help me find this app!

  • Thread starter Thread starter ff.gg
  • Start date Start date
F

ff.gg

Hi,

I would be *very* grateful if someone could point me to a free app that
can display transparent user-configurable text on a Windows desktop.
(By transparent, I mean, without the usual rectangular frame around the
text that typical windows message boxes have. Hope
this is intellegible enough...)

And the more display options or special FX the app has, the better.
Thx and best wishes to all!


J.
 
You might like this:

http://www.sticky-notes.net/

This is a freeware lite version of a non-free application; it limits
the maximum number of notes. There's a brief "click OK" at startup
(it's not an advertisement, and it doesn't force you to wait), but it
doesn't seem to nag while it's running. It's a very small, non-bloated
app that runs in the system tray (you have to start it manually, or you
could put it in your Startup group).

The notes do have a frame around them, but they can be made transparent
(adjustable) and you can set their priorities. Low priority notes stay
under other apps, and high ones stay above (but transparent if that's
turned on). You can adjust all the colors and fonts for each note and
its title separately; there's a default setting, and per-note settings.

You can set a note to only display the title and not the body, as well.
 
You can set any html document as background. That should give the
maximum possible range of FX.

Regards,
Uli
 
I would be *very* grateful if someone could point me to a free app that
can display transparent user-configurable text on a Windows desktop.
(By transparent, I mean, without the usual rectangular frame around the
text that typical windows message boxes have. Hope
this is intellegible enough...)

And the more display options or special FX the app has, the better.
Thx and best wishes to all!
Click to expand...

Effective Desktop will give you transparency, and let you change the
text colour.

And tidy your sys tray
And give you a clock module on the taskbar
And a calendar
And remove/change start button text
And change start button icon
And control multiple desktops

Small file size; extremely stable

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download197.html
 
Thanks for all the replies. However I am indeed NOT looking for an app
that makes icon labels transparent. Check the below screenshots:

http://backwater.cz/chmelar/scac.png
http://backwater.cz/chmelar/sc_analog_tt_anim.gif

I'm looking for the same type of 'backgroundless' effect, but with
customizable text (not just a clock app). An active desktop-based
solution would not be OK either because that would be hidden by any
other windows, which doesn't suit my needs (displaying alerts or
reminders on top of all other windows).

Thx again for your input!

J.
 
John said:
Thanks for all the replies. However I am indeed NOT looking for an app
that makes icon labels transparent. Check the below screenshots:

http://backwater.cz/chmelar/scac.png
http://backwater.cz/chmelar/sc_analog_tt_anim.gif

I'm looking for the same type of 'backgroundless' effect, but with
customizable text (not just a clock app). An active desktop-based
solution would not be OK either because that would be hidden by any
other windows, which doesn't suit my needs (displaying alerts or
reminders on top of all other windows).

Thx again for your input!

J.
Click to expand...

John,

Take a look at http://www.vb-helper.com/howto_desktop_banner.html
It displays a scrolling on-screen text display with no background.
You can easily remove the scrolling code to display a static message.

Regards,
Eric
 
It's only source code... I don't have a compiler to turn this into an
EXE. But indeed this is much closer to what I'm looking for. Any other
suggestions?
 
John,

Take a look at http://www.vb-helper.com/howto_desktop_banner.html
It displays a scrolling on-screen text display with no background.
You can easily remove the scrolling code to display a static message.

Regards,
Eric
Click to expand...

OOOPS! Sorry about that.
I realize you're looking for an application, not VB code.
That's what I get for browsing the VB newsgroup at the same time.
I'll let you know if I find something.

Regards,
Eric
 
I haven't been able to find any programs that do specifically what you
want, but I do know how to write a C/C++ program that draws text
directly to the Windows desktop, over all windows, and how to make it
accessible from the system tray. This sounds to me like an interesting
little project. The program would not have a window of its own, and
would have to be configured with a text file. You could edit or
generate (by a script, for example) the text file on the fly, and the
text on the desktop would change accordingly while the program's
running. We can work out the details by email, if you're interested.
 
It's only source code... I don't have a compiler to turn this into an
EXE. But indeed this is much closer to what I'm looking for. Any other
suggestions?
Click to expand...

I wonder if this might be any good. I don't want to boot into XP to
try it myself, but occurs to me that you could write text out in any
old graphics app and then use this thing to overlay it on the desktop

http://vazagi.homepage.dk/DP.html
 
Thanks for your offer... But Desktop Projection (mentioned somewhere in
this thread) will be good enough for me. However if you do decide to
go ahead and write a scriptable freeware app as per your description,
please do let us know - I think I wouldn't be the only person
interested!
 
Nice find! It doesn't take raw text as input but will be good enough
for me. Thanks.

(However I remain open for more suggestions...)
 
John said:
Thanks for your offer... But Desktop Projection (mentioned somewhere in
this thread) will be good enough for me. However if you do decide to
go ahead and write a scriptable freeware app as per your description,
please do let us know - I think I wouldn't be the only person
interested!
Click to expand...
Ditto!
 
Hi,

I would be *very* grateful if someone could point me to a free app that
can display transparent user-configurable text on a Windows desktop.
(By transparent, I mean, without the usual rectangular frame around the
text that typical windows message boxes have. Hope
this is intellegible enough...)

And the more display options or special FX the app has, the better.
Thx and best wishes to all!


J.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if they will do what you want, but have a look at Text Ticker
and Text Drop at:
http://www.slashbacksoftware.com/

===

Frank Bohan
¶ There are two instruments worse than a clarinet. Two clarinets.
 
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