Alpha Testers Required for Circle Dock 0.9.2

I have just released a new Alpha version of Circle Dock 0.9.2 (Alpha Preview 2) at http://circledock.wikidot.com/download-circle-dock and I need alpha testers to see if there are any show stoppers/major bugs. This is not a complete version but I want to know that it works on other people's Windows XP and Vista computers before I move on.

This new version is a total rewrite of the original program and there are many differences. I will list them briefly below:
-Completely different program architecture for better performance, memory usage, and modularity.
-At idle, the program uses under 1 meg of ram
-Animated rotation of the dock for a smoother rotation
-Animated fade in/fade out
-Direct capability to use your mouse buttons to toggle the dock
-Different background rendering
-Ability to show Explorer context menus directly
-Ability to show the Start Menu over the dock
-Dock folders to group your icons together
-There is now a tray icon to toggle the visibility of the dock

Note that:
-Portability mode is not yet completed
-The default hotkey to toggle the visibility of the dock is F1. You can change it in the settings area.
-You can directly use your middle mouse button to toggle the visibility of the dock without extra software. Try it out! You will be able to change this in the final version.
-You cannot change the shape of the dock yet and you cannot change the background image in the settings area yet.


Here are some screenshots:













Please try the new version out and tell me if it works on your computer or what major bugs you encounter. Please include:
-Your operating system and whether it is 32 bit or 64 bit
-Your .Net Framework version if known
-Your operating system language (ex: English, French, Spanish, etc.)
-Whether you are logged in as an Administrator, Power User or Guest


Thanks for helping out,

Eric Wong

 

Dude, great job on getting this on Lifehacker. My favorite blog ever. When I saw Circle Dock, I just said, "Oh my freakin' god."

 

I just wished I had the new version of Circle Dock ready before it was featured on Lifehacker.

 

Can you PM me whan the full version is compleated.
I would test it but I just got my computer stable and my dad does not like change. But when it is done please pm me!

 

I will try and remember, but if I don't I will make a thread here.

Also, you can test Circle Dock 0.9.2 Alpha 2 out and it won't make any changes at all to your computer. Everything it does is contained inside of it's own folder and there is nothing to install. You just double-click the CircleDock.exe and right-click -> exit when done. Delete the folder Circle Dock is in and there will be nothing left on your computer.

It doesn't even use the registry.

 

well I tried your Circle Dock and was very excited but can't seem to get it working. here is my error message:
Description:
Stopped working

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: CLR20r3
Problem Signature 01: circledock.exe
Problem Signature 02: 0.9.2.0
Problem Signature 03: 48a8b18b
Problem Signature 04: CircleDock
Problem Signature 05: 0.9.2.0
Problem Signature 06: 48a8b18b
Problem Signature 07: 14e
Problem Signature 08: 111
Problem Signature 09: System.BadImageFormatException
OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 4105

oh, sorry I didn't see the not currently 64bit compatible. Will be waiting patiently though.

 

I've had other people tell me that they couldn't get it to work on 64-bit XP Pro but it does on Vista 32-bit so there is some kind of 64-bit incompatibility issue here.

I don't know where the problem would be since I'm using Vista 32-bit. I'm creating a source-forge account right now with the new source code so that the people with 64-bit windows can pinpoint where in the code the incompatibility is.

Wish I could get access to a 64-bit machine, it would make debugging a lot simpler.

I've updated my download page that it isn't 64-bit compatible yet.

I'm looking into the details of that error message right now to try and see if I can make sense of it.

 

awesome. will keep this thread open

 

my thoughts exactly. good job OP. keep up the good work

 

omg this is the sexiest thing i have ever seen for windows... i will be checking it out once i get my new laptop

 

I think I might have figured out what was causing the crashes on 64-bit machines and some rendering problems for 32-bit users. When Circle Dock references a file within it's own folder, it uses ".\" to signify that the file is within it's own folder. For example, if I wanted to reference an icon in the Circle Dock folder it would be ".\System\Icons\Some Icon.png". However, some systems cannot handle the ".\" shorthand and I must specify the full path in the arguments to create the images in the dock.

I tested this out on a Windows XP Professional SP2 machine with .Net 2.0 and I was able to eliminate the file path bug.

Try Alpha 5 out and it should be better: http://circledock.wikidot.com/download-circle-dock

 

I'n in. Will I get a free copy of Windows Vista x64 at the end of it, like you get when you install MS's crap?

