Finderbar Add-on For Windows Taskbar

[shmengie]

wow, sven! i tried this out a couple of months ago and thought it was cute, but hard to use and fairly worthless. but now...you've done some fine work here. v0.97 is quite usable indeed. i look forward to future upgrades.

excellent work!

[Charnoke]

Hi:

I've trying this app for some time (i think something like 4 or 5 versions ago) and it looks very promising... Previous versions worked quite well for me, until the f*** pop-up blocker thing.

Now I installed the new version of Finderbar and I was following each one of the installation steps that you put in the web page. However, when I reached the step 9 (when Finderbar suposse to be working) nothing happens. I can't make it work...

Can you tell me if I missed something...

Thanks

[Landvermesser]

2 Charnoke:

1. Is the new icon in system tray? She looks as a regulator of a sound in Mac OS X.

2. Is in the list of processes Finderbar_Engine.exe?

3. If items 1 and 2 are OK - check up, whether works Engine: press Ctrl+n, the new window should open.

Inform me about results, please.

Screen area at the upper left corner with coordinates X: 52-227 and Y: 0-20 should be active for left mouse click.

2 all:

Thanks for good words, I am glad, if the program is pleasant to you.

[Charnoke]

Thanks for the quick answer... Everything is ok... the problem is that i've the windows taskbar in the lower part of the screen, not in the upper part. I figure this out when i click in the X:52-227 and Y:0-20 area of the screen.

I think the way that you make Finderbar restrict the possibilities of where to put the Windows taskbar?. Maybe you can change (only suggestion) that the script instead of checking the mouse position check the text under it.

I know that you have been doing Finderbar using AutoHotKey, i think the script can pretty much recognize the text under the current mouse position, maybe not... but i think that you should try that... so some people like me can use Finderbar and the Windows taskbar on the lower part of the screen

Thanks...

[Landvermesser]

It is already possible (though I did not test it).

Let's assume, the sizes of your screen 1024х768. Then you can establish TopMarginInPixels=748 and HotAreaHeight=20. It means, that arrangement Hot Areas can be almost anyone.

Therefore Finderbar does not depend from Windows Taskbar now. It is possible to use Finderbar together with Talisman, Aston, and even simply with wallpaper. I make Hot Areas placing more flexible in next version. Thanks for your idea.

8)

Unfortunately, AutoHotKey cannot recognize simply the text under the cursor. The text should be written on the button or other standard element of Windows. Toolbars heading - nonstandard element.

[Charnoke]

so... i just need to edit menu.ini putting:

[Menus]

MenusCount=6

TopMarginPixels=748

HeightPixels=20

Am I right?

[Landvermesser]

Yes, you are right.

And then reload the Engine.

PS. Theoretically you can try to translate the menu to the Japanese language. It cannot be made with the help of the built - in editor, but you can edit manually a file menu.ini. Then choose for display of menu Windows a font with the Japanese symbols. Though in this case you do not receive special symbols Mac OS X...

It means, that now it is possible to easily translate Finderbar for any language with latin letters in the alphabet, plus many national symbols (Umlauts ets.) are possible.

[Charnoke]

Sorry... i did it and still doesn't work? ...

[Landvermesser]

:confused:

Excuse me, it is a mistake in the program!

Put:

TopMarginPixels=748

HeightPixels=768

(if your screen in height 768 pixels)

I urgently correct this mistake!

1000 Thanks!

(5 min. later: So... Corrected version is uploaded. Sorry All...)

[AkeB0N0]

Hi,

If you give me permission, I want ask a question...

My curiosity, osx finderBar systems, how can catch a program menus? (ex. Photoshop )

What is different in the windows systems? Why we dont use menu catching system in to windows based operating system?

Thanks

AkeB0N0

[Landvermesser]

You can receive the full menu from almost any program in Taskbar with help Stardocks Objectbar. However the apps menu will be shown 2 times: in Task(Object)bar and in Apps Window too. It is waste of screen space. And it can confuse users. I am not confident, that Objectbar can hide standard menus of apps. Correct me if I am mistaken.

Theoretically speaking, I can (already) make capture of standard menus of simply apps such as Notepad. It will work more slowly usual menus, but it will work. I think, that 1-2 seconds will be spent for capture and drawing of the menu. It is possible hide the built-in menus in some simple programs. But I think, that it is not necessary. Finderbar does not duplicate the menu of programs, but adds the new opportunities poorly accessible in usual Windows.

The menu in style Mac OS are convenient, if the ruler of the menu is located In TOP of the screen, instead of below, as in Windows. It is a question of copyrights and various standards. Personally I have so got used to arrangement Taskbar above, that to me unpleasantly standard arrangement below.

