Author Topic: AllSnap (Read 27063 times)

jgpaiva · « **on:** February 13, 2006, 07:15 AM »

This program had already been mentioned in donationcoder, but i think it didn't quite get the attention it deserves.
I was now using it, and i think it's so usefull that i decided to do a small review for you.

All Snap is a program that runs on the system tray, using about 1.5mb of ram, and 2.4mb of virtual memory.
This program allows every window to have the "snap" feature. This means that when a window gets in some (customizable) distance from another, their borders get attached.
This feature is, in my opinion, very required by those users that tend to not maximize any window, and get the desktop quite cluttered with windows.
Although I'm not one of those users, i like to maximize almost everything, i use allsnap to snap the IM's windows to each other, so as i can see several of them at the same time, without having much work organizing them.

AllSnap is configurable from the right-click menu on the system tray icon:

http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/7503/screenshot130220061239061xi.jpg

AllSnap

In this menu, you have access to the about box, the help, the settings dialog and the option to turn window snapping off (which has the same effect as closing allsnap)
By clicking the settings option, you get the following menu:

http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/5497/screenshot130220061250239vv.jpg

AllSnap

Under "general", the first two options determine the distance that windows attract each other, and the toggle key is the key that, when pressed, disables the snapping, in case you just want to move a window without completely disabling the snapping in the tray icon's menu.
The "Snap To" section is quite self- explanatory, and the Enable Snapping checkbox does the same that that option on the tray menu does.

On the "sounds" tab, you get:

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/2092/screenshot130220061255388us.jpg

AllSnap

Here, you can select the sounds to be played when the snapping is done. The default sound are very good, very discrete, and allow you to know when the snapping is being done. Sometimes, you might not be able to put a window at a certain distance of another because of the snapping, it's good to know it's because of that, before you go crazy trying to do it, that's why i keep the sounds enabled.

Under the "advanced" tab, these are the options you get:

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/6479/screenshot130220061304018px.jpg

AllSnap

These are some options that are mostly for compatibility with some themes, strange windows or OSs other than windows xp (there's another option that only appears in systems other than xp, which allows icons on the desktop to be arranged in grid, like xp does).

As for links, here is the home site of allSnap: http://[email protected]/
and here's the link for fileforum's downloads: http://fileforum.bet...allSnap/1027622040/1 (this link is for the beta version, at the home site of allSnap there is a stable version)
Hope you like it!

allen · « **Reply #1 on:** February 13, 2006, 07:31 AM »

Wow, great review and really neat utility -- am playing with it at this very moment.

jgpaiva · « **Reply #2 on:** February 13, 2006, 07:37 AM »

I knew you'd love it, Allen, since you're a non-maximized windows lover

brotherS · « **Reply #3 on:** February 13, 2006, 07:49 AM »

This seems to be a PERFECT tool to highly confuse women that aren't using the PC often

jgpaiva · « **Reply #4 on:** February 13, 2006, 07:58 AM »

This seems to be a PERFECT tool to highly confuse women that aren't using the PC often
-brotherS (February 13, 2006, 07:49 AM)

Try setting the "snapping distance" to 99! It'll even confuse you

allen · « **Reply #5 on:** February 13, 2006, 08:10 AM »

I knew you'd love it, Allen, since you're a non-maximized windows lover
-jgpaiva (February 13, 2006, 07:37 AM)

Exactly -- I'm always manually placing everything. What's interesting, is it's not just parent windows but also children in MDI's, for example the windows -within- Opera also snap within Opera. Very cool.

brotherS · « **Reply #6 on:** February 13, 2006, 09:05 AM »

I knew you'd love it, Allen, since you're a non-maximized windows lover
-jgpaiva (February 13, 2006, 07:37 AM)
Exactly -- I'm always manually placing everything.
-allen (February 13, 2006, 08:10 AM)

Me too - but I don't miss snapping windows

But I'm using an AutoHotkey script to move around windows on the desktop by just using the keyboard (in a very simple way), which I do a lot

allen · « **Reply #7 on:** February 13, 2006, 09:13 AM »

But I'm using an AutoHotkey script to move around windows on the desktop by just using the keyboard (in a very simple way), which I do a lot
-brotherS (February 13, 2006, 09:05 AM)

Like using the keyboard to nudge windows left/right/up/down?

mouser · « **Reply #8 on:** February 13, 2006, 09:32 AM »

great minireview!
and looks like cool program (i wondered if such a program was out there somewhere!). [it's freeware too in case that's not clear]

by the way his page says his new website is: http://www.cs.utoron...a/~iheckman/allsnap/

nudone · « **Reply #9 on:** February 13, 2006, 09:51 AM »

i'm glad i'm amongst people who appreciate snapping - nice review too, jgpaiva. i'm wondering if those of you here also have 'align to grid' enabled for the desktop icons (i know a few of you don't have icons on the desktop). i know it's a trivial question but my work collegues set up all our school pcs (about 1000 machines) so that 'align to grid' is off - it drives me up the wall. talk about not appreciating the aesthetics of icon equidistance. what fools.

