Opening Default Layout

[Carl]

Hi All,

When my windows 10 starts up, Rainmeter starts too loading all of my skins accordingly.

With some skins, the user can turn them on and off during normal computer use as they want to using the icon group coding method:

Code: Select all

[Rainmeter]
...
MouseOverAction=[!ShowGroup "MyGroup"]
MouseLeaveAction=[!HideGroup "MyGroup"]

They can't access the actual raw settings with Manage Rainmeter this isn't available to them since I run in kiosk mode

However, when the pc restarts, I want the skins to reset to the normal default layout. So in other words if the users have turned on or off some skins, when the pc restarts I want it to reset the skins that should be on and off accordingly.

Please can you advise how I can do this? Really appreciate all of your help.

Regards

[jsmorley]

Hi All,

When my windows 10 starts up, Rainmeter starts too loading all of my skins accordingly.

With some skins, the user can turn them on and off during normal computer use as they want to using the icon group coding method:

Code: Select all

[Rainmeter]
...
MouseOverAction=[!ShowGroup "MyGroup"]
MouseLeaveAction=[!HideGroup "MyGroup"]

They can't access the actual raw settings with Manage Rainmeter this isn't available to them since I run in kiosk mode

However, when the pc restarts, I want the skins to reset to the normal default layout. So in other words if the users have turned on or off some skins, when the pc restarts I want it to reset the skins that should be on and off accordingly.

Please can you advise how I can do this? Really appreciate all of your help.

Regards

Edit the shortcut for Rainmeter in your Startup folder, and change the "Target" to:

"C:\Program Files\Rainmeter\Rainmeter.exe" !LoadLayout "My Saved Layout"

Changing that as needed for the location of your Rainmeter installation, and the name of your saved Layout.

[balala]

With some skins, the user can turn them on and off during normal computer use as they want to using the icon group coding method:

Code: Select all

[Rainmeter]
...
MouseOverAction=[!ShowGroup "MyGroup"]
MouseLeaveAction=[!HideGroup "MyGroup"]

Besides jsmorley's instructions, note that there is a small notion problems: the !ShowGroup and !HideGroup bangs don't turn the group of skins on and off (to be much more precise don't activate and deactivate them), just (as the name of bangs say) show / hide them. But even a such hidden skin is running without visible elements on screen and executes the measures.

[Carl]

Jsmorley thank you. Sounds just the ticket I'll give this a go. Really appreciate that.

Balala thank you. I'm assuming that if a skin is hidden and the user can't press the icons in that skin then that's as good as deactivated anyway. I simply don't want the users to be able to execute programs (from an icon click within a skin) so as long as hiding the skin prevents that then that's just as good. Correct?

Thank you both for such a speedy response

[balala]

Balala thank you. I'm assuming that if a skin is hidden and the user can't press the icons in that skin then that's as good as deactivated anyway. I simply don't want the users to be able to execute programs (from an icon click within a skin) so as long as hiding the skin prevents that then that's just as good. Correct?

Correct, but with a detail to be mentioned.
As said, when I skin is activated but hidden, it is still running (let's say in background), so it consumes resources. Which is the best operation from deactivating and hiding a skin, depends. If you for instance have a measure which in some cases has to execute an action (for example at preset time has to get the skin back, or has to follow the information on a site - just two examples, but obviously there are many others), deactivating the skin is not a good idea, because the measure will not be executed again - so in such a case you have to hide the skin. A hidden skin is running same way as a shown skin, just without visible elements on screen (think this has been said a few times before).
If on the other hand there is no such measure, deactivating the skin is a much better idea, to save the resources required by the running skin.
And finally yes, if you hide the skin, the user won't be able to interact with it (to click it for instance).

[Carl]

Hi, I have followed the instructions with repect to saving the Layout and I have done this. However, I am having an issue. (Ive attached the Games tiles as an image)

I want all of the Games Tiles to be turned off / hidden when first starting Windows up. However, the Layout each time I load it all the tiles turn on again by default so they are visible?

Then I have to close them each time Windows Starts. I would like them to be active but just hidden in my layout when Windows starts?

Have you any idea what I can do please?

Many thanks

[jsmorley]

You will have to either create a Layout that doesn't load the Game Tiles skin, or change the Game Tiles skin so it starts with things "hidden" at first.

There are no command line options when starting Rainmeter that can do what you want.

[Carl]

Thanks, I have now split the Games Tiles into one skin, and the button that opens these into another skin and I try loading the other skin:

Code: Select all

LeftMouseUpAction=[!ShowGroup "GamesIcons"]

Each of the games tiles is in a group

Code: Select all

Group=GamesIcons

I now cant get the tiles in the other group to show up?

[Carl]

change the Game Tiles skin so it starts with things "hidden" at first.

Please can you tell me how I change the Games Tiles Skin so that things are hidden at first?

Thank you

[death.crafter]

Hi, I have followed the instructions with repect to saving the Layout and I have done this. However, I am having an issue. (Ive attached the Games tiles as an image)

If all the game tiles are different skins, you can just make them hidden

OnRefreshAction=!Hide

and use !ShowFadeGroup and !HideFadeGroup or !ToggleFadeGroup from another skin which you have active.

Reference: https://docs.rainmeter.net/manual-beta/bangs/#ShowHideToggleFadeGroup