Author Topic: current tasks/windows switchers solutions (Read 22,627 times)

Armando · « **on:** September 07, 2007, 05:19 PM »

I’ve approached this (small but annoying) problem in this thread, and there also... Please let me approach it differently here (don't worry, Ken, I'm not trying to compete with world hunger here

)…

One problem that does not seem to be very well addressed by current windows/task switchers solutions (correct me if I’m wrong!) is the difficulty to work with multiple windows (let's say more than 10) of the same application AND... with similar names.

Exposé and alike solutions work well when you only have a few pretty different windows (easily and rapidly differentiated by their colors, shapes, icons...) . But If one creates multiple new windows of the SAME document in MS Word (to work on different parts of it "at once"), or if one work on multiple spread sheets sharing similar names an content, it can be very hard to find them rapidly and to work without headaches (... especially on a small screen). Exposé, making the thumbs bigger, organizing stuff on the task bar (eg : using taskbar shuffle), etc., don't seem to really solve that problem.

IMO, one thing that could solve the problem – (for me at least) and I'm a bit repeating what I already said elsewhere -- would be to be able to rename windows as one see fit (BUT the renaming solutions that I've tried don't work in certain situations -- e.g. : multiple windows or views of the same document), and use something like farr to swiftly jump from one to another!

But maybe there are already solutions (or possible solutions) for similar problems… Anybody?

PhilB66 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 07, 2007, 05:51 PM »

A few more programs for you to try...

1. WinExposé
2. Visual Tooltip
3. TopDesk
4. Madotate (Japanese) --> English version + Screenshots
5. ThumbWin (Japanese) --> Download page (Tool comes with an English language file)

PhilB66 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 07, 2007, 06:15 PM »

Oh, Microsoft's Instant Viewer might do what you want... but it comes with Intellipoint software.

Darwin · « **Reply #3 on:** September 07, 2007, 06:37 PM »

This may or not help (and I've *just* finished uninstalling ReflexVision!) In Reflex Vision is the fact that you can hit a function key (I *believe* it is f10 to have the view switch to windows from a particular app (so all word documents or all web browsing windows, etc.). I used it in the past and thought it worked pretty well. I had it configured to display high quality images with live preview... Idle it used about 20MB RAM/27MB VM and when previewing about 40MB RAM and 27MB VM.

YMMV.

Armando · « **Reply #4 on:** September 08, 2007, 05:25 AM »

Thanks everybody, for all these links!
Actually, Matodate is the only application I didn't know. But... it's not going to work out.
I've trialed/tried all the others in the past. They don't really solve the problem I'm talking about : switching easily between many many windows belonging to the same application AND sharing similar names.

wreckedcarzz · « **Reply #5 on:** September 08, 2007, 05:48 AM »

Just FYI Switcher2 has a search option in it as well, so you could type a couple letters of the name of the document and boom...there it is

PhilB66 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 08, 2007, 06:11 AM »

OK, how about WinTabber and if that doesn't work, have a look at Notepad-X

Armando · « **Reply #7 on:** September 08, 2007, 07:35 PM »

@wreckedcarzz : yes...Switcher 2 looks nice...

unfortunately, I won't be installing Vista anytime soon. And I'm not even sure if switcher2 would allow me switch easily between a bunch of very similar windows, even with the "search as you type" feature. If 10 windows have almost exactly the same name, except for a number (this is what happens when you create multiple windows of the same document in Word -- a very convenient feature if you're working with/on a long document and want to see several parts at once), typing a few letters, or even a number for that matter to get to the window is still... not optimal. It could be part of the solution though... if the other important part of the solution enables me to give different meaningful names to each window -- something that most titlebar/caption name changers can't seem to be able achieve in certain situations (like renaming the titlebar od multiple windows of a same document). Like I said elsewhere, right now I use justice's SwitchToTask with Farr... But I'm looking for a more complete solution.

@ PhilB66 : Thanks!

