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Resize Enable

The document discusses a program called ResizeEnable that allows resizing windows that normally cannot be resized. It was created to help a friend resize windows to fit his high resolution display. It works by hooking into Windows and modifying window styles and messages related to resizing. There are some known issues with compatibility for some applications and operating systems.

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CyberArt
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70 views

Resize Enable

The document discusses a program called ResizeEnable that allows resizing windows that normally cannot be resized. It was created to help a friend resize windows to fit his high resolution display. It works by hooking into Windows and modifying window styles and messages related to resizing. There are some known issues with compatibility for some applications and operating systems.

Uploaded by

CyberArt
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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===================================================================================

==========
What is ResizeEnable
===================================================================================
==========
It's a very ugly system hack that sits in your system tray and attempts to make
windows
that can't usually be resized, resizeable.

===================================================================================
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Why was it written?
===================================================================================
==========
It was written following a request from a friend. He runs his PC at a screen
resolution above
1280x1024, and was fed up with having to pick items from a list that could only
display three
items because the window didn't take into account the screen resolution, hence only
occupying
about 20% of the desktop 'real-estate'.

===================================================================================
==========
How does it work?
===================================================================================
==========
ResizeEnable sits in the background and attaches itself into Windows via three
'Hooks'.
The first hook is so that it can see which windows are created/destroyed, in which
it attempts
to alter the window's style so that it can be resized.
The second hook intercepts all messages for every single window to see if it is a
message
associated with resizing a window that it has previously altered the style of. If
the message
is associated with sizing, it then resizes all the child windows (Buttons, Edit
boxes and so on)
simply by scaling them to fit the new windows size. Its ugly, but most of the time
it works ok.
The third hook spots whether the mouse has been pressed in the 'sizing area' of a
window and
takes care of doing all the work of resizing the window. This hook didn't exist in
v1.0 but
has been added to make even more windows resize properly.

===================================================================================
==========
How do I use it?
===================================================================================
==========
1) Run the ResizeEnableRunner.exe
2) Find a window that you could never resize and move the cursor over the edge of
the window.
3) Hopefully the pointer will change to one that shows you can resize the window.
4) Click-drag the window to a new size and release the mouse button.
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==========
Known problems
===================================================================================
==========
1) Most applications will respond to having their windows resized ok. Well,
applications that
have followed the guidelines will. <grin>
2) Some applications have, shall we say, problems, when their window has been
resized and all
sort of visual chaos will be revealed.
3) Some applications won't respond at all, which is rather strange!
4) Certain windows will 'jiggle' as you attempt to resize them, seemingly resizing
and then
snapping back to their original size. This is annoying, but we're not sure
what is
causing it.
5) Some versions of Internet Explorer, coupled with certain version of Windows98/NT
seemed to
crash with v1.0 of ResizeEnable. We don't have that setup on any of our test
machines
so we can't test it. But, we have done a little bit more work so ResizeEnable
is a
bit more choosy as to which windows it can work with. So it -might- not crash
anymore.
If it still crashes, then all we can suggest at the moment is that you
upgrade to
Internet Explorer 6. We're not Microsoft pushers, but Internet Explorer 6 has
better
error reporting and shouldn't just explode without warning.
6) Some Microsoft applications have dialogs that can be resized, but none of their
contents
move. This is down to the fact that the contents of the dialog ARE NOT
STANDARD
MICROSOFT CONTROLS! They are some bastardisation written specially for the
application.
They may look like normal buttons/drop downs, but they sure as heck aren't!
Hence,
ResizeEnable can't tell them to move or resize. Yet again, Microsoft ignore
their own
codebase and reinvent the wheel. And people wonder why their applications are
so big..

===================================================================================
==========
Contact details
===================================================================================
==========
This small hack is completely and utterly free and we accept no responsibility if
it causes
something to misbehave! It -=IS=- a HACK! Theoretically the worst that can happen
is that
a windows contents will go a little AWOL, but re-opening the window should sort it
out.

If you want features adding, or fancy contributing a bit of cash to keep us in Beer
and
Ben&Jerrys, or just want to let us know that you use it, then get in touch.

The email is
[email protected]

The website, where we'll stick new versions if we do any, is


www.digitallis.co.uk

===================================================================================
==========
Version history
===================================================================================
==========
v1.4 29/12/03 - Double sizing bug on Windows2000 fixed (again).
- Will learn about windows that can size themselves and not
interfere
- with them again whilst the window isn't destroyed.
- Will learn about windows that reset themselves and change the
cursor
- to indicate you can't size them.
- -noicon commandline flag to boot without tray icon.
v1.3 07/03/02 - No longer causing PSP to crash.
- Complete alteration in the way it works. This may cause some
- 'double sizing' problems on Windows2000, but it all seems
ok.
v1.2 17/02/02 - Attempting to make windows resizeable that have already been
created.
- Windows2000 'double sizing' bug fixed.
v1.1 18/12/01 - More windows covered, but still not all.
- Being more picky as to which windows it lets through into
resizing.
v1.0 30/11/01 - First version. It seems to be doing what it was meant to do!

Cheers!

()rm..
Digi Tallis.
29th December 2003

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