Bug: Dragging icons on a page sometimes results in icons from another page being moved to current page

from Stardock Forums

When running several pages (4 or 5 - it might happen with fewer pages, though I haven't confirmed it) and having lots of icons on each page, there is sometimes an issue of the user dragging an icon or group of icons from one page and Fences instead grabbing icons from one of the other pages and moving them in a messy way to the page that the user is trying to select and move an icon on.

So, if on page 4, the click-drag selection box mouse function is used to highlight some icons on page 4, and then those icons are click-dragged to move them to another spot on page 4, sometimes icons from pages 1, 2, or 3, will suddenly appear on page 4 and they'll be scattered around the page. I have had 20 icons from another page suddenly appear splattered on to the current page that I'm on due to this bug.

What's happening is that the selection box function with Fences is interpreting the box to be highlighting icons from a page that isn't the one that the user is on and is highlighting and moving icons on.

 

 

The other issues that presently exist in Fences 3 which I've encountered are talked about in these threads:

https://forums.stardock.com/494182/page/1/#3744973

https://forums.stardock.com/486019/page/1/#3744962

https://forums.stardock.com/488882/page/1/#3713029

 

 

So, in summary, three issues preventing me from reinstalling Fences for now are:

- Icons don't remember their positions when a program changes the resolution beneath the desktop resolution

- Icons sometimes will not move to the proper position on the desktop when dragged there, no matter how many times it's tried

- The selection box highlighting and moving icons function sometimes grabs icons from the wrong page and moves them to the current page, rather than highlighting and moving the icons on the page the user is currently on as intended

fences
15,990 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,


- Icons don't remember their positions when a program changes the resolution beneath the desktop resolution
End of quote

I don't see this happening on my system. Sometimes I do play old pc games which change resolution but all my fences goes back to where it be before. Except those icons which is not inside a fence. Those might get shifted. Since it is outside fences, I guess, Fences have on control on those icons. For me its not a problem since I only have one Icon outside any fences, it my recycle bin. I think this behavior is the same with or without Fences installed. Unless you turn "Auto arrange Icons" under Windows.


- Icons sometimes will not move to the proper position on the desktop when dragged there, no matter how many times it's tried
End of quote

Also, not seeing it on my system. All Icon, not inside any fences and "Auto arrange icons" is disable, drop and stay where I dropped it.

 


- The selection box highlighting and moving icons function sometimes grabs icons from the wrong page and moves them to the current page, rather than highlighting and moving the icons on the page the user is currently on as intended
End of quote

Not seeing it on my system. I have 3 Fences desktop pages.

 

I'm not saying that all this not happening in your system. Just that it might be because there is problem with compatibility/conflict with other software running in your system. That can only be solve by you. We can help guide you on how to trouble shoot the problem/issues.

 

Thank you,

 

Basj,

Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting basj, reply 1

Hello,

- Icons don't remember their positions when a program changes the resolution beneath the desktop resolution



I don't see this happening on my system. Sometimes I do play old pc games which change resolution but all my fences goes back to where it be before. Except those icons which is not inside a fence.

End of basj's quote

Hi.

I'm not talking about the icons in fences, but the icons outside of fences. In Windows 10 without Fences installed, all the icons on the desktop have their places automatically remembered when the resolution changes, and they return to their placements after a program that changes the resolution closes.

After Fences is installed, this no longer happens and icons get rearranged on the desktop after a program that lowered the resolution is closed.

If you only have 1 icon outside of fences then you would likely never run into this issue.

 

Those might get shifted. Since it is outside fences, I guess, Fences have on control on those icons. For me its not a problem since I only have one Icon outside any fences, it my recycle bin. I think this behavior is the same with or without Fences installed. Unless you turn "Auto arrange Icons" under Windows.
End of quote

As you can see in my screenshots in this thread, I have many, many icons outside of my fences (I also have many many icons inside fences): https://forums.stardock.com/488882/page/1/#3713030

And that's maybe only half of the icons I had outside of fences across 5 pages. So, the issue is a big deal for me.

I can tell you that this behaviour is not the same with Fences installed or not installed:

With Fences not installed, Windows 10 remembers icon placements when a program changes the resolution, and then automatically restores their placements after the program that changed their resolution is closed.

With Fences installed, that does not happen anymore, and icons are rearranged all over the place, or often crammed into the top-left corner of the screen.

 

Respectfully, the "auto arrange icons" setting has nothing to do with the issue that I've mention. The auto arrange setting only fills up the icon rows along the desktop without spaces, starting from the top-left and working to the bottom of the screen, before going to the next row closest to the top-left and doing the same.

 

- Icons sometimes will not move to the proper position on the desktop when dragged there, no matter how many times it's tried


Also, not seeing it on my system. All Icon, not inside any fences and "Auto arrange icons" is disable, drop and stay where I dropped it.

