Author Topic: tv_out: a shortcut for quickly turning extended desktop on/off (Read 50940 times)

Nod5 · « **on:** April 17, 2008, 02:54 PM »

tv_out creates a shortcut for quickly turning extended desktop on/off.
the shortcut icon changes to reflects the on/off state of the extended desktop.
download from this page: http://nod5.dcmembers.com/tv_out.html

I have tested tv_out on several different systems without any problems. Post some feedback if you encounter a bug.

lanux128 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 17, 2008, 07:15 PM »

good job, Nod5! i remember this feature being requested several times, not only in these forums but also in AHK's as well.

Deozaan · « **Reply #2 on:** April 18, 2008, 12:55 AM »

For some reason I wasn't expecting it to shut off my extended desktop when I clicked the exe to create the ini and shortcut. I wasn't too happy with all my windows moving over to my 1 desktop and having it shut off. Although that's exactly what would have happened anyway when I tested it, I just wasn't too happy for it to happen by default to "install" the shortcut and everything.

It's hard to describe. I'm complaining about something happening that I was going to do anyway, but the reason I didn't like it was because it happened before I felt like I "gave it permission" to happen.

But I have to say it worked flawlessly.

Nod5 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 18, 2008, 05:15 AM »

lanux: I've done this with a script that navigates the GUI for some time but have since then been on the lookout for some cleaner way. And now a working function was posted to the autohotkey forum. I only had to intersect that into my previous code and voila. The autohotkey forum is a great place BTW - it has code snippets for doing almost anything.

Deozaan: Glad that it works. Good call about it running immediately after setup. I updated tv_out accordingly:
v080418: running tv_out.exe directly (=setup) does not toggle extended desktop on/off, only desktop shortcut does that (thanks Deozaan)
http://nod5.dcmembers.com/tv_out.html
EDIT:
080419: fixed a small variable error from 080418

Jimdoria · « **Reply #4 on:** April 18, 2008, 03:48 PM »

I have a script that enables my 2nd monitor and sets it to a particular vertical offset to match the physical arangement of the screens on my desk. It's a total hack based on simulating mouse clicks & drags (although watching the mouse pointer move that 2nd screen into position every time always makes me smile, and think about how many months I spent doin it by hand.)

I never bothered adding the ability to disable the 2nd monitor because it seemed like too much effort for the return on investment, since that only takes two clicks anyway.

I'll have to take a look at the code and see if I can adapt it to use screen offsets. THANKS!

BTW - I didn't seem to get the ICL in my copy of the zip file. Should it be in there?

Nod5 · « **Reply #5 on:** April 19, 2008, 09:17 AM »

Jim, I had forgotten to include the .icl in the last tv_out.zip. I reuploaded a complete .zip just now.

Jimdoria · « **Reply #6 on:** April 21, 2008, 12:33 PM »

Got it. Thanks!

relequestual · « **Reply #7 on:** May 05, 2008, 05:22 AM »

spyware terminator picks this up as spyware. I'm reporting it as a false positive right this very minute. Thanks so much for this wounderful app!

you rock

Nod5 · « **Reply #8 on:** May 13, 2008, 06:48 PM »

Hi relequestual, sorry for the late reply - I saw your post just now. Thanks for the heads up and for contacting them.

To anyone reading this that might be hesitant about using tv_out: All apps made in autohotkey ( autohotkey.com ) seem to run the risk of ending up as false positives in some anti-spyware tool somewhere. See the autohotkey forums for numerous examples. There's not much I can do about that. I can only emphasize that there is no spyware at all in tv_out. The tv_out .zip file contains the source so anyone who is hesitant can check the source and compile their own version if they want to.

nitrix-ud · « **Reply #9 on:** May 27, 2008, 01:54 PM »

@Nod5
do you plan adding the ability to offset the second monitor ?

i would love it since my second computer is on the left side, so even with you great tool, i have to do pretty much the whole process

cheers, nitrix

Nod5 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 29, 2008, 06:44 PM »

I've always kept the secondary monitor in the default position so I wasn't aware that tv_out was forcing it to be positioned to the right, but you're right, it does. It's by no means a planned feature. I'll check if there's some nice way to solve this by tweaking the AHK function I'm using.

dlcarraw · « **Reply #11 on:** September 19, 2008, 08:21 PM »

This is great! Thank you!
Does the program return any error codes or have any command line options? I want to be able to tell if the second display is not on - and then run tv_out to turn it on if need be. I am trying to build the behavior such that my script always tries to turn the second display on, and never tries to turn the second display off.

