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  • How to make a player stay within bounds of world with 2D Camera

    - by Craig
    Im creating a simple top down survival game. At the moment, i have the sprite which is a ship and moves by rotating left or right then going forward in that direction. I have implemented a 2D camera, its always centered on the player. However, when i move towards the bounds of the world that the sprite is in it just keeps on going :( How to i sort it that it stops at the edge of the world and cant go beyond it? Cheers :) Below is the main game class using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Audio; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GamerServices; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Media; namespace GamesCoursework_1 { /// <summary> /// This is the main type for your game /// </summary> public class Game1 : Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Game { GraphicsDeviceManager graphics; SpriteBatch spriteBatch; // player variables Texture2D Ship; Vector2 Ship_Position; float Ship_Rotation = 0.0f; Vector2 Ship_Origin; Vector2 Ship_Velocity; const float tangentialVelocity = 4f; float friction = 0.05f; static Point CameraViewport = new Point(800, 800); Camera2d cam = new Camera2d((int)CameraViewport.X, (int)CameraViewport.Y); //Size of world static Point worldSize = new Point(1600, 1600); // Screen variables static Point worldCenter = new Point(worldSize.X / 2, worldSize.Y / 2); Rectangle playerBounds = new Rectangle(CameraViewport.X / 2, CameraViewport.Y / 2, worldSize.X - CameraViewport.X, worldSize.Y - CameraViewport.Y); Rectangle worldBounds = new Rectangle(0, 0, worldSize.X, worldSize.Y); Texture2D background; public Game1() { graphics = new GraphicsDeviceManager(this); graphics.PreferredBackBufferWidth = CameraViewport.X; graphics.PreferredBackBufferHeight = CameraViewport.Y; Content.RootDirectory = "Content"; } /// <summary> /// Allows the game to perform any initialization it needs to before starting to run. /// This is where it can query for any required services and load any non-graphic /// related content. Calling base.Initialize will enumerate through any components /// and initialize them as well. /// </summary> protected override void Initialize() { // TODO: Add your initialization logic here base.Initialize(); } /// <summary> /// LoadContent will be called once per game and is the place to load /// all of your content. /// </summary> protected override void LoadContent() { // Create a new SpriteBatch, which can be used to draw textures. spriteBatch = new SpriteBatch(GraphicsDevice); // TODO: use this.Content to load your game content here Ship = Content.Load<Texture2D>("Ship"); Ship_Origin.X = Ship.Width / 2; Ship_Origin.Y = Ship.Height / 2; background = Content.Load<Texture2D>("aus"); Ship_Position = new Vector2(worldCenter.X, worldCenter.Y); cam.Pos = Ship_Position; cam.Zoom = 1f; } /// <summary> /// UnloadContent will be called once per game and is the place to unload /// all content. /// </summary> protected override void UnloadContent() { // TODO: Unload any non ContentManager content here } /// <summary> /// Allows the game to run logic such as updating the world, /// checking for collisions, gathering input, and playing audio. /// </summary> /// <param name="gameTime">Provides a snapshot of timing values.</param> protected override void Update(GameTime gameTime) { // Allows the game to exit if (GamePad.GetState(PlayerIndex.One).Buttons.Back == ButtonState.Pressed) this.Exit(); // TODO: Add your update logic here Ship_Position = Ship_Velocity + Ship_Position; keyPressed(); base.Update(gameTime); } /// <summary> /// This is called when the game should draw itself. /// </summary> /// <param name="gameTime">Provides a snapshot of timing values.</param> protected override void Draw(GameTime gameTime) { GraphicsDevice.Clear(Color.CornflowerBlue); // TODO: Add your drawing code here spriteBatch.Begin(SpriteSortMode.Deferred, BlendState.AlphaBlend, null, null, null,null, cam.get_transformation(GraphicsDevice)); spriteBatch.Draw(background, Vector2.Zero, Color.White); spriteBatch.Draw(Ship, Ship_Position, Ship.Bounds, Color.White, Ship_Rotation, Ship_Origin, 1.0f, SpriteEffects.None, 0f); spriteBatch.End(); base.Draw(gameTime); } private void Ship_Move(Vector2 move) { Ship_Position += move; } private void keyPressed() { KeyboardState keyState; // Move right keyState = Keyboard.GetState(); if (keyState.IsKeyDown(Keys.Right)) { Ship_Rotation = Ship_Rotation + 0.1f; } if (keyState.IsKeyDown(Keys.Left)) { Ship_Rotation = Ship_Rotation - 0.1f; } if (keyState.IsKeyDown(Keys.Up)) { Ship_Velocity.X = (float)Math.Cos(Ship_Rotation) * tangentialVelocity; Ship_Velocity.Y = (float)Math.Sin(Ship_Rotation) * tangentialVelocity; if ((int)Ship_Position.Y < playerBounds.Bottom && (int)Ship_Position.Y > playerBounds.Top) cam._pos.Y = Ship_Position.Y; if ((int)Ship_Position.X > playerBounds.Left && (int)Ship_Position.X < playerBounds.Right) cam._pos.X = Ship_Position.X; //tried world bounds here if (!worldBounds.Contains(new Point((int)Ship_Position.X, (int)Ship_Position.Y))) Ship_Position -= new Vector2(0.0f, -tangentialVelocity * 2); if (!worldBounds.Contains(new Point((int)Ship_Position.X, (int)Ship_Position.Y))) Ship_Position -= new Vector2(0.0f, 2 * tangentialVelocity); } else if(Ship_Velocity != Vector2.Zero) { float i = Ship_Velocity.X; float j = Ship_Velocity.Y; Ship_Velocity.X = i -= friction * i; Ship_Velocity.Y = j -= friction * j; if ((int)Ship_Position.Y < playerBounds.Bottom && (int)Ship_Position.Y > playerBounds.Top) cam._pos.Y = Ship_Position.Y; if ((int)Ship_Position.X > playerBounds.Left && (int)Ship_Position.X < playerBounds.Right) cam._pos.X = Ship_Position.X; } if (keyState.IsKeyDown(Keys.Q)) { if (cam.Zoom < 2f) cam.Zoom += 0.05f; } if (keyState.IsKeyDown(Keys.A)) { if (cam.Zoom > 0.3f) cam.Zoom -= 0.05f; } } } } my 2d camera class using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics; namespace GamesCoursework_1 { public class Camera2d { protected float _zoom; // Camera Zoom public Matrix _transform; // Matrix Transform public Vector2 _pos; // Camera Position protected float _rotation; // Camera Rotation public int _viewportWidth, _viewportHeight; // viewport size public Camera2d(int ViewportWidth, int ViewportHeight) { _zoom = 1.0f; _rotation = 0.0f; _pos = Vector2.Zero; _viewportWidth = ViewportWidth; _viewportHeight = ViewportHeight; } // Sets and gets zoom public float Zoom { get { return _zoom; } set { _zoom = value; if (_zoom < 0.1f) _zoom = 0.1f; } // Negative zoom will flip image } public float Rotation { get { return _rotation; } set { _rotation = value; } } // Auxiliary function to move the camera public void Move(Vector2 amount) { _pos += amount; } // Get set position public Vector2 Pos { get { return _pos; } set { _pos = value; } } public Matrix get_transformation(GraphicsDevice graphicsDevice) { _transform = // Thanks to o KB o for this solution Matrix.CreateTranslation(new Vector3(-_pos.X, -_pos.Y, 0)) * Matrix.CreateRotationZ(Rotation) * Matrix.CreateScale(new Vector3(Zoom, Zoom, 1)) * Matrix.CreateTranslation(new Vector3(_viewportWidth * 0.5f, _viewportHeight * 0.5f, 0)); return _transform; } } }

