Migrates left along tasbar, leaving gap to the right

[noetus]

On my Windows 7 machine, the Batterybar moves left further and further along, leaving an ugly gap to the right between it and other icons and the tray. This also leaves less space to the left for my open program icons.

Is this a bug? Is there anything that can be done to prevent it?

By the way, I have the language settings showing on my taskbar. I haven't tested it, but this might not occur for those of you who don't use the language bar displayed on the task bar.

[Chris]

BatteryBar uses the standard Windows DeskBand/Toolbar APIs to display itself on the taskbar. Toolbar size and position is controlled by the taskbar. As far as I've been able to find in the documentation, there isn't anyway for BatteryBar to move itself.

Toolbars normally have a gripper that allows you to move/resize them. I have that turned off (at least in Vista/7) to reduce the size and make it look cleaner. I could turn it back on, but I'm not sure everyone would like that either. I'm not sure right now if there's a way to turn it on/off during runtime (I don't think there is). So, I may have to release a version with and without, but I'll have to look at it more.

For now, if the problem happens just turn BatteryBar off and back on again and that will return it to the far right position.

[noetus]

First, I just sent you (developer) an email about this before I realized you had replied to my earlier posting on this site. Sorry about that. I'm writing again here as well.

(02-17-2010 08:55 AM)Chris Wrote:  BatteryBar uses the standard Windows DeskBand/Toolbar APIs to display itself on the taskbar. Toolbar size and position is controlled by the taskbar. As far as I've been able to find in the documentation, there isn't anyway for BatteryBar to move itself.

As far as I can tell, BatteryBar MUST be doing something funky that other Toolbars aren't. I've attached a screenshot showing what's happening.



As you can see from the screenshot, BatteryBar has moved fully half-way across the taskbar, leaving a huge gap to the right and causing Windows to 'split' the taskbar into two. I have another graphical toolbar, also one without a 'gripper', and that one (it's the Thinkpad Access Connections) never moves from its spot. Ever. Only BatteryBar does this.

You suggest closing and re-opening BatteryBar as a fix for this. It's not a fix. Something funky is going on. Perhaps the funky thing is Windows' fault, not BatteryBar's, but this is only happening with BatteryBar on my system.

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Just a thought - the Language Bar has an option on right click called 'Auto Adjust' which appears to keep that toolbar to the extreme right of the taskbar. The Language Bar is one that can change size during use, which I believe is why that option is there. BatteryBar also changes size during use, and maybe this is contributing to the problem. In any case, perhaps there is a standard API for 'Auto Adjust', like Language Bar has, which would solve the problem.

Also, perhaps this thread will help to shed some light on the issue? Perhaps a weird conflict with Language Bar?

[Zyxmon]

Quote:By the way, I have the language settings showing on my taskbar.

I do have language bar. But the BatteryBar is to the left of it usually. After reinstalling BaterryBar once it was shown to the right of the language bar. BatteryBar never "migrates".

[Chris]

I certainly understand your frustration. Is the thinkpad "toolbar" an actual toolbar? In other words, when you right-click on the taskbar and go to "Toolbars" does it list the Thinkpad toolbar there?

[noetus]

(02-23-2010 06:08 AM)Chris Wrote:  I certainly understand your frustration. Is the thinkpad "toolbar" an actual toolbar? In other words, when you right-click on the taskbar and go to "Toolbars" does it list the Thinkpad toolbar there?

Yes, it is and it does. The Toolbar is called "Access Connections".

I have made a little more progress in figuring out what is going on. It seems definitely to be an issue with the way the Language Bar and Batterybar are interacting on the Taskbar.

