It is currently March 28th, 2024, 8:10 am

Changing work area screws up Windows' window management hotkeys

Report bugs with the Rainmeter application and suggest features.
Post Reply
User avatar
raiguard
Posts: 660
Joined: June 25th, 2015, 7:02 pm
Location: The Sky, USA
Contact:

Changing work area screws up Windows' window management hotkeys

Post by raiguard »

If you change a monitor's work area using the DesktopWorkArea keys in Rainmeter.ini, then Windows' built-in window management shortcuts quit behaving properly. If you edit the work area to change the position of the vertical edges (left and right edges), then WIN+Leftor WIN+Right will stop working at all, depending on which side you changed. If you change the top work area, WIN+Up, WIN+Left, and WIN+Right all stop working properly.

Is this something that can be fixed?
User avatar
Brian
Developer
Posts: 2673
Joined: November 24th, 2011, 1:42 am
Location: Utah

Re: Changing work area screws up Windows' window management hotkeys

Post by Brian »

Works fine for me.

Are you sure you are using the proper Windows settings?
Settings > System > Multitasking

-Brian
User avatar
raiguard
Posts: 660
Joined: June 25th, 2015, 7:02 pm
Location: The Sky, USA
Contact:

Re: Changing work area screws up Windows' window management hotkeys

Post by raiguard »

Sorry for the late reply, I've been busy. Yes, my settings are configured correctly. I reported this because one of my suite's users reported it, and I found it to be true as well. As far as I know our settings are at default.

If it's not too much of a bother, could someone install my suite and try this out? The feature in question is the sidebars, which you can find in the global settings skin (ModernGadgets\Settings\GlobalSettings). Enable one of them and try to use the hotkeys. Please let me know if it works for you! Maybe it's something specific to my suite that is causing this.
User avatar
Virginityrocks
Posts: 478
Joined: February 26th, 2011, 10:22 pm

Re: Changing work area screws up Windows' window management hotkeys

Post by Virginityrocks »

Yep. I tried it. It's giving me the same problem. No problem with moving windows with the windows keys on the second monitor, but issues with going left-right right-left on the primary monitor. I'm sure this is a Windows thing. Windows is trying to put the window in a specific spot (top-right corner, for instance). But since there is already something occupying that space, it doesn't know what to do. I doubt there is anything you can do to mitigate this.

I also use the DesktopWorkArea option, and getting it to work as I want feels like a constant struggle. Like trying to assemble a model with a glue stick and scotch tape. It just keeps falling over. It's an unending battle resulting in more and more glue and tape to keep it functioning, and even then there's always something funny going on. But Rainmeter is kind of my hobby now. If I ran out of things to play around with I'd have to start doing something else.

:confused: Anyway. I like your skin. Your code is looking very clean and professional. Much more than mine. I hope you can find a solution to this problem. Either way, snapping windows manually with the cursor works just fine.
User avatar
jsmorley
Developer
Posts: 22628
Joined: April 19th, 2009, 11:02 pm
Location: Fort Hunt, Virginia, USA

Re: Changing work area screws up Windows' window management hotkeys

Post by jsmorley »

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the DesktopWorkArea functionality in Rainmeter. It's something we generally try hard not to do, which is to butt heads with Windows over something that Windows wants exclusive control over. It's not a fight we can win really.
User avatar
raiguard
Posts: 660
Joined: June 25th, 2015, 7:02 pm
Location: The Sky, USA
Contact:

Re: Changing work area screws up Windows' window management hotkeys

Post by raiguard »

So I take that to mean that this cannot / won't be fixed? If so, that's a shame, but understandable if the fault is on Windows' side. DesktopWorkArea always felt kinda hacky to me anyways.
User avatar
Brian
Developer
Posts: 2673
Joined: November 24th, 2011, 1:42 am
Location: Utah

Re: Changing work area screws up Windows' window management hotkeys

Post by Brian »

raiguard wrote: March 18th, 2019, 5:19 pm So I take that to mean that this cannot / won't be fixed?
Rainmeter doesn't mess around with hotkey's in any way, and the DesktopWorkArea function hasn't been touched since I have been here (nearly 8 years).

I suspect Windows 10 is behind your problem since they keep tweaking those functions.

Like jsmorley said, we are hesitant to mess with the DesktopWorkArea functionality since Windows allows any program to change it on the fly...and in some cases Windows itself changes it. It makes no sense to "automatically" detect changes and act on them since the user should have ultimate control of their desktop. We never say never...but in this case, it is highly unlikely.

-Brian
Post Reply