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Topic: «AWM 8.2 - Final , Desktop Divider Twitchy & Glitchy » on forum: Technical Support   Views: 6443
 
Zardoz2293
 
 Posts: 302
Joined: 07/27/2010
Posted: 10/08/2014 11:11:23
 
 
 AWM     = version 8.2 Final
Windows = 7 64-Bit

For sometime now I've been having problems with the AWM > Desktop Divider > Enable Desktop Diver (CHECKED)

For the record I haven't modified anything in the Desktop Divider section and it once worked without any concerns. However, in the past couple of months or so and for unknown reasons the ability to dock an application into a desktop divider sometimes fails. When this happens there is no displaying to the divider tile layouts. Stopping and starting AWM has no effect.

Usually I can tell what is causing the problem quickly. However, in this item I'm completely baffled as to what causes or how to reproduce. It has an almost random effect, however, I know that is highly unlikely.

Any thoughts on this one?

Thanks,
Lars

Sincerely,
Lars
 
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Alexander Mihalkin
Administrator

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 Posts: 502
Joined: 04/21/2014
Posted: 10/09/2014 22:20:04
 
 
 Thank you for your post, Lars!

Does it only happen when you drag a window?

Quote
Stopping and starting AWM has no effect.
Does this behavior remain for some time after once occured?

Best regards.

support@actualtools.com
 
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Zardoz2293
 
 Posts: 302
Joined: 07/27/2010
Posted: 10/09/2014 22:46:50
 
 
 Alexander,

Quote
Does it only happen when you drag a window?
I'm not sure understand your question. I've only used this feature with the following two methods. #1) originally, I set it to activate only when the CTRL key was pressed and while I dragged a window. #2) I removed the original way, method #1 and now only have it implemented ALWAYS when dragging a window -- as this just has a more efficient workflow. If the problem existed previously, using method #1, I was never aware as it always worked. When using method number #2 it is very obvious when it isn't working.

Currently, when it has stopped functioning performing a stopping/starting on AWM has no effect. As I recall a reboot was not effective either. I've made changes in AWM specifically the "Default Settings" and it is now working most of the time. I am not claiming there is anything in the "Default Settings" which is or could cause this effect, just that I've been very focused on that section of the program lately. I just know there are more than one issue I'm having and collectively it makes it hard to fine tune on one specific item at a time due to the cumulative effect, directly or indirectly.

Interesting Firefox's download manager's window (display "Show All Downloads") will not activate the Desktop Divider 100 percent of the time when you move the window, however, Firefox itself will. Firefox version 32.03

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Lars

Sincerely,
Lars
 
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Alexander Mihalkin
Administrator

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 Posts: 502
Joined: 04/21/2014
Posted: 10/10/2014 17:44:02
 
 
 Dear Lars,

thank you for your reply!

I used your settings, opened the log window and found out that the Default Settings are to be applied to Firefox Library window. This means that when you disable the Default Settings, dragging windows like Firefox Library will not activate the Desktop Divider. It's the specificity of Actual Window Manager's current design.

Best regards!

support@actualtools.com
 
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Zardoz2293
 
 Posts: 302
Joined: 07/27/2010
Posted: 10/11/2014 00:01:58
 
 
 Alexander,

Quote
I used your settings, opened the log window and found out that the Default Settings are to be applied to Firefox Library window.
I'm assuming you mean "Specific Settings" and not "Default Settings" -- correct?


Quote
Firefox Library
What are you defining as Firefox Library? MozillaWindowClass and/or MozillaDialogClass or something else?


Quote
This means that when you disable the Default Settings, dragging windows like Firefox Library will not activate the Desktop Divider. It's the specificity of Actual Window Manager's current design.
I don't understand. In reviewing the AWM help file documentation I do not see anything stating that "Default Settings" also have hidden and built-in predefined functionality on some window classes and then having a reference of those exceptions (I'd expect to see a list of main stream products rather than some internal obscure windows API class, but this concerns me as I feel this whole "Default Settings" goes way beyond "defaults" and is really a black box having many far reaching impacts on how one goes about creating rules and what major side effects can and will occur.)

I don't understand why Actual Window Manager Log window is excluded from the Tile Divider functionality.



What are your thoughts?

Sincerely,
Lars

Sincerely,
Lars
 
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Alexander Mihalkin
Administrator

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 Posts: 502
Joined: 04/21/2014
Posted: 10/13/2014 22:28:39
 
 
 Dear Lars,

thank you for your reply!

