Search Results

Search found 21470 results on 859 pages for 'computer graphics'.

Page 209/859 | < Previous Page | 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216  | Next Page >

  • Shuffle tiles position in the beginning of the game XNA Csharp

    - by GalneGunnar
    Im trying to create a puzzlegame where you move tiles to certain positions to make a whole image. I need help with randomizing the tiles startposition so that they don't create the whole image at the beginning. There is also something wrong with my offset, that's why it's set to (0,0). I know my code is not good, but Im just starting to learn :] Thanks in advance My Game1 class: { public class Game1 : Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Game { GraphicsDeviceManager graphics; SpriteBatch spriteBatch; Texture2D PictureTexture; Texture2D FrameTexture; // Offset för bildgraff Vector2 Offset = new Vector2(0,0); //skapar en array som ska hålla delar av den stora bilden Square[,] squareArray = new Square[4, 4]; // Random randomeraBilder = new Random(); //Width och Height för bilden int pictureHeight = 95; int pictureWidth = 144; Random randomera = new Random(); int index = 0; MouseState oldMouseState; int WindowHeight; int WindowWidth; public Game1() { graphics = new GraphicsDeviceManager(this); Content.RootDirectory = "Content"; //scalar Window till 800x 600y graphics.PreferredBackBufferWidth = 800; graphics.PreferredBackBufferHeight = 600; graphics.ApplyChanges(); } protected override void Initialize() { IsMouseVisible = true; base.Initialize(); } protected override void LoadContent() { spriteBatch = new SpriteBatch(GraphicsDevice); PictureTexture = Content.Load<Texture2D>(@"Images/bildgraff"); FrameTexture = Content.Load<Texture2D>(@"Images/framer"); //Laddar in varje liten bild av den stora bilden i en array for (int x = 0; x < 4; x++) { for (int y = 0; y < 4; y++) { Vector2 position = new Vector2(x * pictureWidth, y * pictureHeight); position = position + Offset; Rectangle square = new Rectangle(x * pictureWidth, y * pictureHeight, pictureWidth, pictureHeight); Square frame = new Square(position, PictureTexture, square, Offset, index); squareArray[x, y] = frame; index++; } } } protected override void UnloadContent() { } protected override void Update(GameTime gameTime) { if (GamePad.GetState(PlayerIndex.One).Buttons.Back == ButtonState.Pressed) this.Exit(); MouseState ms = Mouse.GetState(); if (oldMouseState.LeftButton == ButtonState.Pressed && ms.LeftButton == ButtonState.Released) { // ta reda på vilken position vi har tryckt på int col = ms.X / pictureWidth; int row = ms.Y / pictureHeight; for (int x = 0; x < squareArray.GetLength(0); x++) { for (int y = 0; y < squareArray.GetLength(1); y++) { // kollar om rutan är tom och så att indexet inte går utanför för "col" och "row" if (squareArray[x, y].index == 0 && col >= 0 && row >= 0 && col <= 3 && row <= 3) { if (squareArray[x, y].index == 0 * col) { //kollar om rutan brevid mouseclick är tom if (col > 0 && squareArray[col - 1, row].index == 0 || row > 0 && squareArray[col, row - 1].index == 0 || col < 3 && squareArray[col + 1, row].index == 0 || row < 3 && squareArray[col, row + 1].index == 0) { Square sqaure = squareArray[col, row]; Square hal = squareArray[x, y]; squareArray[x, y] = sqaure; squareArray[col, row] = hal; for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) { for (int j = 0; j < 4; j++) { Vector2 goalPosition = new Vector2(x * pictureWidth, y * pictureHeight); squareArray[x, y].Swap(goalPosition); } } } } } } } } //if (oldMouseState.RightButton == ButtonState.Pressed && ms.RightButton == ButtonState.Released) //{ // for (int x = 0; x < 4; x++) // { // for (int y = 0; y < 4; y++) // { // } // } //} oldMouseState = ms; base.Update(gameTime); } protected override void Draw(GameTime gameTime) { GraphicsDevice.Clear(Color.CornflowerBlue); WindowHeight = Window.ClientBounds.Height; WindowWidth = Window.ClientBounds.Width; Rectangle screenPosition = new Rectangle(0,0, WindowWidth, WindowHeight); spriteBatch.Begin(); spriteBatch.Draw(FrameTexture, screenPosition, Color.White); //Ritar ut alla brickorna förutom den som har index 0 for (int x = 0; x < 4; x++) { for (int y = 0; y < 4; y++) { if (squareArray[x, y].index != 0) { squareArray[x, y].Draw(spriteBatch); } } } spriteBatch.End(); base.Draw(gameTime); } } } My square class: class Square { public Vector2 position; public Texture2D grafTexture; public Rectangle square; public Vector2 offset; public int index; public Square(Vector2 position, Texture2D grafTexture, Rectangle square, Vector2 offset, int index) { this.position = position; this.grafTexture = grafTexture; this.square = square; this.offset = offset; this.index = index; } public void Draw(SpriteBatch spritebatch) { spritebatch.Draw(grafTexture, position, square, Color.White); } public void RandomPosition() { } public void Swap(Vector2 Goal ) { if (Goal.X > position.X) { position.X = position.X + 144; } else if (Goal.X < position.X) { position.X = position.X - 144; } else if (Goal.Y < position.Y) { position.Y = position.Y - 95; } else if (Goal.Y > position.Y) { position.Y = position.Y + 95; } } } }

    Read the article

  • 6 Ways to Free Up Hard Drive Space Used by Windows System Files

    - by Chris Hoffman
    We’ve previously covered the standard ways to free up space on Windows. But if you have a small solid-state drive and really want more hard space, there are geekier ways to reclaim hard drive space. Not all of these tips are recommended — in fact, if you have more than enough hard drive space, following these tips may actually be a bad idea. There’s a tradeoff to changing all of these settings. Erase Windows Update Uninstall Files Windows allows you to uninstall patches you install from Windows Update. This is helpful if an update ever causes a problem — but how often do you need to uninstall an update, anyway? And will you really ever need to uninstall updates you’ve installed several years ago? These uninstall files are probably just wasting space on your hard drive. A recent update released for Windows 7 allows you to erase Windows Update files from the Windows Disk Cleanup tool. Open Disk Cleanup, click Clean up system files, check the Windows Update Cleanup option, and click OK. If you don’t see this option, run Windows Update and install the available updates. Remove the Recovery Partition Windows computers generally come with recovery partitions that allow you to reset your computer back to its factory default state without juggling discs. The recovery partition allows you to reinstall Windows or use the Refresh and Reset your PC features. These partitions take up a lot of space as they need to contain a complete system image. On Microsoft’s Surface Pro, the recovery partition takes up about 8-10 GB. On other computers, it may be even larger as it needs to contain all the bloatware the manufacturer included. Windows 8 makes it easy to copy the recovery partition to removable media and remove it from your hard drive. If you do this, you’ll need to insert the removable media whenever you want to refresh or reset your PC. On older Windows 7 computers, you could delete the recovery partition using a partition manager — but ensure you have recovery media ready if you ever need to install Windows. If you prefer to install Windows from scratch instead of using your manufacturer’s recovery partition, you can just insert a standard Window disc if you ever want to reinstall Windows. Disable the Hibernation File Windows creates a hidden hibernation file at C:\hiberfil.sys. Whenever you hibernate the computer, Windows saves the contents of your RAM to the hibernation file and shuts down the computer. When it boots up again, it reads the contents of the file into memory and restores your computer to the state it was in. As this file needs to contain much of the contents of your RAM, it’s 75% of the size of your installed RAM. If you have 12 GB of memory, that means this file takes about 9 GB of space. On a laptop, you probably don’t want to disable hibernation. However, if you have a desktop with a small solid-state drive, you may want to disable hibernation to recover the space. When you disable hibernation, Windows will delete the hibernation file. You can’t move this file off the system drive, as it needs to be on C:\ so Windows can read it at boot. Note that this file and the paging file are marked as “protected operating system files” and aren’t visible by default. Shrink the Paging File The Windows paging file, also known as the page file, is a file Windows uses if your computer’s available RAM ever fills up. Windows will then “page out” data to disk, ensuring there’s always available memory for applications — even if there isn’t enough physical RAM. The paging file is located at C:\pagefile.sys by default. You can shrink it or disable it if you’re really crunched for space, but we don’t recommend disabling it as that can cause problems if your computer ever needs some paging space. On our computer with 12 GB of RAM, the paging file takes up 12 GB of hard drive space by default. If you have a lot of RAM, you can certainly decrease the size — we’d probably be fine with 2 GB or even less. However, this depends on the programs you use and how much memory they require. The paging file can also be moved to another drive — for example, you could move it from a small SSD to a slower, larger hard drive. It will be slower if Windows ever needs to use the paging file, but it won’t use important SSD space. Configure System Restore Windows seems to use about 10 GB of hard drive space for “System Protection” by default. This space is used for System Restore snapshots, allowing you to restore previous versions of system files if you ever run into a system problem. If you need to free up space, you could reduce the amount of space allocated to system restore or even disable it entirely. Of course, if you disable it entirely, you’ll be unable to use system restore if you ever need it. You’d have to reinstall Windows, perform a Refresh or Reset, or fix any problems manually. Tweak Your Windows Installer Disc Want to really start stripping down Windows, ripping out components that are installed by default? You can do this with a tool designed for modifying Windows installer discs, such as WinReducer for Windows 8 or RT Se7en Lite for Windows 7. These tools allow you to create a customized installation disc, slipstreaming in updates and configuring default options. You can also use them to remove components from the Windows disc, shrinking the size of the resulting Windows installation. This isn’t recommended as you could cause problems with your Windows installation by removing important features. But it’s certainly an option if you want to make Windows as tiny as possible. Most Windows users can benefit from removing Windows Update uninstallation files, so it’s good to see that Microsoft finally gave Windows 7 users the ability to quickly and easily erase these files. However, if you have more than enough hard drive space, you should probably leave well enough alone and let Windows manage the rest of these settings on its own. Image Credit: Yutaka Tsutano on Flickr     

    Read the article

  • HTG Explains: Should You Build Your Own PC?