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  • How do I get 1366x768 resolution on 12.04?

    - by Megan
    I am on an HP Envy 14, and the proper resolution that I should be using is 1366x768. This is not an option and I am stuck on 1024x768. I am using Linux 12.04. lspci | grep VGA: 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 02) 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Madison [Radeon HD 5000M Series] I've tried to add the resolution as a mode in xorg.conf but that does not work. Please any help would be appreciated. I'm new to Linux and just got my dual boot working but this resolution issue is killing me. Edit1 I just tried using the xrandr command: xrandr --newmode "1368x768_60.00" 85.25 1368 1440 1576 1784 768 771 781 798 -hsync +vsync But I get an error: xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default Edit2 lsmod returns the following: Module Size Used by vesafb 13844 1 rfcomm 47604 12 bnep 18281 2 parport_pc 32866 0 ppdev 17113 0 snd_hda_codec_hdmi 32474 1 arc4 12529 2 joydev 17693 0 hid_logitech_dj 18594 0 i915 472941 5 uvcvideo 72627 0 usbhid 47199 1 hid_logitech_dj hid 99559 2 hid_logitech_dj,usbhid psmouse 87692 0 iwlwifi 332525 0 mac80211 506816 1 iwlwifi videodev 98259 1 uvcvideo snd_hda_codec_idt 70795 1 mei 41616 0 btusb 18288 2 v4l2_compat_ioctl32 17128 1 videodev hp_accel 25976 0 lis3lv02d 19876 1 hp_accel hp_wmi 18092 0 sparse_keymap 13890 1 hp_wmi input_polldev 13896 1 lis3lv02d drm_kms_helper 46978 1 i915 drm 242038 2 i915,drm_kms_helper i2c_algo_bit 13423 1 i915 serio_raw 13211 0 snd_hda_intel 33773 5 snd_hda_codec 127706 3 snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_idt,snd_hda_intel snd_hwdep 13668 1 snd_hda_codec bluetooth 180104 23 rfcomm,bnep,btusb cfg80211 205544 2 iwlwifi,mac80211 snd_pcm 97188 3 snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec mac_hid 13253 0 snd_seq_midi 13324 0 snd_rawmidi 30748 1 snd_seq_midi snd_seq_midi_event 14899 1 snd_seq_midi snd_seq 61896 2 snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_midi_event fglrx 3263886 0 snd_timer 29990 2 snd_pcm,snd_seq snd_seq_device 14540 3 snd_seq_midi,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq snd 78855 20 snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_idt,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hwdep,snd_pcm,snd_ra wmidi,snd_seq,snd_timer,snd_seq_device wmi 19256 1 hp_wmi video 19596 1 i915 intel_ips 18174 0 soundcore 15091 1 snd snd_page_alloc 18529 2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm lp 17799 0 parport 46562 3 parport_pc,ppdev,lp r8169 62099 0 I have installed ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver. But there is another one called ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver (post-release updates) which I have trouble installing because it gives me an error and tells me to look at some sort of jockey log.

