Virtual Desktop is the term commonly used to
describe a popular way to organize the open windows in your desktop. Imagine you hooked up
a large number of monitors to your computer and had a separate desktop for each. enable Virtual Desktop gives you the same results with only one monitor. enable Virtual Desktop provides
a mini-window that shows you a graphical representation of what is in each desktop,
including the ones you can't currently see. Using the mini-window you can switch between
desktops or move windows from one desktop to another. There is no need for overlapping
windows with a virtual desktop, you simply arrange your windows neatly, and if they
dont fit, switch to a new desktop.
- Customizable mini-windows show you exactly what is on each of your virtual desktops.
- Different shaped desktops can be created by changing the number of rows and columns.
enable Virtual Desktop gives you fast
switching from one desk to another, with several ways to switch desks, including:
- hotkeys;
- clicking in the mini-window;
- using the taskbar desk icons;
- dragging the mouse across a desk boundary; and
- using alt-tab to select an application in another virtual
desk.
- Different wallpaper/patterns/colors can be configured for each virtual desktop.
enable Virtual Desktop lets you assign
rules for windows, such as:
- making a window "sticky" so it appears in all
virtual desks;
- specifying in which desk a window should start;
- specifying the position in which a window should start;
- specifying the initial size of a window;
- specifying whether a window should start as an icon;
- setting enable Virtual Desktop up to be as compatible as possible with
windows with which it does not work well; and
- specifiying the number of times a rule should be run (so you
can set different rules for the same window).
- Rules are applied to windows when they are opened, however a menu option is available to
re-apply rules at any time, allowing a fast way to re-organize your desktop.
- The mini-window can be customized with the following options:
- display as a semi-transparent window allowing you to see
through the window;
- configure with or without a titlebar;
- configure with or without a taskbar icon;
- configure with or without a SysTray icon;
- configure to always stay on top; and
- configure to auto-hide.
- The mini-window has a completely customizable appearance,
which can be loaded and saved using enable Virtual Desktop appearance themes. This allows you to share your favrourite setups with others.
The appearance of the mini-window can be customized as follows:
- The mini-desktop can be configured to use colors, bitmap
textures, or the bitmap wallpaper you have configured for each desktop.
- You can configure the active and inactive windows in the
mini-window independently, with configuration options including window colors/textures,
titlebar colors/textures, font size and colors, icon and title position. You can disable
features that you don't want displayed, eg. titlebars, icons or window title display.
- The borders that separate the virtual desks can be
configured as either thick or thin, or disabled completely.
- The desks that are not active can be configured to be
displayed in grayscale, making it easy to see which is the active desk.
- The active desk can be displayed using the enable Virtual Desktop contents mode. This allows you to see an exact miniature replica of
you desktop which even shows you the contents of your windows.
- Completely customizable global hotkeys allow all of the following actions to be
performed:
- switch desks;
- show/hide the mini-window;
- minimize/restore all windows in the current virtual desktop;
- bring all windows on to the current virtual desktop;
- display the Properties dialog box; and
- display the Window Selector.
- Hotkeys can be enabled or disabled using a context menu option if an application has a
conflict with a global hotkey.
- A popup Window Selector is available, similar to the Windows
® Alt-Tab popup but
with the following improvements:
- the window can be selected using the mouse;
- the title of each window is shown at all times;
- shortcut keys can be used to save scrolling through a large
list of windows;
- windows can be closed using the Window Selector;
- applications can be terminated using the Window Selector;
and
- windows can be brought to the current desk using the Window
Selector.
- The mini-window can be hidden at any time using the mini-window SysTray icon or context
menu.
- Icons can be placed in the SysTray for each virtual desktop, allowing desks to be
selected even when the mini-window is hidden.
- A screendump facility is available, saving the need to load external applications to
take a quick screenshot.
- Drag switching allows desks to be switched by simply dragging your mouse across a desk
boundary. The switch trigger threshold is configurable.
- Drag sliding allows you to navigate around your virtual desktops as if they were one
single continuous desktop. Moving your mouse across a desk boundary will smoothly scroll
your viewport in that direction. The trigger threshold and scrolling speed can be
configured.
The enable Virtual
Desktop Mini-window
Selecting the Active Virtual Desk
Selecting the active virtual desk using the
mini-window is as simple as clicking in the desk you wish to activate. Using the left
mouse button, click the mini-window representation of the desk you wish to activate and
that desk will become the active virtual desk. The windows for the active desk will be
displayed, and if you have configured a particular wallpaper and color scheme for that
desk, it will also be displayed.
If you have enabled Drag switching (See Settings
Properties for details) you can switch desks by dragging the mouse across a
desk boundary on your desktop. This will trigger the activation of the desk on the
opposite side of the border you have crossed.
If you have enabled Drag sliding (See Settings
Properties for details) you can slide the viewport towards and across another
desk by moving the mouse to a desk border on your desktop.
