Screen blanker?

[ctmagnus]

Is there a program that blanks the screen of a Pocket PC without powering it down?

I use GigaTask to do that now but unfortunately it's Display Off function does not work when GigaTask is used as a replacemant for iTask. As a result I have to shutdown Magic Button and go through the GigaTask settings to set it up in GigaTask mode, a total of eight taps plus a button press everytime I want to switch.

[spursdude]

Two I know of are NoteM (http://www.geocities.com/zavorine/wince/mp3.htm) and Windows Media Player.

[rhmorrison]

Is there a program that blanks the screen of a Pocket PC without powering it down?
Why don't you use PocketCandy (http://www16.brinkster.com/motbe/) then you can choose between a blank screen or any number of other screen savers. I particularly like the Matrix screen saver.

[ctmagnus]

Two I know of are NoteM (http://www.geocities.com/zavorine/wince/mp3.htm) and Windows Media Player.

Hm. I used NoteM previuosly but decided that since I used it maybe once, I decided to uninstall it. Problem was, I kept getting errors about it everytime I soft-reset after I uninstalled. So I've been deliberately avoiding that one since I upgrade the ROM. I hadn't thought of WMP (or WinamPaq either, for that matter) I guess the thing with those is you still have to go through quite a few taps to do what I want.

Why don't you use PocketCandy (http://www16.brinkster.com/motbe/) then you can choose between a blank screen or any number of other screen savers. I particularly like the Matrix screen saver.

I'll try that one and see if it does what I want it to. However, I don't want any eye candy :wink: just a program that wil blank the screen when run.

Thx to both of you!

[spursdude]

I hadn't thought of WMP (or WinamPaq either, for that matter) I guess the thing with those is you still have to go through quite a few taps to do what I want.
I don't know how often you use WMP, but I use it a lot, so I have it programmed to my Record button, and then within WMP I have the Record button set to blank the screen, so I can blank my screen just by pressing one button twice.

[ctmagnus]

I hadn't thought of WMP (or WinamPaq either, for that matter) I guess the thing with those is you still have to go through quite a few taps to do what I want.
I don't know how often you use WMP, but I use it a lot, so I have it programmed to my Record button, and then within WMP I have the Record button set to blank the screen, so I can blank my screen just by pressing one button twice.

Not a bad idea. I already had that button mapped to it in WMP but I had all the buttons mapped previously. I unmapped the one I use for GigaTask and that works wonderfully. And of course, iTask and GigaTask have the "press and hold to get to the next app" function so that may be what I start doing.

I just hope that the 5550s hit stores soon so I can do all this on a fairly modern device. :wink:

Edit: a wee bit of fiddling discovers that only the screen toggler button will untoggle the screen in WMP so that's two different buttons to use. Hm. Maybe I'll email the creator of GigaTask/iTask and point out that the Display Off function only works when in GigaTask (ie, the three iTask menus are bunched up with the X in the X area) mode and not when the buttons are used to do so.

[oe1kenobi]

ScreenOff by CrazyLord (http://www.geocities.com/s_k_s_k_s_kru/util.html#crlo) (same site as such great tools as ssnap, cabinst, and remover).

-Richard L. Owens

[ctmagnus]

ScreenOff by CrazyLord (http://www.geocities.com/s_k_s_k_s_kru/util.html#crlo) (same site as such great tools as ssnap, cabinst, and remover).

-Richard L. Owens

Close, but the IMPORTANT! It’s necessary to assign one of hardware buttons to the program. Otherwise when the screen is turned off there will be no other opportunity to turn in back on but to restart the device. part gets me. I already have all five buttons mapped to my heart's content.

The ideal app would be one that can reside in the start menu or wherever and all it does is blank the screen. Then, if any button is pressed (ie, no explicit mappings are required) the screen turns back on without performing the function that button is assigned to in the Start -> Settings-> Buttons item.

[oe1kenobi]

Fine smarty-pants. I dusted-off this old Jornada 420SE (WinCE 2.11) project of mine and re-wrote it for Pocket PC 200x.

Post here if you have problems/suggestions/etc.

Freeware, source code released under the GPL (included in zip).

No warrantee, not my fault, etc.

Run the exe to put the screen into sleep mode and (optionally) turn on the flashing LED (so you know the system might* be on).
Press and hardware key (d-pad, app buttons, anything but OFF) to bring the screen back to life and close the app.

