Author Topic: DONE: Open images without program window showing. (Read 127965 times)

skwire · « **Reply #25 on:** June 16, 2011, 08:01 AM »

the only addition that I can think of would be to set the images to close after a given period
-pilgrim-online (June 16, 2011, 04:24 AM)

This functionality would be very easy to add.

skwire, what did you use to write frameless?
-vixay (June 16, 2011, 07:35 AM)

It's written in AHK and it's really not much more than simply reading in the command-line parameters and creating a very simple GUI using a standard picture control.

pilgrim · « **Reply #26 on:** June 16, 2011, 08:37 AM »

the only addition that I can think of would be to set the images to close after a given period
-pilgrim-online (June 16, 2011, 04:24 AM)

This functionality would be very easy to add.
-skwire (June 16, 2011, 08:01 AM)

If it is not too much trouble it would be useful, I would need to be able to set the period manually or disable it, just as I can the position.
I have stayed with the original version so far on my Netbook and it works perfectly.

joiwind · « **Reply #27 on:** June 17, 2011, 05:17 PM »

Another viewer with only command line options ! Mycview ... could be useful ...

skwire · « **Reply #28 on:** June 17, 2011, 07:13 PM »

Here you go; apologies for the delay. To specify a timeout, simply add a "duration=hh:mm:ss" parameter to your calls. So, for a ten-second timeout, you would use duration=00:00:10. IMO, using the timestamp format should provide for decent flexibility. Let me know how it works out for you. Thanks.

Website | Download v1.0.2 - 2011-06-17 + Added "duration" parameter. Use standard timestamp format e.g. hh:mm:ss. (Thanks, pilgrim-online)

pilgrim · « **Reply #29 on:** June 18, 2011, 05:22 AM »

Another viewer with only command line options ! Mycview ... could be useful ...
-joiwind (June 17, 2011, 05:17 PM)

Thanks for that, the slideshow reminds me of ArtSage but the program is much smaller.
Just downloaded and tried it, not what I had in mind when I started this thread but very interesting all the same.
Have now added it to my growing collection.

skwire,

That's brilliant and thank you for both downloads, I will do some experimenting when I get the time.

I do have one question relating to batch files in general:
When I started playing about with them I kept getting the Command Prompt flash up on the screen, I overcame that by creating a shortcut to the batch file, opening the shortcut properties and setting Run to 'minimized', then using the shortcut as the trigger.
This works in most cases but a couple of times it has failed.
One particular instance was on my Netbook where I wanted to trigger a visual battery warning, although I entered the path to the shortcut and not the batch file the CMD window still flashed up, any ideas of how to prevent this?
I did wonder if this happened because it was being triggered by the OS (Power Options), as it does not happen when I run off of third party programs.

Ath · « **Reply #30 on:** June 18, 2011, 05:59 AM »

You should in general not need to create a batchfile to start a tool with command-line parameters. Just create a shortcut to the exe, and in the properties of that shortcut, add any command-line parameters at the end of the 'Target' field. Do include a space after the phrase that's already there (the full path/exe name, usually).
You can use environment variables if you need, by using % around the name, like %PATH%.

pilgrim · « **Reply #31 on:** June 18, 2011, 07:04 AM »

You should in general not need to create a batchfile to start a tool with command-line parameters. Just create a shortcut to the exe, and in the properties of that shortcut, add any command-line parameters at the end of the 'Target' field. Do include a space after the phrase that's already there (the full path/exe name, usually).
You can use environment variables if you need, by using % around the name, like %PATH%.
-Ath (June 18, 2011, 05:59 AM)

Ath,

I cannot check this out until I get back on my Netbook but in that case the exe is Frameless and the rest of the batch file is the path to the particular image that I was using.
I have just tried this with a test file I have set-up on my PC and it worked.

That is a very useful piece of information, thank you.

In a previous thread I started on this forum it was pointed out to me that what I was trying to do at that time was already available in the OS but if it had not been pointed out to me, like now, I would probably never have found it.

