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Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

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cosymoon
Posts: 3
Joined: January 3rd, 2018, 12:22 pm

Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

Post by cosymoon »

Hi everyone. I've just started using rainmeter and i'm completely stuck with one thing. My plan was to have 2 virtual desktops thanks to build in feature in windows 10. My intention was to have one 100% stock desktop with no rainmeter skins and second one fully customized with skins i want. I found some information about dexpot etc but those are no longer supported as i see. In settings i found this option ''display monitor'' however no matter what i choose there it doesn't help. I can choose between ''use default: pimary monitor'' and ''@0 virtual screen'' which doesnt seem to change anything. All my skins are seen at both virtual screens at the time. Maybe its something with setting up a name or changing this ''@0'' somewhere to a correct number. I have no idea how to work this out.
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eclectic-tech
Rainmeter Sage
Posts: 5382
Joined: April 12th, 2012, 9:40 pm
Location: Cedar Point, Ohio, USA

Re: Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

Post by eclectic-tech »

As far as I know, Windows has not exposed a way to determine which virtual desktop is active, so setting unique skins to each is not currently possible. Any loaded skins will appear on all virtual desktops. :-(

I did create VirtualDesktop10 which has a feature to hide all active skins by scrolling the mouse wheel down, and show them again by scrolling up.

I know it is not what you are trying to achieve, but for now, it will clear your desktop quickly. ;-)
cosymoon
Posts: 3
Joined: January 3rd, 2018, 12:22 pm

Re: Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

Post by cosymoon »

It's actualy very good. Thank you
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eclectic-tech
Rainmeter Sage
Posts: 5382
Joined: April 12th, 2012, 9:40 pm
Location: Cedar Point, Ohio, USA

Re: Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

Post by eclectic-tech »

cosymoon wrote:It's actualy very good. Thank you
Glad you like it... Thanks! :bow:

I would love to be able to set unique skins (wallpapers, links, etc.) on virtual desktops, but until someone smarter than me finds a way, or M$ incorporates those features, we are stuck with what they give us. :twisted:
cosymoon
Posts: 3
Joined: January 3rd, 2018, 12:22 pm

Re: Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

Post by cosymoon »

well there is a tool called ''windows 10 virtual desktop enhancer'' It have some great features however when it somes to changing wallpaper its a little bit laggy as it just changes wallpaper manualy but it works.
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eclectic-tech
Rainmeter Sage
Posts: 5382
Joined: April 12th, 2012, 9:40 pm
Location: Cedar Point, Ohio, USA

Re: Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

Post by eclectic-tech »

cosymoon wrote:well there is a tool called ''windows 10 virtual desktop enhancer'' It have some great features however when it somes to changing wallpaper its a little bit laggy as it just changes wallpaper manualy but it works.
Thanks, I'll check it out! :17nodding
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tjhrulz
Developer
Posts: 267
Joined: October 13th, 2016, 1:28 am
Location: Earth

Re: Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

Post by tjhrulz »

eclectic-tech wrote:As far as I know, Windows has not exposed a way to determine which virtual desktop is active, so setting unique skins to each is not currently possible. Any loaded skins will appear on all virtual desktops. :-(

I did create VirtualDesktop10 which has a feature to hide all active skins by scrolling the mouse wheel down, and show them again by scrolling up.

I know it is not what you are trying to achieve, but for now, it will clear your desktop quickly. ;-)

It is actually possible to tell which desktop you are on with some low level COM hackery iirc but not something that we have baked into Rainmeter. I had experimented with making a plugin that exposed all that in the past that ended up as part of a bigger plugin TheAzack9 and I were working on but it never came to be released.

If there is interest maybe I could fold that back into its own 3rd party plugin but it would be not built in and I had built it to be more close to what eclectic-tech made and not was intended for it to flip through different layouts based on which desktop you were on. You could hack something together that would hide and unhide skins though based on which desktop you were on with it I guess.
mipsou
Posts: 1
Joined: May 31st, 2018, 12:46 pm

Re: Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

Post by mipsou »

Hi,
I'm not a dev but i can help.
i found this official SDK https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/winsdk/2015/09/10/virtual-desktop-switching-in-windows-10/
This exemple is good.

Regards
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eclectic-tech
Rainmeter Sage
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Joined: April 12th, 2012, 9:40 pm
Location: Cedar Point, Ohio, USA

Re: Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

Post by eclectic-tech »

Using an AutoHotKey script by SDias, I cobbled together a skin that loads the Virtual Desktop Enhancer that allows easier control of the desktops, current vdesktop indicators, and options to define separate wallpapers and programs for each vdesktops.

Note that this only works on Windows 10.

Here is a link to that post: Virtual Desktop Enhancer
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tjhrulz
Developer
Posts: 267
Joined: October 13th, 2016, 1:28 am
Location: Earth

Re: Windows 10 Virtual Desktop

Post by tjhrulz »

mipsou wrote:Hi,
I'm not a dev but i can help.
i found this official SDK https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/winsdk/2015/09/10/virtual-desktop-switching-in-windows-10/
This exemple is good.

Regards
That is actually a small fraction of what is possible with the underlying functions, hopefully I will someday have time to make something cool for Rainmeter when it comes to VirtualDesktops