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Can I display running app icons in the task bar?

I have usually run Wisbar, and found it to be quite good, but really, the only thing I use it for is as a quick way to switch between running apps.
I already use PocketPlus, so I have a task manager that's still easy, but requires 1 long tap, and a short tap to switch.
What I would like is a task manager that will display the running applications in the task bar at the bottom of the today screen. Still 2 taps to get there I know, but ultimately, still easier, especially if I am using the device one handed or while walking around.
Any apps that do this?
(It's for a JasJar if WM5 or a VGA display make any difference)

yep. There's a tiny application called the 'Magic Button' which displays the running applications as icons on the title bar (not taskbar i'm afraid) near the start button. It's a really good little application. Got most features of any task managing app but still being very very light. It also makes the close button close apps. Only thing you gotta do in this is to tap the area where close button is supposed to be in the today screen and the display of running apps gets toggled on, then stays on until you tap the same place in the today screen again. Try it. You might find it useful.
And best of all, it's free! Here's a description from the manufacturer.
Description:
There are plenty of Task Managers available for Pocket PC. However if you are still searching for the right one, try this software.
Why Magic Button worth considering to download and replace your existing one:
- It is free.
- Does not take up any of your screen real estate, yet easy to access.
- Located on title bar but does not cover any standard info, i.e. Sound icon, notification icon.
- Very small foot print (memory usage). Only 71 KB executable file does it all (help file is 8 KB extra).
- Makes close button really close applications. Just in case you haven't noticed, the default one only minimizes them.
- Compatible with latest and greatest Windows Mobile 5.0 (new in version 2.0).
Magic Button looks clean and blends surprisingly well with Pocket PC OS. For those who do not want too fancy or too complicated Task Manager, this is for you.
If you have installed the software, here is how to master the tool:
- To unload (shutdown) Magic Button: Tap and hold on Close button, then tap and hold on Home icon.
- To show/hide the taskbar: tap and hold the OK/Minimize/Close button.
- To show the application menu that has Settings and Exit menu items: tap and hold Today (Home) icon when it is visible.
- Map a PocketPC application button to Magic Button software then you can show/hide the bar easier by pressing the button.
- To close an individual window: tap and hold its window icon on the task bar.
- To change Close Button behaviour (Close instead of Minimize) for an application: tap and hold on the app icon and select "Keep Alive" option.
Magic Button runs on Pocket PC 2002, 2003, 2003SE and Windows Mobile 5.0. VGA screen is supported.

Yeah, no better than WisBar then as it's on the title bar
I do specifically want to display it in the task bar, or else I may as well continue to use WisBar.

beat task switcher for WM6

Guys
Whats the best task switcher for WM6?
I heard some time ago that magic button and WM6 dont like each other. is that still the case
Thx
bhayani

bhayani said:
Guys
Whats the best task switcher for WM6?
I heard some time ago that magic button and WM6 dont like each other. is that still the case
Thx
bhayani
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer pBar. It has some problems with WM6 concerning the taskbar when using the clock display. But I've turned off this option. I've created a shortcut to my start menu, and assigned pBar to a hardware button

pbar, tman, say NO to x-button.

pbar is good but it came as an executable which i dropped into stratup.
i also put a shortcut on my start menu
but how can assign it to a hardware button?
. seems that only registered programs are in the drop down
bhayani

If it is in Start Menu, it must appear in the "Buttons" menu in settings. so you can assign it to any HW button, I prefer voice button.

Dinarsoft Handyswitcher is light and useful to me...

SPB Pocket Plus
Pocket plus has a good task switcher like windows xp and you can set it to the voice record button then you can use it all the time.

Klael said:
If it is in Start Menu, it must appear in the "Buttons" menu in settings. so you can assign it to any HW button, I prefer voice button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have just hunted for a buttons menu but found nothing.
the only files/folders on my system with buttons are 2 dll files, no folders at all?
can you tell me where i should be looking?
thanks

bhayani said:
I have just hunted for a buttons menu but found nothing.
the only files/folders on my system with buttons are 2 dll files, no folders at all?
can you tell me where i should be looking?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not in the system folders. It is in settings menu that yo can acees with start menu. And buttons menu is in "personal" tab.

