System tray dock behaving strangely
Published on August 30, 2007 By jelvis In ObjectDock
Overall I am very happy with ObjectDock Plus but I have two minor grievances that I would like to report. I am sorry if this is reported before but the forums are very slow for me and I don't have the patience to browse for similar reports.

I am using Windows XP SP2 with all the latest patches applied.

I have created a small dock which only shows the systray contents in the lower right corner. This is the dock that is behaving a bit strangely.

Issue #1 - Icon for automatic download of windows updates
I have Windows set to download new updates automatically and then notify me in the system tray when they are available for install. However, I am not able to perform any actions on the icon in the system tray in my dock. Whenever I try to right- or left click on the icon it disappears! This sounds a bit insane, but that is the way it works.

I see the icon in the system tray dock, I try to click on it, and the icon goes away. A couple of minutes later, the update icon returns.

If I unload OD Plus, I can click on the icon in the start bar system tray as normal. This is what I have done for the last updates.

Issue #2 - Restoring Thunderbird and Firefox from the system tray dock does not always work
This is an intermittent strange problem. I am using the MinimizeToTray add-ons to FireFox and Thunderbird to get them to minimize to the system tray. However, now and then, when I try to get the windows to reappear when double clicking on the icon in the system tray dock, an empty frame appears in place of the real window. The frame is in the wrong size and place.

If I double click on the system tray dock icon again, the window is successfully opened.

This is a minor, minor, cosmetic glitch, but it does not happen when I use the system tray from the start bar.

Best regards


Andreas

Comments
on Aug 30, 2007
I can verify Issue #1
It has happened to me the last couple of updates and I have to re-load the Windows Taskbar to use the update features
on Aug 30, 2007
What OS are you both using?
on Aug 30, 2007
What OS are you both using?


Windows XP SP2 all available updates applied.
on Aug 30, 2007
Issue #2 is happening at my computer too.
Sometimes, when I minimize a window to the dock, I cannot maximize it by clicking on the icon in the dock.

How it DOES work:
1) Either I click thrice (so maximizing (which does not show the window), minimize, maximize). Then the window is shown.
2) Or I alt-tab to the window.

I do not know how to reproduce the error. However, it may also have something to do with a window getting focus. Sometimes when I try to get the window maximized I see the animation for it but the window keeps sticking behind the already open window.

Also (and this may be a relating issue), when opening, for example, windows explorer, it does not get topmost focus but stays in the background of my desktop.

In my opinion it's not just a minor issue. During work, I have to switch between windows constantly and I switch with whatever procedure is easiest at that moment (alt-tab when my hands are on the keyboard, a mouse gesture when my hand is at the mouse, or simply clicking the dock when the mouse pointer is in its neigbourhood).

I would really like this issue to be solved. It would make my work that much easier.

Another issue is the context menu from the system tray. Sometimes the context menus open, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes not at all. I indicated this issue earlier but there was not a solution then. Is there one now?

Kind regards,

P.S. To end positive: aside from these annoying issues, I am a happy user of objectdock. I just wished those issues could be solved in very very near future!

OS: Windows XP SP2 (plus all updates!)
on Aug 30, 2007
What OS are you both using?


XP SP2 w/all updates

on Aug 31, 2007
I'm running Vista and I just had an update this morning. All worked fine with the icon on my OD systray. Always did. My systray is part of a tabbed dock btw.

FWIW.
on Aug 31, 2007
I can also confirm the #1 bug above only occurs on XP SP2 (all patches), and has occurred for as long as I've used ObjectDock. The workaround (quit OD, wait for update icon to return, update, run OD) has always worked in its stead.

I can also confirm that this problem DOESN'T occur under Vista 32 (per the post above).

I'm using the latest versions of all drivers, patches, ObjectDock, etc. for both systems (test/beta and production).