My Unofficial Updated Version

[Markham]

I've read this Forum and it appears that many of the requested items are included in those I added in my copy of Circle Dock, so I'm making available my latest version.

The changes I've made include the following:

• 1. Folder Stacks: It is now very easy to add a Folder Stack to your Dock - see Add -> Folder Stack. This command adds a blank folder icon on your Dock and opens the Settings Dialog to allow you to change the icon used to represent the Folder Stack and give it a unique name. Do not make any other changes! After closing the Settings Dialog, left-click on your new folder and select the path that should be opened; ignore the icon field here.
  
  Important Note: This ability relies on StackDocklet.exe (version 1) being in your Systems\Miscellaneous folder and its associated DLL in System\Miscellaneous\StackDoclet. Copies of both these items are included in the Zip file.
• 2. Circle Dock can remain hidden after loading - useful if you include this program in your Windows Startup folder. In fact, in common with other Dock programs, it will briefly show itself on loading but will then hide itself. See "General" in the Configuration Dialog.
• 3. Circle Dock will optionally always display the top level each time it is displayed. See "General" in the Configuration Dialog.
• 4. Circle Dock can auto-hide itself if you move the mouse pointer outside its background's boundary, but not necessarily immediately: it uses a value based on the "dwell time" used for toggling its visibility if the cursor is at the top/left/right/bottom edges of the screen. See "Toggling" in the Configuration Dialog.
• 5. Added a new menu item: "AutoHide" to allow you to toggle AutoHide on and off. It will be necessary for you to disable AutoHide when dragging-and-dropping new items onto the Dock. Note this toggle is NOT persistent and the setting for AutoHide (from Configuration Dialog) will be used the next time you start Circle Dock.
• 6. You can force Circle Dock's background to be completely on-screen by disabling both "Centre around cursor  when shown" and "Lock Dock to current position". See "Location" in the Configuration Dialog.
• 7. The maximum size for the background is now the visible screen height (less a few pixels). This change was necessary to allow for completely showing the Dock (#5 above).
• 8. Enabled "Show Labels on Mouse-over" option so that labels can either be permanently shown or only shown when the mouse pointer is over the item. (Eric had this in the UI but had not added code to make it functional.) See "Labels" in Configuration Dialog.
• 9. Added an option - "Fast Draw" - which displays each item as it is created. If unchecked, the previous behaviour (show all items after last item is created) is used. Enabling this item may be visually better on slow PCs. (Eric had written the code for this but not added an enabling option in the UI.) See "General" in the Configuration Dialog.
• 10.The settings for Dock Rotation (Configuration Dialog -> General) were confusing. Circle Dock actually uses the value for 'Key Presses / Mouse wheel scrolls' whilst 'Set Rotation' displayed the number of Radians of the last rotation performed - this would be negative if the last rotation was counter-clockwise. The two controls are now linked, modifying one is reflected in the other. I've also added the necessary conversion code so that 'Set Rotation' displays Degrees rather than Radians.
• 11.Added a button to make it easier to set the optimum rotation values based on the number of items to be placed - set by the values in 'Dock Shape'.
• 12.Added hints to some of the more esoteric configuration items.

Attached to this post are two Zip files. The "Unofficial" upgrade should be unzipped to your Circle Dock Folder - ensure that you also unzip the support files to their correct folders. The second Zip file contains my latest source for those who are interested.

One thing that Eric hasn't yet implemented is elliptical dock shape. I do have some code for drawing and plotting positions on an ellipses and will look at implementing this. However, the math involved is quite complex and, more importantly, time-consuming: the time taken to paint each level will be somewhat slower. Rotating an elliptical dock may not be practicable - for the same reasons. Finally, as ellipses can have varying widths and heights, it may be better for Circle Dock to handle the drawing/painting of this, rather than use bitmap files.

Enjoy the update and let me know if you find any problems!


Mark

[mouser]

This is wonderful that you are sharing this.  You are going to make a lot of people happy. 

[Rigel]

Great work, thanks.
I have some trouble.
Your CD version start too slow,approximately 4 seconds.
If I move the mouse during item creation at the end CD move to the new pointer position.
In some cases if I click more time CD creates more icon of one item.
Two resquest if possible:
     - open folder in a new external circle
     - Solve the shortcut problem (I post a manual solution but It is boring).
     - Spiral shape
Thanks

[sgtevmckay]

Thanks for your work.

With the continuing absence of VIP, I have feared for this project.  

Welcome to DonationCoder and Circles dock's little part of it 

[Markham]

Your CD version start too slow,approximately 4 seconds.

-Rigel (September 27, 2009, 03:51 PM)

I'm not seeing that. Maybe you have too many items in your first level. Try enabling the "Fast Draw" option.

If I move the mouse during item creation at the end CD move to the new pointer position.
In some cases if I click more time CD creates more icon of one item.

I'm not seeing either of these behaviours either. But I'll keep a watchful eye open and try to fix if I see them.

Two resquest if possible:
     - open folder in a new external circle

I'll put this on a to-do list but it will require some fairly major changes to the item positioning code.

    - Solve the shortcut problem (I post a manual solution but It is boring).

Fixed for the next (unofficial) release.

