That should do it, but I don't know if I need to activate the taskbar, it was just to be on the safe side. I'll look into it.

Skrommel

Hi skrommel,

I have a new problem with the external on/off script in my main AHK script. This is the code:

^+p::
Process, Exist, Ghoster.exe
pid=%ErrorLevel%
If pid=0
  Run,D:\Downloads\Ghoster.exe
Else
  WinClose, Ghoster
Return

Today I found out it still works to enable Ghoster, but not to disable it anymore. It tried several things, then I just moved it to the very top of my AHK script - and it works again! What other command(s) (that I probably added to new scripts above that one) could stop this from working?

I'm blank.

Skrommel

You don't want to know what I am... this is really frustrating.

After spending a loooooong time with it I managed to get it working again but now have the old problem that the window in which Ghoster.exe is started from (by using the hotkey) is set to "always in foreground" again (I downloaded Ghoster.exe again from your page)

Also, could you please check the code to see if you can optimize it for lower CPU usage? The peaks shown below result only from switching between different windows while Ghoster.exe is running. It even causes the DSP plugin I use for Winamp to act up.

http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Skrommel/index.html still says "Ghoster v1.1" - I downloaded it and CPU performance really is better, thanks!

Problems:
- it now has the AHK tray icon and not its own icon anymore
- I still experience that "makes windows to stay front-most only" bug when I start and quit it with my remote script! Is there a way to make Ghoster.exe check for a running copy of itself when it's started so one would just have to run the exe to start AND to quit it?

Thanks skrommel, I'll download that.

Last night I started the old one and when I woke up my desktop was completely black! 
When I moved the mouse around and used Alt-TAB it started to flash, then I found out there were ALMOST A HUNDRED Ghoster.exe instances running!! 

All were using 0 to 3% CPU, causing 100% CPU load and it took me almost an hour to kill so many that I was able to send you a screenshot of how it then looked:

You really should send me that script of yours, there must be some very clever things going on in there!

Err, I forgot to mention that - because of the problems I didn't use that script last night, I just double-clicked the Ghoster.exe (once). 

It was less funny when it happened...

Just found ghoster, and I love it.
one little thing though. Is it possible to keep the taskbar in a permanent non-faded state? sometimes I need to look at it

Thanks a lot skrommel.

Thanks a lot skrommel.

I think this idea is a huge improve in usability of any OS.
Unfortunately in my system (dell 600, crappy video card) the screen redraw is too slow to make it work. It takes maybe .5 seconds. I do alt/tab a lot so I need snappy windows changes. A pity...

Try changing the showontop setting in the ini-file.

I've also removed the "hole punching", so the latest version should perform better on slow systems!

Skrommel

I'm having trouble getting this to work properly with 2 monitors. The main is 1400x1050 (Dell D610 with Intel integrated video), and the secondary monitor is 1280x1024.  The main monitor works great, but nothing dims on the other one. Windows that are partially in both windows dim on the main monitor. TransOther works great on both monitors. My INI setting look like this:
[Settings]
backcolor=000000
image=
x=
y=
width=
height=
stretchwidth=1
stretchheight=1
keepaspect=1
transparency=175
jump=1
showdesktop=0
showontop=0
multimon=1

Even working like this, this is a great app. Thanks!

I also had problems with Ghoster on multiple screens. My issue was due to the fact that my secondary monitor is to the left of my primary monitor, and I would guess that vermeulen and threeboy.net also have monitors to the left of their primary monitor.

The AHK script can be corrected to work better with multiple screens. Here's a diff-style patch for the AHK script currently on this site. (my full AHK file is attached)
It adds another option (2) to multimon which fixes the problem for me. Everything should work exactly the same way if you don't use that option.

80c80,94
< Gui,Show,X0 Y0 W%A_ScreenWidth% H%A_ScreenHeight%,%applicationname%Window
---
>
> topleftx=0
> toplefty=0
> screenwidth=%A_ScreenWidth%
> screenheight=%A_ScreenHeight%
> If multimon=2
> {
>   SysGet,screenwidth,78
>   SysGet,screenheight,79
>   SysGet,topleftx,76
>   SysGet,toplefty,77
> }
> ;Gui,Show,X0 Y0 W%A_ScreenWidth% H%A_ScreenHeight%,%applicationname%Window
> Gui,Show,X%topleftx% Y%toplefty% W%screenwidth% H%screenheight%,%applicationna
me%Window
>
96c110,111
<       WinMove,%A_ScreenWidth%,%A_ScreenHeight%,,,%applicationname%Window
---
> ;      WinMove,%A_ScreenWidth%,%A_ScreenHeight%,,,%applicationname%Window
>       WinMove,%screenwidth%,%screenheight%,,,%applicationname%Window
147c162
<   ini=%ini%`n`;multimon=1 or 0            Dim all monitors in a multimonitor system
---
>   ini=%ini%`n`;multimon=1 or 0 or 2       Dim all monitors in a multimonitor system - 2 uses alternative method for sizing
223c238
< Gui,99:Add,Text,x+10 yp+10,%applicationname% v1.2
---
> Gui,99:Add,Text,x+10 yp+10,%applicationname% v1.3-yl
226a242
> Gui,99:Add,Text,y+10,- With multi-monitor fix by yl

I'm sure there are people out there who would appreciate skrommel (or anyone else) updating the downloads with new AHK and EXE incorporating this fix.

That fix works great for multiple monitors but it stops working after a few window jumps