Trying to figure out how to write an application that prevents a user from using any other application during a (user set) time period. Sort of like a "modal" application.
Have given up trying to disable the internet connection, so the next best thing would be to make the application itself modal, i.e. only the application has focus (in full screen mode) for a set period of time, with the user unable to switch applications or exit full screen.
Is this possible using Xcode and Cocoa?
Any hints appreciated!
Thanks,
John
What you want is called kiosk mode.
Related
I have an Alloy app. It has got 7 windows and opens at same time. When user close a opened window $.removeListener(); $.destroy(); codes runs at window close event. But I am getting memory leaks on Android device. %90 windows has got ListView, every window has got max 2 Listview. What is the right approach for multiple windows?
First of all, why you would want to open 7 windows at same time when user can only see max 1 window at a time.
It's dead simple, open only that window which user should see first, & create a link-flow to other window in previous window.
Can you think of any app on Play Store which does so, if you have, then please send me its link, I would really love to review it?
But if you mean to say that user will see all windows at same time in a scrolling behaviour or like paging, then go to Ti.UI.TabGroup
Are you 100% sure that your event listeners are being removed?
I don't know the function $.removeListener(); is this a custom function?
As a general rule I try and put as many of my event listeners into the xml, as these are automatically removed, and have a custom function destroyMe() that runs onClose which removes any other listeners that I may have used and $.destroy()
Ti.App.addEventListener is a killer too, make sure these are removed if you use them!
ps: i totally understand the 7 windows bit :-)
I want to write an app for Mac OS X. The app/utility would act according to preset schedule. I will have different time intervals at which I want this app to show a certain image in full screen regarding if there are other apps running at the time.
The real question is how to check this time interval in the background and bring this app in-front and enter full screen. I know how to go full screen, but I am stuck at bringing this app in-front of all other apps.
To schedule a method to be called after an interval, just use NSTimer and one of its +scheduledTimer... methods.
To force your application to be active, call [NSApp activateIgnoringOtherApps:YES].
If you want your window to appear above absolutely everything, including the screensaver, set its level to NSScreenSaverWindowLevel + 1.
The only solution that comes immediately to mind is use AppleScript, e.g. if you execute the following AppleScript from within your app:
tell application "MyBackgroundApp"
activate
end tell
There is an Apple Tech Note with sample code for sending AppleScript from a Cocoa app using NSAppleScript.
How to force Mac window to foreground?
We have a Linux based system that does not use a Window manager. When we start certain applications (for instance Firefox) from a terminal window (e.g. Firefox &) we find that no matter what we do, we can't get the application to display full screen.
If we run xrandr, it shows the default resolution is 1280x1024, but when we try to maximize Firefox (by pressing F11) the application is only sized to 1203x650.
Another application that seems to have the same problem is the evince PDF reader.
Our application is not configured to run a window manager (and we don't want to add one), so I'm wondering if there is something else that we can do to get these applications to render full screen.
Thanks...
Although you don't want to use a window manager, you might need to use a window manager.
I haven't dug into the X server sources around this, so I can't definitively say X requires a window manager to run properly. But as somebody who writes X client code, and hacks the X server, on minimalist embedded devices with small screens, low CPU power and no GPU... let's just say, all the major players in that space use one, and have good reasons for it.
If you want to avoid chewing up a lot of disk space, RAM or CPU power doing window management, you should check out matchbox. It's a low-footprint window manager designed to meet those criteria, and it's what many folks in that minimalist embedded space are using. My employer uses it on cell phones, configured so that only one app at a time is visible to the user, and the foreground app takes up the whole screen with no window borders. But you can use it other ways, too - Nokia uses it for their Maemo-based network tablets.
You could use xwit(1) to forcibly resize and place the windows. But as as far as I know, X11 in itself does not have the concept of a "maximized" window; the very idea is only added by most window managers and/or applications (like Firefox).
Does passing the "-geometry=1280x1024+0+0" option to Firefox help?