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  • How do I draw a dotted or dashed line?

    - by Gagege
    I'm trying to draw a dashed or dotted line by placing individual segments(dashes) along a path and then separating them. The only algorithm I could come up with for this gave me a dash length that was variable based on the angle of the line. Like this: private function createDashedLine(fromX:Float, fromY:Float, toX:Float, toY:Float):Sprite { var line = new Sprite(); var currentX = fromX; var currentY = fromY; var addX = (toX - fromX) * 0.0075; var addY = (toY - fromY) * 0.0075; line.graphics.lineStyle(1, 0xFFFFFF); var count = 0; // while line is not complete while (!lineAtDestination(fromX, fromY, toX, toY, currentX, currentY)) { /// move line draw cursor to beginning of next dash line.graphics.moveTo(currentX, currentY); // if dash is even if (count % 2 == 0) { // draw the dash line.graphics.lineTo(currentX + addX, currentY + addY); } // add next dash's length to current cursor position currentX += addX; currentY += addY; count++; } return line; } This just happens to be written in Haxe, but the solution should be language neutral. What I would like is for the dash length to be the same no matter what angle the line is. As is, it's just adding 75 thousandths of the line length to the x and y, so if the line is and a 45 degree angle you get pretty much a solid line. If the line is at something shallow like 85 degrees then you get a nice looking dashed line. So, the dash length is variable, and I don't want that. How would I make a function that I can pass a "dash length" into and get that length of dash, no matter what the angle is? If you need to completely disregard my code, be my guest. I'm sure there's a better solution.

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  • XNA 4.0 - Purple/Pink Tint Over All Sprites After Viewing in FullScreen

    - by D. Dubya
    I'm a noob to the game dev world and recently finished the 2D XNA tutorial from http://www.pluralsight.com. Everything was perfect until I decided to try the game in Fullscreen mode. The following code was added to the Game1 constructor. graphics.PreferredBackBufferWidth = 800; graphics.PreferredBackBufferHeight = 480; graphics.IsFullScreen = true; As soon as it launched in Fullscreen, I noticed that the entire game was tinted. None of the colours were appearing as they should. That code was removed, the game then launched in the 800x480 window, however the tint remained. I commented out all my Draw code so that all that was left was GraphicsDevice.Clear(Color.CornflowerBlue); //spriteBatch.Begin(); //gameState.Draw(spriteBatch, false); //spriteBatch.End(); //spriteBatch.Begin(SpriteSortMode.Deferred, BlendState.Additive); //gameState.Draw(spriteBatch, true); //spriteBatch.End(); base.Draw(gameTime); The result was an empty window that was tinted Purple, not Blue. I changed the GraphicsDevice.Clear colour to Color.White and the window was tinted Pink. Color.Transparent gave a Black window. Even tried rebooting my PC but the 'tint' still remains. I'm at a loss here.

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  • My computer will not reboot after fresh install of ubuntu 12.04LTS

    - by user170715
    I bought a new computer yesterday and it came with Windows 8. When installing Ubuntu, i choose the erase and install option thinking that Ubuntu would install easily like it did for my old laptop... After a successful install and following the instructions telling me to reboot to finish installation and remove installation media. It worked and my computer booted fine, however once I began installing updates via update manager and activating additional driver {ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver (post-release updates)} out of the following: Experimental AMD binary Xorg driver and kernel module ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver (*experimental*beta) ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver (post-release updates) Then reboot to finish making changes I reboot and get an error (Reboot and select proper boot device) At this point I was stuck, so I eventually reinstalled ubuntu and repeated the exacted same steps until right before i rebooted to finish making changes. However this time i used this Boot Repair tool sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair boot-repair After running the program i get a "boot successfully repaired" message. Then I try to reboot again and get the GNU Grub screen where it says would you like to boot: normal recovery memorytest Once it begins loading, you see the code moving across the screen then it pauses when it gets to and doesnt do anything. If someone could tell me how to fix this or get Windows 8 back soon, I'd appreciate it because like i said i just bought it yesterday and now i cant even use it.

