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Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

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justachild
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Joined: March 9th, 2022, 3:52 pm

Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

Post by justachild »

Hi,
I tried finding such a clock but one I have is from Sigma and MagicMeter but they require updating/Syncing after Wallpaper change. Is there a anolog Clock that just work when wallpaper is changed without requiring trigger and one that has a blur (so it works with any wallpaper due to blur) that fits with Windows 11?

Thank you
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Yincognito
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Re: Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

Post by Yincognito »

justachild wrote: March 9th, 2022, 3:57 pm Hi,
I tried finding such a clock but one I have is from Sigma and MagicMeter but they require updating/Syncing after Wallpaper change. Is there a anolog Clock that just work when wallpaper is changed without requiring trigger and one that has a blur (so it works with any wallpaper due to blur) that fits with Windows 11?

Thank you
I don't know about blur or Windows 11 since I don't use them (yet), but there are plenty of analog clocks on various sites (here, on DeviantArt.com, on VisualSkins.com - all it takes is to google them), and you have a good example in the manual as well, if you download the sample skin at the bottom of this page, which you can then modify to your liking. You'd have to take care of finding one that has blur or you think it fits Windows 11, but for reacting when the wallpaper has changed without requiring trigger, all you need to do is query a registry key like this, and do whatever you need to do (I have no clue what you want to do, maybe changing colors or fonts, or adjust the style a little bit to suit the new wallpaper, maybe?) when the value of this key is different from the previous one (assuming you store that one in a variable for further comparison with the current one):

Code: Select all

[Variables]

[Rainmeter]
Update=1000
DynamicWindowSize=1
AccurateText=1
BackgroundMode=2
SolidColor=47,47,47,255

---Measurea---

[Wallpaper]
Measure=Registry
RegHKey=HKEY_CURRENT_USER
RegKey=Control Panel\Desktop
RegValue=WallPaper

---Meters---

[WallpaperPath]
Meter=String
FontFace=Consolas
FontColor=255,255,255,255
Padding=5,5,5,5
FontSize=16
AntiAlias=1
MeasureName=Wallpaper
Text=Wallpaper = %1
Wallpaper.jpg
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eclectic-tech
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Re: Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

Post by eclectic-tech »

justachild wrote: March 9th, 2022, 3:57 pm Hi,
I tried finding such a clock but one I have is from Sigma and MagicMeter but they require updating/Syncing after Wallpaper change. Is there a anolog Clock that just work when wallpaper is changed without requiring trigger and one that has a blur (so it works with any wallpaper due to blur) that fits with Windows 11?

Thank you
I do not think you will find a transparent and blur Rainmeter skin anywhere (as of today) except in the SIGMA suite.

I would suggest using 'Sigma\Clock\Digital\ClockDigitalTransparentBlur.ini' skin and modifying the variables to use your desired font and to automatically resync with new wallpapers.

Note: The entire Sigma Suite must be installed along with the ImageMagick program as described in the Sigma thread.

Modify the [Variables] section by adding 2 new lines Font={YourFontFamilyName} and ManualResync=0.

Code: Select all

[Variables]
@includeVars=#@#variables1.inc
ConfigX=0
ConfigY=0
ShadeColor=0,0,0
ClockTextSize0=(Trunc(#BarHeight#*0.5))
ClockTextSize1=(Trunc(#BarHeight#*1))
ClockTextSize2=(Trunc(#BarHeight#*1.5))
ClockTextSize3=(Trunc(#BarHeight#*2))
ClockSize=3

Font=Segoe UI
ManualReSync=0


Modify the [Rainmeter] section by adding a ; in front of the line
LeftMouseDoubleClickAction=[!ActivateConfig "#RootConfig#\Clock\Digital"] so other variants of the digital clock are not loaded.

Code: Select all

[Rainmeter]
Update=50
DefaultUpdateDivider=20
AccurateText=1
DynamicWindowSize=1
Group=#RootConfig# | Clocks

BackgroundMode=2
SolidColor=0,0,0,1

ToolTipHidden=#HideTips#

; LeftMouseDoubleClickAction=[!ActivateConfig "#RootConfig#\Clock\Digital"]

@includeContext=#@#sigmacontextmenu.inc

If you do not want to see the Resync message, edit 'Sigma\Resync\ResyncAutomatic.ini' and comment out everthing in the [MeterString] section after the line Meter=String

Code: Select all

; ========= Meters ==========
[MeterString]
Meter=String
; X=(#WorkAreaWidth#*0.5)
; Y=(#WorkAreaHeight#*0.5)
; FontSize=24
; FontColor=240,240,240
; StringAlign=CenterCenter
; StringEffect=Shadow
; StringStyle=Bold
; Padding=10,5,10,5
; SolidColor=47,47,47,100
; Text=Syncing Sigma to Wallpaper
; AntiAlias=1

Now only load the modified clock skin from the sigma suite to have a transparent, blurred, resizable digital clock with your desired font that will update automatically when the wallpaper changes.

