also a new isue (atleast i don't remember noticing them) is flickering of desktop icons when i mouseover over workshelf/dock,

not sure if i can describe it properly without recording the screen but ill try:

if i have a window over any desktop icons, when i mouseover over workshelf or a dock, the icons 'flicker' over the window, as if something is messing with their z order

That sounds more like a DWM/Windows/video driver issue, and a recording would indeed help me visualize better what is happening there. Have you tried rebooting the PC already?

Had the beta running much of yesterday, no issues to report here. But of course I'm running without a second monitor at the moment and without anyway when I'm offline.

The Weather mod. was losing the 5-day forecast completely for a couple of hours or so, twice, by the by.

no, i actually didn't for don't know how many days (facepalm), and it stopped after reboot

LOL

Anyway, one of the things I'm currently trying to tackle here seems to only happen randomly from time to time.

The Winstep application relies on messages broadcast by Windows to know when a monitor has been added or removed, when a screen resolution has changed, etc...

This might seem straightforward at first but in reality it is anything but: for instance, when there is a change in screen resolution the Winstep application must be able to distinguish between a "permanent" screen resolution change and a temporary one made by a full screen game. In the former case it must re-arrange and validate all screen objects so they all remain visible and fit within the available space, in the latter case it should do nothing and wait until the user exits the game.

The problem is that these screen/monitor changes are not always quick, some might even last several seconds before things settle down.

For instance, I am running a 48" OLED 4K LG TV here as my primary monitor, and a proper 4K 43" monitor as secondary. Because the LG is a TV, it has no standby like a normal PC monitor does, which means I must turn it on and off via a fantastic piece of open source software called LGTV companion.

Because the TV when it is off is no longer recognized by Windows as an active monitor (although on standby) all windows jump to my secondary monitor. In other words, every time my system goes into standby/sleep, it is as if I had plugged off my primary monitor.

When the system comes back from sleep two things happen: the secondary monitor wakes up first because it is on standby - at this point all windows are on it and it is as if I was running a single monitor system. Then the LGTV companion software turns on the 48" LG TV (which makes window recognize it as a new primary monitor) all windows that were previously on that primary monitor get transferred back to it via another fantastic piece of open source software called MonitorKeeper.

This transition actually takes several seconds. I hear the relays on the LG TV kick in, see the image on the secondary monitor "shrink" for a moment (no idea why it does that) before an image appearing in the LG TV, then all the windows that are supposed to be in the primary monitor are transferred back to it by MonitorKeeper.

As this happens, the Winstep software also has to adjust between the two different monitor profiles, so reserved screen areas are reserved in the correct monitor, docks, shelves, taskbars, modules, etc, are on the monitor they should be at and at the correct size, etc...

I actually use a 4-5 second delay in the Winstep software before reacting to changes. Most of the time everything goes smoothly, desktop modules get transferred to the proper monitor/positions, etc...

But SOMETIMES this does not happen. It's like the Winstep software missed one of the critical "screen has changed" notifications and the modules get stuck in the wrong positions at the wrong monitor, etc...

I think this might be because of timing/racing conditions, but it is very difficult to debug/diagnose because all these changes happen in real time and are quite dynamic. Anyway, I have an idea on how I might try to fix this problem, let's see how well it goes.

and regular Joe has no idea what happens when he clicks on a button or an icon, nor that the click itself, or the press of a keyboard key is actually a process, one that just happens so quick that we notice no delay (if things are working properly)

and that's just one of the reasons people don't respect the work of other people, why would they pay for something that just seems to happen. why does my plumber charge so much for 30 minutes of work, why would i pay for an artist to make something i like (or any creator)

Sorry just seen this, and happy to hear that multi-monitor support is being added!

I recall that some of the things that were being discussed around this area related to hotspots, and separate taskbars with application affinity (including the application opening on the relevant monitor) - see viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12020&p=41472

I currently run DisplayFusion Pro 9.9 with Winstep Extreme 22.7 (using both WorkShelf and NextSTART with custom themes), and am curious as to whether DF Pro will continue to co-exist happily with the multi-monitor version of Winstep. It may be that DF Pro will eventually not be required as Winstep multi-monitor support matures, but it does have some nice features.

