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WorkShelf Per Monitor
http://forums.winstep.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10877
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Author:  tdh10 [ Mon Nov 12, 2018 6:53 am ]
Post subject:  WorkShelf Per Monitor

When at home, I use my laptop and a second monitor, with a unique Shelf on both monitors. In addition, I use NextStart's Reserve Space settings on each monitor.

When using the laptop as a standalone device, either on the road or at home with the external monitor turned off, both shelves appear on my laptop. In addition, Reserve Space settings are lost. When I reconnect the external monitor, even by simply turning the external back on, I must reestablish Shelf locations and reenter Reserve Space settings.

How can I get Winstep to remember settings and automatically adjust when a second monitor is used? Is this a future possibility?

Author:  winstep [ Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WorkShelf Per Monitor

The answer to both questions is respectively You Can't and Yes.

WorkShelf uses screen coordinates to know in which monitor an object is. When you suddenly introduce a new monitor into the equation, although the coordinates remain the same, the monitor they now lie upon might not.

Furthermore, the Winstep application will do everything it can to keep its objects within the visible area: for instance, if you have a Shelf in a secondary monitor and then unplug that monitor, the Shelf is automatically 'transported' into the remaining monitor (so you can still access it) instead of remaining somewhere in lala land, where you now can't get to it.

This action will, of course, change the original coordinates to those of the primary monitor, so when you plug in your secondary monitor again the Shelf will no longer be in it.

The availability of laptops that you plug in to extra monitors from time to time seems to be on the rise, so it is perhaps time for me to come up with a workaround/fix for this.

I will need your help implementing this though - make sure you enable notification of beta (test) versions in the advanced tab of Preferences, so you can try the upcoming betas (the current available beta does nothing for this though, so you will have to wait for the next beta).

The only solution I see is to implement transparent (to the user) 'monitor profiles'. Each profile will hold the coordinates of objects for each specific monitor combination. Plugging or unplugging a monitor will save the current coordinates and automatically switch to the coordinates specified for the other monitor profile (when available).

This might appear simple at first sight, but it really isn't when you start taking into consideration that not only is the position of desktop modules dependent on monitors and screen resolutions, but also on the currently applied theme (WorkShelf already 'remembers' the position of desktop modules for each theme/screen resolution, by the way, so the desktop modules are where you would expect them to be *for that particular theme* when you switch to a different theme)

Author:  nexter [ Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WorkShelf Per Monitor

winstep wrote:
.... The availability of laptops that you plug in to extra monitors from time to time seems to be on the rise, so it is perhaps time for me to come up with a workaround/fix for this....

Hmm, I've been using laptops for almost twenty years, and every last one I've had (and that's a fair lot, of mainly older ones latterly) has had either connections for external monitors or a docking station as standard in the case of the earliest ones. Even my current state of the art laptop has a VGA and DP connection built in, plus additional DVI and HDMI on the docking station. Brands of laptops I've used were/are Fujitsu, Fujitsu Siemens, IBM, Toshiba, Sony, and Lenovo. (Biggest crap among those, Sony. All of them gifts/hand me downs/second hand.)

So, I wouldn't be too sure about these features being on the rise. Seem to have been fairly common all along, rather?

Author:  winstep [ Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WorkShelf Per Monitor

Ok, let me rephrase that then: more users have been contacting me about this.

Just because the connections were there, doesn't mean people were actually using them. I also have an old(er) laptop with a video connector and I never plugged it to an external monitor.

Author:  nexter [ Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WorkShelf Per Monitor

winstep wrote:
Ok, let me rephrase that then: more users have been contacting me about this.

Just because the connections were there, doesn't mean people were actually using them. I also have an old(er) laptop with a video connector and I never plugged it to an external monitor.

That's perfectly true. And some of the earlier ones, IIRC, automatically switched off the built-in screen if you plugged in an external. (Useful feature - wish mne did that now as when I plug in the external I only use that anyway.)

Author:  winstep [ Wed Nov 14, 2018 2:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: WorkShelf Per Monitor

winstep wrote:
I will need your help implementing this though


Hello? Can I count on your help or should I just drop this idea?

Author:  SullyPanda76cl [ Tue Nov 27, 2018 3:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WorkShelf Per Monitor

winstep wrote:
winstep wrote:
I will need your help implementing this though


Hello? Can I count on your help or should I just drop this idea?


I also agree that this feature has become necessary.
And I'm willing to assist you in implementing it.

Author:  winstep [ Tue Nov 27, 2018 3:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WorkShelf Per Monitor

SullyPanda76cl wrote:
And I'm willing to assist you in implementing it.


The poster of this thread was a bot (was because I already banned him) and he cloned a post another user (Chuck) had previously posted some time ago.

Anyway, this has already been implemented. See the last few messages in the 'What's next after v18.10' thread.

If you want to help testing it you need to download the beta from the link at the end of that thread... but you have less than 24 hours to post some feedback. Not the ideal situation, sorry.

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