IM Placement

fenzo · Post by **fenzo** » Tue Dec 11, 2001 2:47 am

A few years back I made an app that controlled the placement of IM's. It helped keep your work space clean and made it much easier to work with other open windows. I think it might be a good idea to add something like this to AIM+. AIM used to let IM's pile on top of each other in older versions, I guess AOL felt that they should clutter up our work space as well as our start menus. -=

Post by **Big-O Ryan** » Tue Dec 11, 2001 4:36 am

This would certainly be an easy feature to add, but I'm not quite sure what kind of control you'd like to have over the new window placement? You just want them all to open in exactly the same place?

Let me know how you'd like a feature like this to work - what sort of options would you want, and what exactly would you like it to do? It's certainly a possibility for the next version, especially if others express an interest in it..

(Thanks!)
-Ryan K. Evans
Big-O Software

dangold · Post by **dangold** » Tue Dec 11, 2001 11:41 am

I think he means that he wants all the windows in the same exact spot. Honestly, this would annoy me, but as long as you can turn it on and off

fenzo · Post by **fenzo** » Tue Dec 11, 2001 3:54 pm

Yes, dangold hit the nail right on the head. I was hoping that it could allow you to specify the location that you would like to use, and then force all of the new IM's to open in that place. I found the app that I had created to do this on a floppy disk last night. Its crude, but it works. If you would like to see it to be sure that you know what I'm saying just let me know and I'll send it over.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Dec 11, 2001 7:23 pm

I think it would be cool if you could choose multiple placements like one would open in the top left corner then the next would open right next to it and so forth and when that line was filled it would move down. I think it would also be cool if you could place an aim window somewhere and press a button and it would open a window there and then do that with another aim window so you can cutomise where the first second third and fouth... windows appeared.

-Swiftman

dangold · Post by **dangold** » Wed Dec 12, 2001 12:07 am

Honestly, I think a whole ordering scheme is a little bit of a pain; I don't know if Ryan is a proponent of this, but keeping everything to one specific spot (overriding the default AIM placement) would be about 1 line of code. A "placement manager" would be a whole other program.

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Mon Jan 14, 2002 2:33 am

I think it would be a great idea to make the IM windows stick to eachother like in winamp.

Then you could spread them out evenly when talking to more than one person simultaneously.

sometimes i cover my entire screen at 1600x1200 with 9 or so instant message windows..
stickiness would let me tile them much easier and prettier.

-Scott

Post by **Big-O Ryan** » Mon Jan 14, 2002 8:22 pm

Scott,

If you're using WindowsXP, after it has grouped your IM windows on the taskbar, you can right click on the taskbar button (that says "(x) AOL Instant Messenger"), and click "Tile Horizontally" or "Tile Vertically" - I think that'll accomplish what you're looking for, as far as window placement..

This may also help the people above who've wanted more complex window placement..

-Ryan
Big-O Software

Thyme · Post by **Thyme** » Sun Jan 20, 2002 5:55 pm

Here is what I would like:

1) User enters in XY coords. The best way would be to have a key that "unlocks" and "locks," setting it to whatever the mouse is at.

2) When a window is closed, it toggles a variable that says the window in that position is closed. Also, an option to "compress" all other windows to lower-array XYs.

3) When a window is opened, it moves it to the first XY that's toggled closed.

The reason that would be attractive to me is that I run 2 monitors, the second normally running AIM and Winamp. I always keep my windows spaced out and I can see every message by just turning my head. However, I don't know how easy it would be to implement, and I might be able to contribute to some of the code, but I'm more of a VB and PHP Developer, and I don't know the hooks to manipulate AIM.

-Thyme
www.punsofsteel.com

JStrider · Post by **JStrider** » Sun Mar 10, 2002 7:38 pm

a cascade would be nice... so you could just see the title bars of all the windows... i would like that...

sn0n · Post by **sn0n** » Mon Mar 11, 2002 12:54 am

maybe a simple MDI window to place all the IMz in.. would make it easier to do EVERYTHING people want..
cascade.. tile.. palcement.. even a Automatic 'minimize all' since they are all in the same window.. (but when ya minimize one in the Window.. it goes to a placeholder on the bottom.. )
perhaps a taskbar for the Window? or just the normal 'button' look?

Nemessis · Post by **Nemessis** » Mon Mar 11, 2002 12:12 pm

I like the idea of making windows snap together like winamp.

sn0n · Post by **sn0n** » Fri Mar 22, 2002 4:25 am

argh.. now that i get my desktop how i want it.. i would like the feature to put all IMz in tha same spot.. hehe.. on top of each other..

Ryan.. any development here?

matt · Post by **matt** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 6:44 pm

I would really like to see sticky windows like in winamp too! Tabbed windows would be great also.

Gunner · Post by **Gunner** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 8:20 pm

wow, that's a lot of crap you people want.

Personally the only situation i would like related to this would be to have all my AIM windows automatically open in full screen mode (which I suppose is an extention of the "all windows pop up in the same place" feature).

I don't know about the rest of you but my AIM already cascades windows (sometimes. other times they pop up in the same place every time).

Big-O Software

IM Placement

Window Management

cascade

Who is online