[AkeB0N0]

You can receive the full menu from almost any program in Taskbar with help Stardocks Objectbar. However the apps menu will be shown 2 times: in Task(Object)bar and in Apps Window too. It is waste of screen space. And it can confuse users. I am not confident, that Objectbar can hide standard menus of apps. Correct me if I am mistaken.

Theoretically speaking, I can (already) make capture of standard menus of simply apps such as Notepad. It will work more slowly usual menus, but it will work. I think, that 1-2 seconds will be spent for capture and drawing of the menu. It is possible hide the built-in menus in some simple programs. But I think, that it is not necessary. Finderbar does not duplicate the menu of programs, but adds the new opportunities poorly accessible in usual Windows.

The menu in style Mac OS are convenient, if the ruler of the menu is located In TOP of the screen, instead of below, as in Windows. It is a question of copyrights and various standards. Personally I have so got used to arrangement Taskbar above, that to me unpleasantly standard arrangement below.

Hi,

No, ObjectBar (stardock) it's not hide standard menu's.. Thats what I mean...

It's terrible, always, there is two menus.. Objectbar and application menus..

If it's possible, please do it..

Thanks

AkeB0N0

[Landvermesser]

I'll try to write the small program which will hide standard menus. For sharing with Objectbar. So MenuHidder.

(1 Week Later: Damn! Not Possible... Sorry... I'm not big coder... )

[CyberTeddy]

hallo landvermesser,

funzt dein menu auch so, wie es sein soll?

habe mir mal winmac(http://winmac.emuunlim.com/) heruntergeladen, aber einige sachen im menu konnte man nicht anklicken...

cu

[doctari]

Just downloaded the newest package and it seems the archive is corrupt. The FinderBar engine executable doesn't install from the archive (I checked the folder...it's not there, just the config file).

Any ideas?

Thanks

[shmengie]

Just downloaded the newest package and it seems the archive is corrupt. The FinderBar engine executable doesn't install from the archive (I checked the folder...it's not there, just the config file).

Any ideas?

Thanks

did you try re-downloading?

[skoczu]

Try manualy extracting and copy

[doctari]

Yup...manually extracting the file did the trick...thanks...

[Landvermesser]

Ups!.. It's heavy day!

Yes, guys, the archive was with a mistake. Excuse. Now has upload new, in English.

I have an idea to write the program of installation in style Mac OS X, is simple for delight of eyes. Whether it is necessary to us? Your opinion?

hallo landvermesser,

funzt dein menu auch so, wie es sein soll?

habe mir mal winmac(http://winmac.emuunlim.com/) heruntergeladen, aber einige sachen im menu konnte man nicht anklicken...

cu

Doch, mein Finderbar funktioniert wie es sein soll und diese Sachen in die Menus sind spezial ausgeschaltet, weil es kein Analog in Windows z.B. zum Befehl „Show Original“ gibt. Wenn es dir stoert, kannst du unaktive Elemente einfach loeschen mit Menu Editor. Aber werden die Menus dann nicht so schoen und authentisch...

English translation:

Yes, my Finderbar functions like it should be and these things in the Menus are switched off specially because there is no analogous in Windows to the command "Show Original". If it interferes to you, you can delete unactive elements simply with Menu editor. However, the Menus then will be not so nice and authentic...

[Landvermesser]

With new Menu Editor it is very easy to add new menus. For example, the menu "Apple":

The hot area captured almost all button Start, and the menu "Apple" therefore is showed. Always it is possible to receive the starting menu pressing the keyboards button "Win" or click in the corner of the screen. There there is an area in 5 pixels active for pressing.

Download a attached file menu.ini.txt and rename it in menu.ini

Replace the file menu.ini on new, but preliminary save old as menu.ini.bak

Menu.ini.txt

[CyberTeddy]

>Try manualy extracting and copy

-- how do i do this?

well, when i clickt on your downloadable exe-file, your setup said that the finderbar_engine.exe could not exctract.

how can i exctract this file from your setup file manualy?

[Landvermesser]

2 CyberTeddy

I have already replaced the bad archive on download page. Simply download a file once again, it should work now.

Viel Glueck!

[CyberTeddy]

allright!

thank you so much!

werd's heute nachmittag testen.

(uups... i'll test it in the afternoon)

cu

[shmengie]

anyone else notice this...?

with the modified lucida grand font installed, the special symbol for "1/2" has been replaced...

obviously, not the end of the world, but still...

[Landvermesser]

Probably, it was a wrong choice, I'll correct this symbol in the following release.

I have offered mathematical symbols, but have left letters of national alphabets.