Question on DynamicVariables=1
Posted: February 3rd, 2019, 4:54 am
This is somewhat a more technical question...the manual says that Rainmeter uses marginally more processor power when DynamicVariables=1 is set on measures or meters, but I'd like to know if this depends strictly on the option being set OR on how many times those dynamic "variables" change while a skin is active.
For example, if I have a skin using DynamicVariables=1 while drawing some shapes and setting some meter styles, but the dynamic variables used in the process change only once (e.g. when the skin is drawn, from 0 to some other value), would that skin use less CPU compared to, say, a similar skin performing multiple changes to those dynamic variables? Or the mere fact that DynamicVariables=1 is set on those skin elements determines the additional CPU usage, irrespective of how many times the variables are being changed while the skin is active? Please consider that despite the variables only changing once, the meters on which the said meter styles are applied to are updating "normally" (i.e. they don't have UpdateDivider=-1 set on them, only the shapes do).
Going a little further, does setting DynamicVariables=1 on the visual elements of a "Stay Topmost" skin impact the performance more, compared to setting the same option on a skin whose position is set to "Normal" on the screen? Considering that the "Stay Topmost" skins are constantly redrawn to keep them on the top of everything else (something that's easily visible when two "Stay Topmost" skins overlap each other), thus the initial 0 to some value variable change is, in theory, performed more often...
NOTE: My questions refer to the additional CPU usage of the actual DynamicVariables=1 being set, not to the complexity of the things done with the help of those dynamic variables, so disregard the latter aspect, if possible.
For example, if I have a skin using DynamicVariables=1 while drawing some shapes and setting some meter styles, but the dynamic variables used in the process change only once (e.g. when the skin is drawn, from 0 to some other value), would that skin use less CPU compared to, say, a similar skin performing multiple changes to those dynamic variables? Or the mere fact that DynamicVariables=1 is set on those skin elements determines the additional CPU usage, irrespective of how many times the variables are being changed while the skin is active? Please consider that despite the variables only changing once, the meters on which the said meter styles are applied to are updating "normally" (i.e. they don't have UpdateDivider=-1 set on them, only the shapes do).
Going a little further, does setting DynamicVariables=1 on the visual elements of a "Stay Topmost" skin impact the performance more, compared to setting the same option on a skin whose position is set to "Normal" on the screen? Considering that the "Stay Topmost" skins are constantly redrawn to keep them on the top of everything else (something that's easily visible when two "Stay Topmost" skins overlap each other), thus the initial 0 to some value variable change is, in theory, performed more often...
NOTE: My questions refer to the additional CPU usage of the actual DynamicVariables=1 being set, not to the complexity of the things done with the help of those dynamic variables, so disregard the latter aspect, if possible.