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  • AS3 How to check on non transparent pixels in a bitmapdata?

    - by Opoe
    I'm still working on my window cleaning game from one of my previous questions I marked a contribution as my answer, but after all this time I can't get it to work and I have to many questions about this so I decided to ask some more about it. As a sequel on my mentioned previous question, my question to you is: How can I check whether or not a bitmapData contains non transparent pixels? Subquestion: Is this possible when the masked image is a movieclip? Shouldn't I use graphics instead? Information I have: A dirtywindow movieclip on the bottom layer and a clean window movieclip on layer 2(mc1) on the layer above. To hide the top layer(the dirty window) I assign a mask to it. Code // this creates a mask that hides the movieclip on top var mask_mc:MovieClip = new MovieClip(); addChild(mask_mc) //assign the mask to the movieclip it should 'cover' mc1.mask = mask_mc; With a brush(cursor) the player wipes of the dirt ( actualy setting the fill from the mask to transparent so the clean window appears) //add event listeners for the 'brush' brush_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN,brushDown); brush_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP,brushUp); //function to drag the brush over the mask function brushDown(dragging:MouseEvent):void{ dragging.currentTarget.startDrag(); MovieClip(dragging.currentTarget).addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME,erase) ; mask_mc.graphics.moveTo(brush_mc.x,brush_mc.y); } //function to stop dragging the brush over the mask function brushUp(dragging:MouseEvent):void{ dragging.currentTarget.stopDrag(); MovieClip(dragging.currentTarget).removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME,erase); } //fill the mask with transparant pixels so the movieclip turns visible function erase(e:Event):void{ with(mask_mc.graphics){ beginFill(0x000000); drawRect(brush_mc.x,brush_mc.y,brush_mc.width,brush_mc.height); endFill(); } }

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  • Second Monitor Detected, but not receiving a signal after upgrading to 12.04

    - by user62458
    After I upgraded to 12.04, my second monitor is detected (in display settings), but will not power on. I have scoured the Internet and forums for a solution and I can't find anything. I have found a couple people with the same problem, but never a solution for it. I am no expert, but I'm certainly not a noob. My computer uses AMD Radeon 6250 graphics, but I do NOT want to use the proprietary graphics drivers. They refuse to work properly with my second monitor (they ATI drivers will only mirror screens, and I've done everything to try to fix it, and I DON't want mirrored screens) Not to mention that the default open-source video drivers seem to work much better than the proprietary anyway! Again, Ubuntu's default video drivers work fine, and they even DETECT the second monitor (Dell 19'). I can drag stuff off the screen and put it on the 'space' of the second monitor and even a screen-shot shows that there are two monitors active; but the monitor is OFF. It will not power on. It goes into 'power-save' mode because it is not receiving a signal. For some reason it is not getting the signal to power on, even though Ubuntu thinks the monitor is working properly. I had this working fine on my Sony VAIO yesterday (with Radeon graphics/default Ubuntu video drivers). I upgraded to a Samsung Series 3 and now I have this issue. I can't for the life of me figure out why the monitor is connected, detected and I have screen space for the monitor, but the screen won't turn on! XRANDR Output: Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1366 x 768, maximum 8192 x 8192 VGA-0 connected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 1440x900 59.9 + 75.0 1280x1024 75.0 60.0 1152x864 75.0 1024x768 75.1 70.1 60.0 832x624 74.6 800x600 72.2 75.0 60.3 56.2 640x480 72.8 75.0 66.7 60.0 720x400 70.1 LVDS connected 1366x768+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 344mm x 194mm 1366x768 60.1*+ 1280x720 59.9 1152x768 59.8 1024x768 59.9 800x600 59.9 848x480 59.7 720x480 59.7 640x480 59.4 HDMI-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

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  • libGDX using Stage and Actor produces different camera angles on desktop and Android Phone

