Multi Monitor Issue

[matb66]

Was using Visilogic in a multi monitor environment where I had the main program on the 2nd monitor. When opening property dialogs they usually appear on the 1st monitor, even after dragging to the 2nd monitor they still open on the 1st monitor next time. This is an annoyance.

The bigger problem is that now I am back on a single monitor (my laptop), when I open a property dialog it seems to open off screen. Nothing I do seems to bring it back to the main monitor. Any suggestions/help would be appreciated.

[Ausman]

Hi Mat, my understanding of what you are saying is that you think the dialog locations are kept as part of a .vlp?  You were working on the program on a multi-monitor and now you are on a different computer (laptop) some things are seemingly placed incorrectly indicating that locations are saved within the file?

I don't recall this happening in my instances at all, but I cannot play with this for at least another few days, others may be able to check this soon.  I recall that sometimes I have instances where I have to swap monitors onto the other connection for some things to work properly....it often makes no sense but it works.  From memory this has been where the MB has a standard fitment of a 1 x vga and 1 x dvi port.

cheers, Aus

[Joe Tauser]

Hold Ctrl+Shift while you double-click the Visilogic icon.  This will reset the window settings to factory default.

Joe T.

[Ausman]

Thanks Joe!  Didn't know that one!!!  LSNED!

cheers, Aus

[matb66]

Thanks Joe,

Back in multi-monitor mode now so can't really check it out. I'll give it a go next time I'm away from the office.

 

Cheers.

[Ausman]

10 hours ago, matb66 said:

Back in multi-monitor mode now

So does this mean the laptop is in a docking station with multi monitors running from it?  And therefore the computer is travelling with different numbers of monitors, so it might not be the saved .vlp? I am intrigued about this.

I'm back on my 2 monitor system and have noticed that all my multiple instances display in ways that I have got used to, with persistent annoyances being minor and so I've just dismissed them as "let that one go, Aus!"  They always open full screen to the primary monitor, but when I move things around the only dialog that doesn' t follow properly is the mini online control box that pops up when in online mode, it always opens on the RHS of the primary monitor, but not always in the same place. 

cheers, Aus

[Flex727]

47 minutes ago, Ausman said:

...but not always in the same place. 

Yeah, what is with that little box. I never know where it's going to pop up and there doesn't seem to be any way to change that.

[Joe Tauser]

Windows keystrokes are like an Ancient Chinese Secret.

The Ctrl+Shift + click on icon - blow out user settings in registry.  This will also clear your recent programs list.  I did a little digging and this was added in Win 7.

Alt+Space then "M" then use your arrow keys to move the window.  It's like magic when that little bugger starts marching over from a display that no longer exists.  You can try these out even if you do have multi-monitors connected.  Goes back to Win 95.

I had these reinforced in my lizard brain not too long ago when it happened to me moving from work to home - work: Left side 2nd monitor.  Home: right side 2nd monitor. 

Gah.

Many programs do not include code to recognize that your display configuration has changed, and the last window position is saved in the registry.  So be a good boy and put your windows back before you close the program.  Santa is watching.

Joe T.

[Cara Bereck Levy]

On 12/20/2018 at 6:58 AM, Joe Tauser said:

Alt+Space then "M" then use your arrow keys to move the window.  It's like magic when that little bugger starts marching over from a display that no longer exists.  You can try these out even if you do have multi-monitors connected.  Goes back to Win 95.

Wow. WOW!!!
I didn't know this one - thanks!!!

[Ausman]

Further to Joe's advice 2 back, another method I found today that directly links  to the offending program is the simple variation of hold the shift key and right click the invisible program's taskbar icon.  Left click Move and the arrow keys will work, along with the mouse once it appears.

cheers, Aus

[stembera]

I have noticed even more weird behavior of VisiLogic on two monitors: Let us have laptop computer with secondary monitor on its right side. VisiLogic is running on the right monitor, which is secondary. Let us start to edit some display and double-click on any text object to get its properties. It must be text object or button because their property dialogs are non-modal, i.e. you can return to main page and open context menu of the object by mouse right-click. OK. 
Now I can have two scenarios: If the property dialog is open on the right monitor, the context menu works normally. If I move the dialog to the left monitor, context menu does not open, there is only frame  of menu visible. 
I know, it is only marginal problem but it was hard for me to resolve it for the first time.

[AlexUT]

Hi,

One more tricks:

With a "Windows" key on keyboard - press and hold "Win+Shift" then press on Left/Right arrow.