Always did prefer mechanical things, at least you can take them apart and see how they work.

vixay · « **Reply #32 on:** June 20, 2011, 02:01 AM »

the only addition that I can think of would be to set the images to close after a given period
-pilgrim-online (June 16, 2011, 04:24 AM)

This functionality would be very easy to add.

skwire, what did you use to write frameless?
-vixay (June 16, 2011, 07:35 AM)

It's written in AHK and it's really not much more than simply reading in the command-line parameters and creating a very simple GUI using a standard picture control.
-skwire (June 16, 2011, 08:01 AM)

I see, that's what I'd guessed. btw, are you not sharing your source code on the website? Somehow I thought that handling pictures was a lot more complicated than that, because of various formats and types ...etc. you make it look easy though! So why do all they image viewers cost a bunch and stuff?
I guess that would be because or writing native decoding algorithms versus using libraries.
Still good job on this.

In a previous thread I started on this forum it was pointed out to me that what I was trying to do at that time was already available in the OS but if it had not been pointed out to me, like now, I would probably never have found it.
Always did prefer mechanical things, at least you can take them apart and see how they work.
-pilgrim-online (June 18, 2011, 07:04 AM)

It's the same with computers it's just it follows a different set of rules, and the basics are the code, which can be hidden. I guess you need training with it just like you need some basic understand of physics (which can be intuitive) to deal with mechanical things.

pilgrim · « **Reply #33 on:** June 20, 2011, 03:57 AM »

Ath,

I tried your idea on my Netbook yesterday and it would not work, in fact I could not get the batch file to run either.
These are the windows I got when I tried:

The OS is trying to set it up as a Scheduled Task that requires a time which obviously there is no way of adding?
If I entered it without a time it just showed up as 'Disabled'.

The boxes in the third image are empty but I entered the full path and parameters when I tried it.

Ath · « **Reply #34 on:** June 20, 2011, 04:21 AM »

I tried your idea on my Netbook yesterday and it would not work, in fact I could not get the batch file to run either.
These are the windows I got when I tried:
-pilgrim-online (June 20, 2011, 03:57 AM)

IMHO, the full path to the Frameless.exe (with quotes if it has spaces) and the full path to the image (again with quotes if the path contains spaces), the screenposition and the timeout value should go in the Run field in your last screenshot, just like you had them in the batchfile. You could optionally set the Start in field, but that should not be needed for it to work.

If the batchfile won't even work, I'd first check if your paths are correct. Oh, and you should probably not run the exe form a network (UNC) path, it's not forbidden or impossible, but it could cause (security) issues or even prevent frameless to be started.

Ath · « **Reply #35 on:** June 20, 2011, 04:25 AM »

Hm, could it be that it's running on a different desktop? So not on the foreground user's desktop, but on a background Administrator desktop? You could try to run it as the foreground user (Run as field) and see if that helps.

pilgrim · « **Reply #36 on:** June 20, 2011, 05:19 AM »

I tried your idea on my Netbook yesterday and it would not work, in fact I could not get the batch file to run either.
These are the windows I got when I tried:
-pilgrim-online (June 20, 2011, 03:57 AM)

IMHO, the full path to the Frameless.exe (with quotes if it has spaces) and the full path to the image (again with quotes if the path contains spaces), the screen position and the timeout value should go in the Run field in your last screenshot, just like you had them in the batchfile. You could optionally set the Start in field, but that should not be needed for it to work.

If the batchfile won't even work, I'd first check if your paths are correct. Oh, and you should probably not run the exe from a network (UNC) path, it's not forbidden or impossible, but it could cause (security) issues or even prevent frameless to be started.
-Ath (June 20, 2011, 04:21 AM)

All the details were in the Run field and when I clicked on apply the folder which contains both the exe and the image appeared in the Start in field.
I copied and pasted what was in the Run field into a batch file and triggered it manually, it worked, so that part was right.
All the files are on the same partition of the hard drive so it cannot be a network issue.

Hm, could it be that it's running on a different desktop? So not on the foreground user's desktop, but on a background Administrator desktop? You could try to run it as the foreground user (Run as field) and see if that helps.
-Ath (June 20, 2011, 04:25 AM)

I only have one account on each of my computers, to begin with the default account name appeared in the 'Run as' box, when that did not work I tried changing it to 'Administrator', that did not work either.
What did happen both times was a 'you do not have permission' notice appeared but it still showed up under Scheduled Tasks when I clicked apply.
I even checked the permissions for the files with NTFS Permissions Tool and everything was showing as allowed.

skwire · « **Reply #37 on:** June 20, 2011, 07:04 AM »

Somehow I thought that handling pictures was a lot more complicated than that, because of various formats and types ...etc. you make it look easy though!
-vixay (June 20, 2011, 02:01 AM)

It's really just about letting whichever language you use do the work for you. Basically, Frameless does this:

