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Topic: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

I am wondering if there's a module that would act like win7 taskbar - just for the part where you add a shortcut, and it will highlight whenever that program is running? I found xtaskbar can show just the icons, and highlight/saturate them too, after which is active...but not highlight if they are just running or not(and leaving them visible when they are not)

I love that particular feature in win7, and LS seems to be so close to achieving it. As I am running winXP and quite content with that, I am not about to switch to win7 just for it lol - but it would be cool if a LS module could show a similar function.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

Just guessing here, but that part might be scriptable. Make an xLabel that acts as the shortcut. Then using one.dll you might be able to detect when that program is running, and when it is you change the xLabel graphics to make it look highlighted. You could also just change the graphics as soon as you click the shortcut, because then you know it's running. But you still have to detect when it's closing somehow... You should also tell xTaskbar to not show that program.

As I said, just thinking out loud here...

That said, I do think this should really be a module of its own. Would make it much more userfriendly!

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

mm, good thoughts. It has to know when the program is ended though, otherwise you get lost in whats open or not.

Since LS have been dormant, and modules with it, i am guessing no-one have really looked at making the taskbar like this. I read somewhere that this feature of win7 have been more popular than anything else.

I am not so confident as to begin coding a module though lol, but it would've be fun to check out the source code.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

Last week, during one of my researches, I discovered that SharpE emulates the Win7 taskbar perfectly. I haven't really looked into how, but if we investigate their code closer, we might have something to use as a base.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

I'd love if xtaskbar had one feature:

On middleclick do: read what process is under the icon and when you close the task the button stays there and reffers to the process.exe file.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

I don't see what your comment has to do with the current topic, but since it's here, I'll respond.

free wrote:

I'd love if xtaskbar had one feature: On middleclick do: read what process is under the icon...

This might be possible. You can certainly program a specific action to occur OnMiddleClickUp.

free wrote:

... and when you close the task the button stays there and refers to the process.exe file.

If I close a task, I expect the task to go away. Wanting the task to stay behind is explicitly counter to what the taskbar should be doing. Why would you want this?

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

I would want to have my recent tasks to be easily opened via a taskbar. This was not common when LiteStep was founded but it is common approach today. We can see this in Win7, Ubuntu and OSX.

Since we're talking about a taskbar plugin which deals with tasks, we expect it to handle everything connected with  tasks and allow us to make a taskbar.
1. A taskbar today does have such a functionality.
2. Noone said a taskbar should be limited to activetasks, why not place most recent tasks there?
3. We could use such a functionality for example to place two taskbars on a theme. One would be used for active tasks and the other one would store the recent tasks. This way we would get an easy to customize task launch bar. Noone seriously thinking about litestep beeing popular would make anyone 'script' their own shortcuts. C'mon it's the end 2011 not 1999.
4. I need such functionality for both my themes.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

free wrote:

I would want to have my recent tasks to be easily opened via a taskbar. This was not common when LiteStep was founded but it is common approach today. We can see this in Win7, Ubuntu and OSX.

Since we're talking about a taskbar plugin which deals with tasks, we expect it to handle everything connected with  tasks and allow us to make a taskbar.
1. A taskbar today does have such a functionality.
2. Noone said a taskbar should be limited to activetasks, why not place most recent tasks there?
3. We could use such a functionality for example to place two taskbars on a theme. One would be used for active tasks and the other one would store the recent tasks. This way we would get an easy to customize task launch bar. Noone seriously thinking about litestep beeing popular would make anyone 'script' their own shortcuts. C'mon it's the end 2011 not 1999.
4. I need such functionality for both my themes.

I think I understand what you mean now. However, I think you're blending terminology, and you went about saying it in an awkward manner.

If I understand you right, you want to emulate/do in LiteStep what Windows7 does natively now. That is to say, the ability to pin commonly used applications to the taskbar. That is in fact what I was talking about, when I mentioned that SharpEnviro emulates the Windows7 taskbar perfectly. Like I already mentioned, if we can figure out how SharpEnviro can do it, then we can do it ourselves.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

Iam using ObjectBar by Stardock to implement the windows 7 taskbar behavior. Just look at this screenshot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/61733881@N05/6382198885
Its a custom theme for objectBar with some underlying xlabels.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

free wrote:

3. We could use such a functionality for example to place two taskbars on a theme. One would be used for active tasks and the other one would store the recent tasks. This way we would get an easy to customize task launch bar. Noone seriously thinking about litestep beeing popular would make anyone 'script' their own shortcuts. C'mon it's the end 2011 not 1999.

I have see it once (with actual module), the theme has multiple taskbar (one for activ task, one for recent, one with "docked" shortcuts...).
yes it need some scripting but what's the matter.

i ll try to retrieve the theme if you want.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

tabaz wrote:

Iam using ObjectBar by Stardock to implement the windows 7 taskbar behavior. Just look at this screenshot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/61733881@N05/6382198885
Its a custom theme for objectBar with some underlying xlabels.

That's great for you, but the whole point is to get support natively in LiteStep.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

@traveled: the point is to have a single taskbar with both "docked" shortcuts and running tasks AND to be able to "dock" or pin those shortcuts without scripting but rather with a !bang.
In short, mimic osx dock or windows7 taskbar.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

That sounds way too hard to be scripted. Someone needs to write a new module for that. I hope that someone implements jump lists as well big_smile

14 (edited by free 2011-11-23 19:50:36 pm)

Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

It's not to be scripted. It requires a small update in the xtaskbar module. A small because the whole idea sounds rather easy.

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

I wish it was. But if you think it's easy feel free to code it big_smile

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Re: Win7 taskbar shortcuts

I need to set up a dev environment and compile litestep. I should get some free time by the end of the week (or the next week if im unlucky).