WkTask/AltTab help!

Hi all
I'm currently using WkTask and already know AltTab app, and i want to know if this is a normal issue of these two softwares:
when you are in any app, with others opened, (with assigned button) you can switch to any other without problem, and until now it's ok; but when i'm in the today screen, with all the apps minimized and try to switch/show (using the assigned button) the opened apps, i cannot, and it opens the win start menu!
Is this normal or not? I've this problem with WkTask and AltTab too!
Is there any way to open and choose the minimized apps using the button?
thanks in advance!
PS: I already tried to serarch related posts, and also to ask in concerning threads but i had no answer!
Ciao

No one can answer me??! pls

I use wktask.
I created a shortcut called "AltTab" which calles
"wktastkcmd.exe" /f
I assigned a button to this shortcut. It will allways swich you to the next task. When all task are minimized (you are on home screen) it will open the first one.
Hope that helps.
JueLue

JueLue said:
I use wktask.
I created a shortcut called "AltTab" which calles
"wktastkcmd.exe" /f
I assigned a button to this shortcut. It will allways swich you to the next task. When all task are minimized (you are on home screen) it will open the first one.
Hope that helps.
JueLue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi dude,
thx for your tweak!!
I tried it and works, as you said! Than i realized a strange issue:
it also works, without any changes in the schortcut, but assigning to it different buttons, and exactly:
-> directly works with "OK" and "Win Menu" buttons, normal or long press
-> doesn't work with "IE" and "Mail" buttons, normal or long press
I don't know why, but these buttons have different effect on softwares!!
However, i added it to "OK" long press button and it select the minimized app in the upper bar showing me also the name just below the selectoion and by the arrows i can switch to the others one still minimized!
Thnaks for your contribution!
Ciao

How can I get the <-- button to close programs??

Is there any way I can configure the 'back' button on my Pro to actually, close programs instead of just leaving them running in the background eating up resources???
I've set the "tap x to close programs" setting but it doesn't seem to make any difference and I really hate having to press that little "x" key in the top right corner with my big thumbs!!! I also checked out the "Raphael Tweaks" but nothing on there either.
Anyone got any ideas????

Axel2k5 said:
Is there any way I can configure the 'back' button on my Pro to actually, close programs instead of just leaving them running in the background eating up resources???
I've set the "tap x to close programs" setting but it doesn't seem to make any difference and I really hate having to press that little "x" key in the top right corner with my big thumbs!!! I also checked out the "Raphael Tweaks" but nothing on there either.
Anyone got any ideas????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use WkTask manager that actually close programs with back button.
Disable HTC task manager and install WkTask (freeware).

freco said:
I use WkTask manager that actually close programs with back button.
Disable HTC task manager and install WkTask (freeware).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers mate. This may be a stupid question but how do I disable the HTC task manager?

I use QuickMenu to close task with the back button.

Axel2k5 said:
Cheers mate. This may be a stupid question but how do I disable the HTC task manager?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Start -> Settings -> System -> Task Manager
Select "Button" from the tabs and uncheck both check boxes.
Done.
johanromijn said:
I use QuickMenu to close task with the back button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think every task manager which does it's job will do that, exept the HTC Task Manager crap.

OK this is really getting me down now!!!
these various task managers, like the default HTC app, all close the application when you TOUCH the 'x' button but they don't do it if you press the hardware <- 'back' button??
I also notice that unlike my Artemis when you go into settings -> buttons only 1 button action, Button 1 (hold), is available. where the other 3 buttons are is a mystery button 1 btw turns out to be the phone send button.
So my question is two fold, before I throw my TP out the nearest window...
1. does anybody know of a way to configure a TP so that when you press the back button it actually closes the application?
2. anybody know if there is a registry key or someway to add the other 3 hardware buttons to the settings -> buttons configuration app??
Pls help before I go totally MAD!!!
-Axel

Hooooo Rahhhhhhhh I found a solution... and it's called HandySwitcher from Dinar Soft and it works perfectly. You have to pay for it but I would willingly pay 10 times the 10 Euro price tag to keep my sanity!!!

