First, thank you for the great program. Just what i was looking for (Almost) LOL.
1-please provide a default .mld file in the installer so the tabs show. It is hard to figure out how to work the program when there are no tabs or way to create them. I had to download and install MadAppLauncher save a .mal file then import it into MaxLauncher to create the tabs.
2-Add "turn off favorites bar" like MadAppLauncher has. So we can keep the launcher as small as possible when needed.
3-Be able to delete and add favorite buttons. Again so we can keep the launcher as small as possible. 10 Favorite buttons makes to launcher too long.
4-Why is there no "save" only save as?
Thanks again, will keep playing with laucher and let you know of anything else.
kevin
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I am guessing this only applies to first time users. Three things... First, I thought it would be self-explanatory since most programs have a File -> New menu. Second, it is written in the web site under Documentation -> Quick Start. Third, I had a window before that pop-up when there is no .mld file loaded but I removed it because of #1, #2, and it would conflict with the reason for your request #2 below.
I did not think a "turn off or hide favorites bar" was necessary since one can simple move the "splitter bar" all the way up to hide the favorites bar.
I'm not so clear about this one because even if say, you only have 3 favorites buttons, the window will not shrink horizontally because the number of buttons in the tabs are fixed and even if they resized to the borders of the visible buttons(in tabs), all the other tabs would need to have the exact same number of visible buttons(at least horizontally). Otherwise, the window will keep resizing when switching tabs which is quite annoying.
There is no "save" because the file is auto-saved whenever changes are made. Main reason is that in MadAppLauncher there were a few instances where a file gets corrupted when .Net is updated while the program was running. I just wanted to avoid it because it is so frustrating to make so many changes and lose them. It just makes more sense and perhaps even expected since most other launchers auto-saves ... I think. :)
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Ummm... Hiding the title bar is a bit trickier. There are at least two ways that I know how to hide the title bar but it conflicts with some window interactions like hiding, minimizing, and hiding to the notificatin area. I initially thought of changing the basic window(title bar, border, etc.) so that it can be customized but there is a limitation on whether or not it will work on certain combinations of Windows XP and graphics hardware/software. That is why I decided not to implement it. :(
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Well, this is a bit trickier, sort of. The user interface can be changed in so many ways. The themes are text files(.xaml). For what you want to change, you simple copy the theme folder and edit the "Magins" in FavoritesBarStyle.xaml file.
FYI: one can even make a theme that has a background, jumping buttons, 3D effects, etc. Almost all the visible parts can be manipulated and made fancy. As fas as making it easily editable(as to make it show in the simple built-in theme editor), well that is so much more difficult. Again, some effects might not work on some graphics hardware and/or XP. And of course, there is a speed penalty on older systems and memory usage.
It comes down to the old trade-off when writing a program which is to either make your program compaitble with most systems but lacking in features OR make it feature rich but work only on the currently modern systems.
I did not put too much effort into making it fancy looking and small like other popular launchers. I intended for the program to be simple yet efficient. I personally could not understand why some or most launchers are so small and are without descriptions(text). It only has one simple purpose, that is to run a program or open a file. Then it should go away. I have been using MAL and ML for several years now and I really only see the window for less than a second everytime I run something. Sorry for the rant, it just get a lot of similar requests about change the interface to look fancy like the others. I just don't get it. Not to mention, that either MAL or ML is being used by people who are blind (that is why it supports screen readers), have problems with their eyes and have certain disabilities which makes typing challenging. These are my main motivations in continuing to improve and support the program.
Thanks for posting.
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Doesn't unchecking View -> Auto-Hide have the same effect? You should also uncheck View -> Always on Top. FYI: pressing Escape(ESC) hides/minimizes the window.
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First, thank you for the great program. Just what i was looking for (Almost) LOL.
1-please provide a default .mld file in the installer so the tabs show. It is hard to figure out how to work the program when there are no tabs or way to create them. I had to download and install MadAppLauncher save a .mal file then import it into MaxLauncher to create the tabs.
2-Add "turn off favorites bar" like MadAppLauncher has. So we can keep the launcher as small as possible when needed.
3-Be able to delete and add favorite buttons. Again so we can keep the launcher as small as possible. 10 Favorite buttons makes to launcher too long.
4-Why is there no "save" only save as?
Thanks again, will keep playing with laucher and let you know of anything else.
kevin
Edit
Add - be able to turn off title bar. Not important but would be nice.
Ummm... Hiding the title bar is a bit trickier. There are at least two ways that I know how to hide the title bar but it conflicts with some window interactions like hiding, minimizing, and hiding to the notificatin area. I initially thought of changing the basic window(title bar, border, etc.) so that it can be customized but there is a limitation on whether or not it will work on certain combinations of Windows XP and graphics hardware/software. That is why I decided not to implement it. :(
Edit - reduce dead space, see link
https://app.box.com/s/vo494vgmtsrcfq27pq09ra7tcohubwj2
Last edit: Kevin 2016-09-18
Well, this is a bit trickier, sort of. The user interface can be changed in so many ways. The themes are text files(.xaml). For what you want to change, you simple copy the theme folder and edit the "Magins" in FavoritesBarStyle.xaml file.
FYI: one can even make a theme that has a background, jumping buttons, 3D effects, etc. Almost all the visible parts can be manipulated and made fancy. As fas as making it easily editable(as to make it show in the simple built-in theme editor), well that is so much more difficult. Again, some effects might not work on some graphics hardware and/or XP. And of course, there is a speed penalty on older systems and memory usage.
It comes down to the old trade-off when writing a program which is to either make your program compaitble with most systems but lacking in features OR make it feature rich but work only on the currently modern systems.
I did not put too much effort into making it fancy looking and small like other popular launchers. I intended for the program to be simple yet efficient. I personally could not understand why some or most launchers are so small and are without descriptions(text). It only has one simple purpose, that is to run a program or open a file. Then it should go away. I have been using MAL and ML for several years now and I really only see the window for less than a second everytime I run something. Sorry for the rant, it just get a lot of similar requests about change the interface to look fancy like the others. I just don't get it. Not to mention, that either MAL or ML is being used by people who are blind (that is why it supports screen readers), have problems with their eyes and have certain disabilities which makes typing challenging. These are my main motivations in continuing to improve and support the program.
Thanks for posting.
Add a pin lock-open\hide button. so you can temporarily keep ML open so it does not auto hide.
Doesn't unchecking View -> Auto-Hide have the same effect? You should also uncheck View -> Always on Top. FYI: pressing Escape(ESC) hides/minimizes the window.
Using the code below in an AHK file will open MaxLauncher without the title bar.
loop
{
IfWinActive, ahk_exe MaxLauncher.exe
WinSet, Style, -0xC40000, ahk_exe MaxLauncher.exe
}
Return