Request - Different Taskbar Positions per Orientation

Question

Request - Different Taskbar Positions per Orientation

Euclidite opened this issue 3 years ago · comments

I use a Surface Pro with Windows 11. Frequently when in tablet mode (Portrait) I prefer the taskbar at the top so that it's easier to use the buttons (especially when laying down).

However, in most cases in laptop mode I would prefer the taskbar to be at the bottom (speciaically, so that I am not bothered by the bugs with switching between multiple windows of the same app).

It would be nice if the app supported different options per orientation.

Dustin Hendriks · Answer 1 · Mon Nov 29 2021 18:59:51 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time)

Hi there! I think this option is definitely something that can be added in the application. Do you have suggestions on how to display this in de user interface? Currently I am thinking of adding a checkbox which allows the user to select their desired taskbar location for landscape and horizontal mode.

A requirement would be that you keep the application running in the background, so the orientation change can be detected.

gitraghuram · Answer 2 · Thu Dec 02 2021 01:55:54 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time)

Regarding suggestion for user interface, the one in Taskbar Shuffler 1.2 used for windows 10 is a good one.
If asks - for each of portrait and landscape,
choose -left/right/top/bottom - 4 checkboxes for portrait, and 4 checkboxes for landscape.

Dustin Hendriks · Answer 3 · Sun Dec 05 2021 06:59:18 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time)

Hi there! Please note that I have not forgotten to fix the issue, there is some slight delay though.

I wanted to implement another function which adjusts the registry to disable the new context menu (which is shown on right mouse button click). However, something is modifying the corresponding registry key. I'm currently not sure if this is due to another application or Windows, so I'll have to create a virtual machine to be sure. I hoped to implement this feature alongside your suggestion for the next version. For this reason it might take a bit longer.

Bart · Answer 4 · Mon Dec 06 2021 10:39:51 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time)

Hello! Thank you for considering this request. As a suggestion for a UI you could look at https://github.com/AutoDarkMode/Windows-Auto-Night-Mode - which has a similar UI where you can configure conditions.

However, perhaps the easiest way would be to keep it simple and have a "Landscape" and "Portrait" section, where the user could configure any of the options per orientation.

If you think in the future you may want to add more "conditions" (Plugged in, on battery, landscape, portrait, etc), then it may be worth the effort to create something a bit more flexible

Dustin Hendriks · Answer 5 · Mon Dec 20 2021 08:39:05 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time)

Hi! Please note the feature has been implemented in the new release, which you can download here. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Bart · Answer 6 · Sun Jan 16 2022 23:29:14 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time)

@jetspiking Thank you for implementing this! I was having troubles getting it working due to the crashing bug (fixed in 5.0.2), but it works well now!

My only suggestions would be:

Find a way to have the application minimize to the tray - having it open all the time is fine, but showing the icon on the taskbar always can be intrusive
There should be an option to start with Windows (for the automatic orientation switching to work)
The taskbar seems to reload / rerender when moved - small nuisance, but would be nice if this could be addressed.

Dustin Hendriks · Answer 7 · Sun Jan 16 2022 23:58:07 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time)

Hi there!

The first two issues are related to the fact that the application is portable. A solution for the first problem is to add a button that closes Taskbar11 and hides it on the taskbar. It can not be displayed in the tray-icon though, since the application needs to be a service for that (which makes the application less portable).

The second option could also be implemented. I will look into a solution to add the current assembly to the registry path for startup applications.

I do not have a solution for the third issue.
The taskbar reloads due to restarting the process "explorer.exe" after adjusting the registry settings. Currently I am not aware of a faster way to reload the taskbar.

I will look into the first two issues for the next version of Taskbar11.

Bart · Answer 8 · Mon Jan 17 2022 05:58:13 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time)

Thanks for the quick response. Here's my suggestion:

Add a command line parameter: "windowless"
When registering the exe as a startup app you can have it pass the above parameter
When the user manual starts the exe, it checks to see if there's a running instance (make it a singleton application), and triggers that one to become visible
In the app you could perhaps also add a "close to background" checkbox