As Zyxmon states, when the machine first logs in (or explorer restarts) the Language bar is to the left of the Batterybar. I actually think this is where it is always supposed to be - the extreme left hand of any other Toolbars that are open. All others should be to its right. Now, three things happen. (1) For some reason, Batterybar pretty soon jumps to the *left* of Language Bar. You can see in the following screenshot that this has already happened - and a gap to the right of Batterybar has already opened up as a result of this:



Then, another thing happens. (2) The Language Bar 'jumps around' a little bit. If I right-click the Language Bar one of the options, which I have selected, is 'Auto-Adjust'. This is supposed to keep the Language Bar in the right position relative to the other Toolbars displayed on the taskbar - the thread I linked to earlier discusses some of the issues that occur when it doesn't do this properly, and I believe some changes were made with Windows 7 to make the Language Bar work better in this regard (but which may have inadvertently caused a different issue). I think 'Auto Adjust' is new to Windows 7 in fact. I am not sure why the Language Bar jumps around under normal usage, but it makes a BIG jump when I change the screen orientation (this is a tablet computer) and the taskbar changes in length. It momentarily jumps to the middle of the taskbar when the taskbar suddenly shrinks as a result of the screen orientation change, and then jumps back to being the leftmost toolbar on the right.

Then, a third thing happens. Actually, it DOESN'T jump back to being the leftmost toolbar on the right, because as I mentioned in (1), the Batterybar is actually to the left of it. Now whenever (1) the Batterybar is to the left of the Language Bar, and (2) the Language Bar 'jumps' to the left momentarily, it (3) PUSHES the BatteryBar to the left as well, beside it. And then the Batterybar STAYS in this awkward position, it doesn't jump back to the right as the Language Bar does (as it's set to). I know this sounds strange, but that's what happens - the Language Bar literally pushes the BatteryBar to the left along the taskbar, then jumps back to the right, leaving the BatteryBar in a new awkward position.

It is most noticeable when I change screen orientation and the taskbar length changes, which is what the screenshot from my earlier post shows, but it happens a little bit even without that, as in the above screenshot. It will also happen when you change the screen resolution, e.g. if you change to a smaller resolution and then back again, I just tested this. It also happens when some new icons appear on your tray and then disappear again - this causes the Language Bar to move along the taskbar and back again, 'pushing' the Batterybar along but not back again. Zyxmon - Maybe you haven't noticed, but I bet there is a little bit of space to the right of your Batterybar. If you have noticed that the BatteryBar has changed positions to being on the left of the Language Bar, I bet there is a bit of a gap there that isn't supposed to be there.

So, those are the conditions that should make this a repeatable issue for anyone (1) Running Windows 7, and (2) Using the Language Bar. Wait until Batterybar is to the left of the Language Bar (this is important, and I don't know how to make this happen), and change your resolution down and then up.

Now this may be an issue with the Language Bar, and a pretty weird one, but if other Toolbars can manage to stay to the right of the Language Bar (as the Access Connections one does) there must be a way of programming the BatteryBar to do the same, so that it won't be affected by the little jumps to the left and back that the Language Bar periodically makes.

For the moment I am switching 'Auto Adjust' off to see if that helps.

[Zyxmon]

Quote:I have made a little more progress in figuring out what is going on. It seems definitely to be an issue with the way the Language Bar and Batterybar are interacting on the Taskbar.

As Zyxmon states, when the machine first logs in (or explorer restarts) the Language bar is to the left of the Batterybar. I actually think this is where it is always supposed to be - the extreme left hand of any other Toolbars that are open.

BatteryBar was in my case to the right of the Language Bar only once. After I've reinstalled BatteryBar (described in this topic - http://osirisdevelopment.com/forum/thread-91.html ). But the language indicator (EN/RU) in the Language Bar randomly disappears (blank space instead of letters). May be it is related to the BatteryBar, may be to the automatic keyboard language switching program I've installed.

[Guest]

If you are running Windows 7, try using 'Auto Adjust'. I've found that fixes the disappearing Language bar problem. (I tried switching it off and it didn't change the Batterybar 'migrate' problem.)

[Zyxmon]

I am using "Auto Adjust". I've noticed the EN/RU in the language bar to disappear when I start FireFox. Probably not enough CPU power? My power scheme limits CPU frequency to 800MHz (dual core SU7300).

[noetus]

Is there any news on this? Chris, is this something you're concerned to fix in Batterybar? I am finding myself having to switch Batterybar off and on a couple of times a day at this point; it's pretty annoying.