Left Handed Scroll Bars

qwacko · 02-14-06, 06:50 PM

Hey Guys

I was thinking about how cool it would be to be able to ahve all the scroll bars appear on the left hand side for all us southpaws out there (and before all you right handeds say that you don't see the point then you should try scrolling with your left hand, or maybe even better, close your eyes whenever you scroll becuase then it would be like it is for use, unable to see the screen). I know that there is no software out there that is able to do this at the moment.

So i had an idea on how it could be done, since all programs use their own way of setting up the scroll bar there is no universal way to do it, so i was thinking that maybe if someone designed a program that looked and the screen a checked out if there was something that looked like a scroll bar on the right hand side of the screen (maybe you could add images of scroll bars for different programs to it so it could recognise more) and then it simply wrapped the screen around in the section that the scroll bar was in enough that the scroll bar appeared on the left side, and if it was clicked the PDA registered it as a click on the right hand side. Don't know if this could be done, what do you think?

Cheers
James

motionmind · 02-14-06, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qwacko

So i had an idea on how it could be done, since all programs use their own way of setting up the scroll bar there is no universal way to do it

Actually all program don't have their own scrollbar setup. Most of them do what Windows Mobile (or whatever version) tells them to. That's why there's no software to do this because it's hard-coded into the OS. Believe me, I wish there were something like this too being left handed myself, but it's been fruitlessly discussed many times before on this site and others. There's just no way of doing this universally throughout all of your software unless MS wants to give us an API for it.

qwacko · 02-14-06, 07:33 PM

I understand that it can't be changed in the os. But what i was thinking was that if there was a way to move around parts of the screen. So that the os thinks that it is putting that section on the right hand side, but the program makes it so that it is actually on the right hand side. I have attached an image that might hopefully explain what i am thinking about. This is what your screen would look like (at least in a simple version, but hopefully it would be able to be altered so that only the bar changes side).

If this can't be done then don't worry, it was just an idea, hoping it might get someone thinking.

James

motionmind · 02-15-06, 07:56 AM

Yeah, I understand the concept, but I have a feeling that if it could be done that simply, it would have by now. Here's hoping i'm wrong though.

Wajical · 02-17-06, 10:03 PM

What can I say...Lefthanded people living in a righthanded world.

ToddEDM · 02-18-06, 12:16 AM

i would love that feature

*lawman* · 02-19-06, 05:07 PM

I'd swear this question comes up every couple of months or so. PocketBreeze is an application that supports southpaws. Its the only one I know. It moves the scrollbars inside PB to the left side of the screen. See attached pic.

Wajical · 02-20-06, 10:30 PM

I have PB and use the southpaw feature. But we would like it to be that way for all apps maybe an integration from MS a click button to switch he scroll bar to the left.

Whalespew · 02-24-06, 11:53 PM

If pocket Breeze can do it why can't everyone else, and why can't a background app be written that would do what qwacko suggests? This doesn't make any sense to me.

I'd pay for an app that fixed this bug in WM5 if anybody who knows anything about programming wants to get to work on this.

Ken S · 02-25-06, 01:22 AM

PocketBreeze does it by having their own code for a scroll bar on the today screen and not using the O/S scroll bar.

*amitregev* · 02-25-06, 05:28 AM

I haven't checked it my self so I can't say I'm %100 sure about it, but as much as I can recall MS Scrollbar API related functions for the PPC OS, there is no way to move the OS scrollbars to the left side, like you can do on scrollbars on the desktop OS, therefore I believe that in order to effect the scrollbar direction without writing your own scrollbar class is impossible today

RobMan · 03-05-06, 03:02 PM

I've said before ..... about the only thing I miss from my palm days is the hack that moved the scroll bar to the left side of the screen.

I do love having Pocket Breeze with the scroll bar on the left

, I just wish I could have it for EVERY other app (esp IE, Word, Excel, etc. ....)

spunker88 · 03-05-06, 03:37 PM

Here is a weird looking site that has the scrollbar set up on the left. It doesnt work on the ppc though.

KickStart · 05-04-06, 09:51 PM

I too am left-handed and don't understand why this simple concept of scroll bars being assignable to left or right as desired, has not been solved by third party developers.

Right-handed folks, don't you find it irritating to have to cover the screen when you move your hand over to the left side of the screen to select from the Today menu? This should be a standard feature of all Windows versions, as it affects those with disabilities - those having use of only one hand.

Do you think Microsoft will offer this in future Mobile versions, or even Vista, for the 10% of the population that is left-handed, plus those with disabilities? Don't hold your breath... It's one of those simple ideas that Microsoft has chosen not to implement in 20 years.

spunker88 · 05-05-06, 05:54 AM

You can get left handed scroll bars in ie on win xp. The site has to have it set up though.