- TheAncient
- Posts : 12
Join date : 2019-12-27
Stickies on one vs multiple desktop pages
Sat Feb 12, 2022 4:13 am
I currently use stickies on a machine that also used Stardock Fences.
Stardock Fences lets you create multiple desktops for example, one for work and a different one for leisure activities.
I understand Windows 11 offers the same functionality (I have not had an opportunity to try this yet)
Currently, when I create a sticky, this sticky is shown on ALL desktops.
I would like to see an option to be able to show a sticky only on one specific desktop.
(My work to-do list has no business on the leisure desktop and my camping trip to-do list should not clutter up the business desktop)
Stardock Fences lets you create multiple desktops for example, one for work and a different one for leisure activities.
I understand Windows 11 offers the same functionality (I have not had an opportunity to try this yet)
Currently, when I create a sticky, this sticky is shown on ALL desktops.
I would like to see an option to be able to show a sticky only on one specific desktop.
(My work to-do list has no business on the leisure desktop and my camping trip to-do list should not clutter up the business desktop)
Re: Stickies on one vs multiple desktop pages
Mon Feb 28, 2022 11:19 pm
Do you mean you're trying this in Fences, or in W11?
I'm pretty sure the W11 offering still isn't capable enough to work with Stickies, but Fences might well be - it might need a tweak first?
Tom
I'm pretty sure the W11 offering still isn't capable enough to work with Stickies, but Fences might well be - it might need a tweak first?
Tom
- TheAncient
- Posts : 12
Join date : 2019-12-27
Re: Stickies on one vs multiple desktop pages
Tue Mar 01, 2022 1:26 am
Sorry, I guess I did not make myself clear:
Most of my machines are still on Windows 10 and are running Stardock Fences.
ONE of my machines is running Windows 11 and is also running Stardock Fences.
Both "Fences" and "Stickies" work on both, Windows 10 and 11.
Stardock Fences offers the capability to create different "desktops". Thus, you can have a "Fence" displayed on desktop 1 but NOT on desktop 2 and vice versa. But when I create a desktop NOTE, that note will display on ALL desktops (both in "Fences" on Windows 10 and on "Fences" in Windows 11)
When, in my original post, I said: "I understand Windows 11 offers the same functionality", I meant, it is my understanding, Windows 11 natively offers the capability to create different "desktops" i.e. the same functionality that on Windows 10 requires me to purchase 3rd party software i.e. Stardock Fences. Thus, on Windows 11, I may not need to purchase Stardock's "Fences" software but rather, I might be able to create different desktops in Windows 11 itself. I have not yet tried to create different desktops natively in Windows 11 thus I do not know how "Stickies" works in such an environment.
If you are planning to take me up on my suggestion to introduce the capability to display a note only on selected desktops (rather than on ALL desktops) in Stardock's "Fences" software, the same capability should also be introduced on Windows 11's native desktop facility so Notes on a "native" Windows 11 desktop are also only shown on selected desktops rather than on ALL desktops.
Most of my machines are still on Windows 10 and are running Stardock Fences.
ONE of my machines is running Windows 11 and is also running Stardock Fences.
Both "Fences" and "Stickies" work on both, Windows 10 and 11.
Stardock Fences offers the capability to create different "desktops". Thus, you can have a "Fence" displayed on desktop 1 but NOT on desktop 2 and vice versa. But when I create a desktop NOTE, that note will display on ALL desktops (both in "Fences" on Windows 10 and on "Fences" in Windows 11)
When, in my original post, I said: "I understand Windows 11 offers the same functionality", I meant, it is my understanding, Windows 11 natively offers the capability to create different "desktops" i.e. the same functionality that on Windows 10 requires me to purchase 3rd party software i.e. Stardock Fences. Thus, on Windows 11, I may not need to purchase Stardock's "Fences" software but rather, I might be able to create different desktops in Windows 11 itself. I have not yet tried to create different desktops natively in Windows 11 thus I do not know how "Stickies" works in such an environment.
If you are planning to take me up on my suggestion to introduce the capability to display a note only on selected desktops (rather than on ALL desktops) in Stardock's "Fences" software, the same capability should also be introduced on Windows 11's native desktop facility so Notes on a "native" Windows 11 desktop are also only shown on selected desktops rather than on ALL desktops.
Re: Stickies on one vs multiple desktop pages
Sat Mar 05, 2022 5:43 pm
I think we are on the same page.
Back in the mists of time, Windows was simple, and had no concept of virtual desktops. If you had one monitor, then you had one desktop and that's that.
Then Fences (and other similar apps) came along and employed a trick so that people could have virtual desktops. They would selectively show and hide desktop windows, depending on what virtual desktop you wanted to see.
For most apps, this works pretty well. However, the app performing this show/hide trickery is assuming that all the windows it's working with are "simple" ones. Just as Word, and Chrome have a window, so does a tooltip, or all kinds of other things. A Windows window can have a number of styles which it may use, but they always have a "title" and "class".
Stickies creates note windows which don't have some of the normal styles. They don't, for example, have a title bar. This is so that their appearance can be customised. It's not much of a "skin" if there's a Windows title bar along the top of every window. They are also not unowned windows - something which Word and Chrome are.
This all means that virtual desktop software needs to treat some windows differently. Sure, it can handle Word and Chrome without any assistance, but it will likely need telling that any window with a class of "ZhornStickyNote" also needs to be hidden and revealed, along with Word and Chrome.
