Hello,

how is it looking, is the problem being worked on? Version 5.56 has meanwhile been released and the problem still exists.

I would be very happy if the most important feature of Fences would finally work.

Best regards,

Thomas

Hi thomas-k,

We appreciate your patience on this one and have been actively working to try and isolate what exactly is going on here.

One thing I'm still not sure about, is how you weren't able to resolve the issue of icons snapping back from the last slot by extending the width of your Fence to larger than 6x.  This works each time I've tried it, and I've just reproduced the issue, with this 'fix' again.  If changing the width works for me and doesn't for you, it might suggest something fundamentally different in your Windows configuration or perhaps some other software conflict. 

Another relevant point I should make- is that I'd welcome anyone to demonstrate this issue in Windows 11.  I haven't been able to reproduce anything like this at all there, and I don't see others claiming the same problem.  I don't mean this to invalidate your experience, but I am saying this to demonstrate how rare the issue actually seems to be.

Please know that we've engaged in troubleshooting to try and work with this one.  Perhaps it might help to find some useful answers if you can reproduce your findings in a clean environment, such as through testing your software in the Windows Sandbox client.  

Again, we do appreciate your feedback and your patience.  If you can work with us with the above suggestion, perhaps that will help to isolate why exactly this is occurring for you.

Best regards.

Adam McGuinness
Stardock Customer Support Specialist

I apologize for not understanding this earlier, then.  In that case, it appears we've both produced the same issue.  We must be clear here: if you increase the width of the Fence to 7 shortcuts wide instead of 6-- this issue doesn't reproduce?  Also, while we're at it, could you let us know your display resolution?  

Also please be aware that I understand that extending the width of your Fence isn't the ultimate solution we're hoping for here.  It is brought up simply as a point of difference for troubleshooting to try to assist in isolating any differences in results.  These differences are important to verify and document with clarity.

We will relay your answers to development and hope it helps us learn what exactly is going on.  

Adam McGuinness
Stardock Customer Support Specialist

Thank you for elaborating with these details. 

It seems we are using the same desktop resolution while getting a slightly different reproduction of this issue, which if I had to guess is due to slightly different icon size and/or spacing.

I can recommend testing with your desktop icon spacing fixed to the default setting to confirm this, which I hope might help you find a suitable arrangement for your Fences/desktop icons.  This feature should be available in your Fences configuration app:

About -> Troubleshooting -> Fix desktop icon spacing

You might also try using Ctrl + Mousewheel over your desktop to set an icon size that works for you.  I recommend this as it seems apparent that this many icons set to too large of a size can also have an adverse effect on moving things around freely.  

Otherwise, as promised the information has been relayed.  This issue, albeit a seemingly rare and somewhat specific one, remains logged for us to keep an eye on. 

We thank you again for the feedback.

Adam McGuinness
Stardock Customer Support Specialist

Just as an input, if I am not wrong, the default value for IconSpacing and IconVerticalSpacing are -1125.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

As was to be feared, the bug has not yet been fixed with the latest update with Fences version 5.80.

A new error has appeared in the backups. Preview images are no longer displayed.

Thank you. I hope Stardock will undo this. The Layout option with the image thumbnails is my start window of the Fences tool.
And I hope Stardock seriously fixes the icon sorting bug. The attempt to bypass the BUG with a rule also fails.

I don't mean anything special by that. When I open Fences, the first thing I see are the backups.

My desk is already untidy, so at least my desktop should be tidy.

I buy several new games a year, and I want them to be sorted so that the latest game is at the bottom of the list. Unfortunately, this still doesn't work with the latest version 5.81.

Another reason why I often use the backup is that the resolution is changed for older games. This always causes the icons on the desktop to be rearranged.

Of course, it would be wonderful if Fences could do this automatically. However, this does not work for the icons that are not sorted into fences on the desktop.

@Abisnabidam,

The BUG has still not been fixed in version 5.82 Rev. 4. And why do I have to make an extra click to see the preview images of the backups?

You write that the bug is reproducible. Why isn't it finally fixed? It can't be that difficult. I reported the error for the first time 4 months ago.

Best regards,

Thomas

Release of Fences 5.8.4.7

Whether you call this problem an “issue” or a “BUG”, I don't really care. It hasn't been solved yet, even with the latest version. Which is a real shame.

Perhaps this feature should be reprogrammed from scratch.

Now it has happened: my subscription expired today. The current version is 5.86, revision 8. When I first subscribed, Stardock Fences 5.0 was still in beta. I thoroughly tested the tool and reported a bug - repeatedly. Each time, I tested it with every new version. Unfortunately, after over 300 days, I’ve come to realize that the developers have not managed to fix it.

Additionally, the "Save/Restore Backup" feature has worsened. I have no idea what motivated the developers to make this change, as it adds unnecessary steps for the user. Now, we’re forced to make an additional mouse click, which serves no clear purpose and offers no benefits.

If you extend my subscription, I’m happy to continue testing the tool. Otherwise, I’ll have to move on.