PortableApps Desktop Icon(like U3 icon) Beta 12+New Custom Launcher

What's with the ugly red and white border? The icon looks awesome, but then the border kills it...

I don't think you should make a tray icon, in my opinion.

BTW, THIS IS AWESOME!!!

And..... the links are broken... both of them...

The Zip can't be found and the Exe takes forever to load, I waited for it for like 20 minutes....

I only got a quick glance at this, but it looks interesting. Here's what i think:

I'm getting a transparency issue with the button: (Pic) with a black border showing up around it. I'm testing from a school board deep freeze Windows XP comp; it only has SP2, this might be an issue.

I would suggest simply not having a tray icon, and having the right click menu located on the button itself, where a user would first expect it to be. However, if this is not possible, use an alternate icon (other than the PA logo) for the tray, it gets confusing having two identical buttons. For the button itself, a high quality .png logo is available on the wikipedia page, but get John's permission to use it first, as it is trademarked. I would also try to autodetect the menu executable instead of promting the user to do so.

• For icons, use IcoFX; include 48px, 32px, and 16px sizes, with all in both 32bit and 8bit colours.
• If you are turned of by GIMP's UI and the way it works, try Paint.NET, it is easier to use and has all the features, like "ellipse select", that you'll probably need.
• Read up on the PortableApps.com Format Specifications to get some info on how you can PAF this. You won't need an NSIS launcher, so it'll probably look something like this:
  

  \Directory with PortableAppsDesktopIcon.exe 
  
  Just try and make the program, and any files it needs, work within the PAF directory with all the files in the right folders.

• Use the PortableApps.com Installer, the 0.10.x update is easy to set up, even if you don't know NSIS.
• Just an PR hint, try and set up your forum post to use this layout. It's not absolutely necessary, but it is REALLY nice for testers and average users to have things organised like that. (Thanks for using box.net for the dl. Although it's not as good as personal hosting, it's way better than rapidshare, megaupload, etc)

John's general policy regarding menu enhancers and menu mods is that they don't go official on their own, but their features are usually added into the platform in future versions. (This is where the menu mods are going: the devs of smithtec menu, geek.menu and the XrX mod are working on a team with John on the main PAM.)
I'm not sure exactly where this would stand, but it's unlikely this would ever be official. Anyhoo, it's still a neat idea, keep it up.

Thats my 2c.

Regards, Brian

If this is ONLY for an unofficial PAM Mod, then it shouldn't be posted as a general test. 99.99% of users who use a PAM use the official one.

I installed and ran the beta 5, and I clicked on the desktop icon (not the tray) to get the path for StartPortableApps and I encountered the following error:

http://www.box.net/shared/npvzpykbol

This was under details:

See the end of this message for details on invoking 
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text **************
System.InvalidOperationException: Cannot start process because a file name has not been provided.
   at System.Diagnostics.Process.Start()
   at System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(ProcessStartInfo startInfo)
   at System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(String fileName)
   at PortableApps_Desktop_Icon.Form2.Panel1_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)


************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
PortableApps Desktop Icon
    Assembly Version: 1.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 1.0.0.0
    CodeBase: file:///F:/PortableApps/PAM%20Desktop%20Icon%20Portable/App/PAMDI/PAMDI.exe
----------------------------------------
Microsoft.VisualBasic
    Assembly Version: 8.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 8.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Microsoft.VisualBasic/8.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll
----------------------------------------
System
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Runtime.Remoting
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Runtime.Remoting/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Runtime.Remoting.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Configuration
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Configuration/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Configuration.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Xml
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Xml/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Xml.dll
----------------------------------------

************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.

For example:



When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.

i wasn't expecting such a quick response...thanks soo much!!!

Is there any way to change the eject program? I use EjectUSB with my geek.menu (which this does work with, btw), but the eject command that's bundled with this app causes my open programs to crash rather than close nicely. Thanks.

Okay, I'm encountering something weird. Inside the folder containing the program, there are .ini for Stickies (which I do have installed), but whenever I open any of the pamdi.ini files, it shows all of the settings for stickies. I'm using the beta 7. I haven't checked any of the other betas. Did mine just copy weird, or did something get screwed up?

I think it would be easier, if possible, that if you can make a drag-lock option so that it doesn't drag instead of start moving.

For example. The lock option prevents it from moving and still click able and if it is unlocked it can still be clicked but dragged around.

Again, thank you for the application.

The launcher works great, including the autorun.

Edit:
It would be better if you deleted the sticky.ini from the default data before compiling it.

Okay... Don't ask me why but I have two installs of the Menu... a Modified one and the regular one. On the Mod Menu your icon looks different from the PortableAppsMenu one... Why? Because your EXE's Icon doesn't have a 16x16 in it... or a 32x32... or a 24x24

I think you need a better icon...

The icon in App\Appinfo has only 1 icon in the file... which explains a lot... there should be eight...

To fix this...
Get IcoFX and open up that Icon file...

Right click on that left sidebar under your icon(s)... And left of the place you edit the icon.

Select "New Image" and click on 32x32, repeat that with 24x24, and repeat again with 16x16...

Save and recompile.

Changing the picture of the icon is fine...but when I saved it it has an error.

I got a prob in beta 8 that wasn't present in beta 7. When i click on the desktop icon it doesn't bring up the PAM. If launched without the PAM, and then u click on the desktop icon, it launches the PAM; but if the PAM is already launched, it doesn't bring it up.

Also, i got a question. Do you need 2 re-download the autorun and its launcher for every update of the PAM desktop icon?

Firstly, when you change the display pic to a custom one and then reselect the default, it changes. Buts after you close and re-open the desktop icon app, it displays the previous custom pic.

Secondly, can you make it so that it remembers its last position on the screen (X and Y coordinates) so that it starts up in the same position it was in on the previous close?

Thirdly, how to hide the splash screen? Please give specific instructions as I already made a StickiesPortableSettings.ini file and a Notepad++PortableSettings.ini under Data\settings and it didn't work. The reason I did this was because under the Other\Source folder the PAMDIPortable.ini has this:

[StickiesPortable]
DisableSplashScreen=false

# This INI is an example only and will not work until placed according to the directions in readme.txt
# The above options are explained in the included readme.txt

but the readme has this

Notepad++Portable.INI CONFIGURATION
===================================
The Notepad++ Portable Launcher will look for an ini file called Notepad++Portable.ini
within its directory (see the Installation/Directory Structure section above for more
details).  If you are happy with the default options, it is not necessary, though.  The
INI file is formatted as follows:

[Notepad++Portable]
Notepad++Directory=App\Notepad++
SettingsDirectory=Data\settings
Notepad++Executable=Notepad++.exe
AdditionalParameters=
DisableSplashScree=false

So which is it? PAMDI, Stickies or Notepad++?

And finally, can I change the icon on the launcher in the root of the drive?;...

...and can I hide the small window that pops up for like half a second after you launch the Launcher? It appears about 1-2 seconds before the splash screen (it's not the splash screen).

This is it here; check the screenshot:

http://www.box.net/shared/7kejyahusf

When I use the .PAF version. I start it up and nothing happens. No desktop icon.

Just wanted to update my list of suggestions\bugs:

• Save Position- Fairly Important
• Open PAM OnTop Of Other Windows- Very Important
• Normal, Hover, And Pressed, States- Not A Must-Have, But Would Look Nice
• Show\Hide PAM Instead Of Only Open- More Consistent With PAM Tray Icon Function

The show\hide is a new idea, I just threw in there. It would let you have your PAM set to stay visible, and just use PAMDI to open and close it.