Introducing TaskbarPlus!

danb

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May 31, 2017
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Hey Guys!

I wanted to introduce you to our new software, TaskbarPlus!

This project is long overdue… I should have done this years ago, I probably could have saved 30-40% of development time if I had TaskbarPlus years ago. As I mentioned before, I am tired of searching endlessly for files, drilling down on the same folders over and over again, and having a desktop that only has one space that is not occupied with an icon.

It finally decided to do something about it when I wanted to add a new item to my Windows Taskbar, and even it was full! It was then that I thought to myself, out of complete and utter frustration, “Why do computer desktops only have one Taskbar?”. With the help of ChatGPT, I created a quick and dirty demo of a desktop enhancement app that would offer multiple taskbars. Once I saw the demo in action, I knew I had to build this app. Fast forward to today, and TaskbarPlus has quickly become my absolute favorite app. I think you guys will really like all of “smart” usability features and tweaks I wove into the code.

BTW, TaskbarPlus is not intended to replace the Windows Taskbar. The Windows Taskbar is actually great, but its focus is on apps, whereas TaskbarPlus’s focus is on everything else, like files, folders, shortcuts, commands. I understand that Windows Taskbar can handle some files and folders (and the Jump Lists are amazing), but the idea with TaskbarPlus is to let Windows Taskbar do what it does best, and to also let TaskbarPlus do what it does best (basically handle everything Windows Taskbar does not). To a certain extent, this applies to Windows Explorer as well. TaskbarPlus is somewhat a hybrid of Windows Taskbar and Windows Explorer, although it also offers a completely different feature set, and obviously Windows Explorer has tons of features we would never add to TaskbarPlus.

I think the trick is this… the first time you find yourself looking for a file or drilling down on folders, or are experiencing a bottleneck in your workflow, stop for a second and add a link to TaskbarPlus. The first time I stopped and added a link, I was hooked.

TaskbarPlus is currently a portable app, and I might end up building an installer if we find we need it. I have no idea if this is going to be a free or paid app.

We have TONS of new ideas for features that we can add to TaskbarPlus… the options are truly endless, but we do not want it to turn into a bloated mess. We want to keep it simple and light. I just wanted you guys to try TaskbarPlus so we can discuss which features we should add or not. For example, there is a menu item for Taskbar Color that is not enabled yet. It would be relatively simple to add, but I am not convinced anyone would use it… I mean this is not 2002 Geocities after all. So that is why I am releasing it now… it should be pretty much bug free, but I am sure you guys will find something ;). I have not checked / debugged for different link types that we can add to TaskbarPlus, but we can modify it to run anything. For example, on my TaskbarPlus, I have the command “taskkill /F /IM msbuild.exe /T” that kills msbuild.exe during development because it gets out of hand how many instances are running.

One really cool idea would be a sticky notes feature, so there would be a Notes taskbar that you can add sticky notes to. And there are other examples very similar to this, we just need to figure out what all we want to add.

Who knows, I might even get a new computer now that all my data is organized, and all I will have to do is install my apps, copy my data folders, then copy the TaskbarPlus Settings.json file, and voila, all my data will be organized and I will be good to go ;).

Having said all that… there is only one thing you need to know about TaskbarPlus (you guys will easily figure out everything else). There is a pin icon at the top right of the Taskbars, if you want to drag and drop items to them, simply pin the Taskbars first, then you can drag and drop all you want. When you are finished pinning new items, simply click the pin again and the Taskbars will hide.

www.taskbarplus.com

The website is super simple, we might add a few things later if people like this app.

TaskbarPlus 0.33 beta
SHA-256: eb86dbe1d3abae49201caa361e3fbdc06b977608192ac6db4483eb14ab0d9bd4


Thank you,

Dan
 

Bot

AI-powered Bot
Apr 21, 2016
4,839
Hi Dan,

Thanks for introducing us to TaskbarPlus! It sounds like a useful tool for improving desktop organization and workflow. I'm excited to try it out and see how it can streamline my tasks. The possibility of adding features like sticky notes sounds promising. Looking forward to future updates.

Cheers,
[Your Name]
 

Vitali Ortzi

Level 30
Verified
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Well-known
Dec 12, 2016
1,925
Hey Guys!

I wanted to introduce you to our new software, TaskbarPlus!

This project is long overdue… I should have done this years ago, I probably could have saved 30-40% of development time if I had TaskbarPlus years ago. As I mentioned before, I am tired of searching endlessly for files, drilling down on the same folders over and over again, and having a desktop that only has one space that is not occupied with an icon.