    - Spiral shape

Added to the to-do list for investigation.



Mark

[Markham]

Thanks for your work.

With the continuing absence of VIP, I have feared for this project. 

Welcome to DonationCoder and Circles dock's little part of it 

-sgtevmckay (September 27, 2009, 06:54 PM)

Thank you for your welcome!

Although I don't have too much spare time, I will try to keep this project alive. If any other members have modified the source code to add new features or correct "misfeatures" and they wish to send me their sources, I'm happy to incorporate and release those changes for the benefit of all members pending Eric's return. Please PM me for my email address.

Thanks!


Mark

[Rigel]

Maybe, I made an error in upgrade.
I have only 12 item in CD. If I enable "Fast Draw" CD takes some time to create each item and at the end It redraw instantaneously where I move mouse pointer. Normal CD seems to create item only the first time on start and It only redraw on click. Your mod seems to recreate the item each time.
It seems, in very simple code:
for each item{
    if (item.image != null) item.redraw(); <--- error in my case
    else new Item(x).draw();           
    }
It is possible I broke some file when I upgrade?
There is an option to made a log?
Thanks

[Markham]

Maybe, I made an error in upgrade.
I have only 12 item in CD. If I enable "Fast Draw" CD takes some time to create each item and at the end It redraw instantaneously where I move mouse pointer. Normal CD seems to create item only the first time on start and It only redraw on click. Your mod seems to recreate the item each time.
It seems, in very simple code:
for each item{
    if (item.image != null) item.redraw(); <--- error in my case
    else new Item(x).draw();           
    }
It is possible I broke some file when I upgrade?
There is an option to made a log?
Thanks

-Rigel (September 28, 2009, 06:42 AM)

I haven't touched any of the code that paints the items, so I'm at a loss to know what is causing your problem. Eric already had coded the "Fast Draw" routines and they work well: all I did was expose that functionality by making the relevant option setting visible.


Mark

[Markham]

Normal CD seems to create item only the first time on start and It only redraw on click. Your mod seems to recreate the item each time.

-Rigel (September 28, 2009, 06:42 AM)

Have you got the "Use Memory Save" enabled?

[Rigel]

I found the problem.
I had tried with or without memory saver but, to be sure, after your post, I tried again but i disabled all the options near memory saver so I found the bugged one: "Always return to top level". Now without this option CD is faster ^___^.
An other problem: if you enable "fast Draw" and click during item creation the item were drawn as many time as you click. To make a joke I click many many time and my twelve item became almost 120 but CD freeze. ^___^ If you disable event between the CD activation and the final rendering it is resolved.
I should like to help you upgrading CD but I am strongly prepared in Java and in Jess (IA language) and If I understand C# code it's too difficult to learn new API in a short time. When I finish my work I'll try to study C# ^___^.
For now, Good work and thanks.

p.s. Excuseme for my poor english. I'm italian, I read many time english books or articles but the last 4 year I never write or speak english until this little posts onto this forum.

[Rigel]

An other suggestion: Can you substitute the stackalonestack with ver2? In ver 2 there is shorthcut navigation feature ^___^

[sgtevmckay]

An other suggestion: Can you substitute the stackalonestack with ver2? In ver 2 there is shorthcut navigation feature ^___^

-Rigel (September 30, 2009, 05:00 PM)

You will need to look into this modification of the Stack.
http://www.chrisnsof...ne-stack-2-released/

[Markham]

I found the problem.
I had tried with or without memory saver but, to be sure, after your post, I tried again but i disabled all the options near memory saver so I found the bugged one: "Always return to top level". Now without this option CD is faster ^___^.

-Rigel (September 30, 2009, 04:43 PM)

If the Dock is displaying its top level menu when it is hidden, the next time the Dock is shown, it would reconstruct that level completely. This has been fixed.

An other problem: if you enable "fast Draw" and click during item creation the item were drawn as many time as you click. To make a joke I click many many time and my twelve item became almost 120 but CD freeze. ^___^ If you disable event between the CD activation and the final rendering it is resolved.

Good catch and I've fixed that one too.

[Markham]

An other suggestion: Can you substitute the stackalonestack with ver2? In ver 2 there is shorthcut navigation feature ^___^

-Rigel (September 30, 2009, 05:00 PM)

The short answer is "unlikely" as I'm planning to support Docklets natively.

I did look at supporting StandaloneStack v2 but upon testing it first, I found inconsitencies (ie bugs) in the way it behaves across my platforms (XP, Vista and Windows 7). Both versions have a tendency to remain in memory - sometimes multiple copies - when their stack is closed. We will stick with v1 for the time being: it has fewer bugs!

[chaby83]

Hi
 
Great work body!!! You solved my all problems with CD... Somehow with your modifications CD is 100x faster on my laptop!! 

I had a problem with the original ver, that sometimes doesnt want to come out CD after hiding on when i touched with mouse the edge of the screen. In your version that works perfect...

I had a little bug when i started your upgraded version but than i disabled that option "show circle dock on load" and "always return to top" and than worked fine!!! Auto hide is working perfectly and that "fast draw" option is enabled, maybe that was my issue with the original Eric's version. But yours is just workin perfect!!

Million Thanx