Multiple Monitors Extensions

Available in: Actual Window Manager.

The Multiple Monitors extensions are purposed to diminish or completely eliminate some lacks of functionality in Windows® user interface when working with several displays. Actual Window Manager has the following multi-monitor-aware abilities:

• Multi-monitor Taskbar - makes window navigation quick and easy on secondary displays

• Multi-monitor Task Switcher - cancels the need to turn your attention to the primary display every time you switch between tasks using <Alt+Tab>

• Quick window positioning - speeds up the allocation of windows within the extended desktop

Multi-monitor Taskbar

Even modern versions of Windows® like Vista/2008 still show the Taskbar on the primary display only:

Figure 1. General Windows® Taskbar in a multi-monitor environment

The Multi-monitor Taskbar extension emulates the original Windows® Taskbar on each secondary display as well. With this extension, you can easily control the open windows (activate/minimize them, switch between them) in habitual manner, disregarding what monitor you are currently working with - primary or any of secondaries:

Figure 2. Multi-monitor Taskbar extension

This extension can work in two different modes: individual (default) and mirror. In individual mode, each taskbar displays the buttons only for windows which are on the same monitor (i.e. taskbar on monitor #1 displays only windows situated on monitor #1, taskbar on monitor #2 - windows on monitor #2, and so on).

Figure 3. Multi-monitor Taskbars in individual mode

In mirror mode, all taskbars display all open windows no matter what monitor a particular window is on (i.e. all taskbars show the identical set of buttons).

Figure 4. Multi-monitor Taskbars in mirror mode

In addition, each secondary taskbar can display a copy of the Start button providing you the quick mouse access to the Start Menu. This will save you a lot of time by eliminating redundant mouse marathons from secondary monitor to primary one and back when your work focus is on a secondary monitor and you need to launch some program from the Start Menu.

Figure 5. Start button on each Taskbar

Once you enabled the Multi-monitor Taskbar extension you can easily toggle any of above options (and the below-mentioned Task Switcher extension) via any secondary taskbar's context menu:

Multi-monitor Task Switcher

As well as for the Taskbar, when working in a multiple display environment Windows® show the Task Switcher (special service window displayed each time you press <Alt+Tab>) on the primary display only.

The Multi-monitor Task Switcher extension clones the original Windows® Task Switcher window on each secondary display so that you don't need to distract from your current attention focus:

Figure 6. Multi-monitor Task Switcher

Quick Window Positioning

Dragging windows with the mouse to allocate them within the desktop extended onto several monitors is tedious. With the help of Move to Monitor window action you can quickly place a particular window onto certain monitor. You can do it either via special button in window's title bar or via special submenu in window's system menu:

Move to Monitor title button		Move to monitor submenu