5 ms·

I work for Microsoft as a UX prototyper. This is actually not only cool, but useful. I'll forward this around internally.

by jjcm 15y ago

samstave 15y ago
Please do so. I also have this problem a lot (windows 7); Ill have Chrome or Acrobat open on my second display when docked at work. I sleep the machine, undock and head home. When I open it up, chrome or acrobat still maximizes to the now disconnnected second screen. I have no way to get it back. FN+F8 for projector control does nothing. neither does resleep or hibernate. Closing chrome doesnt work because it re-opens in the same place as last time. Only a reboot fixes this problem. I hate rebooting my machine. I go many weeks without rebooting and this always pisses me off. It would be better if you could right-click an app on the task bar and say "send to primary screen" or "send to secondary screen" there used to be this option, but only some-times, and I don't know why/where to find it.
- kooshball 15y ago
  you can use win+shift+left or win+shift+right so move windows across monitors. it also works with win+left/right to move things to the left/right of one monitor and then again to jump across to another.
  - samstave 15y ago
    Perfect - Thanks! Ill try that.
  - lifeformed 15y ago
    If you're not in Windows 7, you can also do this: Select the window with Alt-tab, press alt, up, left, M (not at the same time). Then use the arrow keys to move the window around as you choose. It doesn't work with a Chrome window though, since it seems to override those options.
    - tonyarkles 15y ago
      I think Alt-Space will open the "icon menu" on your current display and let you select "Move" with the mouse.
  - Dexec 15y ago
    This is a great solution, thanks! I have one app that always ends up off screen when I disconnect my external monitor and I could never find a definite way to get it back.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- stilldavid 15y ago
  It's been many years since I've used Windows, but that's one thing that always bugged me. In XP, you could (with the window in question in focus, using alt+tab if necessary) Alt+Space, M (move), then use the arrows to position the window where you'd like - no mouse needed. Funny what we remember.
samstave 15y ago
Separate question; Why can I have multiple documents open in any MS Office App, which allow me to show one document on one screen and another on a different screen -- EXCEPT Excel? This drives me NUTS. I can't easily compare data between spreadsheets without stretching the app across both screens -- then manually adjusting each document window within excel. Who the hell is responsible for these inconsistencies over there?
- bluedevil2k 15y ago
  Totally agree. I've spent tons of time pouring through their advanced settings and googling around for an answer to this. I must want to have 2 Excel windows open to compare values 10x more than any time I want to use their tiling features.
- pkamb 15y ago
  Right-Click on Excel Taskbar Icon > "Microsoft Excel" > A new window opens. Still crazy that it doesn't do that by default, but there is a workaround.
  - samstave 15y ago
    Wow, that works. Jesus christ this has been a frustration for years. Thanks
  - murrayb 15y ago
    > Right-Click on Excel Taskbar Icon > "Microsoft Excel" > A new window opens. Is that a windows 7 feature? It doesn't appear to work for XP. (Yeah yeah this desktop is in a govt dept that will get updated one day...) Like the samstave this (mis)feature of Excel has been frustrating me forever.
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
    - PhilRae 15y ago
      Can't remember what the shortcut is (been on the mac bandwagon for 5 years) but it definitely works in XP as I was doing that for years. Maybe File > New Window or something like that.
wlesieutre 15y ago
I think it might look slightly better if the buttons were moved to be partly off-screen, something like this: http://i.imgur.com/8T26g.png http://i.imgur.com/8T26g.png The way it's demonstrated on the website, there's no visual indication that the window is partially offscreen except for the lack of a rounded corner, which isn't noticeable at a glance. The exact offset would have to be played with a bit, but letting the buttons push slightly off the screen makes it immediately clear that part of the window isn't visible. Another visual indication you lose either way is being able to judge how much of a window is off-screen. Normally, the title is perfectly centered all the time. You can look at how far the window extends to the right, and assume it does the same on the left. My minor edit to the buttons above doesn't help with this one. All in all, I think it's giving relatively minor gains in exchange for removing visual information about the size of the window. The effect is similar to Apple's choice to hide scrollbars in 10.7 unless you're actively scrolling. Sometimes you can judge from the context that there's more available off the screen, and sometimes you can't. Is it worth the trade-off?
- ChrisMorrisCo 15y ago
  I like the idea of moving them slightly off the screen to show that your window is clearly off the screen... but it might be better to indent the buttons further into the screen so that the close button is still the same size.
  - wlesieutre 15y ago
    I wouldn't be too worried about the size, unless you're speaking from a purely aesthetic perspective. For usability, being on the edge of the screen makes it an easy mouse target.
    - ChrisMorrisCo 15y ago
      Fair point... I suppose I prefer a uniform hit area size on the buttons throughout the UI. I probably have a bit of OCD :P.
prewett 15y ago
Could you get them to add a powertoy or something to add Linux's Alt-drag to move a window without needing to drag the titlebar? (Also to let me move a window offscreen if I want to?) Actually, as long as I'm asking for features, can I get window shading?
- ldite 15y ago
  For Alt-drag you want http://www.autohotkey.com/ http://www.autohotkey.com/ and either this script: http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/scripts/EasyWindowDrag_%28KDE%29.htm http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/scripts/EasyWindowDrag_%28KDE... Or one of the similar ones from: http://www.autohotkey.com/wiki/index.php?title=Script_Listing#Window_Manipulation http://www.autohotkey.com/wiki/index.php?title=Script_Listin...

