Desktop Program Idea
Rerouting the Desktop to hide the Icons
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 by nBanyan | Discussion: Developer Journals
I've looked online for a program that would hold all the icons and files on the desktop (and that are sent to the desktop) in a window that could be easily accessed/viewed by system tray, hotkey, or desktop object and could be minimized to "hide" all the icons so that the background image is visible. (Very useful for those of us whose destop is cluttered and in need of organization 
) The only program I found that came close was HideIcons, which seems to just put a copy of the desktop image over the desktop and so hide the icons. The problem with this is that the desktop context menu doesn't work unless the program is disabled or minimized.
I'd program it myself (if I had time), but I only know VB, C++ and HTML and I don't know enough about manipulating the windows OS to know how to go about doing this.
I think a program like this would look good as an object, button, or sidebar that, when clicked, expand into a skinned explorer type box/window (doesn't need any menus, I don't think) that would show the icons/files as they would be shown on the regular desktop.
Any ideas or anyone who would like to take this on?
) The only program I found that came close was HideIcons, which seems to just put a copy of the desktop image over the desktop and so hide the icons. The problem with this is that the desktop context menu doesn't work unless the program is disabled or minimized.I'd program it myself (if I had time), but I only know VB, C++ and HTML and I don't know enough about manipulating the windows OS to know how to go about doing this.
I think a program like this would look good as an object, button, or sidebar that, when clicked, expand into a skinned explorer type box/window (doesn't need any menus, I don't think) that would show the icons/files as they would be shown on the regular desktop.
Any ideas or anyone who would like to take this on?
Bichur
Reply #2 Wednesday, May 11, 2005 10:00 AM
Reply #2 Wednesday, May 11, 2005 10:00 AM
I just right clicked desktop and unchecked 'show icons' - put up an animated object (used the 'torus' cursorxp whatchamacallit) & set that for desktop.
BX
Reply #4 Friday, May 13, 2005 12:12 PM
Reply #4 Friday, May 13, 2005 12:12 PM
As far as I remember, DX can handle it very easily. There is a built-in object called "DesktopIcons" which does almost the same thing which u wished for .. Cheers 
Bichur
Reply #5 Friday, May 13, 2005 2:31 PM
I haven't seen/found that yet. Where is it? (Much harder for me since 'Builder').
Does it cause the icons to show or the Desktop folder?
Reply #5 Friday, May 13, 2005 2:31 PM
| There is a built-in object called "DesktopIcons |
I haven't seen/found that yet. Where is it? (Much harder for me since 'Builder').
Does it cause the icons to show or the Desktop folder?
BX
Reply #6 Saturday, May 14, 2005 1:08 PM
If u have DX 3, then open it - A DX Welcome screen will appear from there click Load Object ... and when folder opens, select object named "Desktop" - this will place an object on your desktop through which you may access them.
If you have a version older than DX 3, select import object and from list select the object of same name mentioned above.
Reply #6 Saturday, May 14, 2005 1:08 PM
| I haven't seen/found that yet. Where is it? (Much harder for me since 'Builder'). |
If u have DX 3, then open it - A DX Welcome screen will appear from there click Load Object ... and when folder opens, select object named "Desktop" - this will place an object on your desktop through which you may access them.
If you have a version older than DX 3, select import object and from list select the object of same name mentioned above.
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Reply #1 Wednesday, May 11, 2005 7:41 AM
Then I dragged the folder onto the start bar. I resized it so only the title was showing. That caused the expand arrows to appear.
So all I had to do was click on the arrow and there were all my files.
I think I used TweakUI to clean up the last of the Windows shortcuts.