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Author Topic: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).  (Read 14506 times)

superboyac

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I'm looking for a screensaver that I can set up at work to show on the monitor where I am in the building when I'm not at my desk.  So if i were in a meeting in Room X, it would say "Aram is at a meeting, Room X" and stuff like that.  I would also like it so I can have a bunch of premade phrases ready to go at the click of a button, like ones for lunch, different rooms, etc.

Do any of you know about something like this?

superboyac

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Is there anything that's made to show some custom text about where you are?  I'm looking for a very quick, kind of one-click solution to this.  Here's the situation:

I'm in my cubicle and I have to go to places all the time (meetings, other rooms in the building).  People come by my cubicle to see where I am.  It would be nice if the monitor was showing in big letters "I'm in Room 999".  I'd like to have many such phrases prepared in advance, and choose them quickly from a drop down menu.  This would show full screen and in big letters on the monitor.


I was looking for a screensaver program to do this, but I couldn't find any.  So I was hoping something else would exist.  Essentially, it's just a custom phrase display in a special way.

superboyac

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Re: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2010, 10:52 AM »
Well, it seems like something exists for this, kind of:
http://lifehacker.co...ensaver-away-message

I'm going to use this for now.  It would be nice if someone could spruce this up a bit.  Add a drop down for often used text, etc.

cmpm

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Re: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2010, 11:46 AM »
Add a drop down for often used text, etc.

That's what it needs for different messages.

You could use your photo screensaver, and set it to use screenshots of messages typed in Word or some other editor. In the settings have it point to that folder where the screenshot message is saved.

But then you still have to change the setting of the screensaver for different messages.
Just a thought.....

40hz

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Why not use one of those PostIt note type apps? Just use a large font size and expand it to full screen assuming you don't need to lock your machine when you leave it. That's what I usually do when I want to be found.
 :)

PhilB66

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Download DisplayMessage. It's a commandline little tool that does what you want. Go through the readme thing for the customization howto.

2010-03-23_005454.gif 2010-03-23_005630.gif

superboyac

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Re: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2010, 12:12 PM »
Add a drop down for often used text, etc.

That's what it needs for different messages.

You could use your photo screensaver, and set it to use screenshots of messages typed in Word or some other editor. In the settings have it point to that folder where the screenshot message is saved.

But then you still have to change the setting of the screensaver for different messages.
Just a thought.....
Yeah, I was thinking about that just now also.  But it's too many steps.  It needs to be a one click thing, or else it's not worth it.

PhilB66

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Re: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2010, 12:28 PM »
How about a different approach? Write messages on your desktop... http://www.pointofix.de/download.php allows you to save your messages too (via TPFC)

superboyac

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Re: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2010, 12:45 PM »
How about a different approach? Write messages on your desktop... http://www.pointofix.de/download.php allows you to save your messages too (via TPFC)
That's not bad (and a cool application).  But it's also too many steps.

PhilB66

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Re: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2010, 01:45 PM »
HTML Screensaver is another option:

Use any web page, HTML file, Shockwave Flash animation, PDF file, JPEG image, or any other file type supported by Internet Explorer as a screen saver.

mouser

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Re: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2010, 07:08 PM »
I will add this feature to Multi Photo Quotes; hopefully this week.

lanux128

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"Instantly Set a Screensaver Away Message" via Lifehacker.

http://lifehacker.co...ensaver-away-message

PhilB66

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"Instantly Set a Screensaver Away Message" via Lifehacker.

http://lifehacker.co...ensaver-away-message

https://www.donation....msg199483#msg199483

Could you merge the two threads?

cmpm

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Re: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).
« Reply #13 on: March 23, 2010, 07:34 AM »
I was thinking of Skrommel's 'Tray Screensaver' as well.
The screensaver can be set to 'none' and it will still start a selected screensaver from a list that pops up from the tray when clicking on it.
So if you have more then one screensaver that will display a message, that could work.

https://www.donation...html#TrayScreenSaver

And thanks mouser, I forgot about your 'Multi Photo Quotes'.
I don't run a screensaver personally, I have the monitor shut off after 30 minutes of idle.

superboyac

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"Instantly Set a Screensaver Away Message" via Lifehacker.

http://lifehacker.co...ensaver-away-message

https://www.donation....msg199483#msg199483

Could you merge the two threads?
I could, but I don't have that kind of "power". 

cmpm

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assuming you don't need to lock your machine when you leave it

Can the computer be locked and still run the screensaver?
On W7 there is a lock command with log off and restart.
Never tried it though....

superboyac

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Re: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).
« Reply #16 on: March 23, 2010, 09:21 AM »
I was thinking of Skrommel's 'Tray Screensaver' as well.
The screensaver can be set to 'none' and it will still start a selected screensaver from a list that pops up from the tray when clicking on it.
So if you have more then one screensaver that will display a message, that could work.

https://www.donation...html#TrayScreenSaver

And thanks mouser, I forgot about your 'Multi Photo Quotes'.
I don't run a screensaver personally, I have the monitor shut off after 30 minutes of idle.

i tried this yesterday, it's good.  Great way to quickly switch your screen saver on/off.

PhilB66

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Re: Screensaver program to display text (read for explanation).
« Reply #17 on: March 29, 2013, 08:30 PM »
How about a different approach? Write messages on your desktop... http://www.pointofix.de/download.php allows you to save your messages too (via TPFC)
Pointofix review http://www.freewareg...iving-presentations/