You could try AE Button Plus to map different functions to existing buttons (including single, double, triple click and long press).

I've never used wktask, omg.. Why?
Its so nice... thanks for this thread lol
only thing I miss is the memory usage in % that htc task manager got

Not tried AE Buttton but I did try WKTask and I thought the interface was a bit "clunky" to be honest but more importantly the hardware mode didn't work so using the <- button didn't actually close the applications which was what I was looking for.

WM 6.5 new UI - app close and task manager.

I've tried a bunch of new 6.5 UI roms and I am facing this problem with all of them.
1. The OK button (bottom right) does not close applications. It simply minimizes them. This is really frustrating since I dont know what apps are open until i pull up the task manager. This also drains battery life. How do i make the OK button close an app? (detailed instructions appreciated)
2. The earlier UI used to have a quick task manager on the top right corner from which we could switch apps and close them. that doesnt come anymore, instead i get this new and useless notification bar. How do i make it show the quick task manager? (detailed instructions appreciated)
The above 2 make it really annoying to switch/close apps because once u minimize, the only way to go back to them it seems is to pull up dot fred task manager.
3. Pressing the home button on the device while running an app (the home iconed hardware button under the screen) takes me to the opened start menu not the home screen. when i exit out of the start menu it takes me back to the app, so i cannot access my homescreen unless i press ok on the app and minimize it, is there any way to make the hom button take me to the homescreen?
Thank you in advance?

1 & 2 : use showcase : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=4030896
3 : use end button instead of home (which is an HTC non-sense, get the start menu like your rom is configured is really a better idea)

fantastic app - showcase. that solves my task manager problem, but i still have to press start, go to apps and press showcase to bring it up, can i have it mapped on the notification area so i can simply fire it up without having to go to the start menu?
thanks.

I have been having issues with Showcase not wanting to install or run properly on the newest 6.5 build 23071. If I load v1.0.1 It will work for the most part and I can configure it to still to close a program by clicking on the clock.. How ever when I switch to the newer 1.1.0 build I can not get the lower X to close thing like it should by either holding it or by setting to single tap.
I'm currently doing a hard reset because of trying taskfacade and trying to go back to Showcase.

i just installed 1.1.0 and it seems to be working fine. i even managed to figure out how to bring it up from any app. just tap and hold the win key and it comes up. very nice software.

Ya I have it back up and working. The only other issue to look forward to with Showcase is that some report it closing tmail.exe from time to time. I also map my PTT short press to open it for those programs that take the full screen and do not have the Windows icon.

You can also check out AEButton+. You have to pay for it, but it's pretty cheap. I got it last week, and have no idea why I didn't get it sooner. Haven't tried it on the newer com3 builds yet (still using com2), but I'm pretty sure it will close things. It isn't tied into the displaced 'X' button like a lot of task managers. You can close apps with a button push, and it also has a nice little task manager pop-up that you can also map to a button push (similar to the htc quick menu). You also get ~dozen more mappable button pushes on a fuze. It's really worth it, although I haven't tried a com3/4 6.5 build yet.

Newer WM6.5.1 builds such as 23071... clicking on the clock brings up the new drop down taskbar...
Running HTC Task Manager, you have to tap and hold, then release to get the task manager to shop up. Does Showcase experience this as well?
It seems to be with the new builds. I would assume Showcase would function the same.

Why don't you people just use inbuilt taskmanager.exe from Windows folder? I've configured it to open with long press "send" key (talk button), and it's working great.

I use aebutton and tie it to my Ok/Back key to close apps and it's working like a treat. that's the best way to really close apps I feel

i have a custom winmo 6.5 rom aslo, everything runs good on it, except the onscreen keyboard is useless now, all i can seem to enter are numbers only and i have messed with the input settings to see if that can correct it and so far to no avail or maybe im just one of the weird people who actualy use the onscreen compact qwerty i dunno.