Shoutbox

I like to use the Event Viewer, but there are a couple of aspects of its operation that could be more convenient.

When I minimize WLM, the Event Viewer window goes below other open windows, but it doesn't minimize and there is no minimize button on the window. If I use Show Desktop, the window minimizes, but as soon as I open any other application, the Event Viewer window opens. Is this a bug? Is there a reason why the Event Viewer window doesn't have a minimize button?

Also, it would be nice if there was a way to open the Event Viewer window in the main Messenger Plus! menu (e.g., right below the Chat Log Viewer.

quote:

---

Originally posted by bimmerdriver
When I minimize WLM, the Event Viewer window goes below other open windows, but it doesn't minimize and there is no minimize button on the window. If I use Show Desktop, the window minimizes, but as soon as I open any other application, the Event Viewer window opens. Is this a bug?

---

No, this is normal behaviour.

When you press "Show Desktop" Windows itself will minimize all windows. This isn't Plus!'s doing, but how Windows itself behaves.

quote:

---

Originally posted by bimmerdriver
Is there a reason why the Event Viewer window doesn't have a minimize button?

---

Yes. The window is a child toolwindow of the main Messenger window; toolwindows don't have a minimize button. You might notice that the event viewer doesn't have a taskbar button. That's why it doesn't have a minimize button; if you would minimize it you have no way to restore it again via normal window buttons since there is no taskbar button to (right) click for it.

You can hide the event viewer by closing the main Messenger window.

quote:

---

Originally posted by bimmerdriver
Also, it would be nice if there was a way to open the Event Viewer window in the main Messenger Plus! menu (e.g., right below the Chat Log Viewer.

---

In the main Plus! menu there is a menu item called "Display Event Viewer", use that instead, or install this simple script which will add a menu item in the scripts icon.

Also, this has been requested before, see (among other threads):
Event Viewer Shortcut
display event viewer via plus! icon
etc...

When I minimize WLM and the Event Viewing window is open, the WLM window minimizes, but the Event Viewing window doesn't minimize, it only goes below other open windows. It only disappears if I use Show Desktop, but if I open any application, the Event Viewing window opens, even though the WLM window doesn't open. That sounds like a bug. However, I have patched WLM using MessPatch. Could that have caused a problem?

Thanks for the script, I'll give it a try.

quote:

---

Originally posted by bimmerdriver
When I minimize WLM and the Event Viewing window is open, the WLM window minimizes, but the Event Viewing window doesn't minimize,

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by CookieRevised
You can hide the event viewer by closing the main Messenger window.

---

Closing is not the same as minimizing.
Closing is pressing the X in the right upper corner.
^^ just in case you might have misread my post. Otherwise, ignore this

-----

quote:

---

Originally posted by bimmerdriver
...but if I open any application, the Event Viewing window opens, even though the WLM window doesn't open. That sounds like a bug.

---

It's not a bug. This is how "Show Desktop" behaves.

To state it simply:
"Show Desktop" is not simply minimizing all windows, although it looks that way. Pressing the shortcut <WinKey><M> will actually minimize all windows which can be minimized. When you press that shortcut you'll see the difference...

In a more technical correct way: when you show the desktop by pressing the "Show Desktop" icon or by pressing <WinKey><D>, it actually brings the desktop window (yes, the desktop is a window too, like any other window) on top of the z-stack order. Thus every other window is obscured by the desktop window.

When you restore the desktop (completely by pressing the desktop icon again or by pressing the shortcut <WinKey><D>, or partially by opening any program or window), the desktop window is not on top of the z-stack order anymore, but it is put again on the bottom, thus behind all other windows. Hence why you see the event viewer window again, it was never minimized, it was just hidden behind the dekstop window.

PS: also see CookieRevised's reply to Messenger Plus! 3.20

quote:

---

However, I have patched WLM using MessPatch. Could that have caused a problem?

---

Depends on what you exactly patched. But normally, no, this wont have any influence on that behaviour of "Show Desktop" because, again, this is how Windows itself behaves, this has little to nothing todo with Plus! and/or Messenger.

Note: I'm not saying there can not be some improvement in how the event viewer is shown though. But many people have requested many kind of behaviours for the event window. In fact, many suggestions regarding this go against other suggestions regarding this. But the current implementation has got everything todo with the fact that the event viewer is a child toolwindow and also with how "Show Desktop" behaves and handles such windows.

Okay, without getting to a debate about whether it's a bug or a feature, IMHO, the Event Viewing window could be improved if it minimized when WLM minimized and restored when WLM restored. It makes no sense whatsoever that the Event Viewing window restores when I restore any arbitrary application other than WLM. Why would that be considered to be a desired way for it to work? It should minimize and restore with WLM - period.

Maybe, maybe not... Other people have asked the opposite, for it to be visible while the main Messenger window is not visible. Which makes, in my eyes too, a bit more sense since the event viewer is a kind of status/debug/event window where you can see what your contacts are doing without having to need a big (main Messenger) window open.

And again, the reason why it is restored when you press "Show Desktop" again is pure and only because of how "Show Desktop"/Windows works. (Show Desktop is NOT meant to minimize windows).

If you want it closed you need to close the main Messenger Window. So it is not like you can not hide it, you actually have that possebility too.

Offtopic

CookieRevised, can you improve your script with a user-defined (or not) shortcut key function? It will help us to open it without any need to open Messenger's contact list window. Thanks in advance.