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Stop listening for when I'm back! - Printable Version

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+----- Thread: Stop listening for when I'm back! (/showthread.php?tid=47748)
Stop listening for when I'm back! by Unknown... on 07-18-2005 at 04:22 PM

Hey all,

I was wondering if a plugin/setting (I'm posting this in the plugin forum as I've been searching and can't find any related settings) is available to do the following:
I have Plus! automatically change my status to 'away' when I'm away (I.E. don't move the mouse) for 5 minutes.  Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger also have this functionality built in, but I prefer to let Plus! run the show as much as it can :)

Current Functionality
After my status has been changed to 'away' Messenger will listen for mouse events, upon which it will revert my status back to what it was before the automatic change.

Preferred Functionality
After my status has been changed to 'away' Messenger will NOT listen for mouse events, thus leaving my status to 'away' until I explicitly change it via the program interface.

Is this possible?  I ask as I'm commonly swamped by messages when I come back to my PC and people see I'm 'online' - this seems like a simple solution that allows me to decide when I'm 'online' to the world at large! :P


Cheers

RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by brian on 07-18-2005 at 04:27 PM

I guess that would only be possible, if Patchou codes it, impossible to really 'code' something that changes MP!

RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by RaceProUK on 07-18-2005 at 05:56 PM

Or if it is coded as a plugin, and the Plus! option is disabled.

RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by Unknown... on 07-18-2005 at 06:05 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Brian
I guess that would only be possible, if Patchou codes it, impossible to really 'code' something that changes MP!
I'm presuming that this setting doesn't exist then :(
Is there a plugin out there that can do something similar?  Mouse events don't necessarily need to be ignored - I'm sure there are other solutions (the feasibility of them is another story however!).
Here are some ideas - please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm making a lot of assumptions based on how I see the program working, not going through actual code.

I presume the current status needs to be saved/remembered somewhere before the automatic (temporary) 'away' status is applied.  This can be seen with the following:
1. If you are 'Online' it will auto-change to 'Away' after 5 minutes and revert back to 'Online' when you generate events.
2. If you are 'Busy' it will auto-change to 'Away' after 5 minutes and revert back to 'Busy' when you generate events.

If this is true then it may be possible for a plugin to change the 'saved status' to mirror what the 'automatic (temporary) status' is.
I.E. If the automatic status change is invoked and sets the status to 'away', then also change the 'saved status' to away.  When events are detected the program would attempt to change the status from 'away' to 'away', resulting in no change! :P (am I making sense here?)

Another simpler idea would be a plugin that manages the automatic status change functionality itself (would require disabling of the Windows/MSN Messenger and Plus! functionality).  It would directly change the status as opposed to apply a temporary one.  On second thought, this may not be that simple either...

Any suggestions are welcome!  If it is something that needs to be considered for implementation by Patchou, what is the best way to bring it to his attention? (I'm sure he's doing a billion other things)  I'm surprised it hasn't been brought up before.  Searching the forums I couldn't find anything :(

* Thinking the same thing raceprouk :P
** And he beats me AGAIN! Damn you're quick! I must have been writing mine as you wrote your post!
RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by RaceProUK on 07-18-2005 at 06:07 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Unknown...
a plugin that manages the automatic status change functionality itself (would require disabling of the Windows/MSN Messenger and Plus! functionality).
quote:
Originally posted by raceprouk
if it is coded as a plugin, and the Plus! option is disabled.
RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by Unknown... on 08-04-2005 at 06:09 PM

Anyone want to even attempt creating this as a plugin?

I will post a bounty - To the developer that makes a plugin for this I, Unknown..., shall mail you a cookie! [Image: cookie.gif] *




* Note: Unknown... may or may not mail you a cookie. Most likely he has already eaten it himself...

RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by djtumshi on 08-11-2005 at 12:29 AM

had a look at your post and thought to myself... would it not be alot easier if u just change your status to away so that when u move your mouse your status will not change.

RE: RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by Unknown... on 08-18-2005 at 09:15 AM

quote:
Originally posted by djtumshi
had a look at your post and thought to myself... would it not be alot easier if u just change your status to away so that when u move your mouse your status will not change.

That defies the whole purpose of "automatic status change"!  I'd like it to automatically change when I'm considered 'inactive' and then remain that way until I change it.

This functionality could be provided to all users in Plus! Preferences; It would fit nicely in the "General Options > Miscellaneous" section.  All it would take is ONE checkbox! The checkbox would be checked by default so to preserve current behaviour (change status back).

I've attached an example of how it would look with this addition.

RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by Unknown... on 08-20-2005 at 04:30 PM

Hey guys this thread should really belong in the "MsgPlus! General Talk" area.
It isn’t so much plugin related as it is a suggestion of functionality to be implemented in Plus! Preferences.

How do I go about moving this thread there, or should I just repost?

RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by mwe99 on 08-20-2005 at 04:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Unknown...
How do I go about moving this thread there, or should I just repost?

No, if you click Report button and type in a reason why it should be moved, Then a mod can take appopriate action :)
RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by Freeze on 08-22-2005 at 09:46 AM

What I think of it?

Quite an odd suggestion, if you just setup Plus! to set your status to away with a certain global hotkey, your problem is solved, No? it takes like 0.0003 secs to press the hotkey and go AFK, so...

Don't be too lazy =)

RE: RE: Stop listening for when I'm back! by Unknown... on 09-20-2005 at 06:21 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Freeze
What I think of it?

Quite an odd suggestion, if you just setup Plus! to set your status to away with a certain global hotkey, your problem is solved, No? it takes like 0.0003 secs to press the hotkey and go AFK, so...

Don't be too lazy =)

I don't think I'm being lazy, as I already do this, but in doing so it DOES NOT SOLVE MY PROBLEM. I'll explain.

The nice part about AUTOMATIC status change is that if you FORGET to change your status and leave your computer IT WILL DO IT FOR YOU.  C'mon, how easy is it to forget? - I know I often forget / get distracted from my PC and 'automatic status change' kicks in, alerting my contacts that I'm 'Away'.  It operates as a 'catch-all', a function that implicitly works after I have forgotten to do something.
Telling me to 'use a personalised status' DOESN'T solve my problem if I forget / get distracted from my PC and never actually invoke that status.  So I set the automatic status change function 'on', allowing it to automatically change my status to 'Away'.  I'm back to my original problem; as soon as I register activity my status reverts back to what it was pre-'auto-away' (I.E. 'online') and I get swamped with messages from people as soon as I get back to my PC.

This is so annoying, especially when I know how ONE simple checkbox (from the GUI, yes the coding would be larger) could solve this problem.  I just don't understand why this isn't implemented.  It's not a privacy issue, it's not a network congestion / flooding issue.  No one here has been able to give me even ONE good reason why this shouldn't be added.  Adding it would not change / have ZERO IMPACT upon existing functionality.  It would only ENHANCE the programs feature set.

I just don’t get it.  ONE checkbox.  INCREASED Functionality.  ZERO IMPACT on existing functionality.  This is something I feel really strongly about.  I don't understand why it isn’t implemented.