    - by Brandon
    libGDX using Stage and Actor produces different camera angles on desktop and Android Phone. Here are pictures demonstrating the problem: http://brandonyuh.minus.com/mFpdTSgN17VUq On the desktop version, the image takes up most all the screen. On the Android phone it only takes up a bit of the screen. Here's the code (not my actual project but I isolated the problem): package com.me.mygdxgame2; import com.badlogic.gdx.*; import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.*; import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.Texture.TextureFilter; import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.g2d.*; import com.badlogic.gdx.scenes.scene2d.*; public class MyGdxGame2 implements ApplicationListener { private Stage stage; public void create() { stage = new Stage(); stage.addActor(new ActorHi()); } public void render() { Gdx.gl.glClearColor(0, 1, 0, 1); Gdx.gl.glClear(GL10.GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT); stage.draw(); } public void dispose() {} public void resize(int width, int height) {} public void pause() {} public void resume() {} public class ActorHi extends Actor { private Sprite sprite; public ActorHi() { Texture texture = new Texture(Gdx.files.internal("data/hi.png")); texture.setFilter(TextureFilter.Linear, TextureFilter.Linear); sprite = new Sprite(new TextureRegion(texture, 0, 0, 128, 128)); sprite.setBounds(0, 0, 300.0f, 300.0f); } public void draw(SpriteBatch batch, float parentAlpha) { sprite.draw(batch); } } } hi.png is included in the above link Thank you very much for answering my question. I've spent 3 days trying to figure it out.

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  • Android - big game universe

    - by user1641923
    I am new to an Android development, though I have much experience with Java, C++, PHP programming and a bit experience with vector graphics too (basic 3d Studio Max, Flash, etc). I am starting to work on an Android game. It is going to be a 2D space shooter/RPG, and I am not going to use any game engines and any 3D party libs. I really want to create a very large game universe, or even pseudo-infinite (without visible borders, as if it were a 2D projection of a sphere). It should include 10-12 clusters of 7-8 planets/other space objects and random amount of single asteroids/comets, which player can interact with and also not interactive background. I am looking for a least complicated aproach to create such a universe. My current ideas are: Simply create bitmaps with space scenery background so that they can be tiled seamlessly repeated and construct my 2D universe of this tiles, then place interactive objects (planets, other spaceships) on it. Using vector graphics. I would have a solid color background, some random background objects and gradients here and there. My problems here: Lack of knowledge of how well vector graphics is integrated in Android. Performance? Memory usage? Does Android manage big bitmaps well? Do all of the bitmaps have to be in memory during all game process? I am interested in technical details regarding each of the ideas and a suggestion, which I should go with.

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  • Can't get Unity 3D to work in 11.10

    - by pmoseph
    I recently upgraded to 11.10 on my Lenovo ThinkPad T520, and I'm not able to load Unity 3D (I'm not selecting 2D at login menu either). me@mycomp:~$ echo $DESKTOP_SESSION ubuntu-2d I ran the unity support test below as well. me@mycomp:~$ /usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test -p Xlib: extension "GLX" missing on display ":0.0". Xlib: extension "GLX" missing on display ":0.0". Xlib: extension "GLX" missing on display ":0.0". Error: unable to create the OpenGL context And it looks like I only have one graphics card: me@mycomp:~$ lspci | grep VGA 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 09) Also, Ubuntu lists nothing under the "Additional Drivers" window. Any help would be extremely appreciated as I'm somewhat of a noob. Thanks! Edit 1: Here is the output of lshw -C display me@mycomp:~$ sudo lshw -C display *-display description: VGA compatible controller product: 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller vendor: Intel Corporation physical id: 2 bus info: pci@0000:00:02.0 version: 09 width: 64 bits clock: 33MHz capabilities: msi pm vga_controller bus_master cap_list rom configuration: driver=i915 latency=0 resources: irq:43 memory:f0000000-f03fffff memory:e0000000-efffffff ioport:5000(size=64)

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  • Old Fglrx Driver - AMD Radeon HD 3200 - ubuntu won't start

    - by Yohannes
    I've been using Ubuntu 12.04 64 bit for about 2 weeks now and I installed the latest Fglrx driver (Graphics Card- AMD HD 3200, PC- Acer Aspire 5336, 4GB RAM, 500GB Harddrive). The problem is that sometimes video's lag and play out of sync sometimes the windows take long to show up after I've clicked them etc. After looking around I found a video on Youtube by Ubuntu help guy and in the video he recommended using an older driver if you have an older graphics card, his was about 4 years old (same as mine) and he used the 11.10 catalyst driver so I decided to try it. I removed the previous installation of the driver and then installed the 11.10 driver. However, when I restarted it instead of going to the GUI it goes to a terminal like window and asks for my login. Now its pretty clear I need to remove the old driver and go back to using the latest one. The only problem is I'm not sure where I saved the latest driver and in order to connect to the Internet I need to change /etc/resolv.conf (I use a static IP). So what should I do? Also anyone from personal experience, what propitiatory driver works best with my graphics card? As in the version. Thanks

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  • Can I upgrade my ubuntu version and change to be primary OS after originally installing with Wibu?

