Neowin.net Active Desktop

By Lighter
in Software created by our members

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Lighter

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Oooh, me first post. Finally.

Not sure how many of you use active desktop, but I've incorporated it into my work and home machines (screen of me home desktop here). One of the advantages of it at work is the ability to display forums/news posts, at a glance and on the fly. One of Neowin's affiliates has a neat AD mod (here) which serves it's purpose well and sits idle in the corner of my screen.

While I obviously don't post very often here, I do hit this site quite often. So, I decided to alter existing code so I could have Neowin.net on my desktop too. :shifty:

With permission from neowin.net and the ntfs.desktop author, I'm working on this:

screen.jpg

Since I'm new to the forums here, I'd rather not step on anyone's toes. I'm interested in suggestions, comments and feedback (gripes are welcome too) on the coding and design. The neowin.desktop, for lack of a better name at the moment, is beta and I only started working on it recently (I'm new to PHP too). It's a personal project but regardless of how I use it, I'd like to complete a version to everyone's liking (or the majority, at least).

The raw beta version (and I mean beta) can be viewed HERE. Note: Forum search doesn't work yet.

Let me know if this is useful to anyone and please feel free to set standards you'd prefer, for a Neowin community version.

-Lighter-

[ download ]

Edited by Lighter
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https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/79243-neowinnet-active-desktop/
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Lighter

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Man! That is sweat! I think that I will have to download that and add it to my desktop! If you need a tester, let me know!

I just have one question, how do I add it to my desktop?

Well, you'd basically just upload the files to your host (if you don't have PHP locally), add an active desktop item, and plug in the url or local file path. Then just size the window to your liking.

I encourage you not to use my demo URL for this, only because this project is still in the first stage of modification and testing. Also, I'll be changing directories shortly...hit counter is already moving. :)

For those who'd like to test & tweak, the next version will be completed shortly and will be available for download --I'll set up a static working directory. I really need to include permission and credit notes in each file (d'oh! :pinch: ) before anything else.

Thanks for the welcome, 'tis appreciated.

-Lighter-

Grand Master

John Veteran

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  • Veteran
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sign me up for test. contact me via pm/msn/email when you're ready for tests. this looks awesome. :yes: so awesome, in fact, that this is the first time i've come in this forum. not very into artsy stuff. but "neowin active desktop" caught my eye like nothing has in a long time. :rolleyes:

good work

Enthusiast

Lighter

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  • Author
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Okay, who wants to test & tweak?

Current working directory: viewable

Current working demo: v1.1

Requests:

Couldn't get the forum search to work properly. Currently, all queries just default to the forum page. If you're wondering what the dot is to the right of the "search forum" input box, it's a tacky field reset button.

Current refresh is set to 90000, intentionally. Please don't alter (yet).

Feedback/suggestions encouraged. This is the beta community version so things will be added/removed/changed as you see fit.

Enthusiast

Lighter

Posted
  • Author
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Minor update...

:: Fixed news header display ID

:: Removed header.php (wasn't being used anyway)

:: Removed login.php (wasn't used, got it to work, decided not to use it)

Will get around to making the forum search work...thanx for the info.

Version# in footer will be a changelog link in the next update. No need to keep posting minor stuff here.

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