I run a 2x monitor setup (with a 3rd to be added when I get the space ), and am happy to Beta test if it helps, provided that I can revert easily in the event of issues - don't want to screw up my machine completely! . Obviously I do backups before running test software, but its a pain to have to do a full restore if I can avoid it.

Err.... We've had multi-monitor support for quite some time. Just more (complicated) features being added.

My apologies you are correct of course, and I have used this capability in WorkShelf where different Shelves can be aligned with different monitors.

I was thinking more of NextSTART where you can only have one taskbar which can be aligned to a chosen monitor (or bridge all).

The rest of the comments are still valid however.

No need for apologies. And yes, absolutely, rest definitely still valid, which is why I quoted your entire post. Should be good once it's all done, but definitely very hard work.

Forgot to add this here:



But here is the problem: I have been trying non-stop to get the Winstep application to work flawlessly whenever a monitor is added/removed, but it doesn't always work as it should.

I'm beginning to suspect the problem is actually Windows 11. Right now, for instance, not even the stand-alone Windows taskbar is reserving screen space as it should - pretty sure Microsoft changed the code responsible for appbars (which had been working fine for decades) and broke it as they did to CPU usage monitoring in 2H22.

It seems like the asylum has been taken over by the patients and they won't rest until nothing works properly again.

#The lunatics have taken over the asylum# Specials AKA - could have been written for post-Bill MS....

What are they going to f*** with next, one has to wonder! Or perhaps one should better ask, what are the *not* going to f*** with - might be easier to answer.

Winstep Xtreme/Nexus Ultimate v23.7 Public Beta released

If you have your Winstep application set to notify you of beta versions (Preferences -> Advanced tab -> Automatic Updates section) you should get a notification within the next 24 hours. You can also click the 'Check for Updates' button in Preferences to force the notification.

###

IMPORTANT:

Despite having passed more than one year, this beta, as well as the final release, will be free for all those who purchased a Winstep application when or since version 22.7 was released.

For the Winstep Update Manager NOT to flag the new version as being outside the free upgrade period, the release date of this beta has been set as 26 of July 2023. Please pay not attention to this date UNLESS it appears in red to you (in which case you really must renew your upgrade subscription to run it).

###

I'll put all I've added so far at the end of this post, but I think the most important new feature is the ability to have per-monitor task lists. What in Windows 11 is described as

"When using multiple displays, show my taskbar apps on: All taskbars/Main taskbar and taskbar where windows is open/Taskbar where window is open."

This ability is already fully functional in NextSTART/WorkShelf/Nexus Ultimate, and you can now have docks, for instance, displaying *only* the running apps that have windows open in the monitor they're in.



Under NextSTART:



If the user enables 'Show my taskbar on all displays' he becomes limited to choosing a screen edge into which ALL NextSTART taskbars will dock to on each monitor (e.g. bottom, top, left or right). Therefore, he will not be able to undock the taskbar OR detach the tasklist/systray.

This way each taskbar is a 'clone' of the other taskbars except in its ability to display running tasks that are open in that particular monitor only. Each taskbar will have a Start Button, the Quick Launch section (any changes you make here will be immediately and automatically reflected on all the other taskbars), a tasklist and even their own copy of the systray.

Any captured WorkShelf modules will only appear in the taskbar of the primary monitor, of course.


Systray under Windows 11 22H2


As you are probably aware by now, Microsoft has made some under-the-hood changes to the system tray under the 22H2 version of Windows 11 that prevents the Winstep application from accessing the system tray icons as they did previously.

As a work-around, for now, in this beta you can already access the expanded system tray area by clicking the systray expand button (under v22.7 nothing happened if you clicked the systray expand button) and a single 'system' icon has been placed as a 'place holder' for the volume/net/power systray icons which, when clicked on, will open the appropriate panel.

Note that you MUST make that the 'Always show all system tray icons' setting is NOT enabled, so you can have access to the system tray expand button.

