Is there a utility that can be mapped to one of the buttons on my Axim X51 that will switch between running programs (ie: equivalent of Alt+tab in Windows). I know Pocket Plus allows you to do this, however, it includes a lot of other features I don't want or need.

Thanks,
Harry

Yeah, would be nice to get a small program that did just this function.

Have you looked at Vito ButtonMapper - seems like it might do what you're after, per their description:
"With integrated VITO Taskswitcher you can switch between running applications just by using your joystick. Assign TaskSwitcher to a hardware button and switch between applications easily and smoothly. Plenty of skins are available"

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If you have Spb PocketPlus it builds in the option to the standard Buttons settings.

Important safety tip: Don't cross the streams.

Na. There is a great little program called "TaskSwitch". Its awesome. I've used it for some time now. I believe its freeware.

It looks just like pressing ALT-TAB on the PC. A grey box comes up with icons for all the running apps.

Press it once for the menu to come up. Once the grey box is up, pressing the button again makes it switch from icon to icon. It times out after 1000ms I think, so once you don't press a button for a second it'll automatically select the icon that highlighted and switch to that app.

Its awesome. Its just a tiny exe file. The cab file installs it to /windows/ which is where it needs to be. I backed-up the single .exe file to my CF card so I didn't have to install the cab file every time hard-reset.

That would be perfect ... any idea who makes it or where to download it?

Thanks,
Harry

Otherwise, look for MortButtons... Free as well, more powerful, as well task-switcher...
url is www.sto-helit.de i believe

greetings,
cmdkeen

Axim X50v

Taskswitch is just a taskswitcher designed to be assigned to a button. It doesn't take control of your close button or anything like that.

I have mine set to my "Record button" because I never use it anyway. Its simple and works great.

TaskSwitch+

I have been using AltTab.exe file from PHM tools (just google the web site). I assigned it to one of the buttons and love it ever since. It is free too...

 

Try the attached file.

Attached Files

AltTab.zip (24.8 KB, 130 views)

Thanks for the AltTab file krisdb.

Because you copy the .EXE file directly to the PPC, it's not registered in the registry, so does not appear as one of the options under the Button config.

Anyone know how to register the program to appear in the list without having to install the entire PHM PowerTools and removing everything but AltTab? I'm not even sure the recent PHM PowerTools has AltTab.exe - I didn't see it in the list of utilities.

PHM does have a Button program that has the option of switching between programs (PHM Keys).

Guess I'll try out TaskSwitch+

The way I did it is look under /Windows/AppButtons and there are some shortcuts to the default button assignments. I created a shortcut to AltTab.exe, renamed it Calendar.lnk then moved the shortcut to the /Windows/AppButtons directory, which then assigned AltTab.exe to the calendar button.

I ran the CAB for TaskSwitch+, and renamed AltTab.exe to TaskSwitch.exe and replaced the one from TaskSwitch+. Still can't figure out how to register a software manually though.

In any case, I like AltTab.exe over TaskSwitch+ - they both function the same essentially, but AltTab.exe is VGA-aware, whereas TaskSwitch+ is not and has double-pixelling (blurry). AltTab also has the option of going to the Today screen (TaskSwitch+ doesn't).

Both only switch between the two applications that were last used automatically unless you cycle through the program list in the pop-up window. With TAskSwitch+, you cycle through the list of programs by using the same button that you launched it (can't use D-Pad). With AltTab, you cycle through the list by using the D-Pad only - using the same button that launched it just escapes out. Would have been nice if AltTab gave you the option of using the same button or the D-Pad to cycle.

With PHM Keys, it installs one executable PHMKeys.exe and creates several shortcuts to do certain tasks (Close, Copy, Cut, Help, Lock, Next Track, TaskSwitch, etc.). PHM is VGA-aware and you can cycle through the list of programs using the same button that you used to launch it (no D-Pad). Instead of displaying all the currently opened programs at the same time in the pop-up box, it displays them one at a time as you cycle through them. Like the other two programs, it will automatically switch between the last two used programs only - you have to cycle through the list if you want to switch to another program. It doesn't have the option of switching to the Today screen.

TaskSwitch+ is about 16K, AltTab is 38K, and PHMKeys is 34K with an additional 1.6K in a shortcut folder. These shortcuts appear under the Button submenu, which you then assign to a key.

Overall, I liked both AltTab and PHMKeys (TaskSwitch+ was too ugly being non-VGA aware), but liked being able to see all the opened programs at once with AltTab. PHMKeys has the ability to do a lot more besides task switching though, but the timing required to cycle through the programs takes some getting used to (with both TaskSwitch+ and PHMKeys, you have to keep pressing the button in quick succession to cycle through the programs - once you stop or slow down for a millisecond, it switches to the selected program (quite annoying actually!) - with AltTab, once you use the D-Pad to cycle, the program doesn't close until you've selected the program).

BTW, just discovered that you can assign a shortcut to a button directly by going into the registry:

Location: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Shell\Keys

The keys for buttons 1 - 6 are located in 40C1, 40C2....40C6. Under each key, there is a Default string that you change to link to the shortcut of the program you want to assign to the key. The icon and resetcmd strings should be unchanged.

But it seems there's a check to see whether the program was installed correctly before it will launch. Trying to assign AltTab.exe directly to the button gives an error about it not being "signed with a trusted certificate, or one of its components cannot be found." AltTab.exe when launched manually works just fine.

Hmm....so where's the key to sign a program anyone know?

You can drop a short cut for AltTab into the windows/StartMenu/Programs file and then you will find it for assignment to a hardware button. Hardware buttons only show that which is in this file path for options. That should do the trick. I have made a special subfolder in this path for extra apps that I map to hardware buttons and short cuts on my external keyboard. Any program you can't find as an option probably needs a shortcut in this file.