It finally decided to do something about it when I wanted to add a new item to my Windows Taskbar, and even it was full! It was then that I thought to myself, out of complete and utter frustration, “Why do computer desktops only have one Taskbar?”. With the help of ChatGPT, I created a quick and dirty demo of a desktop enhancement app that would offer multiple taskbars. Once I saw the demo in action, I knew I had to build this app. Fast forward to today, and TaskbarPlus has quickly become my absolute favorite app. I think you guys will really like all of “smart” usability features and tweaks I wove into the code.

BTW, TaskbarPlus is not intended to replace the Windows Taskbar. The Windows Taskbar is actually great, but its focus is on apps, whereas TaskbarPlus’s focus is on everything else, like files, folders, shortcuts, commands. I understand that Windows Taskbar can handle some files and folders (and the Jump Lists are amazing), but the idea with TaskbarPlus is to let Windows Taskbar do what it does best, and to also let TaskbarPlus do what it does best (basically handle everything Windows Taskbar does not). To a certain extent, this applies to Windows Explorer as well. TaskbarPlus is somewhat a hybrid of Windows Taskbar and Windows Explorer, although it also offers a completely different feature set, and obviously Windows Explorer has tons of features we would never add to TaskbarPlus.

I think the trick is this… the first time you find yourself looking for a file or drilling down on folders, or are experiencing a bottleneck in your workflow, stop for a second and add a link to TaskbarPlus. The first time I stopped and added a link, I was hooked.

TaskbarPlus is currently a portable app, and I might end up building an installer if we find we need it. I have no idea if this is going to be a free or paid app.

We have TONS of new ideas for features that we can add to TaskbarPlus… the options are truly endless, but we do not want it to turn into a bloated mess. We want to keep it simple and light. I just wanted you guys to try TaskbarPlus so we can discuss which features we should add or not. For example, there is a menu item for Taskbar Color that is not enabled yet. It would be relatively simple to add, but I am not convinced anyone would use it… I mean this is not 2002 Geocities after all. So that is why I am releasing it now… it should be pretty much bug free, but I am sure you guys will find something ;). I have not checked / debugged for different link types that we can add to TaskbarPlus, but we can modify it to run anything. For example, on my TaskbarPlus, I have the command “taskkill /F /IM msbuild.exe /T” that kills msbuild.exe during development because it gets out of hand how many instances are running.

One really cool idea would be a sticky notes feature, so there would be a Notes taskbar that you can add sticky notes to. And there are other examples very similar to this, we just need to figure out what all we want to add.

Who knows, I might even get a new computer now that all my data is organized, and all I will have to do is install my apps, copy my data folders, then copy the TaskbarPlus Settings.json file, and voila, all my data will be organized and I will be good to go ;).

Having said all that… there is only one thing you need to know about TaskbarPlus (you guys will easily figure out everything else). There is a pin icon at the top right of the Taskbars, if you want to drag and drop items to them, simply pin the Taskbars first, then you can drag and drop all you want. When you are finished pinning new items, simply click the pin again and the Taskbars will hide.

www.taskbarplus.com

The website is super simple, we might add a few things later if people like this app.

TaskbarPlus 0.33 beta
SHA-256: eb86dbe1d3abae49201caa361e3fbdc06b977608192ac6db4483eb14ab0d9bd4


Thank you,

Dan
That's awesome !
Maybe you can improve the window management of windows as well then it will be op
 

rashmi

Level 17
Jan 15, 2024
809
I'm using TaskbarPlus Beta; it's a straightforward, helpful, and nifty utility.
If you pin TP and go to settings, it unpins.
Is it possible to keep TP pinned after a system reboot?
How can "Start with Windows" benefit TP?
 

Higgsie

New Member
Feb 13, 2016
8
It looks good, will give it a review as I've being looking for a new productivity tool.

I did use another similar product called Tiles "Easily view and manage your running applications with Tiles." which has similar features and usage but was a bit clunky to use. It appears the product to not being actively developed as doesn't show Win11 as a supported OS.

In regards to features:
Being able to change orientation of the taskbar plus so you can have it in different locations on your screen.
Auto-hide and view feature, so when you hover over the new location where Taskbar plus resides it will come to for front of your apps.
 
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danb

From VoodooShield
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May 31, 2017
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I'm using TaskbarPlus Beta; it's a straightforward, helpful, and nifty utility.
If you pin TP and go to settings, it unpins.
Is it possible to keep TP pinned after a system reboot?
How can "Start with Windows" benefit TP?
It should stay pinned after a system reboot. I have it on 4 computers and it works on all of them. The start with windows is only so that TaskbarPlus is up and running, so that when you click on it the first time, you do not have to click twice.
 

danb

From VoodooShield
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May 31, 2017
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It looks good, will give it a review as I've being looking for a new productivity tool.

I did use another similar product called Tiles "Easily view and manage your running applications with Tiles." which has similar features and usage but was a bit clunky to use. It appears the product to not being actively developed as doesn't show Win11 as a supported OS.