This will move active pop-up window between monitors (left, right, left, etc.).

Hope this is a shortest .trick, which does not clean or change any program settings, or Registry.

*Sometime you cannot close VisiLogic, and this is an invisible window keeping it open on "virtual" display.

In this case programmers "kill" VisiLogic task and start it again.

Now correct this by "Win+Shift" then press on Left/Right arrow.

Hope many programmers will enjoy this "trick".

B.R.

 

[Fernando Castro]

On 12/19/2018 at 11:58 PM, Joe Tauser said:

Windows keystrokes are like an Ancient Chinese Secret.

The Ctrl+Shift + click on icon - blow out user settings in registry.  This will also clear your recent programs list.  I did a little digging and this was added in Win 7.

Alt+Space then "M" then use your arrow keys to move the window.  It's like magic when that little bugger starts marching over from a display that no longer exists.  You can try these out even if you do have multi-monitors connected.  Goes back to Win 95.

I had these reinforced in my lizard brain not too long ago when it happened to me moving from work to home - work: Left side 2nd monitor.  Home: right side 2nd monitor. 

Gah.

Many programs do not include code to recognize that your display configuration has changed, and the last window position is saved in the registry.  So be a good boy and put your windows back before you close the program.  Santa is watching.

Joe T.

Is this still working on windows 10?

At the office I have 2 monitors I left the Visilogic "SET/RESET pop-up  window" in one of the screens.

when I needed to, I remote diagnose some PLC I couldn't make that pop-up window appear!  I tried CTR +Shift and launching the program using the desktop shortcut (Or I am doing something wrong?).

my solution was overcomplicated, but it was the only way I was able to do it: I have another desktop PC always ON, and connected to the same PLC network (that one only has one screen). so, I remoted into that computer then opened visilogic inside that computer to remote connect to the PLC.

[Ausman]

My simpler method 4 up works fine on my systems.

But if you had the Set/Reset popup showing, you must have been online.  I've just tried this and the main program window moves back ok, even when online, but the popup persists in the original monitor is was in.  The only way I could get it to lose this location was to actually USE it in the right place. But I haven't tried everything.  I did a CtrlAltDel close as well, same thing.

Some of the popups seem to have a mind of their own as to where they appear.

cheers, Aus

[Fernando Castro]

12 hours ago, Ausman said:

My simpler method 4 up works fine on my systems.

But if you had the Set/Reset popup showing, you must have been online.  I've just tried this and the main program window moves back ok, even when online, but the popup persists in the original monitor is was in.  The only way I could get it to lose this location was to actually USE it in the right place. But I haven't tried everything.  I did a CtrlAltDel close as well, same thing.

Some of the popups seem to have a mind of their own as to where they appear.

cheers, Aus

Yes, but my problem is that at work I use multiple monitors, at home only the laptop so, I need to remember to drag everything back to the laptop screen and make sure everything is being displayed there before leaving the office... that just isn't going to work I will forget that's for sure. 😂

[Flex727]

23 minutes ago, Fernando Castro said:

I need to remember to drag everything back to the laptop screen and make sure everything is being displayed there before leaving the office... that just isn't going to work I will forget that's for sure.

Ctrl+Shift+click, as Joe suggested, doesn't work for you?

[Fernando Castro]

4 hours ago, Flex727 said:

Ctrl+Shift+click, as Joe suggested, doesn't work for you?

No, that's why I am asking if I am doing something wrong,:

I press and hold old ctrl, then I press and hold shift then I double click on the desktop icon of visilogic but it opens like always... I am using windows 10 with all the current updates that comes with it, nothing I can do about it.

[Ausman]

I might not have understood you completely?  I thought that the issue is that the set/reset then can't be accessed on the laptop.  The "move" controls only move the main window, not the popup.

To bring up the move, hold shift and right click on the icon in the tray,  not the desktop.

The only way I found to cure this issue was to open the same file b/n separate instances. The original instance held onto the popup location, whereas the different instance held onto the location it already had.  So I suggest that you keep a "correctly opening the pop-up" instance on the laptop.  But of course this seems to make no sense when that is essentially what you are doing anyway, and the popup reference seems to be part of the project you're trying to open.  Perhaps play with separate instances on the laptop and see what works.