 

Hi Bart,
The Circle Dock looks amazing! So, I have decided to download a version Alpha 5 to try it out. Unfortunately, I have a bug to report. The program doesn't seem to detect the path right. All of the icons besides C: Drive has "Missing Invalid", below is a screenshot. I definitely have Office 2007 with word installed. btw, I saw it on LH as well, I was like "Hey, I know who made this!"

 

???? Circle Dock is open source and I'm not a corporation.

 

The initial icons on there contain the paths to the files on my computer. They are just there to show how the dock looks. You have to delete them and replace them with your own files.

You can delete the current dock items by dragging them over the centre button.

Hope this answers your question.

 

Ahh, I see. Thanks for clearing that up with me. Once the program enters the final stage, I might just use it over the usual task bar. keep up the good work!

 

Good to hear. Can you tell me what OS you are using and whether it is 32 bit or 64 bit?

 

Doh! Looks like I just found another bug. Sure, I am using Windows XP professional @ 32 bits.

I found the bug inside the settings meau this time. When I tries to open the Location and Toggling menu, the programs seems to redraw the interface repeatedly. As a result, it causes lags and the interface to flash until it completely opens up. It does not hinder the use of the program or makes it crash in anyway, but I want to bring it to your attention anyways.

 

Hi there.. this is NICE

I tried it out on XP Pro w/ SP3... And it works great..

PS., was too lazy to remove the post it'.. lol..

though it would be nice have the icons placed where want them to be and not see them get places at some fixed positions around the circle... not a big deal though Its nice..

 

Thanks, I already know about this because I was going to replace the Settings Panel with a different one that performs better but then Lifehacker had to do it's coverage today so I wanted to upload the Alpha for people to see what the new version would be like.

I have the new one almost ready and it doesn't stutter or anything. It is fast.

 

It's good to hear that the program is working. It's not mentioned anywhere since I had to rush to get this out, but you can rearrange the order of the dock icons by simplying dragging one icon over another. The icon you drag over will be placed alongside the icon that it is dropped over. Give it a try.

 

Ah ok... yes, it now is better I was referring to the fact that we could put all folders next to each other, programs next to each other, multimedia stuff next to each other and stuff like that.. But YES, I triesd what you said and it works So there... nice work again.. looks great and I am sure once you clean up the alpha version and get everything in place, this is gonna be a big hit.. and combined with the user interface of Vista and its Aero and transparent things, this is gonna be BIG Thanks again and GOOD LUCK to you

Cheers.

 

The program is working great so far on my windows XP. Here's a screenshot to prove it.

Good Luck on the project, and hope to see the final version soon!

 

Tried Alpha 5 out but keep getting the "Circle Dock Has Stopped Working" and the program closes. Heres the Event Viewer report:

Fault bucket 309146343, type 5
Event Name: CLR20r3
Response: None
Cab Id: 0

Problem signature:
P1: circledock.exe
P2: 0.9.2.0
P3: 48a929b1
P4: CircleDock
P5: 0.9.2.0
P6: 48a929b1
P7: 128
P8: 176
P9: System.BadImageFormatException
P10:


I am using Windows Vista 64bit. Let me know if you need any more info.

 

Yes, apparently I didn't get rid of the 64-bit compatibility issue yet. *Sigh*. Time to look at the error message in detail.

 

Cool. Just ran it on a Vista 32bit VM and absolutely LOVE it. Thank you for your hard work on this. I look forward to running it natively on Vista 64bit. Let me know if there's anything you need me to test.

 

Thanks for the support. I just had a thought that may work. Have you tried running Circle Dock 0.9.2 Alpha 5 in Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode? Do 64-bit users have a 32-bit compatibility mode? I haven't heard of anyone trying this.

 

Forgot to mention that originally, yes I tried it with the same end result.

 

Ok, I will forget about this route then. Right now, I think I will add a global exception handler to my code so that I can get a better error trace when it crashes on those 64-bit machines. It should tell me what function is causing the crash. I'll hold off on this change until later today or tomorrow so I can get more feedback and research the error messages.

 

Sounds good. I'm subscribed to this thread and will keep an eye out for anything you might need me to test.

 

Hey, it's your biggest fan! Have you fixed the dual-monitor support yet?

*EDIT* Nevermind, I see that you have! Awesome, I love the progress. Although, like you already said the settings menu needs to be tidied up. Bah, also now I'm getting an unknown error. When I first ran the program, it gave me a .Net error, but it ran fine. Then it crashed, and wouldn't start up again in Vista 32bit. I tried the capability thing, no dice there.

