GridMove: Grids Here

[suleika]

There seems to be no particular place to post grids, so I decided to start a thread.  We can always post links here to older posts with grids attached.

Anyway, here's a grid I wrote for myself (my screen resolution is 1680 x 1050).  It supplies a main full-height area, to the left or right, with choices for the remainder of the space - either one tall space, two shorter stacked spaces or three very short stacked spaces. 

I use it when when I am working in one window but keeping an eye on one or more others.

I labeled the numbers to creae a "guided tour"; if you follow them in sequence you can see how the triggers relate to the grid shapes (from larger windows to smallest).

[nudone]

any chance of a small screenshot or diagram that clearly shows what the grid looks like - please. it will help everyone before downloading the grid(s).

[suleika]

OK, here's the three arrangements with the main section to the left, and then a shot of the triggers.

[suleika]

And here are links to other grids in the original feature request thread. 

DoublewideEdged
unnamed for Martin T
Spyda
singx7
3-part reversed
edge vertical split
axcrusik_s
nud super 01 (second version)
An Efficient Desktop

[nudone]

ah, good idea to link to the other grids. and it does make a lot of difference to see the grid layouts - thanks for the images.

[jgpaiva]

This is a fantastic idea, suleika!
And thanks a lot for collecting the grids from the other giant thread

[ericslaw]

Here is my custom grid display featuring:
; 3 head display
; multiple [possibly overlapping] corner targets
; multiple horizontal targets
; multiple vertical targets
; all on each display

I tend to use it without numbers showing, because corner targets overlap.
There are quite a few targets (114), but it could be pared down a bit.

[jgpaiva]

eric: that's unbelievable.
Probably, it's THE most complex grid ever done for gridmove.
I haven't tried it with my 2 screens, but i definitelly will!

I somehow am finding a lot of numbers overlapping each other on those middle areas. Is it supposed to be like this, or did i screw up something on the latest GridMove build?

[nudone]

darn, and i was hoping i'd done the most complicated with the nud super grid 01 - which i didn't use anyway after about 5 minutes.

i do like what eric has done though be using a graphical way of representing how the windows will resize. not so sure about the corner resize zones being that practical.

[jgpaiva]

yes, nudone... I've come to the conclusion that making a good grid isn't easy.
I had previously thought about doing something like eric did, but everytime i tried i just gave up half way or it just turned out pretty bad.
I like the way earl did it, because it makes it easy to understand which part does what, but it has a tremendous problem as i see it: some targets are too small, and kind of defeats the purpouse of being fast to resize windows. It does support a LOAD of different sizes thought, which is definitelly useful.

[nudone]

well, i have to say that complex grids seem like a good idea but they are counterproductive - for me anyway.

so, i've just gone back to the original suggestion i made for gridmove way back when.

i drag to the side of the screen and the window resizes to either fit either the left half or the right half. i have an 'ontop' region at the top of the screen and a 'restore' box just under it.

okay, that is probably even more minimal than what i thought i wanted originally but i definitely now think that simplicity is more useful.

the great thing about gridmove, of course, is that it can be as simple or as complex as the user wants 

[jgpaiva]

I keep using GridMove with the best grid i've made until now (or so i think), the edge grid. It's good because i can place stuff on 4 quadrants, on 2 sides (by placing it on one quadrant and then maximizing vertically) or in the middle (which is where i usually have Opera, maximized vertically).

the great thing about gridmove, of course, is that it can be as simple or as complex as the user wants 

Yes, i think you're right! But i'm happy if it helps everyone to be more productive

[suleika]

Here's a ridiculously simple grid I use when I am travelling and googletalk is almost permanently in use.  It has a narrow column on the left for the IM conversation and the rest is one space for browser, dvd player or whatever.  The column on the left is 6th width.  It's only for one monitor.

[Tyinsar]

The attached grid file is for TripleHead2Go users:

These are the grids:
._______ _______ _______
|      |      |      |
|  1  |  2  |  3  |  one for each screen (1,2,3)
|      |      |      |
'-------'-------'-------'
_______ _______ _______
|      '      |      |
|    -  4  -    |  3  |  left + center (4)
|      '      |      |
'-------'-------'-------'
_______ _______ _______
|      |      '      |
|  1  |    -  5  -    |  center + right (5)
|      |      '      |
'-------'-------'-------'
_______ _______ _______
|  |  '      '  |  |  2 screens wide but centered (6) (windowed game?)
| 7 |  -  6  -  | 8 |
|  |  '      '  |  |  half screens on either side of the centered grid (7,8) (Skype / TeamSpeak / MSN / ... ?)
'-------'-------'-------'

These all use [Monitor1Real...] to define actual midpoints and [Monitor1...] to define edges. This should keep the grids relative to the actual monitors while adjusting for the taskbar on any edge (on the left works best for me).

This updated version adds a narrow band at the top for maximizing a window vertically (9), a narrow band at the bottom to quickly minimize a window (10), and a target to "restore" the window to it's previous size (11) (though the success of that is inconsistent). There is also a 12th area defined but not activated.

\/ See quoted post for older (slightly simpler) version without areas 9&10 (I just found this section.)

[TheQwerty]

Some more grids, not so much working layouts as they are actual grids.

