How to Create Containers on Desktop for Organizing Icons?

from WinCustomize Forums
Hi fol;s!

I have my icons all prettied up with IconX, but I have more icons than desltop space! I was using ManageDesk virtual desktops to organize my program icons, but disabled it for now.

With PCs getting so powerful and HDDs so large, we end up with too many darned applications. Even the Start>All Programs menu overshoots my desktop! There are a number of desktop suites for Desktop X on WinCustomize, but many of them are "dark" themes, which while looking great are a little difficult for me to work with; I need something lighter, and thought I'd just create a few "containers" in which I could separate my program icons so as to fit the desktop better.

I have ObjectDock Plus, but it's just not reliable enough for me to rely on 100%. I tried that last year and got rid of all my desltop icons, and then had several fits when one of the releases started crashing/terminating at will, leaving me stuck for a bit.

BTW, if I am making absolutely no sense at all, feel free to tell me plainly! (I'm sure you will anyway!)

Thanks! (Sorry for all the typos, but that happens every time I use my notebook - my hands weren't made for this tiny keyboard!)
desktopx
4,982 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Even the Start>All Programs menu overshoots my desktop!


You can set your program menu to scroll so it doesn't over shoot your desktop.

Right click on taskbar and select properties and click on start menu tab and then click on customize and then click on advanced tab and then scoll through list and tick scroll programs.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
nope...no sense at all

i just right click my desktop = arrange icons by - uncheck show desktop icons
have a shortcut to desktop on objectdock, a dtx shortcut to desktop & a objectbar shortcut - if i'm not running any of those, i open my documents and go up a folder

as for the all programs - i ran into that issue a while back with certain WBs - so I went into C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs (copied it first in case i screwed it up) and created new folders and started draggin the shortcuts into them - got my all programs down from five panels to three.
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Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You can set your program menu to scroll so it doesn't over shoot your desktop.

Right click on taskbar and select properties and click on start menu tab and then click on customize and then click on advanced tab and then scoll through list and tick scroll programs


Done that - sorry but I hate the scrolling menu. It's slow. Just my personal taste, I guess.

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Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
i just right click my desktop = arrange icons by - uncheck show desktop icons
have a shortcut to desktop on objectdock, a dtx shortcut to desktop & a objectbar shortcut - if i'm not running any of those, i open my documents and go up a folder

as for the all programs - i ran into that issue a while back with certain WBs - so I went into C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs (copied it first in case i screwed it up) and created new folders and started draggin the shortcuts into them - got my all programs down from five panels to three.


Bichur, I consolidate the programs in the Startup>Programs folder all the time. I create folders, like PC Utilities, and then place twenty or so utility apps in there - but the updates just come so fast and furious for everything, and the MS Installer, while giving you a choice as to where to actually install the app, automatically places the Start program shortcut for you. It does give you a choice as to putting it under your username or All Users when it asks if it's for Everyone or Just Me, but then you still have to go back and refile them in the folders again. And hope you always place them in the same folder as last time!

BTW, that messes up OD+, also. Every time an application shortcut is moved into or out of a folder, you have to edit the OD+ Dock Entry also, or else you get to hear the God-awful Windows error "Thunk" alert. I hate that too. Who doesn't?

I was thinking along the lines of a desktop organized like the Artifacts DTX theme. Not necessarily the same colors and shapes, but that type of desktop organization.

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Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm bumping this for one last hope. Anyone?

The DTX portion of the OD 2005 Manual is for the previous version, and this one is so different that I am lost.

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Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If you are using Desktopx and want to make a container to hold your icons. All you have to do is make a new object, Go to the states tab. Find your graphic that you want to use for a container, Under the General tab where it says object type click on "change" then in the next window, Check accepts drag and drop.. hit apply. Then drag your icons to your container.. I hope this helps, If this isn't what you are talking about please explain what you want in more detail and I will try to help..
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If you are using Desktopx and want to make a container to hold your icons. All you have to do is make a new object, Go to the states tab. Find your graphic that you want to use for a container, Under the General tab where it says object type click on "change" then in the next window, Check accepts drag and drop.. hit apply. Then drag your icons to your container.. I hope this helps, If this isn't what you are talking about please explain what you want in more detail and I will try to help..

Thanks Murex. I've gotten this far through trial and error, but not without a lot of screw-ups.

What I need to do is something similar to what the DTX theme Artifact does: Have the container be basically a large icon that will expand to a popup with several icons within it. For example, I may set-up six or eight of these, and have all utlities icons in one, graphic program icons in another, and so on. That way I can have a little bit if my desktop back, yet still have all of the programs that I need ready access to available to me from my desktop.

Thanks much for posting back! I think that I was lost in the mx here for a while - or at least my post was.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
J-Mac, I can strongly recommend LaunchTab as a good and easy-to-use complement to Object Dock. Link
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hi J-Mac

The easiest way is to have 2 graphics. One that will be your container and the other will be your Icon graphic. You will also need a button to make your popup work. I don't know how much you know about desktopx, So i will go about this as if you don't know very much.. You said you want to have a big icon on the desktop which will popup with a list of other icons. Determine what size you want the icon to be.(make it large enough to hold your other icons.) Now make your container the same size as your icon. Make a button. Now make a new object. In the states tab assign your icon to the mouse away state. In the summary tab give your object a name..

Make a new object in the states tab assign you container to mouse away. in the summary tab give it an object ID. Then where it says parent/owner fill in the name you gave your icon graphic.Go to relations tab" where it says popup change it to Menu (close on any action)

Make a new object which will be your controller button for the popup. In the general tab change the object type to object controller then check (open/toggle the popup object.) Where it says Target object name fill in the name you gave your container.

Now lay your container graphic over your Icon graphic. then make your container a child of the icon. Now when you click on your button it will toggle your container on and off giving it the appearance that it pops up .

Hope this helps..