End of quote

Yet, it happens. You only have a single icon outside of your fences, and not dozens, possibly hundreds like I do, across 4 or 5 pages when I'm using Fences. So, maybe you'll not encounter an issue that could be caused by conflicts across many pages.

I also didn't see this happening when I had 2 or 3 pages, and only after I was using 4 and 5 pages filled with icons.

I made a video that shows it happening: https://youtu.be/UPiGp55WQz4

By the way, from what I recall, restarting the computer would make the problem stop. But, it would randomly appear again somewhere else, as if certain spot on the desktop became invalid spots to move an icon to - probably because there's an icon in that place on another page and something to do with Fences is causing a conflict. Maybe Fences can't handle unlimited pages and unlimited icons on the desktop.



- The selection box highlighting and moving icons function sometimes grabs icons from the wrong page and moves them to the current page, rather than highlighting and moving the icons on the page the user is currently on as intended



Not seeing it on my system. I have 3 Fences desktop pages.

End of quote

You also only have 1 icon outside of fences. So, you're unlikely to run into this issue. Also, I only have noticed the issue at random times - it normally doesn't happen. But, when it does happen, it's very disruptive.

It is logically an issue caused by Fences because it is an issue that is only possible to occur when there are multiple desktop pages. When not using Fences multiple pages don't exist for icons from another page to possibly be teleported to the page that you're currently using.

 

I'm not saying that all this not happening in your system. Just that it might be because there is problem with compatibility/conflict with other software running in your system.
End of quote

The only custom desktop software running my PC has been Fences. I also have Startisback to replace the start menu, but it doesn't do anything to the desktop, and Fences doesn't do anything to the start menu. So, they seem to be exclusive.

Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,

I have forwarded your problem to Stardock Support team for their assistance. Please keep an eye on this thread for any updates. We appreciate your feedback and patience.

 

Basj

Stardock Community Assistant.

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,

I am just not certain anyone has pushed the limits of Fences like you are:  'Hundreds of icons across 4 or 5 pages'.  However, I'll see about possibly trying to produce such an environment to test but it may take some time.

That said, and as I pointed out in your other thread, restoring snapshots when a res change messes with some icon alignment / placement should help.

----------------
Sean Drohan
Stardock Customer Service Manager

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting sdRohan, reply 4

Hello,

I am just not certain anyone has pushed the limits of Fences like you are:  'Hundreds of icons across 4 or 5 pages'.  However, I'll see about possibly trying to produce such an environment to test but it may take some time.

That said, and as I pointed out in your other thread, restoring snapshots when a res change messes with some icon alignment / placement should help.

----------------
Sean Drohan
Stardock Customer Service Manager
End of sdRohan's quote

Thanks for looking into it, Sean. It probably will take time to test thoroughly. As I mentioned, the issues don't happen consistently all the time. When they do, then restarting the PC usually makes everything working normally again... for a while, until issue occur again.

I normally don't restart my PC for many days up to weeks at a time.

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting basj, reply 1

I don't see this happening on my system. Sometimes I do play old pc games which change resolution but all my fences goes back to where it be before. Except those icons which is not inside a fence. Those might get shifted. Since it is outside fences, I guess, Fences have on control on those icons. For me its not a problem since I only have one Icon outside any fences, it my recycle bin. I think this behavior is the same with or without Fences installed. Unless you turn "Auto arrange Icons" under Windows.
End of basj's quote

Quoting sdRohan, reply 4

Hello,

I am just not certain anyone has pushed the limits of Fences like you are:  'Hundreds of icons across 4 or 5 pages'.  However, I'll see about possibly trying to produce such an environment to test but it may take some time.

That said, and as I pointed out in your other thread, restoring snapshots when a res change messes with some icon alignment / placement should help.
End of sdRohan's quote

 

Hi. I've made a video showing that Windows 10 automatically remembers icon placement across resolution changes.

In the video, I load an old game that uses a much smaller resolution than the desktop and then quit back to Windows.

After quitting the game, before the resolution switches back to the native desktop resolution, the desktop icons appear very large and reorganized across the desktop to fit within the smaller resolution that was used for the game. After a couple of seconds, though, Windows switches back to the native desktop resolution and automatically places all the desktop icons back where they originally were.

For some reason, after installing Fences, Windows no longer automatically puts icons back where they were before the resolution switched to a lower one. And so, with Fences, after a program changes the resolution to a lower one and then that program is quit, the icons are left disorganized across the desktop.

 

The Fences snapshot feature can help with this, but it would be better if Windows' native ability to remember and restore icon placements worked even after Fences is installed. That way, there wouldn't have to be extra window opening and click to reload an icon placement, and icon placements wouldn't have to be saved after every change or addition of icons.