Monitor and screen resolution changes

The code that deals with monitor being added/removed and screen resolution changes has been heavily modified. Please let me know ASAP if you run into problems or it solves any issues you might have previously had.

Reset Reserved Screen Space

Seems like Microsoft has also made some internal changes to the way appbars work, which can sometimes confuse Windows and prevent the Winstep application from properly reserving screen space for docks, drawers, the NextSTART taskbar, etc.., so they are not overlapped by maximized windows.

To help with this, a new internal command (Add New Item -> Internal Command -> Desktop -> Reset Reserved Screen Space) has been added that resets the screen areas reserved for these objects. It also resets the per-monitor tasklists should the Winstep application get confused about which running applications to display where when adding or removing monitors.

Please let me know if you actually end up feeling the need to use this internal command.

###


Please post feedback as soon as possible as I intend this to be a very quick beta.

Anyway, a list of ALL the changes so far:


WorkShelf:

New Features:


* Added new 'Reset Reserved Screen Areas" Internal Command. This will reset any areas reserved for the NextSTART taskbar and WorkShelf shelves, docks, etc - useful when Windows gets confused about areas of the screen that should not be covered by maximized windows. It will also reset any multi-monitor and per-monitor tasklists.

* The 'Renew Now' button will now also appear on the About tab of Preferences if the user's upgrade subscription has expired and he is running a version that no longer works with his current license key.

* Added all the Windows 10/11 Start button right click menu options to the contexct menu of a 'Start Menu' internal command.

* Added new 'Use Legacy Mode' setting, disabled by default, to the CPU Module settings dialog.

* If running on Windows 8 or above and 'Use Legacy Mode' is NOT enabled, the total CPU usage percentage displayed on the CPU Meter is now the same as that displayed on the Task Manager of Windows 8 onwards.

* System Interrupts is now also included in the list of processes and their CPU usage.

* Added "Check Service Communication" option to the Troubleshooting Options dialog. Verifies that the Winstep service required to perform actions that require admin privileges (such as installing a theme font) is operating properly.

* All Windows Settings internal commands now have individual icons instead of all sharing the same icon.

* Added new 'Settings' tab type, displaying all the Windows 10 and 11 Settings categories.

* Under Windows 10 and 11 the default shelf now has a Settings tab instead of a Quick Launch tab.

* Changed the wording of the uninstall survey.

* Added support for per-monitor tasklists: docks, shelves, drawers and even grid-stacks showing a list of running applications can now show windows open on all monitors or only windows open on the current monitor.

* Added global setting 'When using multiple monitors, show running applications on..." to the Tasks tab in Preferences with the following three options: "All tasklists", "Main tasklist and tasklist where window is open" and "Tasklist where window is open".

* Double clicking a folder in a Shelf tab or Drawer set to open folders as Grid Stacks will now open that folder in Explorer.

* Added ".webp" to the list of default thumbnail file types.

* Windows 11: The Search dialog (invoked via the Search internal command) should now pop up next to the mouse pointer.

* Text in the balloon tooltip of Wanda and the Lookup IP Address internal command can now be copied to the Windows clipboard by left clicking the balloon tooltip itself (just not the close button).

* Live preview thumbnails (for running applications) now fade out when clicked on.

* Added new 'Media Mute' internal command, toggles the mute state of audio being played.



Fixes:


* The currently selected item was not updating itself correctly when creating a new shelf or drawer in the 'Dock and Shelf Management' tab of Preferences.

* The icon cache was not being destroyed as it should when modifying a shelf or drawer via the Shelf Properties dialog.

* Several misc.issues when editing and modifying shelf tabs via the Shelf Properties dialog.

* Wanda would stop swiming on the desktop after returning from sleep or hibernation.

* The 'Send to WorkShelf' dialog would crash the application when selecting a Grid Stack, a Drawer or a Shelf with no Regular tabs.

* Only Grid Stacks and Drawers with Regular tabs are now shown in the 'Send to WorkShelf' dialog.

* The CPU utilization percentage of the current CPU hog process in balloon tooltips was not respecting the 'Show decimal place for processes' setting.