    - by Chris Hoffman
    There was a time when every geek seemed to build their own PC. While the masses bought eMachines and Compaqs, geeks built their own more powerful and reliable desktop machines for cheaper. But does this still make sense? Building your own PC still offers as much flexibility in component choice as it ever did, but prebuilt computers are available at extremely competitive prices. Building your own PC will no longer save you money in most cases. The Rise of Laptops It’s impossible to look at the decline of geeks building their own PCs without considering the rise of laptops. There was a time when everyone seemed to use desktops — laptops were more expensive and significantly slower in day-to-day tasks. With the diminishing importance of computing power — nearly every modern computer has more than enough power to surf the web and use typical programs like Microsoft Office without any trouble — and the rise of laptop availability at nearly every price point, most people are buying laptops instead of desktops. And, if you’re buying a laptop, you can’t really build your own. You can’t just buy a laptop case and start plugging components into it — even if you could, you would end up with an extremely bulky device. Ultimately, to consider building your own desktop PC, you have to actually want a desktop PC. Most people are better served by laptops. Benefits to PC Building The two main reasons to build your own PC have been component choice and saving money. Building your own PC allows you to choose all the specific components you want rather than have them chosen for you. You get to choose everything, including the PC’s case and cooling system. Want a huge case with room for a fancy water-cooling system? You probably want to build your own PC. In the past, this often allowed you to save money — you could get better deals by buying the components yourself and combining them, avoiding the PC manufacturer markup. You’d often even end up with better components — you could pick up a more powerful CPU that was easier to overclock and choose more reliable components so you wouldn’t have to put up with an unstable eMachine that crashed every day. PCs you build yourself are also likely more upgradable — a prebuilt PC may have a sealed case and be constructed in such a way to discourage you from tampering with the insides, while swapping components in and out is generally easier with a computer you’ve built on your own. If you want to upgrade your CPU or replace your graphics card, it’s a definite benefit. Downsides to Building Your Own PC It’s important to remember there are downsides to building your own PC, too. For one thing, it’s just more work — sure, if you know what you’re doing, building your own PC isn’t that hard. Even for a geek, researching the best components, price-matching, waiting for them all to arrive, and building the PC just takes longer. Warranty is a more pernicious problem. If you buy a prebuilt PC and it starts malfunctioning, you can contact the computer’s manufacturer and have them deal with it. You don’t need to worry about what’s wrong. If you build your own PC and it starts malfunctioning, you have to diagnose the problem yourself. What’s malfunctioning, the motherboard, CPU, RAM, graphics card, or power supply? Each component has a separate warranty through its manufacturer, so you’ll have to determine which component is malfunctioning before you can send it off for replacement. Should You Still Build Your Own PC? Let’s say you do want a desktop and are willing to consider building your own PC. First, bear in mind that PC manufacturers are buying in bulk and getting a better deal on each component. They also have to pay much less for a Windows license than the $120 or so it would cost you to to buy your own Windows license. This is all going to wipe out the cost savings you’ll see — with everything all told, you’ll probably spend more money building your own average desktop PC than you would picking one up from Amazon or the local electronics store. If you’re an average PC user that uses your desktop for the typical things, there’s no money to be saved from building your own PC. But maybe you’re looking for something higher end. Perhaps you want a high-end gaming PC with the fastest graphics card and CPU available. Perhaps you want to pick out each individual component and choose the exact components for your gaming rig. In this case, building your own PC may be a good option. As you start to look at more expensive, high-end PCs, you may start to see a price gap — but you may not. Let’s say you wanted to blow thousands of dollars on a gaming PC. If you’re looking at spending this kind of money, it would be worth comparing the cost of individual components versus a prebuilt gaming system. Still, the actual prices may surprise you. For example, if you wanted to upgrade Dell’s $2293 Alienware Aurora to include a second NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 graphics card, you’d pay an additional $600 on Alienware’s website. The same graphics card costs $650 on Amazon or Newegg, so you’d be spending more money building the system yourself. Why? Dell’s Alienware gets bulk discounts you can’t get — and this is Alienware, which was once regarded as selling ridiculously overpriced gaming PCs to people who wouldn’t build their own. Building your own PC still allows you to get the most freedom when choosing and combining components, but this is only valuable to a small niche of gamers and professional users — most people, even average gamers, would be fine going with a prebuilt system. If you’re an average person or even an average gamer, you’ll likely find that it’s cheaper to purchase a prebuilt PC rather than assemble your own. Even at the very high end, components may be more expensive separately than they are in a prebuilt PC. Enthusiasts who want to choose all the individual components for their dream gaming PC and want maximum flexibility may want to build their own PCs. Even then, building your own PC these days is more about flexibility and component choice than it is about saving money. In summary, you probably shouldn’t build your own PC. If you’re an enthusiast, you may want to — but only a small minority of people would actually benefit from building their own systems. Feel free to compare prices, but you may be surprised which is cheaper. Image Credit: Richard Jones on Flickr, elPadawan on Flickr, Richard Jones on Flickr     

    Read the article

  • JBox2D Polygon Collisions Acting Strange

    - by andy
    I have been playing around with JBox2D and Slick2D and made a little demo with a ground object, a box object, and two different polygons. The problem I am facing is that the collision-detection for the polygons seems to be off (see picture below), but the box's collision works fine. My Code: Main Class package main; import org.jbox2d.common.Vec2; import org.jbox2d.dynamics.BodyType; import org.jbox2d.dynamics.World; import org.newdawn.slick.GameContainer; import org.newdawn.slick.Graphics; import org.newdawn.slick.SlickException; import org.newdawn.slick.state.BasicGameState; import org.newdawn.slick.state.StateBasedGame; import shapes.Box; import shapes.Polygon; public class State1 extends BasicGameState{ World world; int velocityIterations; int positionIterations; float pixelsPerMeter; int state; Box ground; Box box1; Polygon poly1; Polygon poly2; Renderer renderer; public State1(int state) { this.state = state; } @Override public void init(GameContainer gc, StateBasedGame game) throws SlickException { velocityIterations = 10; positionIterations = 10; pixelsPerMeter = 1f; world = new World(new Vec2(0.f, -9.8f)); renderer = new Renderer(gc, gc.getGraphics(), pixelsPerMeter, world); box1 = new Box(-100f, 200f, 40, 50, BodyType.DYNAMIC, world); ground = new Box(-14, -275, 50, 900, BodyType.STATIC, world); poly1 = new Polygon(50f, 10f, new Vec2[] { new Vec2(-6f, -14f), new Vec2(0f, -20f), new Vec2(6f, -14f), new Vec2(10f, 10f), new Vec2(-10f, 10f) }, BodyType.DYNAMIC, world); poly2 = new Polygon(0f, 10f, new Vec2[] { new Vec2(10f, 0f), new Vec2(20f, 0f), new Vec2(30f, 10f), new Vec2(30f, 20f), new Vec2(20f, 30f), new Vec2(10f, 30f), new Vec2(0f, 20f), new Vec2(0f, 10f) }, BodyType.DYNAMIC, world); } @Override public void update(GameContainer gc, StateBasedGame game, int delta) throws SlickException { world.step((float)delta / 180f, velocityIterations, positionIterations); } @Override public void render(GameContainer gc, StateBasedGame game, Graphics g) throws SlickException { renderer.render(); } @Override public int getID() { return this.state; } } Polygon Class package shapes; import org.jbox2d.collision.shapes.PolygonShape; import org.jbox2d.common.Vec2; import org.jbox2d.dynamics.Body; import org.jbox2d.dynamics.BodyDef; import org.jbox2d.dynamics.BodyType; import org.jbox2d.dynamics.FixtureDef; import org.jbox2d.dynamics.World; import org.newdawn.slick.Color; public class Polygon { public float x, y; public Color color; public BodyType bodyType; org.newdawn.slick.geom.Polygon poly; BodyDef def; PolygonShape ps; FixtureDef fd; Body body; World world; Vec2[] verts; public Polygon(float x, float y, Vec2[] verts, BodyType bodyType, World world) { this.verts = verts; this.x = x; this.y = y; this.bodyType = bodyType; this.world = world; init(); } public void init() { def = new BodyDef(); def.type = bodyType; def.position.set(x, y); ps = new PolygonShape(); ps.set(verts, verts.length); fd = new FixtureDef(); fd.shape = ps; fd.density = 2.0f; fd.friction = 0.7f; fd.restitution = 0.5f; body = world.createBody(def); body.createFixture(fd); } } Rendering Class package main; import org.jbox2d.collision.shapes.PolygonShape; import org.jbox2d.collision.shapes.ShapeType; import org.jbox2d.common.MathUtils; import org.jbox2d.common.Vec2; import org.jbox2d.dynamics.Body; import org.jbox2d.dynamics.Fixture; import org.jbox2d.dynamics.World; import org.newdawn.slick.Color; import org.newdawn.slick.GameContainer; import org.newdawn.slick.Graphics; import org.newdawn.slick.geom.Polygon; import org.newdawn.slick.geom.Transform; public class Renderer { World world; float pixelsPerMeter; GameContainer gc; Graphics g; public Renderer(GameContainer gc, Graphics g, float ppm, World world) { this.world = world; this.pixelsPerMeter = ppm; this.g = g; this.gc = gc; } public void render() { Body current = world.getBodyList(); Vec2 center = current.getLocalCenter(); while(current != null) { Vec2 pos = current.getPosition(); g.pushTransform(); g.translate(pos.x * pixelsPerMeter + (0.5f * gc.getWidth()), -pos.y * pixelsPerMeter + (0.5f * gc.getHeight())); Fixture f = current.getFixtureList(); while(f != null) { ShapeType type = f.getType(); g.setColor(getColor(current)); switch(type) { case POLYGON: { PolygonShape shape = (PolygonShape)f.getShape(); Vec2[] verts = shape.getVertices(); int count = shape.getVertexCount(); Polygon p = new Polygon(); for(int i = 0; i < count; i++) { p.addPoint(verts[i].x, verts[i].y); } p.setCenterX(center.x); p.setCenterY(center.y); p = (Polygon)p.transform(Transform.createRotateTransform(current.getAngle() + MathUtils.PI, center.x, center.y)); p = (Polygon)p.transform(Transform.createScaleTransform(pixelsPerMeter, pixelsPerMeter)); g.draw(p); break; } case CIRCLE: { f.getShape(); } default: } f = f.getNext(); } g.popTransform(); current = current.getNext(); } } public Color getColor(Body b) { Color c = new Color(1f, 1f, 1f); switch(b.m_type) { case DYNAMIC: if(b.isActive()) { c = new Color(255, 123, 0); } else { c = new Color(99, 99, 99); } break; case KINEMATIC: break; case STATIC: c = new Color(111, 111, 111); break; default: break; } return c; } } Any help with fixing the collisions would be greatly appreciated, and if you need any other code snippets I would be happy to provide them.

