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ObjectBar lives!

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ObjectBar lives!

Beta 1.99G released

http://www.objectdesktop.com
from WinCustomize Forums

ObjectBar lives! ObjectBar 1.99G is now available for Object Desktop users.  One of Stardock's most ambitious long-term projects of all time is nearly complete. It's been close for a long while but it has had to evolve with the marketplace. 

So what is ObjectBar?  ObjectBar is truly a one-of-a-kind program that lets people create their own sidebar/wharfs/finders/docks/bars/whatever.  There are plenty of "side bars" out there as well as other programs that lets you have some sort of dock, but what makes ObjectBar special is that it lets you create any kind of bar you want.  Want to make a Finder-like bar ala MacOS? ObjectBar can do it.  Want something that resembles something from OS/2? BeOS? Gnome? KDE? ObjectBar can do it.  ObjectBar can even do the kinds of things that Microsoft is hoping to do with its Windows Sidebar in Vista.  ObjectBar even supports putting widgets and gadgets onto it as a native part of the bar.

ObjectBar 2 has been in beta  long time.  A lot of that has been due to having to increase its feature set as programs from Google, Microsoft, and elsewhere have come onto the scene.  Development has continued even if beta releases were less frequent.  A lot of underlying technology had to be developed in order to make this sort of thing work.  For example, with ObjectBar 2, you can actually develop your own custom bars and then export them as programs for others to use! An actual .EXE!

ObjectBar 2 is also the basis of ControlCenter 2.  If you have Object Desktop, ControlCenter 2 beta should be available to try out.  ControlCenter 2 is a particular ObjectBar creation that was exported. The difference between an exported bar and ObjectBar itself is the simplicity of configuration. 

As you might expect, ObjectBar is a lot more complex than a "specialized" program would be.  This was a problem that has existed since ObjectBar 1 -- power users loved ObjectBar but casual users were intimidated.  But with the ability to export your creations as programs that have their own simplified configuration UI, that problem seems to be solved.  Power Users can continue to use ObjectBar and casual users can use ControlCenter or some other exported creation.  They all use the same skins.

ObjectBar 2 can be set to automatically make use of whatever WindowBlinds skin you are using.  It also has its own skin library.

Here's a summary of what's in in 1.99G:

  • Lots of cosmetic fixes. Example: Arrow bitmaps will show up on skins that don't have them (such as on submenus).
  • Can drag and drop URLs from web pages onto bars to create short-cuts.
  • Can drag and drop nearly anything onto a bar and have it create an object.
  • Enhanced plugin support for RSS readers, CPU meters, memory meters, drive meters, etc.
  • Bunch of new skinning options
  • TONS of other things which can be found here.

As the change log indicates, development on ObjectBar hasn't slowed down. It's just been a matter of getting the pieces together to make something public.

If all goes well on this version, it'll become a release candidate and then a final 2.0. Let us know what you think.  We're way beyond the "wishlist" stage though.  As many reading this probably agree, it's time for 2.0 to be released. So wishlist stuff can go into 2.x. Stability, bugs, etc. are things we're looking to resolve at this stage.

14,188 views 31 replies
Reply #26 from WinCustomize Forums Top
My post on the object bar forums lately
https://forums.stardock.com/?ForumID=190&AID=110470

And taken from my newsgroup posting on 12/24/2004
8) I understand while people are grumbling about removing the advanced editor. It really makes it a pain to jump in and out of bars by double clicking on a popup menu item (I still hate that name), and the hitting that button that appears well away from the list to go back to the parent. First, that back to parent button should be right next to, or above Edit Submenu/configure. Putting it far away is very confusing.

You might think of widening the dialog and putting a 3rd list which could be a tree view of the bars in the system. You're absoletely right in not wanting to see Docked Bars and Floating Bars like the advanced editor shows. But you could easilly show a tree view, and if a bar is reused in multiple places, so be it, since i'm sure your code is pointing to references of bars instead of copies of them So if you change a shared bar in one area, the same changes are in their other places.

Basically the navigation through the theme editor needs a lot of work. While I understand the need to go to something more simple, at the same time you need to make sure you don't slow down people like myself who create the themes and do a lot of editing over time. Currenting going through the bars is a pain.

9) Don't use the red exclamation mark for Various-Function Item. When I launched my theme, I thought it was reporting errors!.

11) You need to be able to drag and drop Available Elements to the correct place on the Active Elements list. Adding then using the arrows to move is a pain.

12) Need to drag and drop items within the Active Elemetns list.

13) Need to be able to multiselect ActiveElements and group.
Reply #27 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Well I for one have been missing some of the more advanced features from 1.65. The basic theme editor is fine as far as it goes. As I recall, there was an advanced editor in earlier betas but I can't find it in the current version.

If you use a various functions item(!), configure >>>  current function *change* >>> ObjectBar Commands >>> *show advanced editor*.

Object Desktop - Get all of our enhancement utilities in one suite
Reply #28 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I would feel really sad if I couldn't find that advanced editor any more.
Reply #29 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Actually, I agree with the need to make access to the advanced editor more obvious.  Take the advanced editor link from its current location (buried in the configuration of an optional element) and put it somewhere on the face of the standard editor.  Maybe on the bottom beside *hide windows taskbar*.  I think a lot of people might miss it where it is now and it really adds a lot of depth and power to OB.
Reply #30 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If you use a various functions item(!), configure >>> current function *change* >>> ObjectBar Commands >>> *show advanced editor*.


Thanks GM. I can't believe I missed something so obvious!
Reply #31 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Tried to download it last night and got the message that I needed XP to run it. Does that mean that the two flagship OD products I use on W2k are no longer available for that platform?