Nod5 · « **Reply #12 on:** October 01, 2008, 04:36 PM »

Late reply but if you read this dlcarraw: glad that you liked it!

tv_out v081001
v081001: ini option to only enable, never disable, second display
http://nod5.dcmembers.com/tv_out.html

glove99 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 28, 2008, 01:55 PM »

Hi!

Great utility. Im glad I found it (and you wrote it!)

I noticed after I run the program and my desktop is extended, tv_out shows a blank dialog box w/ OK button. Anyone else see that? Is this a confirmation dialog? Is there a command line parameter to remove that? The extended desktop is all the confirmation I really need.

Thanks!

glove99 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 28, 2008, 04:25 PM »

Nevermind, I edited the source to remove the msgbox and recompiled the script.

hero09 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 04, 2009, 03:23 AM »

hello!

great little utility, very useful.

i am also seeing a blank dialog box, as described above. may i ask how to disable it

Nevermind, I edited the source to remove the msgbox and recompiled the script.
-glove99 (October 28, 2008, 04:25 PM)

thank you!

techidave · « **Reply #16 on:** January 16, 2009, 02:51 PM »

Great utiltiy Nod5!

I have been trying it out the past couple of days and find it is really slick.

I wish I had seen this when you first posted it, it could have save me a bunch of headaches with some of my non techie teachers and their projectors.

Nod5 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 17, 2009, 08:43 AM »

Thanks!
I've uploaded version 090117: it removes the msgbox-bug that glove99 found. No other changes. The msgbox only showed up when using the alwaysturnon=1 .ini option so I missed it before.

techidave · « **Reply #18 on:** January 17, 2009, 07:11 PM »

Nod, is there anyway you can add a keyboard hotkey to this?

Nod5 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 18, 2009, 06:24 AM »

techidave: tv_out is not made to be always running so the current script can't have built in hotkeys. I could add that as an option but it might also be confusing to build in such a "always running" mode. I'll think about it next time I update the script.

In the meantime, here are two quick, external ways to get a hotkey:

1. right click the tv_out icon on the desktop > properties: set up a hotkey. I think that should work, though there are some limitations in what hotkeys that can be used.

2. use a custom autohotkey helper script (save code as somename.ahk, compile (requires autohotkey installed), put in some folder, then add a link to it to your autostart folder) :

[Select]

#1::
Run, %A_Desktop%\TV_OUT
return

The example above uses win + 1 as hotkey. But any hotkey can be used by changing the row "#1::" above, see http://www.autohotke...com/docs/KeyList.htm for details on hotkeys to use.

techidave · « **Reply #20 on:** January 18, 2009, 06:47 AM »

I think I will try option #1 and see what happens. I like hotkeys but most non techies prefer the icon, at least the ones that I know.

Thanks for fixing the msgbox-bug, I was getting that also.

lanux128 · « **Reply #21 on:** January 18, 2009, 11:51 PM »

Nod5: if the tv_out shortcut on the desktop is auto-created, maybe you can include hotkey support via the 'FileCreateShortcut' command. if not techidave can add it himself here (see pic)

techidave · « **Reply #22 on:** January 19, 2009, 05:43 AM »

I am going to add the hotkey, I just forgot that I am able to do that. Don't really use that option but may have to start using it more.

Nod5 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 19, 2009, 12:09 PM »

great suggestion lanux128!

I've uploaded version 090119: ini option to make a ctrl+alt+__ hotkey

It must be a ctrl+alt+___ hotkey due to a limitation in the autohotkey FileCreateShortcut command. But ctrl+alt+D (D as in display) is a pretty good hotkey.

rowancorbett · « **Reply #24 on:** March 19, 2009, 12:26 PM »

Hey Nod5,
I'm running TV_OUT on Windows 7 beta and I'm happy to report that it works great!
The only problem I'm having is that 7 doesn't seem to be able to use the tv_out.icl (it reports that the file contains no icons), so I get the ugly "no icon" icon. I've tried assigning another icon, but this gets changed every time the TV_OUT is used.
Thanks so much for making this! It's a solution to a headache I've been having for weeks.

Thanks,
Rowan C.