What I was trying to tell is that if there isn't any rules applied to the window, then Desktop Divider will not work with that particular window.

There are no exclusions excepting the ones listed in Window Settings -> Exclusions and some unreachable windows like Adobe Reader in protected mode. There is no hidden and built-in predefined functionality on any window classes as well.

So, when Default Settings are disabled, Desktop Divider will only work with the windows which have Specific Settings rules applied to them.

As for the Firefox Library - it's the "Show all Downloads" window, looks like this:
User added an image.

And here's its log entry:
User added an image.

As you can see, Default Settings rule is applied to this window, because it doesn't contain "Mozilla Firefox" in the caption, and the window caption criterion is enabled in your Mozilla Firefox Specific Settings rule. In this situation, if you disable the Default Settings rule, then no rules will apply to Firefox Library window and thus the Desktop Divider will not work with the Firefox Library window. The same thing happens with Actual Window Manager log window.

Best regards.

support@actualtools.com
 
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Zardoz2293
 
 Posts: 302
Joined: 07/27/2010
Posted: 10/14/2014 01:32:19
 
 
Quote
As for the Firefox Library - it's the "Show all Downloads" window, looks like this:
I've never given attention to the title of the window when selecting "Show all Downloads" as my only intent/desire is to clear the download list as the download list cannot be cleared via the popup from the download arrow. Yes, I've now seen it is called "Library".

What's causing my hit/miss on multiple problems is the why the Default Settings (DS) are implemented as enabling/disabling results in making somethings work and breaks others and visa versa regardless of the DS enabled/disabled settings.

Sincerely,
Lars
 
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Alexander Mihalkin
Administrator

-retired-
 
 Posts: 502
Joined: 04/21/2014
Posted: 10/14/2014 19:06:33
 
 
 Thank you for your reply, Lars!

I understand your concerns about kind of an unobvious interrelation between Desktop Divider and Default Settings. This is because of the most fundamental design of Actual Window Manager. The component which monitors apps and user activity is activated via window rules, and Default Settings are there to keep it active whenever any new window (the one which Actual Window Manager is "not familiar" with) appears.

Please describe the situations where enabling Default Settings would disable or break something.

Best regards.

support@actualtools.com
 
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Zardoz2293
 
 Posts: 302
Joined: 07/27/2010
Posted: 10/16/2014 05:45:25
 
 
Quote
Please describe the situations where enabling Default Settings would disable or break something.

Default Settings:
( 1 ) define title buttons

( 2 ) define window move to monitor with mouse pointer

( 3 ) define transparency 25%

----
( A ) Regard #1 above. If you want title buttons on everything in the Specific Settings this is the way to do it, otherwise you have to enable title settings and configure each one individually. The backdoor solution is to create an Exception of "\z" -- not user friendly, but it's a workaround.

( B ) Regard #2 above. This attribute conflicts with #1 in the scope of implementation.

( C ) Regard #3 above. I want all "valid" windows in the entire system to be transparent 25% when I move them. Having the Exception "\z" implemented limits this scope to only include those applications which have a rule under Specific Settings -- this is not desired and significantly limits what I can have as transparent if I want #1 above to exist with this attribute.

I didn't create a truth table for the above three attributes, so I'm sure there are other combinations for which I have not included. The point is I could get an AWM configuration perhaps 98-99 percent correct for how I want/need my system to function on the first time configuring if each attribute was segregated so it could be defined as one of three levels of service:

( a ) System-wide (everything)
( b ) Group (applies to all windows/applications defined in Specific Settings)
( c ) Individual (a single Specific Settings rule for an application/window)

The by their very nature, all windows which by definition the attribute would not apply are always excluded.

Sincerely,
Lars
 
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Alexander Mihalkin
Administrator

-retired-
 
 Posts: 502
Joined: 04/21/2014
Posted: 10/22/2014 07:52:24
 
 
 Dear Lars,

thank you for your reply!

As for 1-3 and A-C, I didn't quite understand the issue. If you'd like to adjust title buttons for all the Specific Settings (well, not all of them, but the ones that have the same title button config as in Default Settings) in one place, you can adjust Default Settings no matter if they are enabled or disabled. Then, if you want all other windows to have one set of title buttons which is different from what was meant in the previous sentence, you can keep Default Settings disabled and create a "\z" Specific Settings rule and configure the title buttons there.

As for the group rules, we'll consider that request of yours, thank you!

Best regards.

support@actualtools.com
 
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