    Read the article

  • RTS style fog of war woes

    - by Fricken Hamster
    So I'm trying to make a rts style line of sight fog of war style engine for my grid based game. Currently I am getting a set of vertices by raycasting in 360 degree. Then I use that list of vertices to do a graphics style polygon scanline fill to get a list of all points within the polygon. The I compare the new list of seen tiles and compare that with the old one and increment or decrement the world vision array as needed. The polygon scanline function is giving me trouble. I'm mostly following this http://www.cs.uic.edu/~jbell/CourseNotes/ComputerGraphics/PolygonFilling.html So far this is my code without cleaning anything up var edgeMinX:Vector.<int> = new Vector.<int>; var edgeMinY:Vector.<int> = new Vector.<int>; var edgeMaxY:Vector.<int> = new Vector.<int>; var edgeInvSlope:Vector.<Number> = new Vector.<Number>; var ilen:int = outvert.length; var miny:int = -1; var maxy:int = -1; for (i = 0; i < ilen; i++) { var curpoint:Point = outvert[i]; if (i == ilen -1) { var nextpoint:Point = outvert[0]; } else { nextpoint = outvert[i + 1]; } if (nextpoint.y == curpoint.y) { continue; } if (curpoint.y < nextpoint.y) { var curslope:Number = ((nextpoint.y - curpoint.y) / (nextpoint.x - curpoint.x)); edgeMinY.push(curpoint.y); edgeMinX.push(curpoint.x); edgeMaxY.push(nextpoint.y); edgeInvSlope.push(1 / curslope); if (curpoint.y < miny || miny == -1) { miny = curpoint.y; } if (nextpoint.y > maxy) { maxy = nextpoint.y; } } else { curslope = ((curpoint.y - nextpoint.y) / (curpoint.x - nextpoint.x)); edgeMinY.push(nextpoint.y); edgeMinX.push(nextpoint.x); edgeMaxY.push(curpoint.y); edgeInvSlope.push(1 / curslope); if (nextpoint.y < miny || miny == -1) { miny = curpoint.y; } if (curpoint.y > maxy) { maxy = nextpoint.y; } } } var activeMaxY:Vector.<int> = new Vector.<int>; var activeCurX:Vector.<Number> = new Vector.<Number>; var activeInvSlope:Vector.<Number> = new Vector.<Number>; for (var scanline:int = miny; scanline < maxy + 1; scanline++) { ilen = edgeMinY.length; for (i = 0; i < ilen; i++) { if (edgeMinY[i] == scanline) { activeMaxY.push(edgeMaxY[i]); activeCurX.push(edgeMinX[i]); activeInvSlope.push(edgeInvSlope[i]); //trace("added(" + edgeMinX[i]); edgeMaxY.splice(i, 1); edgeMinX.splice(i, 1); edgeMinY.splice(i, 1); edgeInvSlope.splice(i, 1); i--; ilen--; } } ilen = activeCurX.length; for (i = 0; i < ilen - 1; i++) { for (var j:int = i; j < ilen - 1; j++) { if (activeCurX[j] > activeCurX[j + 1]) { var tempint:int = activeMaxY[j]; activeMaxY[j] = activeMaxY[j + 1]; activeMaxY[j + 1] = tempint; var tempnum:Number = activeCurX[j]; activeCurX[j] = activeCurX[j + 1]; activeCurX[j + 1] = tempnum; tempnum = activeInvSlope[j]; activeInvSlope[j] = activeInvSlope[j + 1]; activeInvSlope[j + 1] = tempnum; } } } var prevx:int = -1; var jlen:int = activeCurX.length; for (j = 0; j < jlen; j++) { if (prevx == -1) { prevx = activeCurX[j]; } else { for (var k:int = prevx; k < activeCurX[j]; k++) { graphics.lineStyle(2, 0x124132); graphics.drawCircle(k * 20 + 10, scanline * 20 + 10, 5); if (k == prevx || k > activeCurX[j] - 1) { graphics.lineStyle(3, 0x004132); graphics.drawCircle(k * 20 + 10, scanline * 20 + 10, 2); } prevx = -1; //tileLightList.push(k, scanline); } } } ilen = activeCurX.length; for (i = 0; i < ilen; i++) { if (activeMaxY[i] == scanline + 1) { activeCurX.splice(i, 1); activeMaxY.splice(i, 1); activeInvSlope.splice(i, 1); i--; ilen--; } else { activeCurX[i] += activeInvSlope[i]; } } } It works in some cases but some of the x intersections are skipped, primarily when there are more than 2 x intersections in one scanline I think. Is there a way to fix this, or a better way to do what I described? Thanks