*Note: There really isn't any way for an application to notice when you turn the Pocket PC off/on, so I can't automatically close the app when you do that. So, if you turn off your Pocket PC while SleepScreen if running, when you turn it back on the screen will turn on but SleepScreen will still be running and you will see a black window like this:
http://www.ida.net/users/oe1k/programs/SleepScreen/1.0/SleepScreen.png
To exit SleepScreen just tap anywhere in the window or press any hardware key (besides OFF).

Here's the file: SleepScreen.zip (http://www.ida.net/users/oe1k/programs/SleepScreen/1.0/SleepScreen.zip) (24KB zipped with source, 6KB installed)

(Note they don't have installers, so just copy the exe of your choice directly to your device)

-Richard L. Owens

[ctmagnus]

Fine smarty-pants. I dusted-off this old Jornada 420SE (WinCE 2.11) project of mine and re-wrote it for Pocket PC 200x.

Post here if you have problems/suggestions/etc.

Freeware, source code released under the GPL (included in zip).

-Richard L. Owens

:werenotworthy: :way to go: :clap:

You rawk! I was utterly amazed that I could not find anything like this for PPC2002. There were the alternatives, but those were alternatives. You should try to swing a deal with every PPC OEM to get this included in their roms! Same with the Tablet PC (if you feel like recoding for x86. :wink: )

[oe1kenobi]

I'm glad you like it.

As far as getting it included in the ROM standard, I'll have to check that out some time.

-Richard L. Owens

[ctmagnus]

Works on WM2003, too! (iPaq 5550, to be specific.)

:way to go:

[droppedd]

Have you tried PHM's "screensaver" utility? It comes as part of their free Power Toys pack (along with a bunch of other utilities ranging from nifty to useless, from an "alt-tab" program to a "suspend" program). It turns off the screen and wakes on any button press without opening any programs, which sounds like what you're looking for, at least as an alternative to kenobi's program. It's nice and clean - no program bar or options, just turns off the screen :)

[ctmagnus]

Yeah, but PHM's PowerToys come with all that other stuff too. ;) I honestly have no need for all of it except the screen blanker, which I already have, thanks to the supremely fabulous oe1kenobi.

:way to go:

[stitics]

Slightly off-topic, but I feel related enough to ask here... If this is a more popularly helpful question, perhaps it could be moved to a more general thread.

I just downloaded oe1kenobi's really nice bit of software and cannot map it to any of the buttons.

***NOTE: That's a really nice bit of software you wrote there, oe1kenobi!!! :clap:

How does one go about mapping a hardware button to a program that doesn't have an install program, therefore, the PPC doesn't "know" it's there? I assume that it has something to do with the registry, but I haven't messed with registry stuff before.

[ctmagnus]

How does one go about mapping a hardware button to a program that doesn't have an install program, therefore, the PPC doesn't "know" it's there? I assume that it has something to do with the registry, but I haven't messed with registry stuff before.

Put it/a shortcut to it in the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder. It'll show up then.

However, I find that if I map it directly to a button, the unit wakes up immediately after it blanks the screen. My solution is to use Gigatask (www.gigatask.com) and map it to an item on one of the menus.

Also, I find that it's necessary to invoke it via the stylus. You can use buttons to navigate to it but in my experience (on both PPC2002 and WM2003) if it's invoked via a button press it wakes itself up again. This doesn't happen if it's invoked via a screen tap.

[stitics]

Thank you for your speedy (and accurate) response.

However, I find that if I map it directly to a button, the unit wakes up immediately after it blanks the screen. My solution is to use Gigatask (www.gigatask.com) and map it to an item on one of the menus.

I am finding that to be true as well, however, I use Magic Button, and I seem to recall reading about some issues regarding the use of both simultaneously. Of course, that could be all in my head, as well.

[victore]

what about a program that will turn the screen on?

[ctmagnus]

I am finding that to be true as well, however, I use Magic Button, and I seem to recall reading about some issues regarding the use of both simultaneously. Of course, that could be all in my head, as well.

I was using magic button for a while also. I just went into Control Panel and set GigaTask to No Taskbar mode. I had mapped Gigatask to the iTask button so there wasn't any loss of functionality for me.

[ctmagnus]

what about a program that will turn the screen on?

Just press any button after you've invoked SleepScreen.