Window Layout generator

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The Window Layout generator as seen in the Window Layout Wizard
This video by MiRai details the use of the Window Layout generator

The Window Layout generator can help you create your Window Layout, so that manual editing of the regions later on is almost always unnecessary. Most layouts that are or have been in use in ISBoxer can be generated for you.

The Window Layout generator is available in both the Window Layout Wizard and the Quick Setup Wizard.

The Window Layout style selection interface has three key parts:

  1. The style selection drop-down box (upper left) has a list of styles generated based on the options selected in the properties pane (see #3)
  2. The preview pane (bottom left) shows a preview of the Window Layout selected in the drop-down box
  3. The properties pane (right) adjusts the styles available in the drop-down box. Changing an option will reset the style selection drop-down box and may result in new styles being available, previously seen styles being modified with new settings, or some styles filtered out of the list entirely

Use the style selection drop-down box to browse the styles generated for your Character Set on your monitors. If the styles presented in the drop-down box do not appear to suit your needs, try playing with the properties to the right. After making changes, browse the styles again to observe how they may now be different. Pick what seems to be the best match for your team and, if desired, manually adjust it after the wizard is finished.

Properties

Common
Avoid Taskbar Set this to have the Window Layout Wizard only present Window Layouts which doesn't cover your taskbar.
Enable Swapping When Swapping is enabled, windows may be moved from their Home Region to the Active Region when activated. Looking at the picture above, #2,3,4,5 would be the home regions, #1 would be the active region.
Instant Swapping Instant Swapping synchronizes the rendering resolution for each Swap Group, meaning that the rendering will be scaled from its original size to fit the various window sizes. This may decrease overall performance, but comes with benefits in switching characters (making it instantaneous as shown in the Isboxer introductory videos) as well as enabling perfect mouse broadcasting. If Aspect Ratios do not match and Instant Swapping is enabled, the environment will probably look short and fat, or tall and skinny.
Leave a hole When enabled, Window Layout styles that use Swapping will leave a 'hole' where the activated window came from. When disabled, the 'hole' is filled in by a specific Slot called a Roaming Slot (which does not have its own Home region). Enabling this option will cause an 'extra' region to be used if Swapping is enabled. If no value is selected, both versions will be presented where available.
Maintain aspect ratio When enabled, the Window Layout generator will attempt to maintain aspect ratios. If no value is selected, both versions will be presented where available.
Preferred edge Window Layout styles that line windows up along an edge will use this one.
Multiple monitors
Cross-monitor swapping When enabled, allows Window Swapping to move windows from one monitor to another. Depending on your hardware configuration and Windows version, this may incur a very significant performance penalty: For Windows XP and earlier, this option should NOT be enabled; For Windows Vista and later, this option MAY be enabled if the monitors are physically connected to the same video card. If no value is selected, both versions will be presented where available. See GPU Management for more information regarding the use of this option.
Swap Groups Swap Groups define which windows will work together and share some of the same characteristics, like where to go when activated. Changing these values will define how many windows will be in a Swap Group on a given monitor, for related styles.
Use monitors This setting defines which monitors may be used by the generated styles. If you would like to swap which monitor is used as the primary, for example, move it to the top in this collection.
Resolution
3D Render Size This defines the resolution that the game will be internally rendered at, despite that your actual display may be larger. i.e. you could specify 1920x1080 here and have a main region display size of 3840x2160! Rendering would be 1/4 of the resources.
Main Window Size This defines the main Window Size for your active region. i.e. the Window that you will be controlling as your main.

Note: if you are using the 3D render size option, then this setting should either be left as default (0,0) so your main region is that configured by the wizard, or this should be a value larger than the 3D render size (unless you really want to render at a higher resolution and then have the results scaled down for display).

Video FX
Use Video FX Set the option for the Video FX Layout module to emulate a standard Window Layout by using Video FX. This is a handy for those players that want to use Video FX without getting the "why is my viewer all pixelated", or those experiencing the "Black Screen on Smaller Windows" when playing on an Optimus based laptop (a notebook with NVidia and Intel onboard graphics).


Tips

Multiple monitors
  • Many of the multi-monitor styles use 2 monitors by default.
  • How many windows are on each monitor is controlled by the Swap Groups setting.
  • The order and direction of region numbering is controlled by the "Preferred edge" setting. If you have multiple monitors, "Top" may be more appropriate than "Bottom", for example.
  • Which monitor is used as the "main" monitor can be controlled via the "Use monitors" setting. Select the "Use monitors" option, then to the right of it a "..." button will appear. This will bring up a window that allows you to make changes to how the wizard uses your monitors. The list in the left will correspond to the Swap Groups setting. Move the display you want as the "main" to the top of the list, click OK, and browse the updated styles.

See Also