How to? separate task bar icon?

[Roedy]

Is there something you can do to a *.btm file or a shortcut file so that it gets is own private task bar icon, different from the usual one for a running *.btm file?

If so, is there anything you can insert in a *.btm file to indicate progress on that icon?

 

[vefatica]

Is there something you can do to a *.btm file or a shortcut file so that it gets is own private task bar icon, different from the usual one for a running *.btm file?

If so, is there anything you can insert in a *.btm file to indicate progress on that icon?

The idea of a plugin command to create/destroy task bar icons at will is intriguing and wouldn't be very hard. But it raises many questions ... what icon? ... should it have a menu? ... what should be on that menu? A small collection of appropriate icons would be a good start (and I'm no artist).

 

[Roedy]

Is there something you can do to a *.btm file or a shortcut file so that it gets is own private task bar icon, different from the usual one for a running *.btm file?
?

Along the same lines, is there something you can insert into a BTM file to to stop a background batch form crashing through to the foreground like some insolent child interrupting a board meeting? and then giving the privilege back when it might have something truly important to say?

 

[Roedy]

The idea of a plugin command to create/destroy task bar icons at will is intriguing and wouldn't be very hard. But it raises many questions ... what icon? ... should it have a menu? ... what should be on that menu? A small collection of appropriate icons would be a good start (and I'm no artist).

It might just take the usual icon and reserve the lower 1/8 or so of it for a simple growing green horizonal bar. right side transparent.
You might invoke it as :

progress 10

meaning 10% of the job is complete.

or:

progress x.ico

To change the icon to x.ico which might just be as simple as coloured red green or yellow blob.


That way you could keep tabs on a task without having to bring it to the foreground.

I read that Windows 8 has some tile feature to handle this problem. I have not seen it yet. This would make it accessible to Windows 7 users, and without a fancy program API,
just a few btm commands. IT might be implement in Win 8 with the new tile feature.

 

[vefatica]

Taskbar icon ... no. But tray icon ... yes.

I wrote a little plugin, 4TRAY.DLL/4TRAY64.DLL, which exports one command.

TRAYICON N tip | /K(ill) [N] | /M(odify) N tip

The icon is the TCC icon shown in the console. "N" is a non-negative integer identifier. "Tip" is the tooltip that will show when you mouse-hover (<64 characters). A left click will (should, you know Windows) bring the TCC instance to the foreground, restoring it if necessary. A right click (up) will kill the tray icon.

It has been tested only on Win7/32 and works OK. I'd be glad to hear comments and suggestions. Get it here: ftp://lucky.syr.edu/4plugins/4tray.zip