    - by Garrick Wann
    I have recently installed Ubuntu 12.04 using Wubi 12.04 and I now wish to upgrade to a full installation of Ubuntu 14.04, Before attempting to upgrade through the update center I did some research on upgrading from a Wubi installation (alongside windows) to a full installation making Ubuntu primary and only OS and found that it is in fact doable through the update center however it is just highly recommended to perform a full backup before doing so. I have now finished backing up all the data I need to worry about and began the upgrade process through the update center and received the following error: Your graphics hardware may not be fully supported in Ubuntu 14.04. Running the 'unity' desktop environment is not fully supported by your graphics hardware. You will maybe end up in a very slow environment after the upgrade. Our advice is to keep the LTS version for now. For more information see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Bugs/UpdateManagerWarningForUnity3D Do you still want to continue with the upgrade? My questions are as follows: A. Isnt 14.04 a LTS version??? B, What are your recomendations in order to ensure my graphics driver is installed correctly and im not stuck with bad configs/install?

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  • ATI HD5450 w/ Ubuntu 14?

    - by Oliwb
    So, I'm running Ubuntu 12.04 right now. Last night I realised that I'm way behind as we're up to 14! Decided to run the updater and figured I'd take the path of least resistance (but lengthy choice) of going 12.04 - 12.10 - 13.xx - 14.xx. So I download the first packet and then get an error message about my graphics card perhaps not working in 12.10. Now part of the reason I was looking to upgrade is because I get (and have always had) this strange occasional flickering - now that I have two screens it's just on the second monitor.....oddly this is not the same port that was giving issues before). The graphics card is an ATI Radeon HD5450 and I have the Catalyst (I think it's 13 or 14) driver installed - last night. It could be that the graphics card has never worked properly...I bought the PC new and with an "upgraded" video card and it's always suffered with this flicker. I just figured that the drivers weren't right or something. So I have 3 questions: 1) is my video card broken or is the driver letting it down and causing the flicker? 2) will it be able to handle the upgrade to 14 via 13? Or should I cut my losses and get something newer? 3) if I should get something newer....what should I get ( Thanks in advance....

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  • Add to extra div to the side of the content

    - by Kreker
    Hi. I've read some post for adding extra divs to the both sides of the main content and act like a sidebars. But I want to add 2 extra div for adding some graphics and the right will be to the right of the actual sidebar. I took a screenshot for explain my self better. I've added to extra div before the pagewrap and working with css I locate the divs to left and to the right but there is a problem, if some has a resolution smaller then me the divs start moving messing up the loyout. I want that they stay near the content and the sidebar for all the resolution. I've tryed working with css with position and % but with no results. Ok so, the cyan rectangle would be the extra divs, and the gray graphics the contents of these. I don't care if the users has smaller resolutions, the graphics can go out the screen, but the "roots" must be fixed to the side of the main content ;) Hope I explained well. This is the screenshot http://cl.ly/0D2H1s0t3Y0p2A412L35/Schermata-2011-01-11-a-22.22.17.png Thanks for help

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  • Drawing a TextBox in an extended Glass Frame (C# w/o WPF)

    - by Lazlo
    I am trying to draw a TextBox on the extended glass frame of my form. I won't describe this technique, it's well-known. Here's an example for those who haven't heard of it: http://www.danielmoth.com/Blog/Vista-Glass-In-C.aspx The thing is, it is complex to draw over this glass frame. Since black is considered to be the 0-alpha color, anything black disappears. There are apparently ways of countering this problem: drawing complex GDI+ shapes are not affected by this alpha-ness. For example, this code can be used to draw a Label on glass (note: GraphicsPath is used instead of DrawString in order to get around the horrible ClearType problem): public class GlassLabel : Control { public GlassLabel() { this.BackColor = Color.Black; } protected override void OnPaint(PaintEventArgs e) { GraphicsPath font = new GraphicsPath(); font.AddString( this.Text, this.Font.FontFamily, (int)this.Font.Style, this.Font.Size, Point.Empty, StringFormat.GenericDefault); e.Graphics.SmoothingMode = SmoothingMode.HighQuality; e.Graphics.FillPath(new SolidBrush(this.ForeColor), font); } } Similarly, such an approach can be used to create a container on the glass area. Note the use of the polygons instead of the rectangle - when using the rectangle, its black parts are considered as alpha. public class GlassPanel : Panel { public GlassPanel() { this.BackColor = Color.Black; } protected override void OnPaint(PaintEventArgs e) { Point[] area = new Point[] { new Point(0, 1), new Point(1, 0), new Point(this.Width - 2, 0), new Point(this.Width - 1, 1), new Point(this.Width -1, this.Height - 2), new Point(this.Width -2, this.Height-1), new Point(1, this.Height -1), new Point(0, this.Height - 2) }; Point[] inArea = new Point[] { new Point(1, 1), new Point(this.Width - 1, 1), new Point(this.Width - 1, this.Height - 1), new Point(this.Width - 1, this.Height - 1), new Point(1, this.Height - 1) }; e.Graphics.FillPolygon(new SolidBrush(Color.FromArgb(240, 240, 240)), inArea); e.Graphics.DrawPolygon(new Pen(Color.FromArgb(55, 0, 0, 0)), area); base.OnPaint(e); } } Now my problem is: How can I draw a TextBox? After lots of Googling, I came up with the following solutions: Subclassing the TextBox's OnPaint method. This is possible, although I could not get it to work properly. It should involve painting some magic things I don't know how to do yet. Making my own custom TextBox, perhaps on a TextBoxBase. If anyone has good, valid and working examples, and thinks this could be a good overall solution, please tell me. Using BufferedPaintSetAlpha. (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms649805.aspx). The downsides of this method may be that the corners of the textbox might look odd, but I can live with that. If anyone knows how to implement that method properly from a Graphics object, please tell me. I personally don't, but this seems the best solution so far. Thanks!