    Read the article

  • Spritebatch drawing sprite with jagged borders

    - by Mutoh
    Alright, I've been on the making of a sprite class and a sprite sheet manager, but have come across this problem. Pretty much, the project is acting like so; for example: Let's take this .png image, with a transparent background. Note how it has alpha-transparent pixels around it in the lineart. Now, in the latter link's image, in the left (with CornflowerBlue background) it is shown the image drawn in another project (let's call it "Project1") with a simpler sprite class - there, it works. The right (with Purple background for differentiating) shows it drawn with a different class in "Project2" - where the problem manifests itself. This is the Sprite class of Project1: using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics; namespace WindowsGame2 { class Sprite { Vector2 pos = new Vector2(0, 0); Texture2D image; Rectangle size; float scale = 1.0f; // --- public float X { get { return pos.X; } set { pos.X = value; } } public float Y { get { return pos.Y; } set { pos.Y = value; } } public float Width { get { return size.Width; } } public float Height { get { return size.Height; } } public float Scale { get { return scale; } set { if (value < 0) value = 0; scale = value; if (image != null) { size.Width = (int)(image.Width * scale); size.Height = (int)(image.Height * scale); } } } // --- public void Load(ContentManager Man, string filename) { image = Man.Load<Texture2D>(filename); size = new Rectangle( 0, 0, (int)(image.Width * scale), (int)(image.Height * scale) ); } public void Become(Texture2D frame) { image = frame; size = new Rectangle( 0, 0, (int)(image.Width * scale), (int)(image.Height * scale) ); } public void Draw(SpriteBatch Desenhista) { // Desenhista.Draw(image, pos, Color.White); Desenhista.Draw( image, pos, new Rectangle( 0, 0, image.Width, image.Height ), Color.White, 0.0f, Vector2.Zero, scale, SpriteEffects.None, 0 ); } } } And this is the code in Project2, a rewritten, pretty much, version of the previous class. In this one I added sprite sheet managing and, in particular, removed Load and Become, to allow for static resources and only actual Sprites to be instantiated. using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics; namespace Mobby_s_Adventure { // Actually, I might desconsider this, and instead use static AnimationLocation[] and instanciated ID and Frame; // For determining the starting frame of an animation in a sheet and being able to iterate through // the Rectangles vector of the Sheet; class AnimationLocation { public int Location; public int FrameCount; // --- public AnimationLocation(int StartingRow, int StartingColumn, int SheetWidth, int NumberOfFrames) { Location = (StartingRow * SheetWidth) + StartingColumn; FrameCount = NumberOfFrames; } public AnimationLocation(int PositionInSheet, int NumberOfFrames) { Location = PositionInSheet; FrameCount = NumberOfFrames; } public static int CalculatePosition(int StartingRow, int StartingColumn, SheetManager Sheet) { return ((StartingRow * Sheet.Width) + StartingColumn); } } class Sprite { // The general stuff; protected SheetManager Sheet; protected Vector2 Position; public Vector2 Axis; protected Color _Tint; public float Angle; public float Scale; protected SpriteEffects _Effect; // --- // protected AnimationManager Animation; // For managing the animations; protected AnimationLocation[] Animation; public int AnimationID; protected int Frame; // --- // Properties for easy accessing of the position of the sprite; public float X { get { return Position.X; } set { Position.X = Axis.X + value; } } public float Y { get { return Position.Y; } set { Position.Y = Axis.Y + value; } } // --- // Properties for knowing the size of the sprite's frames public float Width { get { return Sheet.FrameWidth * Scale; } } public float Height { get { return Sheet.FrameHeight * Scale; } } // --- // Properties for more stuff; public Color Tint { set { _Tint = value; } } public SpriteEffects Effect { set { _Effect = value; } } public int FrameID { get { return Frame; } set { if (value >= (Animation[AnimationID].FrameCount)) value = 0; Frame = value; } } // --- // The only things that will be constantly modified will be AnimationID and FrameID, anything else only // occasionally; public Sprite(SheetManager SpriteSheet, AnimationLocation[] Animations, Vector2 Location, Nullable<Vector2> Origin = null) { // Assign the sprite's sprite sheet; // (Passed by reference! To allow STATIC sheets!) Sheet = SpriteSheet; // Define the animations that the sprite has available; // (Passed by reference! To allow STATIC animation boundaries!) Animation = Animations; // Defaulting some numerical values; Angle = 0.0f; Scale = 1.0f; _Tint = Color.White; _Effect = SpriteEffects.None; // If the user wants a default Axis, it is set in the middle of the frame; if (Origin != null) Axis = Origin.Value; else Axis = new Vector2( Sheet.FrameWidth / 2, Sheet.FrameHeight / 2 ); // Now that we have the axis, we can set the position with no worries; X = Location.X; Y = Location.Y; } // Simply put, draw the sprite with all its characteristics; public void Draw(SpriteBatch Drafter) { Drafter.Draw( Sheet.Texture, Position, Sheet.Rectangles[Animation[AnimationID].Location + FrameID], // Find the rectangle which frames the wanted image; _Tint, Angle, Axis, Scale, _Effect, 0.0f ); } } } And, in any case, this is the SheetManager class found in the previous code: using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics; namespace Mobby_s_Adventure { class SheetManager { protected Texture2D SpriteSheet; // For storing the sprite sheet; // Number of rows and frames in each row in the SpriteSheet; protected int NumberOfRows; protected int NumberOfColumns; // Size of a single frame; protected int _FrameWidth; protected int _FrameHeight; public Rectangle[] Rectangles; // For storing each frame; // --- public int Width { get { return NumberOfColumns; } } public int Height { get { return NumberOfRows; } } // --- public int FrameWidth { get { return _FrameWidth; } } public int FrameHeight { get { return _FrameHeight; } } // --- public Texture2D Texture { get { return SpriteSheet; } } // --- public SheetManager (Texture2D Texture, int Rows, int FramesInEachRow) { // Normal assigning SpriteSheet = Texture; NumberOfRows = Rows; NumberOfColumns = FramesInEachRow; _FrameHeight = Texture.Height / NumberOfRows; _FrameWidth = Texture.Width / NumberOfColumns; // Framing everything Rectangles = new Rectangle[NumberOfRows * NumberOfColumns]; int ID = 0; for (int i = 0; i < NumberOfRows; i++) { for (int j = 0; j < NumberOfColumns; j++) { Rectangles[ID] = new Rectangle ( _FrameWidth * j, _FrameHeight * i, _FrameWidth, _FrameHeight ); ID++; } } } public SheetManager (Texture2D Texture, int NumberOfFrames): this(Texture, 1, NumberOfFrames) { } } } For even more comprehending, if needed, here is how the main code looks like (it's just messing with the class' capacities, nothing actually; the result is a disembodied feet walking in place animation on the top-left of the screen and a static axe nearby): using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Audio; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GamerServices; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Media; using System.Threading; namespace Mobby_s_Adventure { /// <summary> /// This is the main type for your game /// </summary> public class Game1 : Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Game { GraphicsDeviceManager graphics; SpriteBatch spriteBatch; static List<Sprite> ToDraw; static Texture2D AxeSheet; static Texture2D FeetSheet; static SheetManager Axe; static Sprite Jojora; static AnimationLocation[] Hack = new AnimationLocation[1]; static SheetManager Feet; static Sprite Mutoh; static AnimationLocation[] FeetAnimations = new AnimationLocation[2]; public Game1() { graphics = new GraphicsDeviceManager(this); Content.RootDirectory = "Content"; this.TargetElapsedTime = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(100); this.IsFixedTimeStep = true; } /// <summary> /// Allows the game to perform any initialization it needs to before starting to run. /// This is where it can query for any required services and load any non-graphic /// related content. Calling base.Initialize will enumerate through any components /// and initialize them as well. /// </summary> protected override void Initialize() { // TODO: Add your initialization logic here base.Initialize(); } /// <summary> /// LoadContent will be called once per game and is the place to load /// all of your content. /// </summary> protected override void LoadContent() { // Create a new SpriteBatch, which can be used to draw textures. spriteBatch = new SpriteBatch(GraphicsDevice); // Loading logic ToDraw = new List<Sprite>(); AxeSheet = Content.Load<Texture2D>("Sheet"); FeetSheet = Content.Load<Texture2D>("Feet Sheet"); Axe = new SheetManager(AxeSheet, 1); Hack[0] = new AnimationLocation(0, 1); Jojora = new Sprite(Axe, Hack, new Vector2(100, 100), new Vector2(5, 55)); Jojora.AnimationID = 0; Jojora.FrameID = 0; Feet = new SheetManager(FeetSheet, 8); FeetAnimations[0] = new AnimationLocation(1, 7); FeetAnimations[1] = new AnimationLocation(0, 1); Mutoh = new Sprite(Feet, FeetAnimations, new Vector2(0, 0)); Mutoh.AnimationID = 0; Mutoh.FrameID = 0; } /// <summary> /// UnloadContent will be called once per game and is the place to unload /// all content. /// </summary> protected override void UnloadContent() { // TODO: Unload any non ContentManager content here } /// <summary> /// Allows the game to run logic such as updating the world, /// checking for collisions, gathering input, and playing audio. /// </summary> /// <param name="gameTime">Provides a snapshot of timing values.</param> protected override void Update(GameTime gameTime) { // Allows the game to exit if (GamePad.GetState(PlayerIndex.One).Buttons.Back == ButtonState.Pressed) this.Exit(); // Update logic Mutoh.FrameID++; ToDraw.Add(Mutoh); ToDraw.Add(Jojora); base.Update(gameTime); } /// <summary> /// This is called when the game should draw itself. /// </summary> /// <param name="gameTime">Provides a snapshot of timing values.</param> protected override void Draw(GameTime gameTime) { GraphicsDevice.Clear(Color.Purple); // Drawing logic spriteBatch.Begin(); foreach (Sprite Element in ToDraw) { Element.Draw(spriteBatch); } spriteBatch.Draw(Content.Load<Texture2D>("Sheet"), new Rectangle(50, 50, 55, 60), Color.White); spriteBatch.End(); base.Draw(gameTime); } } } Please help me find out what I'm overlooking! One thing that I have noticed and could aid is that, if inserted the equivalent of this code spriteBatch.Draw( Content.Load<Texture2D>("Image Location"), new Rectangle(X, Y, images width, height), Color.White ); in Project2's Draw(GameTime) of the main loop, it works. EDIT Ok, even if the matter remains unsolved, I have made some more progress! As you see, I managed to get the two kinds of rendering in the same project (the aforementioned Project2, with the more complex Sprite class). This was achieved by adding the following code to Draw(GameTime): protected override void Draw(GameTime gameTime) { GraphicsDevice.Clear(Color.Purple); // Drawing logic spriteBatch.Begin(); foreach (Sprite Element in ToDraw) { Element.Draw(spriteBatch); } // Starting here spriteBatch.Draw( Axe.Texture, new Vector2(65, 100), new Rectangle ( 0, 0, Axe.FrameWidth, Axe.FrameHeight ), Color.White, 0.0f, new Vector2(0, 0), 1.0f, SpriteEffects.None, 0.0f ); // Ending here spriteBatch.End(); base.Draw(gameTime); } (Supposing that Axe is the SheetManager containing the texture, sorry if the "jargons" of my code confuse you :s) Thus, I have noticed that the problem is within the Sprite class. But I only get more clueless, because even after modifying its Draw function to this: public void Draw(SpriteBatch Drafter) { /*Drafter.Draw( Sheet.Texture, Position, Sheet.Rectangles[Animation[AnimationID].Location + FrameID], // Find the rectangle which frames the wanted image; _Tint, Angle, Axis, Scale, _Effect, 0.0f );*/ Drafter.Draw( Sheet.Texture, Position, new Rectangle( 0, 0, Sheet.FrameWidth, Sheet.FrameHeight ), Color.White, 0.0f, Vector2.Zero, Scale, SpriteEffects.None, 0 ); } to make it as simple as the patch of code that works, it still draws the sprite jaggedly!

