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DM2 :: Overview

DM2 provides Windows enhancements that helps in every-day work. This overview is a good starting point and a DM2 introduction since it covers the basics of all functionalities. Don't forget that all described DM2 functions are very configurable and may be set to match user personal needs.

The following topics are available:
Minimize to floating icon
Minimize to tray
Hide window
Align and resize
Enhanced system menu
Opacity and On-top flag
Process priority
Open/Save dialog favorites & recent

Minimize to floating icon®

This is a unique functionality that minimizes (i.e. switches) window to so-called "floating icon". Floating icons are small floating semi-transparent draggable rectangles (icons) that represents minimized windows. When a window is minimized to a floating icon, it doesn't appear in either tray nor the task bar. Users usually finds floating icons very useful and suitable for all kind of situations.

Usage: right click on minimizes window to floating icon:

Note that even if window's maximize button is disabled (grayed), right click functionality still works. Once when a window is minimized to floating icons, it can be freely dragged around. Floating icons are usually semi-transparent with some background color, and always on the top, above all other windows. Any of these options (and some more) may be modified, either for default or program-specific behaviour.

Left double-click on floating icon restores window to its previous state. Right click pops up a menu where user can set few options just for that specific floating icon, leaving default settings unchanged:


As seen on above image, floating icon right-click menu provides few self-explanatory options for quick floating icon manipulation. This right-click menu may also contain a screenshoot of the minimized window, for easier visual recognition.

It is important to understand and to keep in mind that when some window is minimized by DM2 its application is actually not aware of that fact! So, an application will continue working as its window is not minimized. Usually, minimizing windows has no affects on program execution. But sometimes, application may behave badly, usually when popping new windows, notifications etc.

Minimize to tray

Right mouse click on window's minimize button minimizes window to tray.

Usage: right click on minimizes window to tray:

Left click on tray icon restores window to its previous state, right click pops up very simple menu, similar to floating icon right-click menu (including the window's screenshoot).

Important note! Due to Windows OS bug, the minimize button of a window doesn't recognize mouse right click on its whole area. Instead, just approximately the right half (the green area) of minimize button will accept mouse right click event, while left half (the red area) of minimize button will ignore right clicks and system will behave as user has right clicked on window's caption bar (title bar).

Hide window

Right mouse click on window's close button totally hides a window.

Usage: right click on hides window.

Windows hidden by DM2 may be found in the Windows manager. Windows manager lists all windows that are minimized or hidden by DM2 and allow user to restore one or all of them.

Align and resize

Behaviour of right clicking on any of three standard windows buttons (minimize, maximize, close) can be defined by user. Among other options, there are align and resize windows.

Align pop up graphical menu allows user to simply align current window to screen edges or corners:


Resize pop up menu is also self-explanatory. Window size may be changed to one of the preset sizes in pixels, as well in percentage of current screen size. Moreover, user may also specify different windows size in pixel or percents:


Enhanced system menu

System menu (sometimes referred as: caption or title menu) is the pull-down menu, activated by clicking the icon at the left of a window's caption bar (title bar), that allows users to restore, move, size, minimize, or maximize the window. Besides window manipulation, user may specify a priority of a process to which window belong to! DM2 adds few more menu items to default system menu:


DM2 system menu options are self-explanatory. Let''s recapitulate how Windows user can pop up a system menu:
  1. by left click on the icon at the left of a windows caption bar (title bar),
  2. by right click on window's caption bar (title bar),
  3. by pressing ALT + SPACE hot-key combination.

As seen on the above image, user may alternatively minimize a window both to floating icon and to tray only by using system menu.

Some programs ignore and disable right clicks events on its window's minimize and/or maximize buttons. Such windows can be minimized to floating icon or to tray only by using DM2 system menu options.

Opacity and On-top flag

As it is described above, DM2 can set the opacity level of any visible window. This can be done by choosing the DM2 system menu option 'Opacity'. Alternatively, user may turn on the special shortcut in DM2 options for setting the window's opacity interactively, just by right clicking the window's minimize/maximize/close buttons and holding one of the CTRL, ALT or SHIFT keys.

Similarly, On-top flag can be switched by choosing the DM2 system menu option 'Always on top'. When a window is 'on-top' it remains in the front even when it is not active and when it lost it focus.

Process priority

As described above, DM2 can set the priority of a process to which window belong to. Setting priority to lower then default ('Normal') will make application less responsive. Setting priority to higher then default will provide more CPU clocks to the application, which means it will run more responsive and bit faster. Higher priority is useful when some long operation has to be performed, such as calculations, conversion of audio formats etc. Note that higher priority of a process will make the rest of the Windows less responsive!

Open/Save dialog favorites & recent

DM2 inserts an extra button in all default Windows Open/Save dialogs. When clicked, this button shows a pop up menu with user-defined favorite folders and files. Additionally, menu contains a special submenu ('Recent') with latest of previously used files and folders. By selecting one of the available menu items, user may navigate very fast and easily between favorite folders. This significantly saves time while opening and saving files, since it frees user from boring and time wasting browsing!


Favorites menu contains several sections:
  • default - set of favorites available common for all applications,
  • 'Application' - set of program's executable shortcuts (not favorites!)
  • program specific (optional) - set of favorites defined for the specific application only.
  • 'Recent' - set of most recent used files and folders

When specifying favorite items, user usually will choose the absolute path to desired file or folder. Moreover, simple environment macros may be used, too: just put environment variable name between '%' characters! For example, the following path: %windir%/Fonts will points to the 'Fonts' folder under Windows installation folder, since 'windir' is the name of system environment variable. Environment macros might be useful, for example, when DM2 is used on several configurations or just to specify favorite files and folder without absolute paths.

Favorites are organized in the hierarchy menus. And they really saves time:)

Some programs override default Open/Save dialogs (e.g. Micro$oft Office). Therefore, DM2 will not be always able to insert its button into custom Open/Save dialogs. Future versions of DM2 will try to cover most common cases of custom Open/Save dialogs.

DM2   ::   http://dm2.sf.net