anyway, allsnap, great little program - just wish it did a few more tidy things.

brotherS · « **Reply #10 on:** February 13, 2006, 02:19 PM »

But I'm using an AutoHotkey script to move around windows on the desktop by just using the keyboard (in a very simple way), which I do a lot
-brotherS (February 13, 2006, 09:05 AM)

Like using the keyboard to nudge windows left/right/up/down?
-allen (February 13, 2006, 09:13 AM)

Yes, very helpful! And if I'd be one of the 'chosen few' here with a 24" TFT I wouldn't know how to live without it!

jgpaiva · « **Reply #11 on:** February 13, 2006, 02:29 PM »

Thanks for the nice comments

[it's freeware too in case that's not clear]
-mouser (February 13, 2006, 09:32 AM)

OoOps.. When i finished the review, i thought i missed something.. That's the "something" i forgot

Thanks for noting it!

I'm wondering if those of you here also have 'align to grid' enabled for the desktop icons
-nudone (February 13, 2006, 09:51 AM)

I only have one icon on the desktop (recycle bin, so as i don't forget to clean it once in a while), but yes, I've got align to grid on, is just annoys me to not have things somehow organized and symmetrical! (i don't know how someone can have lots of icons with that option disabled)

Yes, very helpful! And if I'd be one of the 'chosen few' here with a 24" TFT I wouldn't know how to live without it!
-brotherS (February 13, 2006, 02:19 PM)

I know that script, but haven't tried it.. Maybe i should

I wish i had such screen... But that would mean my computer would have to be locked to my desk, and for me that's not an option

clif_notes · « **Reply #12 on:** March 04, 2006, 12:24 PM »

Hi jgpaiva,

I'd like to feature this in CNNL on Sunday. Any concerns?
I'll shorten it up a little and I'll include link to this thread and a Cody link.

jgpaiva · « **Reply #13 on:** March 04, 2006, 02:29 PM »

Nope, no problem Cliff, please do. Publicity is always good (although it can bring server issues

) and it's good to know people like my mini-review.

Just one thing. After you post it, please post the link here!

clif_notes · « **Reply #14 on:** March 12, 2006, 01:17 PM »

Nope, no problem Cliff, please do. Publicity is always good (although it can bring server issues ) and it's good to know people like my mini-review.
Just one thing. After you post it, please post the link here!
-jgpaiva (March 04, 2006, 02:29 PM)

I posted the newsletter last night. I've got your review in the number one spot. So far, I've had 1500 page views as of 2pm EST and I expect another 3 or 4000 by the end of the week. I put two links to DC in the review and a link to this post.

But ... don't expect too many click though's. In my experience, people don't often investigate the sources.

Here are links to the newsletter:
http://freewarewiki....otesNewsletter060312 (permalink)
http://freewarewiki....ifsCurrentNewsletter (link for people outside my mailing list)

I also gave the review it's own page ... (standard procedure for me)
The link would be http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com/AllSnap

If you have corrections or changes, I can still make them.

Have fun!

Clif

mouser · « **Reply #15 on:** March 12, 2006, 01:45 PM »

great newsletter cliff ! your newsletters get better every week.

btw you mention steganos locknote and not being able to get it to work on your windowsME machine. you might want to check out f0dder's fSekrit on this site which is very similar: https://www.donation...r/fSekrit/index.html

clif_notes · « **Reply #16 on:** March 12, 2006, 01:54 PM »

great newsletter cliff ! your newsletters get better every week.

btw you mention steganos locknote and not being able to get it to work on your windowsME machine. you might want to check out f0dder's fSekrit on this site which is very similar: https://www.donation...r/fSekrit/index.html
-mouser (March 12, 2006, 01:45 PM)

That would be a great review for next week. May I publish it verbatim? I'd love to add some screenshots to as well.

Clif

clif_notes · « **Reply #17 on:** March 12, 2006, 02:00 PM »

I didn't read far enough down. I'd only publish the top and point to the rest for details.

lanux128 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 18, 2008, 12:02 AM »

recently i came to know about a version 1.41 and wrote to the author asking about the changes and he replied that this is a one-off version where the program uses an ini file instead of the registry.

so for those who prefer INI files over the registry, here is the link: http://ivanheckman.c...ap/allsnap141_XP.zip

wreckedcarzz · « **Reply #19 on:** August 19, 2008, 10:16 PM »

Cool, a friend of mine was looking for an app that does window snapping a couple days ago. Will have to let him know about it

The INI is a big plus IMO, makes it portable - good for school usage on a thumb drive.