Desktop Icons

[tomcom]

I'm one of those types that hates desktop icons & hide them 98% of the time.
I can go through the right click exercise,(I have XP),and do the hide/show
icon dance easy enough but I would love to have some silly little applet that
could live in quick launch or better yet in the system tray that would hide &
seek my desktop icons with the push of a button. (Yes I know I want instant
gratification!) Windows+D is fine for showing & hiding the desktop but I'm
looking for something like that for desktop icons. Maybe just a custom keyboard command/short cut or something.
I guess this post is really a suggestion for one of you slick coder guys to
come up with something,or maybe just tell me how to do it myself.
anyone?
Buehler? Ferris Buehler?
anyone?
tom?

[KynloStephen66515]

I'm one of those types that hates desktop icons & hide them 98% of the time.
I can go through the right click exercise,(I have XP),and do the hide/show
icon dance easy enough but I would love to have some silly little applet that
could live in quick launch or better yet in the system tray that would hide &
seek my desktop icons with the push of a button. (Yes I know I want instant
gratification!) Windows+D is fine for showing & hiding the desktop but I'm
looking for something like that for desktop icons. Maybe just a custom keyboard command/short cut or something.
I guess this post is really a suggestion for one of you slick coder guys to
come up with something,or maybe just tell me how to do it myself.
anyone?
Buehler? Ferris Buehler?
anyone?
tom?

Firstly, Welcome, Secondly, if you need something like that coding, you will get a better responce posting in the Coding Snacks section 

[MilesAhead]

I came to the conclusion that desktop icons are more hassle than they're worth.  The only time I have a desktop icon is if I do a deskCut in my browser.  It exists just long enough for me to drag it over the Lan.  Then I delete it.

What I did instead was create a folder with subfolders for all my apps. Hide that folder in my Documents.  Then drag all the subcategory folders onto RocketDock and assign custom icons to the folders.

The attachment shows the custom subfolders outlined in RocketDock

[attach]

[skwire]

DeskSweeper will do what you want.  http://no-nonsense-software.com/freeware/

[PhilB66]

http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=2259.msg15421#msg15421

[PhilB66]

http://www.jcmatt.com/hideicons.html

[AndyM]

Desktop Icon Toy  
http://www.idesksoft.com/

will do what you want I believe, plus a few other things (like shrinking icons, hiding icon text, showing only icon text, saving and restoring layouts).  I'm still using 3.0 which does exactly what I need.

You could set it to toggle hide/reveal your (tiny of course) icons with a single click on the tray icon.  

[Stoic Joker]

Desktop Icon Toy 
http://www.idesksoft.com/ 

Wow! That thing's still around?!? I used to love it back in the Win2k days. but gave it up when XP came out (features it had at the time were already in XP).

It certainly has grown since then.

[tomos]

Iconoid can hide your icons until you click your desktop - they will show then for a user-defined period of time - with choice to show or hide tray icon (access via desktop context menu if necessary)

I love it (= never have to think about it & miss it if off) and it works fine here with XP

http://www.sillysot.com/

[tomcom]

Thanks everyone.I downloaded the one suggested by PhilB66
& it's just what i was looking for.1 further question it says i can
make a shortcut key?? how?
thanks again

[PhilB66]

Right-click on deskicons.exe and select "Create Shortcut" from the popup menu. Then, right-click on the Shortcut to deskicons.exe file and choose "Properties". Go to "Shortcut" tab and set the key (e.g. Ctrl + Alt + Q) to toggle the desktop icons.

[Innuendo]

Stardock's Fences will hide desktop icons (among other things) via a keyboard shortcut. There's a Pro and a Free edition, but the free edition will do what you are asking.

[vixay]

some autohotkey code i use for this functionality

Code

;function to return toggled values
;first call returns true
toggle() {
 static t
 t := !t
 Return, t
}
EnableDisableDesktopIcons()
{
  ;relies on having DetectHiddenWindows OFF
  if toggle()
    WinShow,Program Manager
  Else
    WinHide,Program Manager
}


#`::EnableDisableDesktopIcons() ;;Enable/disable desktop icons (shortcut key Win+`)

Doesn't work with fences installed though, but you can then use fences, ESC key to toggle it.

[Tuxman]

Stardock's Fences will hide desktop icons (among other things) via a keyboard shortcut. There's a Pro and a Free edition, but the free edition will do what you are asking.

Fences also enables you to selectively exclude icons from being hidden. 

[grandpastan]

Another easy thing is just create a folder on your C drive (and put shortcuts that you want in it), or anywhere for that matter and create a new toolbar from your taskbar for that folder, set it to hide, and all is well.