[Suggestion] Please implement a toggle to override DPI settings

[Cariboudjan]

Please implement a simple toggle for enabling DPI override. More and more monitors are above 1920x1080, 1440p or 4K. Ideally, this setting would be enabled by default. This setting shouldn't be something regular users need to dig through shortcuts and compatibility settings to get to. It should just be automatic for everyone.

(Side note: While we're at it, InputText plugin font size should scale down proportionally when DPI is overridden)

Yes, this feature would make old skins very redundant (too small to use), since they were probably not designed with a #Scale# multiplier to accommodate larger displays, but frankly skins at this age are rather useless and not worth anyone's time in 2021. These skins will still be usable for people with old laptops and old monitors. Most modern skin creators are implementing a #Scale# multiplier and this should be something creators should be encouraged to implement going forward.

I think it's time to care less about backwards compatibility for skins made in 2007 and bring Rainmeter into the next decade. Authors can retrofit their skins with a #Scale# multiplier if they care about their work. It's not that hard to do, NFG. Blurry skins are a problem for Rainmeter in 2021.

[jsmorley]

We have had some discussions about how to handle DPI going forward, and I expect there will be some improvement in the future. However, to be crystal clear, we will NEVER implement anything that does not default to 100% backwards compatibility with all skins ever written for Rainmeter. That is the first question we ask when any change is contemplated. There is no chance, no chance at all, that we would ever implement something that forces all the authors of all the thousands and thousands of Rainmeter skins out there to have to change their skins to work exactly as they always have.

I personally disagree with this statement entirely... "I think it's time to care less about backwards compatibility for skins made in 2007 and bring Rainmeter into the next decade.".

[JelleDekkers]

We have had some discussions about how to handle DPI going forward, and I expect there will be some improvement in the future. However, to be crystal clear, we will NEVER implement anything that does not default to 100% backwards compatibility with all skins ever written for Rainmeter. That is the first question we ask when any change is contemplated. There is no chance, no chance at all, that we would ever implement something that forces all the authors of all the thousands and thousands of Rainmeter skins out there to have to change their skins to work exactly as they always have.

I personally disagree with this statement entirely... "I think it's time to care less about backwards compatibility for skins made in 2007 and bring Rainmeter into the next decade.".

Why not disable Windows scaling on Rainmeter skins? As far as I see it, the scaling is only breaking skins at the moment. If you had a skin that used #ScreenAreaWidth# for example, it would actually be the scaling factor times that width, and exceed the width of the screen. It would be blurry too. Disabling scaling on skins would fix the blurriness and un-break certain width values, but it'd make older skins smaller, which would actually be the correct size pixel-wise. Adding a scale option to a skin isn't too hard though.

I don't really understand what you're trying to say when you say

something that forces all the authors of all the thousands and thousands of Rainmeter skins out there to have to change their skins to work exactly as they always have

because this wouldn't actually break anything, it would fix everything.

[jsmorley]

So I wasn't crystal clear after all eh? I wasn't really addressing the DPI issue specifically. My entire post was only to make it clear that 100% backwards compatibility is always going to be the case with any changes we make. We are are in no way interested in even debating that fundamental principle.

[jsmorley]

As to DPI, I don't really have an issue in principle with allowing a setting in Rainmeter to force ignoring DPI for the application. I'm not entirely sure this can be done programmatically, but if it can, I'd sorta be for it.

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[Cariboudjan]

I'm not entirely sure this can be done programmatically, but if it can, I'd sorta be for it.

I'm currently using the ReScale plugin https://forum.rainmeter.net/viewtopic.php?t=31145

It forces Rainmeter to override DPI. If this can be done with a plugin I'm sure a better implementation can be done natively.

The main issue with this plugin is that although it successfully overrides DPI, it causes issues with #SCREENAREAWIDTH#, #SCREENAREAHEIGHT#, #WORKAREAWIDTH# etc. The values of these built-in variables stays at its pre-override value making the variables fairly useless. If this were built into Rainmeter, the values would be able to scale accordingly.

And yes, as Jelle said, I understand the need for backwards compatibility, but the methods being used to override DPI in author's skins are breaking skins being created today. Let's talk about forwards compatibility!