* Windows 11: automatic theme colorization with the dominant color of the current wallpaper was not picking changes to static wallpapers (i.e. non slideshow) made by the user via the Windows 11 Background Personalization panel.


NextSTART:

New Features:


* Added new 'Reset Reserved Screen Areas" Internal Command. This will reset any areas reserved for the NextSTART taskbar and WorkShelf shelves, docks, etc - useful when Windows gets confused about areas of the screen that should not be covered by maximized windows. It will also reset any multi-monitor and per-monitor tasklists.

* Added new 'Automatically collapse Quick Launch area after..." setting so an expanded Quick Launch area can be automatically collpased after a pre-determined amount of time (from 'Never' to 60 seconds) when restricting the space used by the Quick Launch area on the taskbar with an Expand button.

* The 'Number of documents to be shown in a Recent Documents menu' setting in the Advanced Menu dialog now uses a Spinner control to change the value.

* Added new 'Never Show Icons in Menus' setting to the misc.section of the Advanced Menu dialog. When set it prevents NextSTART menus from showing icons even if the theme allows it.

* The 'Renew Now' button will now also appear on the About tab of Preferences if the user's upgrade subscription has expired and he is running a version that no longer works with his current license key.

* Menu document thumbnails can now be as wide as 256 pixels and their width can be set on a pixel by pixel base (Preferences : Menu tab : Menu Advanced).

* Added "Check Service Communication" option to the Troubleshooting Options dialog. Verifies that the Winstep service required to perform actions that require admin privileges (such as installing a theme font) is operating properly.

* All Windows Settings internal commands now have individual icons instead of all sharing the same icon.

* Moved the 'Blank Menu' option in the 'Insert New Menu Item' and 'Add New Quick Launch Item' right click context menus to the 'Menu' sub-menu.

* Added ".webp" to the list of default thumbnail file types.

* Added support for individual per monitor taskbars by enabling the 'Show a taskbar on all monitors' setting in the Taskbar Settings dialog of NextSTART Preferences. Each taskbar can have a shared Quick Launch section (changes made to this section are mirrored in all other taskbars) as well as its own tasklist and system tray. Captured WorkShelf modules are only displayed in the primary taskbar.

* Added support for per-monitor tasklists: when the 'Show a taskbar on all monitors' setting is enabled, tasklists in each taskbar can now show windows open on all monitors or only windows open on the current monitor. This is configured by a 'When using multiple monitors, show running applications on..." setting in the Taskbar Settings dialog of NextSTART Preferences with the following three options: "All taskbars", "Main taskbar and taskbar where window is open" and "Taskbar where window is open".

* Windows 11: The Search dialog (invoked via the Search internal command) should now pop up next to the mouse pointer.

* Added "Show seconds in system tray clock" setting to the System Tray Settings dialog in the Taskbar tab of NextSTART Preferences.

* Live preview thumbnails (for running applications) now fade out when clicked on.

* Added new 'Media Mute' internal command, toggles the mute state of audio being played.

* Added "Mute" entry to the Media Player menu type.


Fixes:


* The right click Start Menu button menu now closes after selecting an option, unless the user presses the SHIFT or CTRL keys while clicking.

* When the NextSTART taskbar was set to autohide, if the user opened the windows 11 widgets Panel the taskbar would hide it along with itself.

* Dragging a floating tasklist would minimize or restore the window associated to the tasklist button being dragged once the left mouse button was released.

* Windows 11: automatic theme colorization with the dominant color of the current wallpaper was not picking changes to static wallpapers (i.e. non slideshow) made by the user via the Windows 11 Background Personalization panel.


Nexus Ultimate:

New Features:


* Added new 'Reset Reserved Screen Areas" Internal Command. This will reset any areas reserved for shelves, docks, etc - useful when Windows gets confused about areas of the screen that should not be covered by maximized windows. It will also reset any multi-monitor and per-monitor tasklists.

* The 'Renew Now' button will now also appear on the About tab of Preferences if the user's upgrade subscription has expired and he is running a version that no longer works with his current license key.

* Added all the Windows 10/11 Start button right click menu options to the contexct menu of a 'Start Menu' internal command.