    Read the article

  • Customized listfield with image displaying from a url

    - by arunabha
    I am displaying a customized list field with text on the right side and image on the left side.The image comes from a URL dynamically.Initially i am placing a blank image on the left of the list field,then call URLBitmapField class's setURL method,which actually does the processing and places the processed image on top of the blank image.The image gets displayed on the list field,but to see that processed image i need to press any key or click on the list field items.I want the processed image to be displayed automatically in the list field after the processing.Can anyone tell me where i am getting wrong? import java.util.Vector; import net.rim.device.api.system.Bitmap; import net.rim.device.api.system.Display; import net.rim.device.api.ui.ContextMenu; import net.rim.device.api.ui.DrawStyle; import net.rim.device.api.ui.Field; import net.rim.device.api.ui.Font; import net.rim.device.api.ui.Graphics; import net.rim.device.api.ui.Manager; import net.rim.device.api.ui.MenuItem; import net.rim.device.api.ui.UiApplication; import net.rim.device.api.ui.component.BitmapField; import net.rim.device.api.ui.component.Dialog; import net.rim.device.api.ui.component.LabelField; import net.rim.device.api.ui.component.ListField; import net.rim.device.api.ui.component.ListFieldCallback; import net.rim.device.api.ui.component.NullField; import net.rim.device.api.ui.container.FullScreen; import net.rim.device.api.ui.container.MainScreen; import net.rim.device.api.ui.container.VerticalFieldManager; import net.rim.device.api.util.Arrays; import net.rim.device.api.ui.component.ListField; public class TaskListField extends UiApplication { // statics // ------------------------------------------------------------------ public static void main(String[] args) { TaskListField theApp = new TaskListField(); theApp.enterEventDispatcher(); } public TaskListField() { pushScreen(new TaskList()); } } class TaskList extends MainScreen implements ListFieldCallback { private Vector rows; private Bitmap p1; private Bitmap p2; private Bitmap p3; String Task; ListField listnew = new ListField(); private VerticalFieldManager metadataVFM; TableRowManager row; public TaskList() { super(); URLBitmapField artistImgField; listnew.setRowHeight(80); listnew.setCallback(this); rows = new Vector(); for (int x = 0; x <3; x++) { row = new TableRowManager(); artistImgField = new URLBitmapField(Bitmap .getBitmapResource("res/images/bg.jpg")); row.add(artistImgField); String photoURL = "someimagefrmurl.jpg"; Log.info(photoURL); // strip white spaces in the url, which is causing the // images to not display properly for (int i = 0; i < photoURL.length(); i++) { if (photoURL.charAt(i) == ' ') { photoURL = photoURL.substring(0, i) + "%20" + photoURL.substring(i + 1, photoURL.length()); } } Log.info("Processed URL: " + photoURL); artistImgField.setURL(photoURL); LabelField task = new LabelField("Display"); row.add(task); LabelField task1 = new LabelField( "Now Playing" + String.valueOf(x)); Font myFont = Font.getDefault().derive(Font.PLAIN, 12); task1.setFont(myFont); row.add(task1); rows.addElement(row); } listnew.setSize(rows.size()); this.add(listnew); //listnew.invalidate(); } // ListFieldCallback Implementation public void drawListRow(ListField listField, Graphics g, int index, int y, int width) { TableRowManager rowManager = (TableRowManager) rows.elementAt(index); rowManager.drawRow(g, 0, y, width, listnew.getRowHeight()); } protected void drawFocus(Graphics graphics, boolean on) { } private class TableRowManager extends Manager { public TableRowManager() { super(0); } // Causes the fields within this row manager to be layed out then // painted. public void drawRow(Graphics g, int x, int y, int width, int height) { // Arrange the cell fields within this row manager. layout(width, height); // Place this row manager within its enclosing list. setPosition(x, y); // Apply a translating/clipping transformation to the graphics // context so that this row paints in the right area. g.pushRegion(getExtent()); // Paint this manager's controlled fields. subpaint(g); g.setColor(0x00CACACA); g.drawLine(0, 0, getPreferredWidth(), 0); // Restore the graphics context. g.popContext(); } // Arrages this manager's controlled fields from left to right within // the enclosing table's columns. protected void sublayout(int width, int height) { // set the size and position of each field. int fontHeight = Font.getDefault().getHeight(); int preferredWidth = getPreferredWidth(); // start with the Bitmap Field of the priority icon Field field = getField(0); layoutChild(field, 146,80); setPositionChild(field, 0, 0); // set the task name label field field = getField(1); layoutChild(field, preferredWidth - 16, fontHeight + 1); setPositionChild(field, 149, 3); // set the list name label field field = getField(2); layoutChild(field, 150, fontHeight + 1); setPositionChild(field, 149, fontHeight + 6); setExtent(360, 480); } // The preferred width of a row is defined by the list renderer. public int getPreferredWidth() { return listnew.getWidth(); } // The preferred height of a row is the "row height" as defined in the // enclosing list. public int getPreferredHeight() { return listnew.getRowHeight(); } } public Object get(ListField listField, int index) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub return null; } public int getPreferredWidth(ListField listField) { return 0; } public int indexOfList(ListField listField, String prefix, int start) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub return 0; } }

    Read the article

  • IOException: Unable To Delete Images Due To File Lock

    - by Arslan Pervaiz
    I am Unable To Delete Image File From My Server Path It Gaves Error That The Process Cannot Access The File "FileName" Because it is being Used By Another Process. I Tried Many Methods But Still All In Vain. Please Help me Out in This Issue. Here is My Code Snippet. using System; using System.Data; using System.Web; using System.Data.SqlClient; using System.Web.UI; using System.Web.UI.HtmlControls; using System.Globalization; using System.Web.Security; using System.Text; using System.DirectoryServices; using System.Collections; using System.IO; using System.Drawing; using System.Drawing.Imaging; using System.Drawing.Drawing2D; //============ Main Block ================= byte[] data = (byte[])ds.Tables[0].Rows[0][0]; MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream(data); Image returnImage = Image.FromStream(ms); returnImage.Save(Server.MapPath(".\\TmpImages\\SavedImage.jpg"), System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg); returnImage.Dispose(); \\ I Tried this Dispose Method To Unlock The File But Nothing Done. ms.Close(); \\ I Tried The Memory Stream Close Method Also But Its Also Not Worked For Me. watermark(); \\ Here is My Water Mark Method That Print Water Mark Image on My Saved Image (Image That is Converted From Byte Array) DeleteImages(); \\ Here is My Delete Method That I Call To Delete The Images //===== ==== My Delete Method To Delete Files================== public void DeleteImages() { try { File.Delete(Server.MapPath(".\\TmpImages\\WaterMark.jpg")); \\This Image Deleted Fine. File.Delete(Server.MapPath(".\\TmpImages\\SavedImage.jpg")); \\ Exception Thrown On Deleting of This Image. } catch (Exception ex) { LogManager.LogException(ex, "Error in Deleting Images."); Master.ShowMessage(ex.Message, true); } } \ ==== Method Declartion That Make Watermark of One Image On Another Image.======= public void watermark() { //create a image object containing the photograph to watermark Image imgPhoto = Image.FromFile(Server.MapPath(".\\TmpImages\\SavedImage.jpg")); int phWidth = imgPhoto.Width; int phHeight = imgPhoto.Height; //create a Bitmap the Size of the original photograph Bitmap bmPhoto = new Bitmap(phWidth, phHeight, PixelFormat.Format24bppRgb); bmPhoto.SetResolution(imgPhoto.HorizontalResolution, imgPhoto.VerticalResolution); //load the Bitmap into a Graphics object Graphics grPhoto = Graphics.FromImage(bmPhoto); //create a image object containing the watermark Image imgWatermark = new Bitmap(Server.MapPath(".\\TmpImages\\PrintasWatermark.jpg")); int wmWidth = imgWatermark.Width; int wmHeight = imgWatermark.Height; //Set the rendering quality for this Graphics object grPhoto.SmoothingMode = SmoothingMode.AntiAlias; //Draws the photo Image object at original size to the graphics object. grPhoto.DrawImage( imgPhoto, // Photo Image object new Rectangle(0, 0, phWidth, phHeight), // Rectangle structure 0, // x-coordinate of the portion of the source image to draw. 0, // y-coordinate of the portion of the source image to draw. phWidth, // Width of the portion of the source image to draw. phHeight, // Height of the portion of the source image to draw. GraphicsUnit.Pixel); // Units of measure //------------------------------------------------------- //to maximize the size of the Copyright message we will //test multiple Font sizes to determine the largest posible //font we can use for the width of the Photograph //define an array of point sizes you would like to consider as possiblities //------------------------------------------------------- //Define the text layout by setting the text alignment to centered StringFormat StrFormat = new StringFormat(); StrFormat.Alignment = StringAlignment.Center; //define a Brush which is semi trasparent black (Alpha set to 153) SolidBrush semiTransBrush2 = new SolidBrush(Color.FromArgb(153, 0, 0, 0)); //define a Brush which is semi trasparent white (Alpha set to 153) SolidBrush semiTransBrush = new SolidBrush(Color.FromArgb(153, 255, 255, 255)); //------------------------------------------------------------ //Step #2 - Insert Watermark image //------------------------------------------------------------ //Create a Bitmap based on the previously modified photograph Bitmap Bitmap bmWatermark = new Bitmap(bmPhoto); bmWatermark.SetResolution(imgPhoto.HorizontalResolution, imgPhoto.VerticalResolution); //Load this Bitmap into a new Graphic Object Graphics grWatermark = Graphics.FromImage(bmWatermark); //To achieve a transulcent watermark we will apply (2) color //manipulations by defineing a ImageAttributes object and //seting (2) of its properties. ImageAttributes imageAttributes = new ImageAttributes(); //The first step in manipulating the watermark image is to replace //the background color with one that is trasparent (Alpha=0, R=0, G=0, B=0) //to do this we will use a Colormap and use this to define a RemapTable ColorMap colorMap = new ColorMap(); //My watermark was defined with a background of 100% Green this will //be the color we search for and replace with transparency colorMap.OldColor = Color.FromArgb(255, 0, 255, 0); colorMap.NewColor = Color.FromArgb(0, 0, 0, 0); ColorMap[] remapTable = { colorMap }; imageAttributes.SetRemapTable(remapTable, ColorAdjustType.Bitmap); //The second color manipulation is used to change the opacity of the //watermark. This is done by applying a 5x5 matrix that contains the //coordinates for the RGBA space. By setting the 3rd row and 3rd column //to 0.3f we achive a level of opacity float[][] colorMatrixElements = { new float[] {1.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f}, new float[] {0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f}, new float[] {0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f}, new float[] {0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.3f, 0.0f}, new float[] {0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f}}; ColorMatrix wmColorMatrix = new ColorMatrix(colorMatrixElements); imageAttributes.SetColorMatrix(wmColorMatrix, ColorMatrixFlag.Default, ColorAdjustType.Bitmap); //For this example we will place the watermark in the upper right //hand corner of the photograph. offset down 10 pixels and to the //left 10 pixles int xPosOfWm = ((phWidth - wmWidth) - 10); int yPosOfWm = 10; grWatermark.DrawImage(imgWatermark, new Rectangle(xPosOfWm, yPosOfWm, wmWidth, wmHeight), //Set the detination Position 0, // x-coordinate of the portion of the source image to draw. 0, // y-coordinate of the portion of the source image to draw. wmWidth, // Watermark Width wmHeight, // Watermark Height GraphicsUnit.Pixel, // Unit of measurment imageAttributes); //ImageAttributes Object //Replace the original photgraphs bitmap with the new Bitmap imgPhoto = bmWatermark; grPhoto.Dispose(); grWatermark.Dispose(); //save new image to file system. imgPhoto.Save(Server.MapPath(".\\TmpImages\\WaterMark.jpg"), ImageFormat.Jpeg); imgPhoto.Dispose(); imgWatermark.Dispose(); }