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  • Android - Custom Icons in ListView

    - by Ryan
    Is there any way to place a custom icon for each group item? Like for phone I'd like to place a phone, for housing I'd like to place a house. Here is my code, but it keeps throwing a Warning and locks up on me. ListView myList = (ListView) findViewById(R.id.myList); //ExpandableListAdapter adapter = new MyExpandableListAdapter(data); List<Map<String, Object>> groupData = new ArrayList<Map<String, Object>>(); Iterator it = data.entrySet().iterator(); while (it.hasNext()) { //Get the key name and value for it Map.Entry pair = (Map.Entry)it.next(); String keyName = (String) pair.getKey(); String value = pair.getValue().toString(); //Add the parents -- aka main categories Map<String, Object> curGroupMap = new HashMap<String, Object>(); groupData.add(curGroupMap); if (value == "Phone") curGroupMap.put("ICON", findViewById(R.drawable.phone)); else if (value == "Housing") curGroupMap.put("NAME", keyName); curGroupMap.put("VALUE", value); } // Set up our adapter mAdapter = new SimpleAdapter( mContext, groupData, R.layout.exp_list_parent, new String[] { "ICON", "NAME", "VALUE" }, new int[] { R.id.iconImg, R.id.rowText1, R.id.rowText2 } ); myList.setAdapter(mAdapter); The error i'm getting: 05-28 17:36:21.738: WARN/System.err(494): java.io.IOException: Is a directory 05-28 17:36:21.809: WARN/System.err(494): at org.apache.harmony.luni.platform.OSFileSystem.readImpl(Native Method) 05-28 17:36:21.838: WARN/System.err(494): at org.apache.harmony.luni.platform.OSFileSystem.read(OSFileSystem.java:158) 05-28 17:36:21.851: WARN/System.err(494): at java.io.FileInputStream.read(FileInputStream.java:319) 05-28 17:36:21.879: WARN/System.err(494): at java.io.BufferedInputStream.fillbuf(BufferedInputStream.java:183) 05-28 17:36:21.908: WARN/System.err(494): at java.io.BufferedInputStream.read(BufferedInputStream.java:346) 05-28 17:36:21.918: WARN/System.err(494): at android.graphics.BitmapFactory.nativeDecodeStream(Native Method) 05-28 17:36:21.937: WARN/System.err(494): at android.graphics.BitmapFactory.decodeStream(BitmapFactory.java:459) 05-28 17:36:21.948: WARN/System.err(494): at android.graphics.BitmapFactory.decodeFile(BitmapFactory.java:271) 05-28 17:36:21.958: WARN/System.err(494): at android.graphics.BitmapFactory.decodeFile(BitmapFactory.java:296) 05-28 17:36:21.978: WARN/System.err(494): at android.graphics.drawable.Drawable.createFromPath(Drawable.java:801) 05-28 17:36:21.988: WARN/System.err(494): at android.widget.ImageView.resolveUri(ImageView.java:501) 05-28 17:36:21.998: WARN/System.err(494): at android.widget.ImageView.setImageURI(ImageView.java:289) Thanks in advance for your help!!

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  • Animating gradient displays line artifacts in ActionScript

