KDE window moving and resizing for XP and Vista
An ESSENTIAL Windows add-on!
Here is a wee page about my KDE mover-sizer. Okay, it's not entirely mine, not even mostly, but I've added enough code to call it mine, and it's too damn essential to not have a page of its own somewhere, so here it is..
What does it do?
The KDE Winodow-Sizer is a background application that emulates the behaviour of KDE, which is a rather good Linux desktop environment. Essentially, you hold down the Alt key, and Left-click to move a window, Right-click to resize it; and from anywhere inside the window. That's it. And once you use it for a few minutes, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!The utility itself is coded with AutoHotKey, which is a bastard fork of AutoIt, but fairly useful in its own right. The original script (which I snaffled from the AutoHotKey forum, the best of many similar scripts) did all the above, but was missing something essential, that is; window snapping. So I added that, and gave them it back.
The window snapping is important for at least two reasons; 1) it enables you to place a window, as if by magic, exactly at the edge of your desktop. If, like me, you like to keep your main document windows in the centre of your screen, and leave lots of folder windows open up and down the sides of your desktop (I have a widescreen monitor now, which makes this even more effective) then you will find it invaluable. And 2) it enables you to resize the window from the edge of your screen. This is easier to do than to explain, though I'm going to attempt that anyway, with a couple of how-to style tips..
I've gotten into a couple of habits thanks to the KDE-mover-sizer. The first is a quick one-two action where I first Alt-Left-click a window and throw it roughly into place (off the edge of the screen), and then do a single Alt-Right-click to snap it back into perfect view. I've already had a week-off with all the time this good habit has saved me.
The second habit of one of resizing windows from the edge. First, I get them there, as in tip 1, then I grab a corner (anywhere in the quadrant is fine) with an Alt-right-click, and drag-resize them while the two opposite edges (one of which is bang up against the edge of the desktop) stay put. This isn't so much a time saver, as a sanity saver. I'm very particular about the amount of white space that shows in folder windows, and it they don't look right, I couldn't leave them open. Leaving them open is what saves time.
Another thing I've started doing, is sliding windows up and down the edge of my desktop by Alt-Left-click+drag. The snap keeps them from moving left and right - it's like they are on rails! Very handy. And remember, it works on windows behind windows, too, and without bringing them to the front.
I'm sure you have to play with it to fully appreciate the beauty of the system. Fortunately, I have a precompiled Windows executable which you can simply download and run. There's no installer, and it doesn't use the registry, or have any settings, so it's completely portable. When running, a cute tray icon enables you to exit, if required (unlikely!). Drop a shortcut into your startup folder, and then you're cooking with KDE!
It works on all desktop windows, even windows that aren't at the front, even those daft fullscreen installer windows, and uses very little resources to work its magic. It also enables you to resize windows that don't normally allow resizing, which can be a real bonus, especially with certain dumb dialogs (cough *FirefoxSearchPlugin* cough). Like I say, I "couldn't live without it", and I'm fairly certain that if you use it for a wee while, you'll feel the same way.
If you want to check out the source, perhaps customize it to your own requirements, read all the credits, or whatever, the code is freely available, here..
Have fun!
;o)
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p.s. This should work in other versions of Windows, too, Win98, ME, 2K, etc, but I haven't tested it. By all means, try it and let me know.