Notepad-X won't do it. WinTabber looks interesting... But I wasn't able to try it. It gives me this error : "Run-time error '429': ActiveX component can't create object." I’ll have to hunt the web a bit to see if i can find an easy solution to that one. Maybe later today!

Darwin · « **Reply #8 on:** September 08, 2007, 09:12 PM »

Armando - are you primarily worried about Word Documents? If so, why not give WordToys a try? It's no longer developed/supported and I presume you won't be able to buy the full version but the freebie still gives you tabs in word.

Armando · « **Reply #9 on:** September 09, 2007, 01:22 AM »

Yes, Darwin, primarly Word Documents. Some xls and pdf too, but, right now, mostly doc. I'm going to take a look at WordToys. Thanks a lot for the link! I didn't know about this add-on. This could certainly be a good temporary solution. i'll post back in a few hours (1st--> have to go grab something to eat; 2nd-->going to talk with Justice about SwitchToTask and TitleChanger. He just PMed me

)

PhilB66 · « **Reply #10 on:** September 09, 2007, 01:48 AM »

Quote from: Darwin on September 08, 2007, 09:12 PM

Armando - are you primarily worried about Word Documents? If so, why not give WordToys a try? It's no longer developed/supported and I presume you won't be able to buy the full version but the freebie still gives you tabs in word.

I didn't know about WordToys... looks like a cool productivity addon. Here's why development stopped.

BTW, the latest version I could find is 2.1.

Darwin · « **Reply #11 on:** September 09, 2007, 02:13 AM »

Thanks for the link to the WordToys developer's explanation, PhilB66. I've been wondering what happened. Sad...

Armando · « **Reply #12 on:** September 11, 2007, 06:02 AM »

JUst a quick update :
my bad "luck" continues.. this time with WordToys : installed it, but no new toolbar etc appears. Weird. Will have to spend more time on that one I guess.

I wonder if these problems might have to do with the fact that, at some point, I trialed OneNote 2007... Hope not, as I don't see how I could now bring my system to a "pre OneNote 2007" state.

Edvard · « **Reply #13 on:** September 11, 2007, 07:23 AM »

maybe try FungusTabs... Here's the archive page, you'll have to search for the actual app. I tried to help redllar get this to work on NT4.0, but some essential functions just didn't go.
With it, you can group windows together into one window with tabs.

[off-topic] redllar's story is a great one, but with an awful sour ending and should be taken as a lesson to those who would write freeware and rely on the goodwill of the community to help you take care of it. Sometimes, it doesn't turn out as cool as you'd hope. As far as I know, redllar is gone, (although he briefly appeared here at DC) apparently burned by the community he helped to shape, and the folks who were just a little too excited about his work.

Darrell, if you're reading this, please stay with us. We've proven to each other in more ways than we can count that this is a group you can trust. We're here for you.[/off-topic]

Darwin · « **Reply #14 on:** September 11, 2007, 12:40 PM »

Armando - you have to configure WordToys via the new "toys" menu. Don't forget to click on the "save settings" button at the bottom of the menu when you're done confguring it.

lanux128 · « **Reply #15 on:** September 11, 2007, 01:24 PM »

Edvard, redlar was last seen at the Portable Freeware Collection forums.. i think he is/was involved in a project called JauntPE, which is similar to the software he mentioned in the DC post that you linked above.. i've used redlar's programs before but i didn't know he has had such a chequered history..

• http://portablefreeware.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=442

Armando · « **Reply #16 on:** September 11, 2007, 03:12 PM »

Quote from: Darwin on September 11, 2007, 12:40 PM

Armando - you have to configure WordToys via the new "toys" menu. Don't forget to click on the "save settings" button at the bottom of the menu when you're done confguring it.

The problem is that there's not even a Toy Menu!

Darwin · « **Reply #17 on:** September 11, 2007, 03:24 PM »

You might, then, need to go into "tools - add-ins" and root around in there. I'll post something more instructive in a couple of hours - have to get the kids to school!

