Hi Jorge. In the past, you chose not to add the feature to allow the user to adjust the volume level of clicking items on the dock when WorkShelf is bumped, then collapses, or any left-click function as can be done by using the Windows volume mixer to adjust the volume of the time announcement, and non-Winstep programs.

Also, after clicking on a Workshelf tab, and when it goes back automatically to the original tab after 5 seconds.

Can you please add that feature in the new version? I keep getting complaints at night about the noise every time I click on something Winstep-related.

Lowering the PC volume affects everything else and is a huge annoyance because that means I have to tinker with the volume settings each time I use other programs.

Start by adding a 'Show Volume Control' internal command to a dock (Insert New Item -> Internal Command -> Media -> Show Volume Control')

Now click on it and select 'Mixer' at the bottom. This will expand the Windows Mixer so it shows volume by application.

WorkShelf uses system sounds for the sounds you are describing, so what you want to do is lower the volume for the 'System Sounds' entry in the Mixer.

I tried it, but unfortunately, it didn't work. System Sounds is already on a very low setting. Here are the steps I used.

1. The Internal Command shows up on my dock per your instructions.

2. I clicked on the Internal Command and two applications appear.

3. I clicked on the left Mixer at the bottom. After it opened, only Realtek Digital Output (Realtek(R) Audio) showed.

4. I clicked on the pulldown, and it showed (which is not selected), FxSound Speakers (FxSound Audio Enhancer).

5. After step 2 when the right Mixer at the bottom is clicked, there are 2 categories, Device, and Applications.

6. Under Device, FxSound Speakers (FxSound Audio Enhancer) is selected, and Realtek Digital Output (Realtek(R) Audio) is not selected as is the reverse in steps 3 & 4.

7. Under the heading Applications, System Sounds and MSI Center showed. No Winstep application showed even after clicking on the dock and bumping WorkShelf. To make the Winstep Media Player show in the Windows volume mixer, I activate Say The Time to allow me to control the time announcement volume, but the same approach doesn't work for clicking and bumping the dock and WorkShelf.

8. I have the following installed on my PC. FxSound, Nahimic, and Realtek. I need all 3 for my audio system to function correctly-at it's peak. My PC speakers are Logitec Z625 THX, 400W, with Optical input. My speakers are connected to my PC via optical input.

In an effort to allow the Winstep application to show, I went into the Windows Sound settings via the Control Panel and disabled FxSound, Nahimic, and Realtek to no avail.

If I were to uninstall my audio enhancers, it still wouldn't solve the problem because lowering System Sounds without FxSound and/or Realtek would affect my other programs.

At the moment, I can control the volume of all pertinent non-Winstep programs including the Winstep time announcement via Windows volume mixer as I stated earlier, but not click and bump.

As I said, the Winstep application uses 'System Sounds' as a 'proxy' to play WAV format sounds such as clicking and bumping etc... The reason for this (instead of playing it directly) has to do with a bug in the Windows sndPlaySound API call which would leak a handle every time it was called, unless the SND_SYSTEM flag was used.

Music and voices in turn use the MCI (Media Control Interface) to play the MP3 files via the Winstep Media Player applet. Once again the reason for these files not to be played directly has to do with (potential) bugs, but this time related to 3rd party media codecs interfering with the main Winstep application (buggy 3rd party media codecs would run within the context of the main Winstep application to play a voice or music and trash the memory, causing all sorts of havoc in the main Winstep application through no fault of itss own - the solution once again was to use a separate proxy/applet to do the actual playing of the sounds).

So, when you open and expand the Volume Mixer, you will see the Device and Applications sections. In the Applications section you should see 'System Sounds'. With the Mixer open, try expanding and collapsing a Shelf - you will be able to visualize System Sounds being used for that in the Mixer.

Tell the Winstep clock to say the time and you should see 'Winstep Media Player' appear on the Windows Mixer: again you should be able to visualize these applet being used for all voices but not the sounds associated with expanding and collapsing a shelf, etc...



Because you can already control the volume of individual applications via the Windows Volume Mixer, it made no sense to add a volume control specific to system sounds to the Winstep application (not to mention that there is no simple way to control the volume of a sound when using the sndPlaySound API call).

So, the thing you can do there is lower the individual volume bar of the 'System Sounds' entry in the Windows Mixer. This will NOT affect the volume level of other applications. You can even visualize the volume levels of the 'System Sounds' entry being affected by this as you expand and collapse the Shelf (for instance).

Jorge, thanks for the explanation as to why you haven't added that feature. Now it makes sense to me.



This was part of the problem I was having because I couldn't do it the same way as 'Say the Time', and I thought it would affect my other programs since I couldn't physically see anywhere to control the volume in the Windows volume mixer, not part of 'System Sounds'.



As I mentioned earlier, my 'System Sounds' setting was very low. However, after reading your latest post, I went back and checked it out. I was shocked to find out that the slider wasn't low enough. I had to move the slider from 12 to 3, and as you stated, it didn't affect my other programs. This should be low enough to not disturb others at night, but high enough for me to hear comfortably during the day.

Thanks Jorge! Another Winstep issue solved!

Oh BTW, the reason it now works, and without affecting other programs is because of "Start by adding a 'Show Volume Control' internal command to a dock (Insert New Item -> Internal Command -> Media -> Show Volume Control')", correct?