At one time I made a tweak to Stickies so that Dexpot (another virtual desktop app) worked well with Stickies, and what I did should enable other similar software to work as well. However, the long and short of it is that the Windows Virtual Desktop, the built-in functionality, is not capable/clever/configurable enough to treat Stickies correctly. It's not Stickies which needs to change, it's working just fine, it's the MS software which needs to change so that it either automatically recognises Stickies correctly, or at least has the capability of getting told about the ZhornStickyNote window class so that it works well. Sadly, it doesn't have this feature. You'd need to ask MS to add it - there's nothing I can do about getting the two pieces of software to work better together.
Tom
Back in the mists of time, Windows was simple, and had no concept of virtual desktops. If you had one monitor, then you had one desktop and that's that.
Then Fences (and other similar apps) came along and employed a trick so that people could have virtual desktops. They would selectively show and hide desktop windows, depending on what virtual desktop you wanted to see.
For most apps, this works pretty well. However, the app performing this show/hide trickery is assuming that all the windows it's working with are "simple" ones. Just as Word, and Chrome have a window, so does a tooltip, or all kinds of other things. A Windows window can have a number of styles which it may use, but they always have a "title" and "class".
Stickies creates note windows which don't have some of the normal styles. They don't, for example, have a title bar. This is so that their appearance can be customised. It's not much of a "skin" if there's a Windows title bar along the top of every window. They are also not unowned windows - something which Word and Chrome are.
This all means that virtual desktop software needs to treat some windows differently. Sure, it can handle Word and Chrome without any assistance, but it will likely need telling that any window with a class of "ZhornStickyNote" also needs to be hidden and revealed, along with Word and Chrome.
At one time I made a tweak to Stickies so that Dexpot (another virtual desktop app) worked well with Stickies, and what I did should enable other similar software to work as well. However, the long and short of it is that the Windows Virtual Desktop, the built-in functionality, is not capable/clever/configurable enough to treat Stickies correctly. It's not Stickies which needs to change, it's working just fine, it's the MS software which needs to change so that it either automatically recognises Stickies correctly, or at least has the capability of getting told about the ZhornStickyNote window class so that it works well. Sadly, it doesn't have this feature. You'd need to ask MS to add it - there's nothing I can do about getting the two pieces of software to work better together.
Tom
- TheAncient
- Posts : 12
Join date : 2019-12-27
Re: Stickies on one vs multiple desktop pages
Sat Mar 05, 2022 9:01 pm
Another reason to switch to Linux, I suppose.
You said WINDOWS isn't smart enough to handle this functionality.
Is Stardock's FENCES any smarter?
Maybe you could have a NOTE inside a FENCE? Since Fences already provides the capability to show a Fence only on a specific virtual desktop, you could then display the FENCE that contains the NOTE only on the desired desktop rather than on ALL desktops?
I looked at Dexpot but it appears, it only works with older versions of Windows. At least, Windows 10 and 11 are not listed as supported operating systems.
Also, it does not offer the same functionality as FENCES i.e. not "Portals" to open folders and no capability to group icons into the equivalent of a "Fence".
You said WINDOWS isn't smart enough to handle this functionality.
Is Stardock's FENCES any smarter?
Maybe you could have a NOTE inside a FENCE? Since Fences already provides the capability to show a Fence only on a specific virtual desktop, you could then display the FENCE that contains the NOTE only on the desired desktop rather than on ALL desktops?
I looked at Dexpot but it appears, it only works with older versions of Windows. At least, Windows 10 and 11 are not listed as supported operating systems.
Also, it does not offer the same functionality as FENCES i.e. not "Portals" to open folders and no capability to group icons into the equivalent of a "Fence".
Re: Stickies on one vs multiple desktop pages
Sun Mar 06, 2022 5:15 pm
Sorry, I don't know about Fences. I did take a look through the web site, but wasn't able to see anything which proved it either way. If any virtual desktop software doesn't work correctly out of the box, then look for a setting somewhere which will let you define custom or override behaviour. Something about "window classes" would look likely.
Perhaps start here: https://alternativeto.net/software/dexpot/ .. but I've never used virtual desktops myself so I don't know of some software which will work as you need.
Tom
Perhaps start here: https://alternativeto.net/software/dexpot/ .. but I've never used virtual desktops myself so I don't know of some software which will work as you need.
Tom
- TheAncient
- Posts : 12
Join date : 2019-12-27
Re: Stickies on one vs multiple desktop pages
Sun Mar 06, 2022 5:38 pm
"Fences" isn't even listed on the site you linked - probably, because the emphasis of Fences is on the capability to group icons rather than on creating virtual desktops.
I believe we can end this thread: Adding the functionality to restrict notes to specific virtual desktops rather than displaying the note on ALL desktops was just a suggestion.
If you feel, that suggestion is too difficult to implement given the current limitations of Windows (or, for that matter, for any other reason) you are, of course, free NOT to take me up on that suggestion.
I believe we can end this thread: Adding the functionality to restrict notes to specific virtual desktops rather than displaying the note on ALL desktops was just a suggestion.
If you feel, that suggestion is too difficult to implement given the current limitations of Windows (or, for that matter, for any other reason) you are, of course, free NOT to take me up on that suggestion.
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