Armando · « **Reply #18 on:** September 11, 2007, 03:34 PM »

Quote from: Darwin on September 11, 2007, 03:24 PM

You might, then, need to go into "tools - add-ins" and root around in there. I'll post something more instructive in a couple of hours - have to get the kids to school!

Yes, thanks Darwin. Actually, the weird thing is that the Word Toys add-in seems like it'S there, loaded, and everything. It just doesn't show in the UI (as a toolbar, a menu, etc.). Anyway : don't loose too much time with it. I'm sure you have much much more important things to do!!!!!

Darwin · « **Reply #19 on:** September 12, 2007, 01:29 PM »

Just prepping for a lecture. It's in 3 hours and 41 minutes and I have an hour commute to get there, yet I haven't been able to force myself to read the "new and improved" chapter of the "new and improved" edition of the textbook so that I can gently guide my students through it (you know, "minds to mould"). Pah!

Anyway, I've taken a look. First thing I'd suggest is making sure that "wordtoys.dot" is here:
C:\Documents and Settings\your username\Application data\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP\WordToys.dot

If it's not, check to see if it is elsewhere on your computer and copy it to that directory. If not, you probably need to resinstall WordToys. As you are cautioned to do so by the installer, make sure that Word and other Office programmes are not running when you do this. Once you're sure that that file is in the right folder, restart word and see what happens. You may have to use the Add feature in "Tools - Templates and Add-ins" to get it to show up AND you may have to restart Word as well.

Armando · « **Reply #20 on:** September 12, 2007, 05:52 PM »

eheh. Thanks Darwin. I'm sure you're a great teacher (your explanations here, at DC, are always clear, so...)
I've tried uninstalling/reinstalling wortoys 2 times, to no avail. All the files seem to be in the right places, etc. I even tried to rename the WordToys.dot file to "aWordToys.dot", just to see if the order in which the plugins are loaded could have an effect, but... Nope. I'll have to try some other strategies later, when I'll be back from the library -- adding some stuff to my growing database.

Good luck with your lecture!

Darwin · « **Reply #21 on:** September 12, 2007, 09:51 PM »

Now that's odd. I'll take a look at some settings and see what I can come up with. This really is a great solution if you can get it to work. I'm wondering if the author is going to release the Pro version as freeware as well as he's no longer developing it (he is supporting it for at least one more year, though).

I'm going to check this out but a thought has just occurred to me: what version of Word are you using? I don't think Word 2007 and WordToys play nicely together...

Darwin · « **Reply #22 on:** September 12, 2007, 10:04 PM »

Just noticed this in the users manual for WordToys (maybe there's something helpful here):

[attachthumb=#]

I'd check for the presence of that registry key and those files in Windows/System 32. It's something to look at, anyway... Note that Romke Soldaat, the author had this to say about why he stopped developing WordToys and his other Office apps:

Quote

In Office 2007, all these carefully integrated utilities are taken out of their original context, and thrown together behind a button on the new Ribbon. As far as I'm concerned, this is such a messy solution that I consider Office 2007 as the ultimate add-on killer.

Thus, while it sounds to me like WordToys will work under Word 2007, you'll need to look for a button on the ribbon to find it...

Armando · « **Reply #23 on:** September 13, 2007, 12:04 AM »

Thanks a lot, irreplaceable Darwin!
I will make sure that all the files are in the right places...
BTW, I'm still hanging on to Office 2003 -- and will probably do so for a while.

Armando · « **Reply #24 on:** September 13, 2007, 01:01 AM »

Everything is there. The add-on seems to be loading, etc. I've tried removing some add-ins, etc. Still nothing!!!
I believe I'm using version 2.1. Maybe 2.0 would work better

. (I've even seen a version 2.5 advertised, but wasn't able to download it.)
Anyhow. I really wonder what the problem is. My guess i that there is a conflict between two add-ons, or something like that (what makes me think that, is : The WordToys Playground : Saturday, January 22, 2005)
i'm tempted to reinstall Office... But do I have the time, and is it worth it... HUmmmmm.