vdlogo_full.jpg (22382 bytes)

enable Virtual
Desktop
Help


 

index.jpg (115439 bytes)

What is a Virtual Desktop?

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 don’t fit, switch to a new desktop.

enable Virtual Desktop Features

  • 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

contents_no_title.jpg (25593 bytes)

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 window’s 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-windows’s 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.

menu.jpg (34457 bytes)

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.

Window_Selector.jpg (31450 bytes)

Activating the Window Selector

The Window Selector can be activated in one of two ways:

  1. by using a hotkey (see Hotkey Properties for details on how to configure a hotkey); or
  2. 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.

 

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation

 

For information on other enable software products, visit our web site at
http://www.enablesoftware.com

Copyright © 1999 Enable Software Pty Ltd