    Read the article

  • Ask How-To Geek: Learning the Office Ribbon, Booting to USB with an Old BIOS, and Snapping Windows

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers. Today we highlight how to master the new Office interface, USB boot a computer with outdated BIOS, and snap windows to preset locations. Learning the New Office Ribbon Dear How-To Geek, I feel silly asking this (in light of how long the new Office interface has been out) but my company finally got around to upgrading from Windows XP and Office 2000 so the new interface it totally new to me. Can you recommend any resources for quickly learning the Office ribbon and the new changes? I feel completely lost after two decades of the old Office interface. Help! Sincerely, Where the Hell is Everything? Dear Where the Hell, We think most people were with you at some point in the last few years. “Where the hell is…” could possibly be the slogan for the new ribbon interface. You could browse through some of the dry tutorials online or even get a weighty book on the topic but the best way to learn something new is to get hands on. Ribbon Hero turns learning the new Office features and ribbon layout into a game. It’s no vigorous round of Team Fortress mind you, but it’s significantly more fun than reading a training document. Check out how to install and configure Ribbon Hero here. You’ll be teaching your coworkers new tricks in no time. Boot via USB with an Old BIOS Dear How-To Geek, I’m trying to repurpose some old computers by updating them with lightweight Linux distros but the BIOS on most of the machines is ancient and creaky. How ancient? It doesn’t even support booting from a USB device! I have a large flash drive that I’ve turned into a master installation tool for jobs like this but I can’t use it. The computers in question have USB ports; they just aren’t recognized during the boot process. What can I do? USB Bootin’ in Boise Dear USB Bootin’, It’s great you’re working to breathe life into old hardware! You’ve run into one of the limitations of older BIOSes, USB was around but nobody was thinking about booting off of it. Fortunately if you have a computer old enough to have that kind of BIOS it’s likely to also has a floppy drive or a CDROM drive. While you could make a bootable CDROM for your application we understand that you want to keep using the master USB installer you’ve made. In light of that we recommend PLoP Boot Manager. Think of it like a boot manager for your boot manager. Using it you can create a bootable floppy or CDROM that will enable USB booting of your master USB drive. Make a CD and a floppy version and you’ll have everything in your toolkit you need for future computer refurbishing projects. Read up on creating bootable media with PLoP Boot Manager here. Snapping Windows to Preset Coordinates Dear How-To Geek, Once upon a time I had a company laptop that came with a little utility that snapped windows to preset areas of the screen. This was long before the snap-to-side features in Windows 7. You could essentially configure your screen into a grid pattern of your choosing and then windows would neatly snap into those grids. I have no idea what it was called or if was anymore than a gimmick from the computer manufacturer, but I’d really like to have it on my new computer! Bend and Snap in San Francisco, Dear Bend and Snap, If we had to guess, we’d guess your company must have had a set of laptops from Acer as the program you’re describing sounds exactly like Acer GridVista. Fortunately for you the application was extremely popular and Acer released it independently of their hardware. If, by chance, you’ve since upgraded to a multiple monitor setup the app even supports multiple monitors—many of the configurations are handy for arranging IM windows and other auxiliary communication tools. Check out our guide to installing and configuring Acer GridVista here for more information. Have a question you want to put before the How-To Geek staff? Shoot us an email at [email protected] and then keep an eye out for a solution in the Ask How-To Geek column. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC How to Upgrade Windows 7 Easily (And Understand Whether You Should) The How-To Geek Guide to Audio Editing: Basic Noise Removal Install a Wii Game Loader for Easy Backups and Fast Load Times The Best of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in 2011 The Worst of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in 2011 HTG Projects: How to Create Your Own Custom Papercraft Toy Download the New Year in Japan Windows 7 Theme from Microsoft Once More Unto the Breach – Facebook Apps Can Now Access Your Address and Phone Number Dial Zero Speeds You Through Annoying Customer Service Menus Complete Dropquest 2011 and Receive Free Dropbox Storage Desktop Computer versus Laptop Wallpaper The Kids Have No Idea What Old Tech Is [Video]

    Read the article

  • Block access to specific applications

    - by Jason Aren
    I would like to give several users rights to a computer running Ubuntu to do most administrative functions such as add/remove programs, save files, make settings changes, etc. However, I would like to block them from using several specific applications. Is this possible, and how would I do so? To provide a bit more detail: I am trying to set up Gnome Nanny to block adult websites from my kids' computer. I'd like to give them full access to the computer ACCEPT for Gnome Nanny. Windows has a program called K9 that cannot be turned off or uninstalled unless the user has the password EVEN if the user is an admin. Sounds like this isn't available on Ubuntu without a rather involved process of setting permissions on a large list of applications and functions to mimic admin rights.

    Read the article

  • Clean up after Visual Studio

    - by psheriff
    As programmer’s we know that if we create a temporary file during the running of our application we need to make sure it is removed when the application or process is complete. We do this, but why can’t Microsoft do it? Visual Studio leaves tons of temporary files all over your hard drive. This is why, over time, your computer loses hard disk space. This blog post will show you some of the most common places where these files are left and which ones you can safely delete..NET Left OversVisual Studio is a great development environment for creating applications quickly. However, it will leave a lot of miscellaneous files all over your hard drive. There are a few locations on your hard drive that you should be checking to see if there are left-over folders or files that you can delete. I have attempted to gather as much data as I can about the various versions of .NET and operating systems. Of course, your mileage may vary on the folders and files I list here. In fact, this problem is so prevalent that PDSA has created a Computer Cleaner specifically for the Visual Studio developer.  Instructions for downloading our PDSA Developer Utilities (of which Computer Cleaner is one) are at the end of this blog entry.Each version of Visual Studio will create “temporary” files in different folders. The problem is that the files created are not always “temporary”. Most of the time these files do not get cleaned up like they should. Let’s look at some of the folders that you should periodically review and delete files within these folders.Temporary ASP.NET FilesAs you create and run ASP.NET applications from Visual Studio temporary files are placed into the <sysdrive>:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework[64]\<vernum>\Temporary ASP.NET Files folder. The folders and files under this folder can be removed with no harm to your development computer. Do not remove the "Temporary ASP.NET Files" folder itself, just the folders underneath this folder. If you use IIS for ASP.NET development, you may need to run the iisreset.exe utility from the command prompt prior to deleting any files/folder under this folder. IIS will sometimes keep files in use in this folder and iisreset will release the locks so the files/folders can be deleted.Website CacheThis folder is similar to the ASP.NET Temporary Files folder in that it contains files from ASP.NET applications run from Visual Studio. This folder is located in each users local settings folder. The location will be a little different on each operating system. For example on Windows Vista/Windows 7, the folder is located at <sysdrive>:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WebsiteCache. If you are running Windows XP this folder is located at <sysdrive>:\ Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\WebsiteCache. Check these locations periodically and delete all files and folders under this directory.Visual Studio BackupThis backup folder is used by Visual Studio to store temporary files while you develop in Visual Studio. This folder never gets cleaned out, so you should periodically delete all files and folders under this directory. On Windows XP, this folder is located at <sysdrive>:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\My Documents\Visual Studio 200[5|8]\Backup Files. On Windows Vista/Windows 7 this folder is located at <sysdrive>:\Users\<UserName>\Documents\Visual Studio 200[5|8]\.Assembly CacheNo, this is not the global assembly cache (GAC). It appears that this cache is only created when doing WPF or Silverlight development with Visual Studio 2008 or Visual Studio 2010. This folder is located in <sysdrive>:\ Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\assembly\dl3 on Windows Vista/Windows 7. On Windows XP this folder is located at <sysdrive>:\ Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Local Settings\Application Data\assembly. If you have not done any WPF or Silverlight development, you may not find this particular folder on your machine.Project AssembliesThis is yet another folder where Visual Studio stores temporary files. You will find a folder for each project you have opened and worked on. This folder is located at <sysdrive>:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Visual Studio\[8|9].0\ProjectAssemblies on Windows XP. On Microsoft Vista/Windows 7 you will find this folder at <sysdrive>:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Visual Studio\[8|9].0\ProjectAssemblies.Remember not all of these folders will appear on your particular machine. Which ones do show up will depend on what version of Visual Studio you are using, whether or not you are doing desktop or web development, and the operating system you are using.SummaryTaking the time to periodically clean up after Visual Studio will aid in keeping your computer running quickly and increase the space on your hard drive. Another place to make sure you are cleaning up is your TEMP folder. Check your OS settings for the location of your particular TEMP folder and be sure to delete any files in here that are not in use. I routinely clean up the files and folders described in this blog post and I find that I actually eliminate errors in Visual Studio and I increase my hard disk space.NEW! PDSA has just published a “pre-release” of our PDSA Developer Utilities at http://www.pdsa.com/DeveloperUtilities that contains a Computer Cleaner utility which will clean up the above-mentioned folders, as well as a lot of other miscellaneous folders that get Visual Studio build-up. You can download a free trial at http://www.pdsa.com/DeveloperUtilities. If you wish to purchase our utilities through the month of November, 2011 you can use the RSVP code: DUNOV11 to get them for only $39. This is $40 off the regular price.NOTE: You can download this article and many samples like the one shown in this blog entry at my website. http://www.pdsa.com/downloads. Select “Tips and Tricks”, then “Developer Machine Clean Up” from the drop down list.Good Luck with your Coding,Paul Sheriff** SPECIAL OFFER FOR MY BLOG READERS **We frequently offer a FREE gift for readers of my blog. Visit http://www.pdsa.com/Event/Blog for your FREE gift!

