Thanks @lelldorin for wanting to write a tutorial for my HiQDock!
To answer your questions - first I suggest you watch this video from start to end:
a) Drag and drop to change location of icon in dock: https://youtu.be/iDqlDc1r-nM?t=50
b) Add new app to dock: https://youtu.be/iDqlDc1r-nM?t=144
c) Change dock position on screen: https://youtu.be/iDqlDc1r-nM?t=103
d) Change icon for launcher: https://youtu.be/iDqlDc1r-nM?t=155
I will try now to now answer your direct questions:
- Why the tracker and trashcan can not remove from the dock? I do not use them so ofter and i think they does not need into the menu
Answer: In general - I tried to make replica of MacOSX dock - there you can not remove or move the Tracker and Trash icons. (Please make a wish-list of changes you’d like to see in the dock)
- I can not select and open icons behind the doc window. Is there a way to resice the window selecting the icon, instead of useing a big window with background/alpha hack?
Answer - I suggest you or anyone using the Dock to ONLY use it in the auto-hiding mode (until Haiku will support window-compositing (for transparent windows).
You can use the ‘size’ option on the Dock Options dialog to change the size of the icons which makes the window size smaller/bigger too. (To see this open Workspaces as you adjust the “Size” slider on the Dock options)
Please add to your wish-list this task: since window compositing is not coming to Haiku anytime soon, please try to make the dock work in non auto-hide mode without a big window and without trying to have a fake transparent background
- I add the dock into the autostart folder, in order to start the dock with the system. I get a blue background and not the wallpaper i use. Should be taken later.
Answer: Using the Dock in auto-hide mode will solve this problem:
But it you don’t want to use the Dock in auto-hide mode, then because of the fake transparent hack - the dock takes a screen-shot of the whole workspace in auto-start before the Tracker is fully up and running with your desktop background. The only way I know of to get around this is add a wait in UserBootscript to wait until Tracker is launched and then add a line to launch the HiQDock.
- Why the user can only change menu entries between the icons? Is there not a right click popup menu solution? I need some minutes to find out how to change a app i the menu
Answer: I’m not sure I understand your question, but again I am trying to make this like MacOSX dock, so people who are MacOSX users will know how to use the dock.
- To change an icon for a launcher icon, right click on it and choose “Change Icon Image” and then assuming you have icon images (ONLY .png or .svg are supported) in the HiQDockIcons folder (in /boot/home/config/settings/Qt), you can select a new icon.
- To move/change position of launchers around the Dock just drag and drop them (see the youtube video link above)
- To Add new launcher: right click somewhere on dock and select “Add new Launcher here”
- To remove a launcher: right click and select “Remove from Dock”
- Some icons (taken from the application - Icon-o-matic created icons) looks sometimes ugly, why?
Answer: - When you first add a new launcher, it takes the .hvif format icon that is associated with the App you choose (an BeOS file attribute). My code can not scale .hvif formats smoothly.
The best solution for now is for you to make an .svg format of the .hvif icon and put it in the HiQDockIcons folder.
Please add to your wishlist: add support for smooth-scaled native .hvif icons
Great work lelldorin - I’m greatly indebted to you for all your help and efforts, and making this available on your besly repo!
One more tip: if you do use the dock in non-auto-hide mode, you can manually ‘refresh’ the background to match your current background in 2 ways:
- Open dock options and toggle the ‘Automatically hide and show the Dock’ button, OR
- While the dock window is focused (e.g. your mouse is over the dock), press the esc key on your keyboard and the dock will disappear, then move your mouse to the bottom of the screen (or which ever side/top the dock is anchored to) and the dock will automatically re-appear with the current screen background.