Oh, also... if you don't explicitly set a window manager, you might be unexpectedly falling back to the default X11 window manager. If you're not absolutely positive there's no window manager, you should check into this possibility.
In a fairly graphics intsensive application the requirements state that it should default to full screen mode even though the application is running under Windows. I know many games do this but I find it annoying. The default IMO should be to open in a window rather than full screen mode. I am proposing the first time the user runs the application they should select the default behavior. Am I wrong?
I think the annoyance-factor depends a lot on what the application tries to do.
If it is some utility that I might start while working in 5 different applications and it forces its fullscreen-ness on my, then I'd get highly annoyed.
If it is a specialized application that helps me with the entire workflow of a given task (so that I never or rarely need any other apps open at the same time), then fullscreen might actually be a valid default.
Whatever you do, just make sure that toggling the startup behaviour is very discoverable. Because no matter which way you'll go, some of your users will disagree with your decision. And for them it should be very easy to change to their prefered way.
I would follow the requirement the first time the application is launched. I would also provide a simple way to switch from full screen to windowed, for instance by pressing ESC (and another way to go back to full screen). Then I would store the mode when quitting the application and restore this mode at next launch.
Before doing the opposite of what your requirements say, I'd have the requirements changed.
However, what about giving the user the choice at install time?
The window at first-start-up should default to the optimal size for the largest proportion of users. For a graphics-intensive full-featured app, that may very well be full screen.
As for individual user preferences for window size, it seems to me most users won’t know if they want full screen or not until after they’ve started to use the app and see how much screen space they need and how much they use the window in conjunction with other windows. Asking them which size they want at install or first-start-up could thus be annoying and even confusing. It’s better to put such a setting under Options/Preferences.
Perhaps the best thing to do is save the window status on exit. Users who like it non-maximized thus only have to non-maximize it (and size it) once and then forget about it. The only consideration is to have some way to reset the window to the default (e.g., Window > Standard Size menu item) for novice users who accidentally resize or reposition the window to something bizarre and don’t know how to get it back. Alternatively, you could have a Window > Keep Sizes and Positions menu item for users to explicitly save the window status across sessions.
Go back to the requirements writers and ask them if they have considered non-traditional monitor setups, such as:
30" or larger monitor. Do you really want your app hogging up all the screen real-estate?
Multiple monitors. Which monitor will you run on? Can the user move your app from one monitor to another? Can your app span more than one monitor?
Virtual desktops. Can the user move your app from one desktop to another? Can they switch desktops while your app is running? Can your app span more than one desktop?
Such setups are increasingly common, especially large monitors. IMO, full-screen mode (the default for many older Windows apps) is becoming less and less useful.
The problem with presenting the user with the option of initially selecting fullscreen / vs windows is that they haven't used the software yet. How can they make a decision on which is better for them, without experience?
I would run the app in whichever mode provided the best user experience and then offer an option to change it both in the Preferences and though a hint while starting up the application for the 2nd time.
new Windows 7 hides systray icons by default.
what is the recommended way to show information to users now?
I need to have a small clickable icon visible to user so user can access my "tool" anytime. Should I use the gadget to show my GUI instead? Can it communicate with my Delphi app somehow?
Without more information it's a little difficult to provide a recommendation.
However, I would imagine that a sufficiently important tool, the user would simply keep minimized. They could then use Jumplists to access quick functionality.
For example, Live Messenger uses this setup on Win7.
If your users really like your icon/application they can always choose to not hide your application.
The only difference is that only the user can choose which icon is shown, instead of every application claiming it's "real estate".
In my opinion this is a good functionality and if I were you I wouldn't change the application, just provide a first run GUI which explains how to make your tray icon visible in windows 7.
The entire reason why change was made, was to stop programs like yours. If you need to show information, go ahead and do so. But the notification areas ("systray") is not where shortcuts go. For that, you've got the start menu, desktop and/or the quick launch bar (and please let the user decide).