    Read the article

  • Use Evernote’s Secret Debug Menu to Optimize and Speed Up Searching

    - by The Geek
    If your Evernote installation has become sluggish after adding thousands of notes, you might be able to speed it up a bit with this great tip from Matthew’s TechInch blog that uncovers a secret debug menu in the latest Windows client. It’s important to note that Evernote runs database optimization in the background automatically, so this really shouldn’t be necessary, but if your database is sluggish, anything is worth a shot, right Latest Features How-To Geek ETC How to Upgrade Windows 7 Easily (And Understand Whether You Should) The How-To Geek Guide to Audio Editing: Basic Noise Removal Install a Wii Game Loader for Easy Backups and Fast Load Times The Best of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in 2011 The Worst of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in 2011 HTG Projects: How to Create Your Own Custom Papercraft Toy Firefox 4.0 Beta 9 Available for Download – Get Your Copy Now The Frustrations of a Computer Literate Watching a Newbie Use a Computer [Humorous Video] Season0nPass Jailbreaks Current Gen Apple TVs IBM’s Jeopardy Playing Computer Watson Shows The Pros How It’s Done [Video] Tranquil Juice Drop Abstract Wallpaper Pulse Is a Sleek Newsreader for iOS and Android Devices

    Read the article

  • How to get more detailed reason for Thunderbird crashing?

    - by Nick
    I have a computer (10.04) that was previously running Thunderbird 12.0.1 just fine (installed via apt-get via official PPA). I don't know what happened at the time the problem started since this is a multi-user computer and I was not here. However, every time we try to launch TB, we immediately get a dialog that says: We're Sorry Thunderbird had a problem and crashed. Things I've tried: Running thunderbird from a terminal produces no output. I tried apt-get remove thunderbird --purge and then reinstalled Deleting the user's .thunderbird folder and launching still results in a crash Attempting to run thunderbird -safe-mode still results in a crash This problem occurs for all users of Thunderbird on this computer. Is there any way to get more details on why the program is crashing? For example, the specific error that TB is encountering? I tried thunderbird -g but I'm not sure what to do with the debugger.

    Read the article

  • How to Change and Manually Start and Stop Automatic Maintenance in Windows 8

    - by Lori Kaufman
    Windows 8 has a new feature that allows you to automatically run scheduled daily maintenance on your computer. These maintenance tasks run in the background and include security updating and scanning, Windows software updates, disk defragmentation, system diagnostics, among other tasks. We’ve previously shown you how to automate maintenance in Windows 7, Vista, and XP. Windows 8 maintenance is automatic by default and the performance and energy efficiency has been improved over Windows 7. The program for Windows 8 automatic maintenance is called MSchedExe.exe and it is located in the C:\Windows\System32 directory. We will show you how you can change the automatic maintenance settings in Windows 8 and how you can start and stop the maintenance manually. NOTE: It seems that you cannot turn off the automatic maintenance in Windows 8. You can only change the settings and start and stop it manually. Can Dust Actually Damage My Computer? What To Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer Why Enabling “Do Not Track” Doesn’t Stop You From Being Tracked

    Read the article

  • [GEEK SCHOOL] Network Security 3: Windows Defender and a Malware-Free System

    - by Ciprian Rusen
    In this second lesson we are going to talk about one of the most confusing security products that are bundled with Windows: Windows Defender. In the past, this product has had a bad reputation and for good reason – it was very limited in its capacity to protect your computer from real-world malware. However, the latest version included in Windows 8.x operating systems is much different than in the past and it provides real protection to its users. The nice thing about Windows Defender in its current incarnation, is that it protects your system from the start, so there are never gaps in coverage. We will start this lesson by explaining what Windows Defender is in Windows 7 and Vista versus what it is in Windows 8, and what product to use if you are using an earlier version. We next will explore how to use Windows Defender, how to improve its default settings, and how to deal with the alerts that it displays. As you will see, Windows Defender will have you using its list of quarantined items a lot more often than other security products. This is why we will explain in detail how to work with it and remove malware for good or restore those items that are only false alarms. Lastly, you will learn how to turn off Windows Defender if you no longer want to use it and you prefer a third-party security product in its place and then how to enable it back, if you have changed your mind about using it. Upon completion, you should have a thorough understanding of your system’s default anti-malware options, or how to protect your system expeditiously. What is Windows Defender? Unfortunately there is no one clear answer to this question because of the confusing way Microsoft has chosen to name its security products. Windows Defender is a different product, depending on the Windows operating system you are using. If you use Windows Vista or Windows 7, then Windows Defender is a security tool that protects your computer from spyware. This but one form of malware made out of tools and applications that monitor your movements on the Internet or the activities you make on your computer. Spyware tends to send the information that is collected to a remote server and it is later used in all kinds of malicious purposes, from displaying advertising you don’t want, to using your personal data, etc. However, there are many other types of malware on the Internet and this version of Windows Defender is not able to protect users from any of them. That’s why, if you are using Windows 7 or earlier, we strongly recommend that you disable Windows Defender and install a more complete security product like Microsoft Security Essentials, or third-party security products from specialized security vendors. If you use Windows 8.x operating systems, then Windows Defender is the same thing as Microsoft Security Essentials: a decent security product that protects your computer in-real time from viruses and spyware. The fact that this product protects your computer also from viruses, not just from spyware, makes a huge difference. If you don’t want to pay for security products, Windows Defender in Windows 8.x and Microsoft Security Essentials (in Windows 7 or earlier) are good alternatives. Windows Defender in Windows 8.x and Microsoft Security Essentials are the same product, only their name is different. In this lesson, we will use the Windows Defender version from Windows 8.x but our instructions apply also to Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) in Windows 7 and Windows Vista. If you want to download Microsoft Security Essentials and try it out, we recommend you to use this page: Download Microsoft Security Essentials. There you will find both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of this product as well versions in multiple languages. How to Use and Configure Windows Defender Using Windows Defender (MSE) is very easy to use. To start, search for “defender” on the Windows 8.x Start screen and click or tap the “Windows Defender” search result. In Windows 7, search for “security” in the Start Menu search box and click “Microsoft Security Essentials”. Windows Defender has four tabs which give you access to the following tools and options: Home – here you can view the security status of your system. If everything is alright, then it will be colored in green. If there are some warnings to consider, then it will be colored in yellow, and if there are threats that must be dealt with, everything will be colored in red. On the right side of the “Home” tab you will find options for scanning your computer for viruses and spyware. On the bottom of the tab you will find information about when the last scan was performed and what type of scan it was. Update – here you will find information on whether this product is up-to-date. You will learn when it was last updated and the versions of the definitions it is using. You can also trigger a manual update. History – here you can access quarantined items, see which items you’ve allowed to run on your PC even if they were identified as malware by Windows Defender, and view a complete list with all the malicious items Windows Defender has detected on your PC. In order to access all these lists and work with them, you need to be signed in as an administrator. Settings – this is the tab where you can turn on the real-time protection service, exclude files, file types, processes, and locations from its scans as well as access a couple of more advanced settings. The only difference between Windows Defender in Windows 8.x and Microsoft Security Essentials (in Windows 7 or earlier) is that, in the “Settings” tab, Microsoft Security Essentials allows you to set when to run scheduled scans while Windows Defender lacks this option.

    Read the article

  • Speed, delta time and movement

    - by munchor
    player.vx = scroll_speed * dt /* Update positions */ player.x += player.vx player.y += player.vy I have a delta time in miliseconds, and I was wondering how I can use it properly. I tried the above, but that makes the player go fast when the computer is fast, and the player go slow when the computer is slow. The same thing happens with jumping. The player can jump really high when the computer is faster. This is sort of unfair, I think, because. Should I be doing this someway else? Thanks.

    Read the article

  • How to Share Files Between User Accounts on Windows, Linux, or OS X

    - by Chris Hoffman
    Your operating system provides each user account with its own folders when you set up several different user accounts on the same computer. Shared folders allow you to share files between user accounts. This process works similarly on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. These are all powerful multi-user operating systems with similar folder and file permission systems. Windows On Windows, the “Public” user’s folders are accessible to all users. You’ll find this folder under C:\Users\Public by default. Files you place in any of these folders will be accessible to other users, so it’s a good way to share music, videos, and other types of files between users on the same computer. Windows even adds these folders to each user’s libraries by default. For example, a user’s Music library contains the user’s music folder under C:\Users\NAME\as well as the public music folder under C:\Users\Public\. This makes it easy for each user to find the shared, public files. It also makes it easy to make a file public — just drag and drop a file from the user-specific folder to the public folder in the library. Libraries are hidden by default on Windows 8.1, so you’ll have to unhide them to do this. These Public folders can also be used to share folders publically on the local network. You’ll find the Public folder sharing option under Advanced sharing settings in the Network and Sharing Control Panel. You could also choose to make any folder shared between users, but this will require messing with folder permissions in Windows. To do this, right-click a folder anywhere in the file system and select Properties. Use the options on the Security tab to change the folder’s permissions and make it accessible to different user accounts. You’ll need administrator access to do this. Linux This is a bit more complicated on Linux, as typical Linux distributions don’t come with a special user folder all users have read-write access to. The Public folder on Ubuntu is for sharing files between computers on a network. You can use Linux’s permissions system to give other user accounts read or read-write access to specific folders. The process below is for Ubuntu 14.04, but it should be identical on any other Linux distribution using GNOME with the Nautilus file manager. It should be similar for other desktop environments, too. Locate the folder you want to make accessible to other users, right-click it, and select Properties. On the Permissions tab, give “Others” the “Create and delete files” permission. Click the Change Permissions for Enclosed Files button and give “Others” the “Read and write” and “Create and Delete Files” permissions. Other users on the same computer will then have read and write access to your folder. They’ll find it under /home/YOURNAME/folder under Computer. To speed things up, they can create a link or bookmark to the folder so they always have easy access to it. Mac OS X Mac OS X creates a special Shared folder that all user accounts have access to. This folder is intended for sharing files between different user accounts. It’s located at /Users/Shared. To access it, open the Finder and click Go > Computer. Navigate to Macintosh HD > Users > Shared. Files you place in this folder can be accessed by any user account on your Mac. These tricks are useful if you’re sharing a computer with other people and you all have your own user accounts — maybe your kids have their own limited accounts. You can share a music library, downloads folder, picture archive, videos, documents, or anything else you like without keeping duplicate copies.