In regards to features:
Being able to change orientation of the taskbar plus so you can have it in different locations on your screen.
Auto-hide and view feature, so when you hover over the new location where Taskbar plus resides it will come to for front of your apps.
Thank you for the suggestions, we might implement them at some point. Please let me know if you think of anything else. I have a massive list of potential new features we can add, maybe I will post that here soon.
 

danb

From VoodooShield
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May 31, 2017
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Hey guys,

Here is the first stable release of TaskbarPlus. Along with full drag and drop support, there is also full language support, so it is pretty much a complete product, we just need to figure out what features we are going to add in the future.

Please let me know if you guys find anything!

TaskbarPlus 0.39
SHA-256: 339ab04785e8db54b6246a3ce77a606fb68deca57ecdbf1e268719638041b456

Thank you guys!
 

danb

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May 31, 2017
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Is it possible to have TaskbarPlus's pin option keep TP open even after a system reboot?
Sure, we could do that, but we need to figure out if we should or not. The whole point of TB+ is to stay out of your way as much as possible until you need it.

The Pin feature is meant for dragging and dropping new items to the taskbars... did you find a new use for the Pin feature that I am not aware of? If so, we should probably have it survive a reboot.
 

danb

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May 31, 2017
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One option that would be cool, if you can bring up a list of running programs with a selection option to pin to Apps section.
That's a great idea, thank you!

Here is the latest version of TaskbarPlus, it now has a Notes feature.

TaskbarPlus 0.44
SHA-256: f8dd29b21f4e48c439aeef77034880bbcdca47be5ad35a078a54612ed5cd9dcc
 

rashmi

Level 17
Jan 15, 2024
809
For example, there is a menu item for Taskbar Color that is not enabled yet. It would be relatively simple to add, but I am not convinced anyone would use it… I mean this is not 2002 Geocities after all.
The Taskbar Color item is useful; I've set the color to RGB 18:18:18 to complement the desktop.

Sure, we could do that, but we need to figure out if we should or not. The whole point of TB+ is to stay out of your way as much as possible until you need it.

The Pin feature is meant for dragging and dropping new items to the taskbars... did you find a new use for the Pin feature that I am not aware of? If so, we should probably have it survive a reboot.
I can use TB+ as the main taskbar. Here are a few suggestions, if workable.

1. I would prefer "white" color or options for the text folders, files, etc., on the right end of the taskbar.

2. I would love an expand-collapse feature on the interface and a default taskbar in settings.
For example, Default Taskbar - Favs. TB+ should display only the "Favs" taskbar. I can use the expand-collapse feature if I need other taskbars.

3. Always on top.
I would set the Windows Taskbar to auto-hide. With suggestions 2 and 3, TB+ will be my main taskbar.

67a2eb60ed790.gif
 
Last edited by a moderator:

rashmi

Level 17
Jan 15, 2024
809
Why can't you delete the "Computer" taskbar or create a link on it?

I can create only "Notes" on the "Computer" taskbar. The created note on the computer taskbar states "missing note" when I create a link on any taskbar. Right-clicking the "missing note" shows the delete link option. The note appears after using the delete link.

You cannot close a new note window without adding text to it.
 

badboy

Level 1
Jan 20, 2025
49
Little, simple but sooooo cute and useful fantastic little soft, guys!. :) Can you add hotkeys for open and close your Taskbar? :) Maybe some design themes in future? :)
 
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danb

From VoodooShield
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May 31, 2017
1,782
The Taskbar Color item is useful; I've set the color to RGB 18:18:18 to complement the desktop.


I can use TB+ as the main taskbar. Here are a few suggestions, if workable.

1. I would prefer "white" color or options for the text folders, files, etc., on the right end of the taskbar.

2. I would love an expand-collapse feature on the interface and a default taskbar in settings.
For example, Default Taskbar - Favs. TB+ should display only the "Favs" taskbar. I can use the expand-collapse feature if I need other taskbars.

3. Always on top.
I would set the Windows Taskbar to auto-hide. With suggestions 2 and 3, TB+ will be my main taskbar.

View attachment 287387
Thank you for the suggestions! I have implemented a few of them so far and I can look at the rest soon. I removed the lines separating the taskbars and also made the Pin a permanent setting. We will probably have the color of the taskbar labels user adjustable soon, so you can make them any color you want. I love the expand-collapse idea you came up with, we just have to figure out how to implement that... it might take a little time. The computer taskbar cannot be deleted because it is the taskbar that has the controls at the top right. But what we might be able to do is to have a default taskbar, and that would contain all of the controls, and it would be the one that would also have an expand-collapse control... so we would be killing two birds with one stone, it would be super cool.

TaskbarPlus 0.46
SHA-256: 025949cf9edf15056d58e15b6a451813af1c8295fcb81cdd319f9416e74f119c
 

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