Why Sigma?
The issue with just using ImageCrop is that you cannot blur the result.
The other issue with using ImageCrop is that Windows can change the aspect of your wallpaper image causing misalignment.
The issue with Frosted Glass is that the entire skin area is blurred; this will always be a rectangle.

Hope you are able to find a solution.
justachild
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Re: Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

Post by justachild »

Hi, eclectic-tech & Yincognito

Thank you for such lengthy reply, I can't begin to understand how you can help so much. Thank you soo much for your precious time.

I only have one issue with Sigma clock, I think when wallpaper changes, clock causes minimize of my all open apps and opens desktop when it shows me message about resyncing. Will it not minimize my apps and open desktop ? if I comment following out

Edit: I checked with commenting out below but it still opens desktop and minimizes all my windows everytime my wallpaper changes.

Code: Select all

; ========= Meters ==========
[MeterString]
Meter=String
; X=(#WorkAreaWidth#*0.5)
; Y=(#WorkAreaHeight#*0.5)
; FontSize=24
; FontColor=240,240,240
; StringAlign=CenterCenter
; StringEffect=Shadow
; StringStyle=Bold
; Padding=10,5,10,5
; SolidColor=47,47,47,100
; Text=Syncing Sigma to Wallpaper
; AntiAlias=1
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Yincognito
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Re: Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

Post by Yincognito »

justachild wrote: March 10th, 2022, 7:50 pmEdit: I checked with commenting out below but it still opens desktop and minimizes all my windows everytime my wallpaper changes.
As far as I'm aware of how eclectic-tech's skin works after a conversation in another thread, I believe this happens because the MagickMeter plugin needs to have the new wallpaper captured (making a screenshot of it, if you like) in order to be able to create an appropriate blur based on it afterwards. Think of it this way: if you wanted to capture the image of your wallpaper, you too would have to temporarily minimize everything so that only the said picture (and not parts of other open windows from various applications) is saved.

However, maybe it's possible to get the wallpaper image based on the output of the small code I wrote above, if that is indeed the reason. Anyway, it's up to eclectic-tech to have his say whether or not this will do in the case of his skin.
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eclectic-tech
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Re: Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

Post by eclectic-tech »

justachild wrote: March 10th, 2022, 7:50 pm Hi, eclectic-tech & Yincognito

Thank you for such lengthy reply, I can't begin to understand how you can help so much. Thank you soo much for your precious time.

I only have one issue with Sigma clock, I think when wallpaper changes, clock causes minimize of my all open apps and opens desktop when it shows me message about resyncing. Will it not minimize my apps and open desktop ? if I comment following out

Edit: I checked with commenting out below but it still opens desktop and minimizes all my windows everytime my wallpaper changes.

Code: Select all

; ========= Meters ==========
[MeterString]
Meter=String
; X=(#WorkAreaWidth#*0.5)
; Y=(#WorkAreaHeight#*0.5)
; FontSize=24
; FontColor=240,240,240
; StringAlign=CenterCenter
; StringEffect=Shadow
; StringStyle=Bold
; Padding=10,5,10,5
; SolidColor=47,47,47,100
; Text=Syncing Sigma to Wallpaper
; AntiAlias=1
Yincognito's reply explains what the 'resync' is doing; all open windows and skins are hidden, a screenshot is taken, then all windows and skins are restored.

When your wallpaper changes, you have to create a copy of it as 'WallImage.png' in the '@Resources\Images' folder and refresh the clock to maintain the appearance of transparency with the new wallpaper; there is no other option.

How you create the new wallpaper image is up to you; my method requires hiding all desktop items as described above.
Yinocognito's suggestion will make a copy but it may not be in the aspect as your desktop.

I would try using Yincognito's code to create a new 'WallImage.png'. You will need to detect that and refresh the clock skin. Then check if the clock transparency is acceptable; the further to the right or bottom of your screen you have the clock positioned will be the most likely positioning to show distortion of the 'transparent' wall image used. If you try this method, remember to remove the ManaulResync=0 from the modified Sigma clock skin AND disable automatic resync via the context menu.

As for Sigma, I did add the option to disable automatic resync to the context menu of skins, or in the 'settings' skin. This lets you can decide when a resync occurs. I normally always disable the automatic resync; then I can update to any new wallpaper when I am viewing the desktop and not in the middle of a project.

