App on Dual Monitors
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(A customer just asked me and I have not much of a clue) How does an app work on two monitors? The whole banana: i.e. Windows is faking the two monitors to be one large desktop. Is there something (not) to do in my app?
If you go to war, you will destroy a great country a stoned greek chick to the richest man of the world
sighist | Agile Programming | doxygenOne thing to remember is that if you maximise the app to the "full" desktop (over the two monitors) then you'll end up with a seam up the middle (i.e. where the two monitors "join") which often looks ugly if something important lies on the seam If your app can display stuff in multiple windows (such as being MDI, or having undockable toolbars, or modeless dialogs, then you can maximize the main window to one screen, and have all your toolbars and information windows on the other screen. Having an option to make windows remember their last position would be very handy in this situation, to save your user from having to continually drag windows to the other screen -- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit!
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(A customer just asked me and I have not much of a clue) How does an app work on two monitors? The whole banana: i.e. Windows is faking the two monitors to be one large desktop. Is there something (not) to do in my app?
If you go to war, you will destroy a great country a stoned greek chick to the richest man of the world
sighist | Agile Programming | doxygenThere are lots of possible answers... Case One: The customer is using an old virtual-display multiple monitor system, such as developed by Colorgraphics or Matrox (G400 series). In this case, windows sees a funny screen size, e.g. 2048x768 (for a dual screen running at 1024x768). There is nothing to do beyond what works on a normal display, except perhaps allowing some "centre-upon" value for dialog boxes, etc to prevent them from overlapping two monitors. Maximized windows span ALL of the displays, this is horrid. Case Two: A new dual display video card or dual video cards are being used. In this case, windows CAN fake the scenario above in case one, but dialogs will never overlap, instead they are centred on the primary display. Maximized windows maximize to the size of the screen (whatever seems most appropriate). The multiple monitor stuff supported in Win98+ and Win2k+ has a number of API's for enumerating the screens, you should see MSDN/PlatformSDK for info on "Multiple Display Monitors" (Platform SDK link: ms-help://MS.PSDK.1033/gdi/monitor_53sj.htm[^]) where you may want to use the information gathered from EnumDisplayMonitors somewhere in your code. Regards, Ray
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(A customer just asked me and I have not much of a clue) How does an app work on two monitors? The whole banana: i.e. Windows is faking the two monitors to be one large desktop. Is there something (not) to do in my app?
If you go to war, you will destroy a great country a stoned greek chick to the richest man of the world
sighist | Agile Programming | doxygenBesides what was already written I (as daily dual screen user) have noticed that the left screen is in users' mind always stronger then the right screen so it makes sense to adjust user interface to this fact. Right screen will also in 90% be often used to explain something to someone else who is sitting at your desk so it is a good default place for reports, and a bad place for entry forms, etc. Tomaz
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(A customer just asked me and I have not much of a clue) How does an app work on two monitors? The whole banana: i.e. Windows is faking the two monitors to be one large desktop. Is there something (not) to do in my app?
If you go to war, you will destroy a great country a stoned greek chick to the richest man of the world
sighist | Agile Programming | doxygenWith Matrox dual head displays you can position the second display with respsect to the first. Personally I would just make it one large desktop and have the second monitor on the right of the first. Elaine The tigress is here :-D
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Besides what was already written I (as daily dual screen user) have noticed that the left screen is in users' mind always stronger then the right screen so it makes sense to adjust user interface to this fact. Right screen will also in 90% be often used to explain something to someone else who is sitting at your desk so it is a good default place for reports, and a bad place for entry forms, etc. Tomaz
what! :wtf: are you completely mad - this depends on your desk layout. you should always work based on which screen the user has said is the primary screen, none of this left/right rubish.
"When the only tool you have is a hammer, a sore thumb you will have."
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what! :wtf: are you completely mad - this depends on your desk layout. you should always work based on which screen the user has said is the primary screen, none of this left/right rubish.
"When the only tool you have is a hammer, a sore thumb you will have."
Indeed. I had a setup where I put all the "crap" such as Outlook, ICQ, mirc, etc on the left screen and had all the work related stuff (IDE and whatnot) on the right side. Worked like a charm for me. :) -- It's not unusual to be picked up by a klingon woman It's not unusual to have fun with a klingon When I see you kicking me around It's not unusual to see me cry, I wanna die
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With Matrox dual head displays you can position the second display with respsect to the first. Personally I would just make it one large desktop and have the second monitor on the right of the first. Elaine The tigress is here :-D
Matrox has too many choices. Took me half a day before I decided the final layout. :-D Setting up dual heads is like putting up paintings. First it takes you ages to decide where they go, and then there will always be some asshole complaining about it later. :-D -- It's not unusual to be picked up by a klingon woman It's not unusual to have fun with a klingon When I see you kicking me around It's not unusual to see me cry, I wanna die
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what! :wtf: are you completely mad - this depends on your desk layout. you should always work based on which screen the user has said is the primary screen, none of this left/right rubish.
"When the only tool you have is a hammer, a sore thumb you will have."
This has to do with the fact that we read from left to right. And I do agree with you that this should be customisable, but the defaults should be just as I put it. If you do it differently...you're...weird. :-) Tomaz
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This has to do with the fact that we read from left to right. And I do agree with you that this should be customisable, but the defaults should be just as I put it. If you do it differently...you're...weird. :-) Tomaz
hello!!!!! :omg: what about locale support - not all langs are left to right... sesh, go read http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vbcon/html/vbtskDisplayingRighttoLeftMenuTextInWFCForms.asp[^]
"When the only tool you have is a hammer, a sore thumb you will have."
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hello!!!!! :omg: what about locale support - not all langs are left to right... sesh, go read http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vbcon/html/vbtskDisplayingRighttoLeftMenuTextInWFCForms.asp[^]
"When the only tool you have is a hammer, a sore thumb you will have."
serac ohW Tomaz