* Added new 'Use Legacy Mode' setting, disabled by default, to the CPU Module settings dialog.

* If running on Windows 8 or above and 'Use Legacy Mode' is NOT enabled, the total CPU usage percentage displayed on the CPU Meter is now the same as that displayed on the Task Manager of Windows 8 onwards.

* System Interrupts is now also included in the list of processes and their CPU usage.

* Added "Check Service Communication" option to the Troubleshooting Options dialog. Verifies that the Winstep service required to perform actions that require admin privileges (such as installing a theme font) is operating properly.

* All Windows Settings internal commands now have individual icons instead of all sharing the same icon.

* Added new 'Settings' tab type, displaying all the Windows 10 and 11 Settings categories.

* Under Windows 10 and 11 the default shelf now has a Settings tab instead of a Quick Launch tab.

* Changed the wording of the uninstall survey.

* Added support for per-monitor tasklists: docks, shelves, drawers and even grid-stacks showing a list of running applications can now show windows open on all monitors or only windows open on the current monitor.

* Added global setting 'When using multiple monitors, show running applications on..." to the Tasks tab in Preferences with the following three options: "All tasklists", "Main tasklist and tasklist where window is open" and "Tasklist where window is open".

* Double clicking a folder in a Shelf tab or Drawer set to open folders as Grid Stacks will now open that folder in Explorer.

* Added ".webp" to the list of default thumbnail file types.

* Windows 11: The Search dialog (invoked via the Search internal command) should now pop up next to the mouse pointer.

* Text in the balloon tooltip of Wanda and the Lookup IP Address internal command can now be copied to the Windows clipboard by left clicking the balloon tooltip itself (just not the close button).

* Live preview thumbnails (for running applications) now fade out when clicked on.

* Added new 'Media Mute' internal command, toggles the mute state of audio being played.



Fixes:


* The expanded calendar that popped up when you clicked on the iconic calendar module in a dock or shelf would appear blank when using a theme with bitmaps for the desktop version of the calendar module in Winstep Xtreme.

* The currently selected item was not updating itself correctly when creating a new shelf or drawer in the 'Dock and Shelf Management' tab of Preferences.

* The icon cache was not being destroyed as it should when modifying a shelf or drawer via the Shelf Properties dialog.

* Several misc.issues when editing and modifying shelf tabs via the Shelf Properties dialog.

* The 'Send to WorkShelf' dialog would crash the application when selecting a Grid Stack, a Drawer or a Shelf with no Regular tabs.

* Only Grid Stacks and Drawers with Regular tabs are now shown in the 'Send to WorkShelf' dialog.

* The CPU utilization percentage of the current CPU hog process in balloon tooltips was not respecting the 'Show decimal place for processes' setting.

* Windows 11: automatic theme colorization with the dominant color of the current wallpaper was not picking changes to static wallpapers (i.e. non slideshow) made by the user via the Windows 11 Background Personalization panel.

* The text of the 'Enable Send To Nexus Ultimate in Explorer menus' setting in the 'More Options' dialog of Preferences appeared truncated.

I'm definitely in the 'red zone'. As just had to check email, looked for last licence, and received it - after being eventually forwarded from my previous address - this February but was dated December 2021. So can't check out beta, and not in Windows for now.

In reference to my post: Re: Old games minimizing to taskbar - dock changing position

I just tried the new beta. I shut down the computer before testing just to make sure. I tried this several times and the first time I launched Angry Birds or Total Annihilation everything worked fine. If I launched the other game after quitting the first, the old problem of minimizing to the taskbar returned and the dock was in a different position. It seemed to take slightly longer for this to happen, as if the program was trying to figure out what to do. The problem of exiting Total Annihilation from a 640x480 menu and the dock moving to a different position seems to have been fixed. I again tried this several times. It happened very fast but I actually saw the dock move from the center of the screen back to the bottom when the screen resolution changed from 640x480 back to 1920x1080.

I hope this helps. It is not a big problem for me, and as people stop using these older programs the problem should go away. Thanks for your effort. I'll let you know if I notice anything else. The date for the Beta was red so I have 30 days to test it. My License expired June 16, 2023.