I spent a little time exploring what files were changing during opening instances, to try to find whatever controls this and thus keep a stored copy for correcting the error, but had to give up.  Perhaps @AlexUT could possibly give a solution?

cheers, Aus

[Fernando Castro]

12 hours ago, Ausman said:

I might not have understood you completely?  I thought that the issue is that the set/reset then can't be accessed on the laptop.  The "move" controls only move the main window, not the popup.

well, yes that is the main problem and it kind of happens with all other "pop up" windows, not only the "set/reset" one, HMI object properties, Find. etc.

Not a big deal... but it kind of sucks it may be exacerbated because I use a docking station, with the 2 extra monitors, and I am constantly swapping windows across all 3 screens. 🥴

I don't want to be that guy but ... Visilogic software is the only one on which I have ran with this issue.🤷‍♂️ 

 

 

[Fernando Castro]

NVM, solved it with the move function.

on my computer is as follows:

Windows + Alt + Space

then the Move and Close appears on the edge of the screen, I press "Enter" to select Move.

then maintain the left arrow pressed for a while (because the pop up was at the center of the screen on the right and it takes some time to be "dragged").

It is a workaround, and you kind of need to know where that window was, or to try both directions for enough amount of time until something happens.

[christopher]

I have the same problem now, and I even prepared before I left my triple display office and  disconnected my external monitors, closed, VL, and shut down the laptop.

One problem with the AltSpaceM is that the dialogue needs to be active, and if you tab windows back and forth it's not possible to get the move commando initialized.

This bug should really be fixed.

Passive:

Active:

[AlexUT]

 

[Ausman]

On 4/7/2023 at 10:36 AM, Ausman said:

To bring up the move, hold shift and right click on the icon in the tray,  not the desktop.

The only way I found to cure this issue was to open the same file b/n separate instances. The original instance held onto the popup location, whereas the different instance held onto the location it already had.  So I suggest that you keep a "correctly opening the pop-up" instance on the laptop.  But of course this seems to make no sense when that is essentially what you are doing anyway, and the popup reference seems to be part of the project you're trying to open.  Perhaps play with separate instances on the laptop and see what works.

Chris, do either of these not work for you for all placement issues?  I know it's a PITA workaround, but it works for me and I use multiple instances on the laptops anyway so it's easy.  I'm also intrigued by you saying that you took care to do the save correctly in the first place, but the placement errors still happened.  But to me the error was that you disconnected the monitors blah blah and then shutdown.   As well, some other things to try:

I've also discovered over the years that some of my laptops can do virtual screens much bigger than default, I guess it's a display adapter thing.  If you can do bigger virtual screen, perhaps it might enable access to the problem popup by scrolling around on the larger areas?

On the default screen size, what happens if you drag the main Visi window way off screen and then drag the remaining visible edge to make the main window much larger and then scroll the much bigger Visilogic around?

In previous hunting for an easy fix, I found that perhaps VisiC/Data/DB/OPLC.ini is involved in this, as some numbers change, but that was as far as I got as I ran into permissions issues and lack of time.

For now, I always try to check things on the laptop before leaving, but the best intentions always go astray......🥴

cheers, Aus

[christopher]

10 hours ago, Ausman said:

I'm also intrigued by you saying that you took care to do the save correctly in the first place, but the placement errors still happened.  But to me the error was that you disconnected the monitors blah blah and then shutdown

The main window was correct displayed, my problem are the pop-ups/dialog boxes opended on my second or third monitor - even when I connected an external monitor on site it didn't show.  Back in my office I have to connect the same monitor to the same USB-C port to get visual contact.

One should expect when all external monitors are disconnected, MS Windows reorganize all applications (including my open VL instance), then this should be stored somewhere when closing VL and I shut down the lap top to make sure it rebooted on the main/internal display only.

[AlexUT]

Hi,

I posted link to other post, but eventually my post not published.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This effect is not related to VisiLogic/U90Ladder, or other Unitronics software.

It is related to Windows.

I do not believe that anybody will wait for fix and call this "disaster".

Simple work-around solve this problem.

No need to edit INI files or access Registry.

Yes, this is a little bit annoing, but may be fast corrected.

1. Alt+Space+M than 1 time touch any arrow key, then move mouse until you find "hidden" pop-up.

*Last letter M is language dependent.  So you have to find what letter to use.

2. I found more universal way for my Windows 10 Pro:

Use Win+Shift+Left/Right Arrow.

This move "hidden" pop-up between monitors.

If you connected additional monitor and set it to be Up of main display, then probably Up/Down arrow may work as well.

Short and fast.

B.R.