Skins "Snapping" to Position?

[thekey]

I haven't quite noticed this before, but it seems like skins will auto-align themselves to a grid on the desktop - even if there's only one skin. Is there a setting to disable this that I am missing? I ask because my skins are designed to be movable fluidly across the screen to any point, and this defeats that purpose.

This also happens with the default skins so I'm skeptical on whether this is possible to disable...

[jsmorley]

In the Manage dialog, turn off "Snap to edges".

1.png

This can also be controlled with a bang in the skin.

http://docs.rainmeter.net/manual/bangs#SnapEdges

[thekey]

Yes, I've had that unchecked since I made my first skin because it annoyed me. It still snaps to the nearest point.

[jsmorley]

Yes, I've had that unchecked since I made my first skin because it annoyed me. It still snaps to the nearest point.

No, it really doesn't... At least Rainmeter doesn't. Sure you don't have some utility running that is auto-arranging or aligning windows on your desktop in some fashion? Some utility that creates a logical "grid" on your desktop, and aligns things to that grid? Some monitor management tool, or Fences, or some other hideous "tidy up" utility?

Rainmeter has absolutely no concept of a "grid on the desktop", and simply cannot be playing any role in that.

What "Snap to edges" will do is cause a skin to "snap to" or "stop at" the edge of either the entire screen or another Rainmeter skin when you drag a skin close to one of them. (within about 10 pixels I think) You can override it by continuing to drag after the initial "stop", so you certainly can overlap skins as long as it is by more than the 10 pixels. You can also override it by holding down CTRL while you drag.

If you turn off "Snap to edges", then Rainmeter will make no attempt to line the skin window up with anything. You can drag it anywhere you want, one pixel at a time if you like.

"Keep on screen" is somewhat related. What that does is keep the entire skin on the monitor, or entirely on the current monitor if you have more than one. With "Keep on screen" checked, you can't have a skin that runs off the monitor in any way, not even transparent areas of the skin window. If you have multiple monitors, dragging it to an edge will cause it to "stop" at the edge, which again you can override by continuing to drag, it will then "jump" entirely to the other monitor you are dragging it to. If you have "Keep on screen" off, then you can position the skin any way you like in relation to the edge of the screen, partly off if you like, or half on one monitor and half on the other if you have more than one.

Caveat: Windows itself will not allow any window to "run off" the top of the screen.

You can get some strange looking behavior if you have "Keep on screen" on, and have a skin that has a skin "window" that is significantly larger than what is "visible" in the skin. It can appear to not allow you to move the skin to the edge of the screen, when in fact you are, but it just doesn't look like it.

In any case, "Keep on screen" never has anything to do with snapping a skin to another skin, or anywhere on the desktop other than at the top/left/bottom/right edges.

If you turn off "Snap to edges" and "Keep on screen", then Rainmeter will absolutely do nothing with skin positioning on the screen. You are in complete control, pixel by pixel. If you are seeing something else, it ain't Rainmeter doing it...

[bZergh]

Yes, I've had that unchecked since I made my first skin because it annoyed me. It still snaps to the nearest point.

You can Hold CRTL to Unsnap while you are moving it.

[thekey]

I am aware of these "fixes". I searched forever for potential fixes to no avail. "Snap to Edges", as I have said, has been disabled since I started making my own skins last year. Holding control does nothing but move the skin with retaining a snapping motion.

To humor your "desktop management" suggestion, I installed Windows 7 into a virtual machine receiving the same effect using Rainmeter 3.3.0 Beta. I also took the liberty of digging out an older computer I never use anymore, and installed Windows 7 upon that... to the same effect with "Snap to Edges" off. This happens with default and custom skins and it is quite clear that it is not a single computer's problem. This has been tried on computers containing integrated and dedicated graphics. It has been tried on nearly every flavor of Windows (Starter, Home Premium, Enterprise, Professional) and 32/64-bit installs.

[jsmorley]

Well, I stand by everything I wrote above. I'm not entirely sure what you are seeing, but with "Snap to edges" off, Rainmeter simply has no capability of detecting or using any "grid" on the screen, and dragging can be done anywhere you want with as fine a movement as one pixel at a time.

The resolution that your mouse is capable of might play some role in how "fine" the movement can be, but I have a pretty basic mouse and have no trouble moving a skin a single pixel in any direction with a little care.

test.gif

So whatever is going on, I don't think it is the Rainmeter application.

[eclectic-tech]

JSMorley is right!

I believe your skin is not the size and shape you think it is, so it is reacting strangely.

When I am designing and arranging skin positions, I used a trick to temporarily show me the entire skin area by adding these 2 lines to the [Rainmeter] section:

Code: Select all

BackgroundMode=2
SolidColor=0,0,0,192

.
The entire skin background will be dark gray. Now I know exactly where the edges are. If I need to make any changes, the results are easier to see when this background is applied.

Once I have made all the changes, I simply delete those 2 lines.

The SolidColor=0,0,0,192 line can also be temporarily added to individual meters to check their shape and position.

Hope this helps!

[jsmorley]

With "Snap to edges" and "Keep on screen" both off, the size of the skin should make no difference at all as far as where you can drag the skin, or what level of precision of movement you can have.

The one exception is if any part of the the skin, visible or not, is trying to go off the "top" of the screen. That Windows itself just won't allow. Nothing to do with Rainmeter, it is a rule in Windows that has been around forever, to stop folks from moving a Window to a place where they can't get at the Menu Bar at the top of a normal window. Any skin you try to drag above the "top" of the screen will just automatically snap back to be entirely inside the monitor as soon as you release the mouse.

[MeterRain]

Funny, I came here to find the exact opposite answer, which was how to ENABLE true grid snapping, since I was aware that rainmeter does not support desktop grid snapping (which was my case (and quite possibly everyone's case)). Wouldn't want all my skins looking asymmetrical and randomly ordered.

Whatever your case may be OP, I envy you. I truly do.