2x2, 3x3, and the 4x4s just break the monitors into grids of those sizes and covers most of the ways you could fit windows into them.  They are made for just two monitors as that's all I have.

Good Gridance is kind of a 53 zone best of from those grids but for a single monitor.


The 3x3, 4x4s, and Good Gridance can take a while to load the first time as they have a fair number of zones (the 4x4s each have 100, unfortunately that last one isn't easily accessible via keyboard).  Also, if you have the numbers turned on it gets a bit tight on the 4x4.

[Tyinsar]

Do you find 100+ zones actually usable? What size monitors are you running? I'm running at a resolution of 3840*2048, have 30 zones, and probably only use half of those on any regular basis.

[jgpaiva]

OMG TheQwerty!

I am playing around with "Good Gridance.grid", and i'm finding it quite flexible, but a bit too complicated. An advice i can give you, is add one "maximize vertically" and one "maximize horizontally" areas, they'll spare you a lot of areas, and make it easier to use. On the other hand, it'd take 2 moves to move the window to the final position (which is perfectly acceptable if you usually use the keyboard to move stuff around).


About not being able to use grid 100 with the keyboard.. That's something i never thought someone would do.. LOL

I'm still using the Edge Grid, but as i see you guys make these increasingly complex grids, i think i probably should start thinking about making a better one for myself too

[Tyinsar]

Well, having tested the "Good Gridance" & "4x4" grids I'd have to say they're much better than I expected - though I still doubt I would want to use them on a daily basis. However, I might use them as examples in the GridMove tutorial if that's OK with you.

Also, they reminded me to put a bit about comment lines into the tutorial (when I get back to that - hopefully this weekend), Thanks.

[jgpaiva]

Comments!!

You're right, i just did myself a new grid and forgot the comments, i shall do it now

[TheQwerty]

Do you find 100+ zones actually usable?

About not being able to use grid 100 with the keyboard.. That's something i never thought someone would do.. LOL

heh...    Well to be perfectly honest I hardly ever use those grids.  They were part of the first grids I wrote just to get familiar with it all.  While very much overkill and hardly practical, I like having them around because they do provide a lot of functionality.

However, I might use them as examples in the GridMove tutorial if that's OK with you.

I do not mind at all.  Feel free to edit them or do whatever you please with them.

An advice i can give you, is add one "maximize vertically" and one "maximize horizontally" areas, they'll spare you a lot of areas, and make it easier to use.

I had been using those at one point but they follow the mouse cursor don't they?  I think that was what I didn't like about them originally.

My everday grid is actually pretty complicated overall, and until I can take the time to do a proper write up there's not much point in sharing it.  It consists of around 57 zones, all but 10 or so use plugins I've added, and it required some changes to your code to work like I wanted.  I'll have to try to share it all this weekend.  Especially now that I've teased everyone.

[jgpaiva]

Especially now that I've teased everyone.

Now i'm VERY curious

[timcrews]

I have two 24" widescreen monitors.  I like to work with large full-height windows directly in front of my eyes, with smaller windows off to the sides.  This calls for a symmetrical grid, where the right and left monitor grids are mirrors of each other.

I never split my main windows horizontally, only vertically.  But my side windows (maybe call them "portlets") might be half height.

I sometimes split my screens 50/50 left-to-right, and other times 65/35.

With all of those constraints, I came up with a grid layout that provides what I want with 16 zones.  I haven't decided if I want to add zones for minimize and maximize.  The current implementation doesn't have them.

The grid works a lot like the dual-screen grid that is currently included with the base installation, except that it mirror-images the left and right monitors, and allows for a 50/50 split in addition to the 35/65 split.  (Maybe the dual-screen layout is a 30/70 split.  I can't tell exactly.)

The attached grid allows for layouts like

50/50 split full height

|--------|--------|  |--------|--------|
|        |        |  |        |        |
|        |        |  |        |        |
|        |        |  |        |        |
|--------|--------|  |--------|--------|


65/35 split full height

|-----|-----------|  |-----------|-----|
|    |          |  |          |    |
|    |          |  |          |    |
|    |          |  |          |    |
|-----|-----------|  |-----------|-----|



50/50 split with portlets

|--------|--------|  |--------|--------|
|        |        |  |        |        |
|--------|        |  |        |--------|
|        |        |  |        |        |
|--------|--------|  |--------|--------|


65/35 split with portlets

|-----|-----------|  |-----------|-----|
|    |          |  |          |    |
|-----|          |  |          |-----|
|    |          |  |          |    |
|-----|-----------|  |-----------|-----|


Or any combination of those.  Of course, there's nothing keeping you from using 50/50 on one monitor and 65/35 on the other, or full height portlets on one and half-height portlets on the other.

[Edit Jan 10 2008:  Improved trigger zones]

[excogitation]

Hope you like my grid...
(basically 4 different templates in one - each quarter represents the whole screen)

[Armando]

I like it! Very ingenious -- the screen division is cleverly done. Nice!

[adax]

Hello everybody.
I have two monitors in "Extended mode". My video card does not support "Span mode".

But I want to maximize video player into both monitors (50% of view on 1st monitor and 50% on 2nd). Finally two monitors with resolution 1280 x 1024 each, should produce screen 2560 x 1024 or 2048 x 1280 (used pivot and 90° rotation).

Is it possible to do it with GridMove? If yes, could you post template, please? Thank you!