We need topbar plugins/modules

[kas1e]

@Abalaban
I think to making "left-mouse button" works normally with amidock, there should be just one more option in amidock : "Make dock active when mouse cursor under dock ON/OFF". Then all will be fine: once user move mouse on the dock, he can press lbm over icons as well.

[kas1e]

@all

Another dock/dockie bug (but maybe i just don't get something, but still):

Almost none of the inbuilt to the OS4 dockies (sys:system/utilities/dockies) scales. Is it problem of the dockies which should be fixed, or amidock again do something strange ? Check that screen with amidock's settings and how it looks like in top-bar dock by some reasons:


There you can see that in the top bar i have 2 icons, then clock-dockie and then amiupdate docky. While 2 icons and amiupdate ones are scaled well, clock-dockie don't scaled at all. Why ? Bug in dockie or in amidock ?

[jaokim]

There you can see that in the top bar i have 2 icons, then clock-dockie and then amiupdate docky. While 2 icons and amiupdate ones are scaled well, clock-dockie don't scaled at all. Why ? Bug in dockie or in amidock ?

I feared that.

The clock docky most likely draws its own images using a rast port (enDockyRenderMode anyone of RP/RGB/ARGB), whereas AmiUpdate probably just returns different "icon files" to create the animation (enDockyRenderMode anyone of DockyIcon or Icon). Icon files can be scaled, but not generated graphics.

A docky like TuneNet wouldn't work very well scaled, since the different buttons require a pixel absolute [x,y] point. Even if it was technically possible to scale a rast port, imagine a docky 10x10 pixels, with 100 different buttons, each one pixel in size. Scale that to 5x5; only 25 of the buttons would be accessible. (Okay, not a great example, but it proves the point.)

So, not a bug, but rather by design.

Perhaps another BZ: Option to disallow non-scaleable dockies from certain docks.

[HKvalhe]

I agree that these topbar plugins will prove to be very useful. Will love to see such also in AmigaOS4. Makes life easier for AmigaOS4 users as well.

Perhaps this could be introduced in AmigaOS 4.2, if not during a system update from AmiUpdate.

[trixie]

A plugin system for the Workbench screen bar (like MorphOS already has) is a great idea. With today's screen resolutions the bar is extremely wide, yet apart from the screen name and one small gadget there is nothing to put in it. A waste of space indeed.

If such a plugin system is ever introduced, I hope it will be based on BOOPSI (ie. the plugin modules are implemented as BOOPSI objects). If there is something I hate about AmiDock it's the fact that its plugin system is not BOOPSI-based. Developing plugins would surely be faster (BOOPSI is well documented) and plugin scaling (to suit dock size) would present no problem, as BOOPSI has an automatic layouting system in place.

[kicko]

Would be nice to able to fill up a part of that empty space

[JosDuchIt]

Gui4Cli uses the topbar as the "standard" place where help info appears when hovering over some gadget. It is very fast and convenient. If the idea proposed is implemented, i certainly would like to still be able to overwrite the topbaricons (fast)

[JosDuchIt]

@Amigo1

Yep, there should be some flag in code like "Plugin_For_All_Screen, TRUE" , and then any opened screen will have the same top bar plugins, but if nothing set or FALSE, then just for WB.

If done, here too the topbar's Gui4Cli function as a "help" presenting line, should be preserved.
I would also like to remark that just lowering the screen a bit gives you fast access to all WB topbar icons.