Wait nevermind it's back up with the middle click. Though I can't icons?

 

I'm coding the program use the virtual monitor sizes so it should work on all monitor configurations.

I can't understand the last thing you said. To add new icons, drag and drop the files from your computer onto the middle button.

I'll be working with some others to make a new Alpha 6 that will resolve the 64-bit issue and maybe your crashing issue here.

 

Wow. I will be checking this out. Awesome idea.

 

don't know if this differs from anyone elses error report. but this is the report I get with alpha 5 on vista x64.

Description:
Stopped working

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: CLR20r3
Problem Signature 01: circledock.exe
Problem Signature 02: 0.9.2.0
Problem Signature 03: 48a929b1
Problem Signature 04: CircleDock
Problem Signature 05: 0.9.2.0
Problem Signature 06: 48a929b1
Problem Signature 07: 128
Problem Signature 08: 176
Problem Signature 09: System.BadImageFormatException
OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 4105

PS. keep up the good work.

 

Ahh, I see. You have to actually go to each program's .exe and drag it over...I tried doing that with some start menu icons, it won't let me? So shortcuts don't work?

Also, when I click on the Vista icon in the middle to get the start menu, it leaves some sorta black line residue on the desktop in Vista. Restarting the program fixes it, but it comes back everytime you click on the middle icon to get the start menu.

 

I've just tried it out and it should work with the start menu listing, but it doesn't work for the recently used/pinned icons on the start menu for some reason.

About the black line residue, that is news to me. I don't get any residual graphics and I'm using Windows Vista Premium 32-bit. Screenshot?

 

Ah, so that's the problem. Gotcha, I'm attaching a screenshot as well.

 

Maybe one of those widgets at the bottom of your screen is interfering or maybe it's your custom theme and they don't like the start menu popping up in odd places. Circle Dock just brings up the start menu and it's actually Windows that takes care of it from there on.

 

Okay, I doubt the custom skin has anything to do with it...and I'm using rainmeter, I'll see if that has anything to do with it.

*EDIT* Nope, those two programs have nothing to do with it. I quit both, and it still made those lines...

 

Here's a quick one...it's staying on top of other windows....? I think you're on to something here...keep up the good work.

 

It's meant to do that for the Alpha releases. You can hide Circle Dock by either pressing your middle-mouse button or by using a keyboard shortcut (default is F1). In the Beta releases, I'll add in the ability to make Circle Dock not always on top.

 

Sorry to say but is isn't very good now. The animation is clunky and rigid when adding or moving icons.

this thing actually crashed twice on me when adding an icon.

i'll be sticking with rocketdock until this gets better.

great concept, but is just isn't there yet.

 

Dood. It's an ALPHA release. It's going to have bugs, thus the reason he's asking for ALPHA testers. Of course it's not "there yet".

 

The source code for Circle Dock 0.9.2 Alpha is up at http://circledock.wikidot.com/source-code

Instructions are on the page. Maybe someone with a 64-bit OS can debug it on their computer using http://www.microsoft.com/express/vcsharp/ and tell me what error messages that get and where the code breaks.

 

Downloading C# as I speak.

EDIT: Having internet issues. I'll try again later.

 

Good news, f0dder over at www.donationcoder.com has found the 64-bit bug. It is caused by the Orbit.Dock.dll file that Circle Dock is using because it is only meant for 32-bit systems. I have an easy solution for this: I'm going to remove it and just implement in C# like the rest of the program.

f0dder and I will be making some additional modifications before we release the next Alpha. It should work for 64-bit OS's in the next one since f0dder is using 64-bit Windows.

I'll post back when I have the new Alpha for testing.

Thanks for the help!

 

Cool! Glad to hear it!

 

I just tried it out... it's pretty sweet, I just need to find some higher res icons. One thing I might suggest is a way to change the size of the dock. I also think a fish eye zoom would be cool like the one on the OS X dock.

 

There are some icons included in the Circle Doc -> System -> Icons directory. You can use any of the Object Dock/Rocket Dock icons since they are just png images.

The code for Circle Dock already has the capability to change the size of everything in the dock. The settings panel is just not finished yet.

Doing a fish eye zoom is a possibility with the new code, but I'm leaving that for one of the last items since I find that it eventually distracts me and I turn it off.

 

this is really cool bart, can't wait for the first version.