How did you get Mildrop to be immune from minimize/maximize all Show Desktop button?

[c627627]

Lower right corner of Windows 7/8 Desktop has a show desktop link.

If you have multiple monitors, sometimes you want to have one window permanently be displayed on monitor 2 while working as usual on monitor 1, minimizing/maximizing multiple windows at once by using the Show desktop link.

Milkdrop is one of those windows and the creators have successfully accomplished this - the Milkdrop window does *not* minimize/maximize when you click on the Show Desktop button, which is great!


How did you manage to do this, how can this be done with another window, is there a program or command or way to permanently pin a window just like Milkdrop and have it permanently be displayed on Monitor 2 without minimize all button affecting it?

[DrO]

the source code is available for you to try to work it out.

[c627627]

Thank you for your reply. If I may modify the question. I understand that you are saying that the way it was done is somewhere inside the source code.

Does that mean that this is only possible if someone is programming something from scratch and could use info from source code?


My question was about, (for example), simply watching a streaming flash player episode available on all official TV station web sites on Monitor 2 (really big screen TV) while doing business as usual on Monitor 1.

In other words, you are working on your computer as usual, while an episode of something is playing on the side on your big screen TV. Well you don't want that episode to be disappearing every time you minimize all windows. Is there a way to make ordinary windows be locked in just like Mildrop is LOCKED in?

[DrO]

i really don't know what Milkdrop might be doing (whether it's something it directly does or is down to what it is using) and other than looking at the source code myself, i cannot answer your other questions.

[garetjax]

I've looked at the source code as well, I don't see anything that would speak to that behavior? I believe, it may be consequence of a 'unknown feature', or possible 'a freak accident'. As the show desktop generally, is an OS function....lol. Sneaky...ahahaha

Desktop_Mode.cpp ~


To answer your question---> You'd have to add 'the function' to a new instance/program and it would 'inherit' (you'd have to program the usage to do a similar function)...in order to utilize it. Not impossible, but very tedious...considering your use case. You'd have to create a browser instance, windowed instance with browser functionality or similar and utilize the desktop_mode type function to save position state of the active window. None, of which guarantee's that at some future implementation that Microsoft will update the hook for the used API.


Of note: This function of Milkdrop does not work on Windows 8.1 Pro 64 B; and milkdrop itself doesn't work on Surface Pro - Windows 8.1 64B

[c627627]

garetjax, thanks you for posting. I have Milkdrop running on Windows 8.0 in *permanent* full screen on my Plasma TV (connected to computer) and it is *unaffected* by clicking on the Show Desktop button.

Are you saying you could get a Firefox window to stay maximized, in particular a maximized flash player window inside Firefox?

That's what's needed so we can play a TV episode in Flash permanently maximized while doing regular computer work on main monitors. On Windows 8.0 and all previous versions of Windows - only Milkdrop can manage to stay unaffected by the minimize/maximize button.


So... how exactly would you accomplish this? I am having trouble understanding what you are saying and I do have (quite a bit of) Windows OS modification experience.

[garetjax]

In win 8.1 you can full size content and slit resiZe the other so, that you have two pieces of content. I'd suggest looking into it.

[c627627]

Is this a Windows 8.1 new feature not available under Windows 8.0.

If you gave me juts one link to get me started, I would love to look into it.

[garetjax]

Yes. Win8.1 split screen; up to 4 screens

[garetjax]

http://mywindows8.org/use-split-screen-mode-in-windows-8-1/

[c627627]

After all these years I finally installed Windows 8.1.

Let me restate the objective:
Your computer is connected to both your TV and your computer monitor, and you want to permanently be showing a video on your TV without it being affected by the Show Desktop (minimize/maximize) button [lower right desktop corner, to the right of the Desktop clock].

*Only* Milkdrop when shown on TV [second monitor] in full screen, is not affected by that button. Every other program is.

I talked to one of the freeware media players creators (Daum Potplayer) and they said it cannot be done.

But of Milkrop did it... what needs to happen to have an option inside a media player to permanently maximize its display without it being affected by the Show Desktop button?
What needs to be part of a program, if you can talk to an actual media player developer?

[AuralArchitect]

I know that this thread is old and asleep... but...

You didn't specifically, clearly say that you have tested the other visualizers in WinAmp and that they are NOT able to perform the function you're talking about. I may be wrong, but that behavior sounds more like something that the host (WinAmp) and not the plug-in (MD) would be responsible for.

You definitely pose an interesting question! I know exactly what you're talking about and it is super annoying!

Have you thought about approaching this from a different angle?
Like some program that restricts the mouse from the "Show Desktop" button & immediate area? I am pretty sure AutoHotKey can manage this. I had a little app written in AHK that would "wrap" my mouse from one the right side of my right-most monitor to the left side of my left-most monitor. I recall there being a way to specify at which pixel 'column' the cursor would transition. If you set that before the "show desktop" button, then that would solve your problem... You could even set it up in AHK so that it was only active if/when your media player was playing...
You would obviously lose all access to that portion of your monitor- but that seems like a fair trade off...

A while back I found a little program that let you "fence off" a corner or side of the screen that the cursor couldn't enter. If I ever remember what it was called I'll post it.

[c627627]

Thank you for posting. To clarify what the goal is:
I wish to make just the media player be immune from being minimized.

If I could explain to the author of the media player how this could be done (just like Milkdrop can do this), I believe he would implement this feature. The media player freeware is Daum Potplayer.

So when I use it to play video, I play it on a second monitor (big screen TV) which is being watched by someone else. And the goal is to allow someone else to watch it without interrupting their watching through the use of the minimize Windows function which I need to use for everything else on the main monitor. Hope that's not to confusing.

I would also like to make the internet browser window temporarily pinned in full screen and immune to being minimized.

But at the same time *all* other windows are still being minimized. So the goal is not to turn the feature off. Just turn it off for a specific active window.