I work for Microsoft as a UX prototyper. This is actually not only cool, but useful. I'll forward this around internally.

by jjcm 15y ago

I work for Microsoft as a UX prototyper. This is actually not only cool, but useful. I'll forward this around internally.

samstave 15y ago

Please do so. I also have this problem a lot (windows 7); Ill have Chrome or Acrobat open on my second display when docked at work. I sleep the machine, undock and head home. When I open it up, chrome or acrobat still maximizes to the now disconnnected second screen. I have no way to get it back. FN+F8 for projector control does nothing. neither does resleep or hibernate. Closing chrome doesnt work because it re-opens in the same place as last time. Only a reboot fixes this problem. I hate rebooting my machine. I go many weeks without rebooting and this always pisses me off. It would be better if you could right-click an app on the task bar and say "send to primary screen" or "send to secondary screen" there used to be this option, but only some-times, and I don't know why/where to find it.

kooshball 15y ago
you can use win+shift+left or win+shift+right so move windows across monitors. it also works with win+left/right to move things to the left/right of one monitor and then again to jump across to another.
- samstave 15y ago
  Perfect - Thanks! Ill try that.
- lifeformed 15y ago
  If you're not in Windows 7, you can also do this: Select the window with Alt-tab, press alt, up, left, M (not at the same time). Then use the arrow keys to move the window around as you choose. It doesn't work with a Chrome window though, since it seems to override those options.
  - tonyarkles 15y ago
    I think Alt-Space will open the "icon menu" on your current display and let you select "Move" with the mouse.
- Dexec 15y ago
  This is a great solution, thanks! I have one app that always ends up off screen when I disconnect my external monitor and I could never find a definite way to get it back.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
stilldavid 15y ago
It's been many years since I've used Windows, but that's one thing that always bugged me. In XP, you could (with the window in question in focus, using alt+tab if necessary) Alt+Space, M (move), then use the arrows to position the window where you'd like - no mouse needed. Funny what we remember.

samstave 15y ago

Separate question; Why can I have multiple documents open in any MS Office App, which allow me to show one document on one screen and another on a different screen -- EXCEPT Excel? This drives me NUTS. I can't easily compare data between spreadsheets without stretching the app across both screens -- then manually adjusting each document window within excel. Who the hell is responsible for these inconsistencies over there?

bluedevil2k 15y ago
Totally agree. I've spent tons of time pouring through their advanced settings and googling around for an answer to this. I must want to have 2 Excel windows open to compare values 10x more than any time I want to use their tiling features.
pkamb 15y ago
Right-Click on Excel Taskbar Icon > "Microsoft Excel" > A new window opens. Still crazy that it doesn't do that by default, but there is a workaround.
- samstave 15y ago
  Wow, that works. Jesus christ this has been a frustration for years. Thanks
- murrayb 15y ago
  > Right-Click on Excel Taskbar Icon > "Microsoft Excel" > A new window opens. Is that a windows 7 feature? It doesn't appear to work for XP. (Yeah yeah this desktop is in a govt dept that will get updated one day...) Like the samstave this (mis)feature of Excel has been frustrating me forever.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - PhilRae 15y ago
    Can't remember what the shortcut is (been on the mac bandwagon for 5 years) but it definitely works in XP as I was doing that for years. Maybe File > New Window or something like that.

wlesieutre 15y ago

I think it might look slightly better if the buttons were moved to be partly off-screen, something like this: http://i.imgur.com/8T26g.png http://i.imgur.com/8T26g.png The way it's demonstrated on the website, there's no visual indication that the window is partially offscreen except for the lack of a rounded corner, which isn't noticeable at a glance. The exact offset would have to be played with a bit, but letting the buttons push slightly off the screen makes it immediately clear that part of the window isn't visible. Another visual indication you lose either way is being able to judge how much of a window is off-screen. Normally, the title is perfectly centered all the time. You can look at how far the window extends to the right, and assume it does the same on the left. My minor edit to the buttons above doesn't help with this one. All in all, I think it's giving relatively minor gains in exchange for removing visual information about the size of the window. The effect is similar to Apple's choice to hide scrollbars in 10.7 unless you're actively scrolling. Sometimes you can judge from the context that there's more available off the screen, and sometimes you can't. Is it worth the trade-off?

ChrisMorrisCo 15y ago
I like the idea of moving them slightly off the screen to show that your window is clearly off the screen... but it might be better to indent the buttons further into the screen so that the close button is still the same size.
- wlesieutre 15y ago
  I wouldn't be too worried about the size, unless you're speaking from a purely aesthetic perspective. For usability, being on the edge of the screen makes it an easy mouse target.
  - ChrisMorrisCo 15y ago
    Fair point... I suppose I prefer a uniform hit area size on the buttons throughout the UI. I probably have a bit of OCD :P.

prewett 15y ago

Could you get them to add a powertoy or something to add Linux's Alt-drag to move a window without needing to drag the titlebar? (Also to let me move a window offscreen if I want to?) Actually, as long as I'm asking for features, can I get window shading?

ldite 15y ago
For Alt-drag you want http://www.autohotkey.com/ http://www.autohotkey.com/ and either this script: http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/scripts/EasyWindowDrag_%28KDE%29.htm http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/scripts/EasyWindowDrag_%28KDE... Or one of the similar ones from: http://www.autohotkey.com/wiki/index.php?title=Script_Listing#Window_Manipulation http://www.autohotkey.com/wiki/index.php?title=Script_Listin...