Read in user-provided commandline parameters (image path, x/y coords, etc.)
- http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/Scripts.htm#cmd
Use the AHK GDI+ library to get the image's width and height.
Create a GUI with a single picture control sized exactly to the dimensions gathered in step two.
- http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/commands/Gui.htm#Add
- http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/commands/GuiControls.htm#Picture
Show the GUI to the user.
- http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/commands/Gui.htm#Show

So why do all they image viewers cost a bunch and stuff?
-vixay (June 20, 2011, 02:01 AM)

IrfanView is free. XNView is free. FastStone Image Viewer is free. IMO, those are three of the most feature-complete image viewers out there.

skwire · « **Reply #38 on:** June 23, 2011, 05:07 PM »

Website | Download v1.0.3 - 2011-06-23 + Handles transparency in PNG files now. (Thanks, pilgrim-online)

pilgrim · « **Reply #39 on:** June 24, 2011, 04:31 AM »

Website | Download v1.0.3 - 2011-06-23 + Handles transparency in PNG files now. (Thanks, pilgrim-online)
-skwire (June 23, 2011, 05:07 PM)

The only problem I have is working out how to set it?

skwire · « **Reply #40 on:** June 24, 2011, 09:25 AM »

The only problem I have is working out how to set it?
-pilgrim-online (June 24, 2011, 04:31 AM)

No need to set anything; it should just work as before. If it's not working for you, send me the image file, please.

Ath · « **Reply #41 on:** June 24, 2011, 09:30 AM »

The only problem I have is working out how to set it?
-pilgrim-online (June 24, 2011, 04:31 AM)

The transparency is part/attribute of the image, if it's not there (yet), use an image editor to put it in. Paint.NET, Gimp or any decent image editor could be used to do that.

skwire · « **Reply #42 on:** June 24, 2011, 09:49 AM »

Ath's comment made me think of something. There are two types of transparency in this case:

Per-pixel alpha transparency which is, as Ath mentioned, part of the image itself. This is what I thought you meant when you said you wanted Frameless to support transparency.
Windows' "window" transparency where you set an opacity percentage and it makes the whole window transparent. I think this is what you meant, right?

Ath · « **Reply #43 on:** June 24, 2011, 09:59 AM »

I think this is what you meant, right?
-skwire (June 24, 2011, 09:49 AM)

@skwire
I never saw that requested, was that a PM to you? I was a bit surprised you added it without 'us' seeing a request, but that doesn't mean it wasn't asked

skwire · « **Reply #44 on:** June 24, 2011, 10:01 AM »

I never saw that requested, was that a PM to you?
-Ath (June 24, 2011, 09:59 AM)

Yes, it was.

pilgrim · « **Reply #45 on:** June 24, 2011, 10:21 AM »

skwire,

Sorry I never realised there are two types of transparency.

I was talking about making the actual image transparent (your item 2) in terms of adding another item at the end of the parameters to set a percentage so that each time that particular image opened from a given trigger (shortcut/batch file) it had the same transparency but that the image itself could be opened by a different trigger or program without any transparency.

Ath,

Apologies if my use of PM caused confusion but it was mainly about issues not directly relevant to this thread.

skwire · « **Reply #46 on:** June 24, 2011, 07:29 PM »

Website | Download v1.0.4 - 2011-06-24 + Added "trans" parameter. Valid values are 0-255. (Thanks, pilgrim) + Added "caption" parameter. (Thanks, R. Christy) + Added hotkeys to move the window around. (Thanks, R. Christy) # Up/down/left/right arrow keys will move it one pixel at a time. # Shift + up/down/left/right arrow keys will move it ten pixels at a time. + Added new context menu item: Show size & position data - Regressed PNG transparency support added in v1.0.3 for now. Sorry.

grymmjack · « **Reply #47 on:** June 24, 2011, 08:48 PM »

Just wanted to say thanks to skwire for adding the captions and hotkeys! Very awesome. Donation is on it's way

pilgrim · « **Reply #48 on:** June 25, 2011, 05:42 AM »

skwire,

Just tried that out and it is brilliant.

The hotkeys and the extra context menu item are not things that I would have thought of but they have made a good program even better.

skwire · « **Reply #49 on:** June 25, 2011, 07:38 AM »

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

Website | Download v1.0.5 - 2011-06-25 + Added "aot" parameter to set window as Always On Top e.g. aot=yes