    Read the article

  • DVI+HDMI out, at startup only HDMI is available

    - by Alasjo
    I have my computer next to my hdtv. The main screen is connected via DVI while the tv is connected via HDMI. If I start the computer without the HDMI plugged in, everything is ok: I see the login screen and sound is output through analog out. But if the HDMI is plugged in before I start the computer, only the tv gets an image (the login screen), the main screen is black or at some times purple, but even after login the main screen is black. Also sound is still output through analog out. Not sure whether it's a hw issue, or an Ubuntu issue, or a combined hardware/Ubuntu compatibility issue (Sandy Bridge). This is my setup: Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot (64bit) ASUS P8H67-M LE Intel Core i3-2100 I don't have any custom video settings, my main screen is recognized properly when HDMI is not plugged in at startup. Cheers.

    Read the article

  • How to install gnome shell extensions offline?

    - by nosklo
    I know how to go to the https://extensions.gnome.org/ website and download gnome-shell extensions, but now I need to install some extensions available there on a computer without any internet access at all. It is in a internal corporate network and there's no way I can get outside internet access on it, so I must find another way. I can copy files in a usb disk. At my home computer, I have found my extensions at ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/ but just copying this folder to the target corporate computer didn't do the trick. Running gnome-tweak-tool gives me a "Install Shell Extension" button but I don't know how to download an extension in a format acceptable to install using this button. I have tried to point to the folder above but it didn't work either. What do I need to do?

    Read the article

  • Compiling a Monogame Game into a single .exe

    - by user27483
    Is it possible to compile a monogame game into a single .exe? I know if you go in the debug or release bin, there is in fact a .exe your game, except you move this .exe's file location or try to run in on another computer it crashes. I am also aware of the one-click application except this seems like a really messy way of redistributing a monogame game. How come when you build your game, the exe for it wont work anywhere but that file location and that computer. I am also aware that the computer probably needs the XNA framework downloaded to play the monogame game, so in short is it possible to redistribute a monogame game by creating a single .exe and assume that person who is using it doesnt have XNA or monogame installed?

    Read the article

  • Palm Centro not even appearing on desktop

    - by DaimyoKirby
    Background: I'm trying to set up my dad's new installation of Xubuntu 12.10 (I finally got him to switch from Windows :-D) so he can sync his Palm Centro on his computer. I installed J-Pilot, but the problem is that his palm isn't even showing up anywhere on the computer. When it's plugged in, it lit up and began to charge when I told it to try and sync with the computer, but it failed the sync and Xubuntu still doesn't recognize it. Question: Does anyone know how I can get his Palm to be recognized by Xubuntu?

    Read the article

  • Use a proxy which connects to the school proxy

    - by denNorske
    How to get my computer use a proxy ON my computer, which connects to the school proxy ? The reason I ask this, is because I need all programs on my computer, absolutely the whole system to go through the network, without having to use proxy authentication? Then I was thinking of a possibility to use a local proxy without authentication, to connect to the school proxy (with all authentication details), and then be able to make the system go through it? Is that possible? I've heard some stories about using IP-tables to make a transparent proxy, but I have no idea how to do that, as i am pretty new at all this. So, details, explanations and suggestions about this are very welcome! If you need more details, I'll provide them!

    Read the article

  • Permanently disabling touchpad in ubuntu 12.04

    - by Andreas
    I'm looking for a way to permanently disable the touchpad in ububtu 12.04 (my computer is a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge on which it isn't possible to disable it in the bios). I tried the applications GPointingDeviceSettings and synaptiks 0.8.1 as well as the applets touchpad-indicator and Jupiter. None of these does the trick of disabling the touchpad permanently. Jupiter comes closest - it remembers that I have disabled the touchpad after restart - but when I login after the computer has been in suspend mode, the touchpad is enabled again. Can anyone help me in disabling the touchpad possibly at a lower level so it won't in any way be enabled unless I choose to enable it? I'm totally new to linux so a detailed explanation would be much appreciated ... The links, so far, doesn't address my question. I have no problem turning the touchpad off and making it stay off after reboot but when I login after the computer has been in an altered power mode it's on again. Isn't there a way to permanently disable a device like touchpad?

    Read the article

  • Beginner Geek: How to Use Multiple Monitors to Be More Productive

    - by Chris Hoffman
    Many people swear by multiple monitors, whether they’re geeks or just people who need to be productive. Why use just one monitor when you can use two or more and see more at once? Additional monitors allow you to expand your desktop, getting more screen real estate for your open programs. Windows makes it very easy to set up additional monitors, and your computer probably has the necessary ports. Why Use Multiple Monitors? Multiple monitors give you more screen real estate. Hook up multiple monitors to a computer and you can move your mouse back and forth between them, dragging programs between monitors as if you had an extra-large desktop. People who swear by multiple monitors use them to display multiple things on-screen at a time. Rather than Alt+Tabbing and task switching to glance at another window, you can just look over with your eyes and then look back to the program you’re using. Some examples of use cases for multiple monitors include: Coders who want to view their code on one display with the other display reserved for documentation. They can just glance over at the documentation and look back at their primary workspace. Anyone who needs to view something while working. Viewing a web page while writing an email, viewing another document while writing an something, or working with two large spreadsheets and having both visible at once. People who need to keep an eye on information, whether it’s email or up-to-date statistics, while working. Gamers who want to see more of the game world, extending the game across multiple displays. Geeks who just want to watch a video on one screen while doing something else on the other screen. Hooking Up Multiple Monitors Hooking up an additional monitor to your computer should be very simple. Most new computers come with more than one port for a monitor — whether DVI, HDMI, the older VGA port, or a mix. Some computers may include splitter cables that allow you to connect multiple monitors to a single port. Most laptops also come with ports that allow you to hook up an external monitor. Plug a monitor into your laptop’s DVI or VGA port and Windows will allow you to use both your laptop’s integrated display and the external monitor at once. This all depends on the ports your computer has and how your monitor connects. If you have an old VGA monitor lying around and you have a modern laptop with only DVI or HDMI connectors, you may need an adapter that allows you to plug your monitor’s VGA cable into the new port. Be sure to take your computer’s ports into account before you get another monitor for it. Managing Multiple Monitors With Windows Windows makes using multiple monitors easy. Just plug the monitor into the appropriate port on your computer and Windows should automatically extend your desktop onto it. You can now just drag and drop windows between monitors. To control how this works, right-click your Windows desktop and select Screen resolution. Choose an option from the Multiple displays box. The Extend option extends your desktop onto an additional monitor, while the other options are mainly useful if you’re using an additional monitor for presentations — for example, you could mirror your laptop’s desktop onto a large monitor or blank your laptop’s screen while it’s connected to a larger display. Be sure to arrange your monitors properly so Windows understands how your monitors are physically positioned. Windows 8 allows you to extend your Windows taskbar across multiple monitors. You’ll find this option in the taskbar’s options window — right-click the taskbar and select Properties. You can also choose where you want Windows to display taskbar buttons for open programs — on any monitor’s taskbar or only on the taskbar on the associated monitor. Windows 7 doesn’t have these convenient features built-in — your second monitor won’t have a taskbar. To extend your taskbar onto an additional monitor, you’ll need a third-party utility like the free and open-source Dual Monitor Taskbar. If you just have a single monitor, you can also use the Aero Snap feature to quickly place multiple Windows applications side by side. On Windows 7 or 8, press Windows Key + Left or Windows Key + Right to make the current window take up the left or right half of your display. You could also drag any window’s title bar to the left or right edges of your screen and release the window. How useful this feature is depends on your monitor’s size and resolution. If you have a large, high-resolution monitor, it will allow you to see a lot. If you have a smaller laptop monitor with the seemingly standard 1366×768 resolution, you won’t be able to see much of each snapped window at once, so snapping windows may not be practical. Image Credit: Chance Reecher on Flickr, Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center on Flickr, Xavier Caballe on Flickr     

    Read the article

  • No Launcher, Messed Resolution and Artifacts!

    - by Felipe Ribeiro R. Magalhaes
    I installed Ubuntu 12.10 on my desktop, and it boot up ok, but I was having some artifacts, so I read somewhere that I needed nvidia drivers, I downloaded them, along with compiz (I enjoy the nice effects), but after that, when I rebooted the computer, the resolution was all messes up, and now I can't access anything because there is no launcher! I inserted Ubuntu CD, booted from the CD, the resolution was fine and eerything was OK, so I repaired the installation, but after restarting the computer it was all messed up again! Please help me! I'm running Ubuntu 12.10 on a Core i7 and a GTX 460 + GTX 280! How Ubuntu looks as soon as I turn on my computer on:

    Read the article

< Previous Page | 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216  | Next Page >