The solution you use is entirely up to you. I have been using Sigma for the past few months without issues, manually updating the skin when a new wallpaper appears and I am not doing other tasks.

Hope this helps you decide if either of these methods work for you. :)
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Yincognito
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Re: Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

Post by Yincognito »

eclectic-tech wrote: March 10th, 2022, 9:25 pmYinocognito's suggestion will make a copy but it may not be in the aspect as your desktop.
Unless you take it after it has been "transcoded" from the %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes path (more specifically, either the TranscodedWallpaper file which is basically a JPG image without extension, or the file in CachedFiles subfolder where its name is a bit more volatile depending on resolution and position; by the way, those two files look the same but seem to be different, at least when it comes to size on disk). Both places store the exact image shown as the wallpaper, tiling or resizing included, so you don't need to worry about that - I've tested it. ;-)
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eclectic-tech
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Re: Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

Post by eclectic-tech »

Yincognito wrote: March 11th, 2022, 1:11 am Unless you take it after it has been "transcoded" from the %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes path (more specifically, either the TranscodedWallpaper file which is basically a JPG image without extension, or the file in CachedFiles subfolder where its name is a bit more volatile depending on resolution and position; by the way, those two files look the same but seem to be different, at least when it comes to size on disk). Both places store the exact image shown as the wallpaper, tiling or resizing included, so you don't need to worry about that - I've tested it. ;-)
Hm, I looked at the image in the theme folder that did not match the desktop, but I don't remember looking at the one in the cache and that one appears to match the current desktop aspect. I may have looked at that but couldn't figure out how to consistently access it.

Well, I will look at figuring out how to utilize that one and do some testing. If it is useable, it will simplify the process.

Thanks for checking (I think ;-) )
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Yincognito
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Re: Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

Post by Yincognito »

eclectic-tech wrote: March 11th, 2022, 1:51 am Hm, I looked at the image in the theme folder that did not match the desktop, but I don't remember looking at the one in the cache and that one appears to match the current desktop aspect. I may have looked at that but couldn't figure out how to consistently access it.

Well, I will look at figuring out how to utilize that one and do some testing. If it is useable, it will simplify the process.

Thanks for checking (I think ;-) )
Ah, you're right indeed - now I see what was the size on disk difference about. The themes one is the original and the cache one is the applied one. When I checked them was when trying the tiled version and I didn't realize why one was bigger and the other smaller in bytes since they both looked the same, tiled and all (my XnViewMP image viewer is set to fit / expand the displayed image on the entire window, that's how I liked it).

The naming seems to be CachedImage_HorizontalResolution_VerticalResolution_POSPositionNumber.jpg, where position number is apparently the monitor number (personally I have a hard time believing that since it's always 4 in my case and I have only one monitor on my laptop obviously; there doesn't seem to be the picture position in the last 5 wallpapers from the Settings window either from my tests). UPDATE: Got it, the position number is the Choose A Fit combo box value in the Settings window where you set the wallpaper (position numbers don't match the displayed order in the combo box though, but they are consistent with it):
WallpaperPOS.jpg
Don't know how this changes in the case of slideshows or if setting up the wallpaper from other locations / devices makes this path less relevant or not relevant at all, though one thing I noticed is that deleting the cached one triggers its recreation probably from the transcoded one, deleting the transcoded one has little to no effect in normal operations and the transcoded file is not recreated, and deleting both makes the screen black meaning that those files are clearly the source of the wallpaper, at least in this case where it's set from an external application (XnViewMP in my case) or from the last 5 wallpaper list in the Settings window.

Hopefully this would be of some help - for the rest it's up to you to decide whether this is a foolproof method, especially considering that you'd probably need to check another one or two folders if the user sets his wallpaper in a radically different way, as mentioned in the links above.

P.S. While the transcoded file is created relatively quickly and probably first, the cached one is created after a small delay, but you already took that into account for your MagickMeter method anyway.
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eclectic-tech
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Re: Need a Analog Clock that fits with Windows 11 and is transparent/has a blur

Post by eclectic-tech »

I took a quick look at the cached image, and it is the one that matches the applied wallpaper.
But as you noticed, there is a short delay in creating it when the wallpaper is changed, which is understandable, so there will still be some delay in applying it in skins.

The issue I am looking at now is an error "cannot find image" when trying to access that file as the source for my background image in the MagickMeter plugin measure. I also tried using a Fileview skin, and cannot navigate to that folder; '%appdata%\Microsoft' folder was not displayed in the FileView skin I used (I haven't checked options for system file in that plugin yet) even when running Rainmeter as Admin.

I need to try a few other methods to see if that file can be accessed or saved, preferably in the skin's @Resources folder, when I have some time.
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