: Circle Dock v0.9.3.0 is released!

« on: October 30, 2009, 02:21 AM »

I've just reinstalled Windows7 (Ultimate, Original, 32bits, Spanish) and i wanted to try your new release coz i'm still using the standalone 092Alpha82.

This is what happens. I've installed, I've simply changed one of settings (lock dock in current position) and then saved but i get this (see 3 images attached).

-perchera (October 29, 2009, 02:53 PM)

That's really strange because Circle Dock is developed under Windows 7 and I kinda think I would have noticed something as basic as that. Without a lot more information from you, I'm unable to reproduce your problem and thus fix it. Please PM me and attach a Zip file containing your Circle Dock's Config.ini and DockItemData.ini files (from the System\Settings folder) - or you may attach them to a reply in this thread.


Mark

320

Circle Dock / Re: Circle Dock v0.9.3.0 is released!

« on: October 29, 2009, 02:31 PM »

Don't worry, if it was simple it is better or it is simplest to rename the exe

-Rigel (October 29, 2009, 02:06 PM)

Circle Dock's executable can not be renamed. Well you can try to do that but you'll be somewhat disappointed by the result .


Mark

321

Circle Dock / Re: Circle Dock v0.9.3.0 is released!

« on: October 29, 2009, 11:55 AM »

Multi-instance works, great Thanks Markham

-Rigel (October 29, 2009, 08:13 AM)

You're welcome!

I find a bug in "Reorder Panel" where the item name not appear but if I edit item name in item setting and simply rewrite the same name it works.

How was the item added to the Dock in the first place? Can you give me (simple!) steps to reproduce the problem, please.

- CD title in Process Explorer under process description as in tray icon.

I'll investigate but I don't think that's going to be possible: Windows appears to restrict Process names (which it now calls "Image Names") to their file names. However as the Processes can be shown in sorted alphabetical order, the second appearance of "CircleDock.exe" will be the second instance.

- new type to highlight the item: shadow light with custom color and bumping (the item move rising range)

Oh you only want me to create a new custom bit map! Whilst that sounds a cool idea, it will slow things down as the bitmaps will have to be constructed and alpha-blended on the fly. Quite wasteful in resources too. I'll add it to the list but I'm not making any promises about delivery of this request.

when click on center button the menu must show from left-down icon corner so everywhere you click the icon the menu is shown under mouse pointer and this solve the trasparent png bug

The problem is not one of transparency but the shadow Windows can optionally cast on menus. But I'd welcome any C# code you can provide that illustrates your solution.

to solve Jump List problem when you click to center button send win button event two time, one to show start and activate start menu and the second to hide and then send the CD start menu event to show near dock.

Circle Dock doesn't send any mouse button clicks to summon the Start Menu, it sends a key-down key-up sequence using an undocumented (virtual) key. The method you suggest will cause the Start Menu to "flash" which may be unacceptable (it certainly would be to me).

Mark

322

Circle Dock / Circle Dock v0.9.3.0 is released!

« on: October 29, 2009, 05:21 AM »

I know what you're thinking - "another day, another release"!

Anyway this one does contain a new feature that's been asked for several times recently - multiple instances. The way I've implemented this forces you to use different directories for each instance you intend to run and each directory structure must be complete - there's no sharing of code or data between the various instances.

Rather than explain how it works here, I'll let you read all about it in the Help system - you do know there's a Help system now, don't you?!

This release also contains several fixes and changes in behaviour whichg you'll find documented in the Help's "History" page.

Download and install: SetupCircleDock.zip (7636.73 kB - downloaded 1423 times.)



Mark

323

Circle Dock / Re: We need to make a preset for Markham for updating CircleDock

« on: October 29, 2009, 04:52 AM »

That's a nice idea and I greatly appreciate the sentiment. But due to where I live (Cebu, Philippines), your present is unlikely to ever arrive and it's much more likely that a postal worker will sport that tshirt or drink his coffee from the mug  .

But thanks anyway!


Mark

324

Circle Dock / Re: Circle Dock v0.9.2.7 is now released!

« on: October 29, 2009, 02:20 AM »

With the old portable version, it used to be possible to run multiple instances by using multiple folders. Hotkeys needed to be configured differently, of course, but they did work happily enough since all the settings were contained in their own folder.

-Dormouse (October 25, 2009, 01:01 PM)

Okay, okay, I give in!

Effective from the next release (0.9.3.0) Circle Dock will again support multi-instance - and do it properly!

You won't be able to start a second instance from the same directory as the first: Circle Dock will detect that and, if necessary, unhide the first instance. This means you will have to have completely separate folders for each instance you intend to run.

Each instance is notified when another instance starts (and quits). This allows each instance to update the caption bar of its dialogs as well as its Taskbar icon so that you know exactly which instance you're currently accessing.

I've tried to make this as user-friendly as I can whilst protecting the program's - and your data's - integrity.



Mark

325

Circle Dock / Re: system.reflection.targetinvocationexception

« on: October 28, 2009, 08:37 PM »

Unbundled works.
I'll try x86 later this night (in Italy the time is 19:40).
But now I have an other problem, with previus version I had the error on close with more CD, now the second CD won't start.
EDIT: X86 version also works

-Rigel (October 28, 2009, 01:42 PM)

Great - thanks!

EDIT2: Very Very Strange, I control the last 2 versions and eclipse one and I descover are all 32-bit. I thought all my Markham versions was 64-bit.

No. All are actually 32-bit versions but the files are marked differently.

In the 0.9.2.7 release, CircleDock.exe was compiled for "AnyCPU" whilst all the DLLs were compiled for "x86" and the Netz wrapper is marked "AnyCPU". This works for 32-bit but not all 64-bit Operating Systems.

In CDUnbundled.zip, CircleDock.exe was compiled for "AnyCPU" whilst all the DLLs were compiled for "x86". This is the only combination I have been able to get to work on both 32-bit and 64-bit Operating Systems.

In CDx86.zip, the files were compiled in the same way but the Netz wrapper is "x86" and you - and others - have confirmed it works under a 64-bit Operating System - it also runs perfectly on 32-bit.

Good!

Thanks folks for your help in sorting this out!


Mark
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