Moving a Window Using the
Mini-window
Moving a window using the mini-window is the same as
moving a regular window, with one expection. A window contained in the mini-window can be
moved by clicking and dragging anywhere within that window; there is no need to use the
mini-titlebar. The window will be moved interactively and you will see the real window
move as you move its representation in the mini-window.
Moving a Window from One
Virtual Desktop to Another
You can move a window
between desktops by clicking and dragging the window's representation in the mini-window
from one virtual desktop to another. The window will be moved interactively and placed in
the other virtual desktop.
Dragging a Window Out of the
Mini-window
If you want to bring a window from another desktop
to the currently active desktop, you can click on the windows representation and
drag it out of the mini-window into the current desktop. As you drag the window's
representation out of the mini-window it will be replaced with the real window which you
can then place anywhere in the current desktop.
Hiding and Displaying the
Mini-window
There are several ways to hide and display the
mini-window.
Using a Hotkey
A hotkey can be configured to toggle the display
state of the mini-window (See Hotkey Settings for
details on configuring hotkeys).
Using the SysTray Icon
The SysTray icon can be configured to toggle the display state of the mini-window (see Mini-Window Settings for details on configuring
the SysTray Icon). Clicking on the SysTray icon with the left mouse button will
toggle the display state of the mini-window.
Using the Context Menu
The context menu provides an option that allows you to hide or show the mini-window.
The context menu can be activated using the right mouse button either in the mini-window
or on the SysTray icon.
Using the Autohide Feature
The mini-window can be configured to hide
automatically when your mouse leaves the window (see Mini-Window Settings for details on configuring
the Autohide option). The window can be re-displayed using any of the methods
described above or by moving the mouse to the desktop corner closest to the mini-window.
Moving the Mini-window When the
Mini-window Has No Titlebar
It is still possible to move the mini-window if if
is not configured to display a titlebar. Simply click and drag the mini-windowss
representation of itself within the mini-window, or any empty space within the
mini-window, and it will be moved just like any other window within the mini-window.
The Context Menu
The context menu is one way that you can
perform actions in enable Virtual Desktop. The context menu can be activated by right clicking anywhere within
the mini-window or on any of the enable Virtual Desktop icons in the SysTray.

The following actions can be performed through the context menu:
- The Properties menu item will bring up the dialog box that
allows you to configure all of the enable Virtual Desktop properties.
- The Hide Mini-Window menu item will toggle the mini-window
on and off.
- The Hotkeys Active menu item can be used to enable or
disable all hotkeys at once (see Hotkey Properties for
details on hotkeys).
- The Window Rules menu item will bring up the properties
dialog box for Window Rules.
- The Re-Apply Rules menu item allows you to re-apply all your
window rules at once (see Window Properties for
details on window rules).
The Add Window Rule menu item allows you to add windows rules through
the context menu, by selecting the option you want through the submenu. Options
include Set Desk, Set Size and Position and Set Desk, Size and
Position. Selecting an option will automatically add a rule for the current
window.
The Collect All Windows menu item will bring all windows
into the currently active desk.
The Select Window menu item brings up the enable Virtual Desktop Window Selector, which allows you to choose a window to
switch to (see the enable Virtual Desktop Window Selector for more
details).
The Screen Dump menu item allows you take capture your
current screen. You can dump the screen either to file or to the system clipboard.
The enable Virtual Desktop Window Selector
The enable Virtual Desktop Window Selector is a powerful utility similar to the standard Windows® Alt-Tab program
selector, but with some improvements.

Activating the Window Selector
The Window Selector can be activated in one of two ways:
- by using a hotkey (see Hotkey Properties for
details on how to configure a hotkey); or
- by choosing Select Window on the context menu. The context menu can be
activated by using the right mouse button either in the mini-window or on the SysTray
icon.
Once the Window Selector is active you can either use the mouse, the arrow
keys, or repeated presses of the hotkey to scroll through the available windows.
Selecting a Window
To select a window, highlight the window and either
click inside the Window Selector using the left mouse button or press the Enter
key. You can also press the function key that corresponds to your choice. Alternatively,
you can use the Window Selector context menu by clicking on your chosen window
with the right mouse button, which displays available window operations. The Switch To:
menu option will activate the chosen window.
Closing a Window
A window can be easily closed using the Window Selector, by either selecting
the Close option from the Window Selector context menu, or by pressing
the Del key.
NOTE: The Window Selector will ask the
window to close, but if it does not respond no further action will be taken.
Terminating an Application
The application that owns a window can be terminated using the Window Selector.
This can be done by either selecting the Kill option from the Window Selector
context menu, or by simultaneously pressing the Shift and Del keys. enable Virtual Desktop will attempt to cleanly terminate the application, but if it does
not respond enable Virtual Desktop will ask you if
you wish to forcefully terminate the application.
***WARNING: Forcefully terminating an
application can result in data loss.***
Bringing a Window to the
Current Virtual Desktop
A window can be brought to the currently active virtual desktop by either selecting the
Move to this desk menu option in the Window Selector context menu or by
pressing the Break key. |