Couple of questions about WM 2003 SE

[Macguy59]

How do you turn off the "recently used" app list on the start menu and is there anyway to script landscape mode and assign it an icon so that a simple tap will turn/restore the screen?

[Pony99CA]

How do you turn off the "recently used" app list on the start menu and is there anyway to script landscape mode and assign it an icon so that a simple tap will turn/restore the screen?
I thought screen rotation could be assigned to a button. If that's right, you should be able to point a shortcut to it.

Steve

[Sven Johannsen]

How do you turn off the "recently used" app list on the start menu and is there anyway to script landscape mode and assign it an icon so that a simple tap will turn/restore the screen?
I thought screen rotation could be assigned to a button. If that's right, you should be able to point a shortcut to it.

Steve

That doesn't necessarily follow. Screen rotation is a control panel item. There are many of those (most actually) that do not have a direct executable from which you can make a shortcut. Some of the today screen programs give you the option of access control panel items, and PHM powertoys provides shortcuts that can be used for many CPL items, but not that one, yet, I think.

Assigning a button to screen rotation may depend on the hardware you have. Not sure if every OEM has to provide <screen rotate> as an option. My X30 does and I opted to use the record button on the left. Record is a function I rarely use and there are other ways to get there, fairly easily.

[Kevin C. Tofel]

Not sure if every OEM has to provide <screen rotate> as an option. My X30 does and I opted to use the record button on the left. Record is a function I rarely use and there are other ways to get there, fairly easily.

Toshiba has also included the <screen rotate> option for mapping your hardware button....I also use the record button for this. Don't know if this is up to the OEM's or if it's part of the standard WM2003 SE "build".

KCT

[Pony99CA]

How do you turn off the "recently used" app list on the start menu and is there anyway to script landscape mode and assign it an icon so that a simple tap will turn/restore the screen?
I thought screen rotation could be assigned to a button. If that's right, you should be able to point a shortcut to it.
That doesn't necessarily follow.
Hence the "should"; had I known that it could be done, I would have said "you can point a shortcut to it". ;-) The point is that it's worth checking out.

Screen rotation is a control panel item. There are many of those (most actually) that do not have a direct executable from which you can make a shortcut. Some of the today screen programs give you the option of access control panel items, and PHM powertoys provides shortcuts that can be used for many CPL items, but not that one, yet, I think.
Even so, you might be able to roll your own. For example, Microsoft has an article about creating shortcuts to Control Panel items (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnppc2k/html/ppc_tcuts2.asp). You might have to play around with finding the right number to use.

However, I assume byteme doesn't really want to display the control panel applet, but create a shortcut that automatically rotates the screen each time it gets invoked. As a button can do it, that's why I think there's a program that gets invoked. It may be under-the-covers, but it should be able to be found.

To find out on your X30, go into a registry editor and check the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shell\Keys\40C5 key. If the Default key has a program entry there, you can use that for the shortcut. If the Default key is blank, the Flags key should have a value there indicating the what item value screen rotation uses.

In the latter case, if there's a program to simulate pushing a button on the Pocket PC, maybe you could create a registry entry for a fake key (40C6, perhaps) and have the program "push" that button. I've just verified that creating a 40C6 key in the registry shows up in the Buttons settings applet, so you could set that to rotate the screen and run a program to simulate pushing button 6.

Steve

[PhMajerus]

(...) is there anyway to script landscape mode and assign it an icon so that a simple tap will turn/restore the screen?

Check out my PHM Keys app, part of PHM Pocket PC Plus!
http://www.phm.lu/Products/PocketPC/Plus/#Keys

The new 0.6 version enables you to map a key or a shortcut to every rotation I can think of:
Rotating clockwise will iterate through all the supported orientations
Rotate Left will toggle between original orientation and the 90° left (aka 270°) one (usually portrait and left-handed landscape)
Rotate Right will toggle between original orientation and the 90° right one (usually portrait and right-handed landscape)
Rotate Reverse will toggle between original and reversed orientations (180°), can be usefull for some scenarios where you have to often turn your P/PC for someone in front of you to use.

These 4 actions are available as buttons actions (through standard buttons settings applet, search for PHM Keys - *), as well as shortcuts (PHMKeys.exe with an argument specifying the action to perform, see %InstallFolder%\Keys\*.lnk, typically \Program Files\PHM Tools\Keys\*.lnk).

Hope this fit your needs, if not don't hesistate to send me some suggestions for future features through http://www.majerus.net/ContactUs/EMail.aspx?to=phm&subject=PHM%20Pocket%20PC%20Plus!%20through%20PPCThoughts

[Sven Johannsen]

Cool Phileppe, I couldn't remember if those were in there or not, and wasn't able to hunt them up at the time.

Is it possible to make a shortcut, that would do one of those actions when tapped? Something you could put in a Today program launcher or on the Start Menu? So, not something that opens the control panel, but actually does the rotation.

[Pony99CA]

Is it possible to make a shortcut, that would do one of those actions when tapped? Something you could put in a Today program launcher or on the Start Menu? So, not something that opens the control panel, but actually does the rotation.
It sure sounds like it:

The new 0.6 version enables you to map a key or a shortcut to every rotation I can think of:
Rotating clockwise will iterate through all the supported orientations
Rotate Left will toggle between original orientation and the 90° left (aka 270°) one (usually portrait and left-handed landscape)
Rotate Right will toggle between original orientation and the 90° right one (usually portrait and right-handed landscape)
Rotate Reverse will toggle between original and reversed orientations (180°), can be usefull for some scenarios where you have to often turn your P/PC for someone in front of you to use.
Steve