    - by TheDarkIn1978
    i've programatically created a simple gradient (blue to red) sprite rect using my own basic class called GradientRect, but moving or animation the sprite exhibits line artifacts. when the sprite is rotating, it kind of resembles bad reception of an old television set. i'm almost certain the cause is because each line slice of the gradient is vector so there are gaps between the lines - this is visible when the sprite is zoomed in. var colorPickerRect:GradientRect = new GradientRect(200, 200, 0x0000FF, 0xFF0000); addChild(colorPickerRect); colorPickerRect.cacheAsBitmap = true; colorPickerRect.x = colorPickerRect.y = 100; colorPickerRect.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, rotate); function rotate(evt:Event):void { evt.target.rotation += 1; } ________________________ //CLASS PACKAGE package { import flash.display.CapsStyle; import flash.display.GradientType; import flash.display.LineScaleMode; import flash.display.Sprite; import flash.geom.Matrix; public class GradientRect extends Sprite { public function GradientRect(gradientRectWidth:Number, gradientRectHeight:Number, ...leftToRightColors) { init(gradientRectWidth, gradientRectHeight, leftToRightColors); } private function init(gradientRectWidth:Number, gradientRectHeight:Number, leftToRightColors:Array):void { var leftToRightAlphas:Array = new Array(); var leftToRightRatios:Array = new Array(); var leftToRightPartition:Number = 255 / (leftToRightColors.length - 1); var pixelColor:Number; var i:int; //Push arrays for (i = 0; i < leftToRightColors.length; i++) { leftToRightAlphas.push(1); leftToRightRatios.push(i * leftToRightPartition); } //Graphics matrix and lineStyle var leftToRightColorsMatrix:Matrix = new Matrix(); leftToRightColorsMatrix.createGradientBox(gradientRectWidth, 1); graphics.lineStyle(1, 0, 1, false, LineScaleMode.NONE, CapsStyle.NONE); for (i = 0; i < gradientRectWidth; i++) { graphics.lineGradientStyle(GradientType.LINEAR, leftToRightColors, leftToRightAlphas, leftToRightRatios, leftToRightColorsMatrix); graphics.moveTo(i, 0); graphics.lineTo(i, gradientRectHeight); } } } } how can i solve this problem?

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  • Can I get a bitmap of an arbitrary window in another application process?

    - by Chris Farmer
    I am trying to automate a third-party Win32 application where I want to capture the graphics content of a particular window at defined time intervals. I am in the early phases of this, and I'm currently trying to use the Microsoft UI Automation API via C# to do most of the interaction between my client app and the external app. I can now get the external app to do what I want it to do, but now I want to capture the graphics from a specific window that seems to be some third-party owner-drawn control. How can I do this? The window I want to capture is the one marked by the red rectangle in this image: I have an implementation that sort of works, but it's dependent on the external app's UI being on top, and that's not guaranteed for me, so I'd prefer to find something more general. var p = Process.Start("c:\myapp.exe"); var mainForm = AutomationElement.FromHandle(p.MainWindowHandle); // "workspace" below is the window whose content I want to capture. var workspace = mainForm.FindFirst(TreeScope.Descendents, new PropertyCondition(AutomationElement.ClassNameProperty, "AfxFrameOrView70u")); var rect = (Rect) workspace.GetCurrentPropertyValue(AutomationElement.BoundingRectangleProperty); using (var bmp = new Bitmap((int)rect.Width, (int)rect.Height)) { using (var g = Graphics.FromImage(bmp)) { g.CopyFromScreen((int)rect.Left, (int)rect.Top, 0, 0, new Size((int)rect.Width, (int)rect.Height)); bmp.Save(@"c:\screenshot.png", ImageFormat.Png); } } The above works well enough when the automated app is on top, but it just blindly copies the screen in the rectangle, so my code is at the mercy of whatever happens to be running on the machine and might cover my app's window. I have read some suggestions to send the WM_PRINT message to the window. This question/answer from a few months back seemed promising, but when I use this code, I just get a white rectangle with none of my control's actual contents. var prop = (int)workspace.GetCurrentPropertyValue(AutomationElement.NativeWindowHandleProperty); var hwnd = new IntPtr(prop); using ( var bmp2 = new Bitmap((int)rect.Width, (int)rect.Height)) { using (Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(bmp2)) { g.FillRectangle(SystemBrushes.Control, 0, 0, (int)rect.Width, (int)rect.Height); try { SendMessage(hwnd, WM_PRINT, g.GetHdc().ToInt32(), (int)(DrawingOptions.PRF_CHILDREN | DrawingOptions.PRF_CLIENT | DrawingOptions.PRF_OWNED)); } finally { g.ReleaseHdc(); } bmp2.Save(@"c:\screenshot.bmp"); } } So, first, is it even possible for me to reliably save a bitmap of a window's contents? If so, what is the best way, and what is wrong with my WM_PRINT with SendMessage attempt?

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  • Core Data deleteObject: sets attributes to nil

    - by SG1
    I am implementing an undo/redo mechanism in my app. This works fine for lots of cases. However, I can't undo past deleteObject:. the object is correctly saved in the undo queue, and I get it back and reinsterted into the Core Data stack just fine when calling undo. The problem is that all it's attributes are getting set to nil when I delete it. I have an entity "Canvas" with a to-many relationship called "graphics" to a "Graphic" entity, which has its inverse set to "canvas". Deleting a Graphic, then inserting it back, doesn't work. Here's the code (the redo method is basically the same): - (void)deleteGraphic:(id)aGraphic { //NSLog(@"undo drawing"); //Prepare the undo/redo [self.undoManager beginUndoGrouping]; [self.undoManager setActionName:@"Delete Graphic"]; [[self.detailItem valueForKey:@"graphics"] removeObject:aGraphic]; [[self managedObjectContext] deleteObject:aGraphic]; //End undo/redo [self.undoManager registerUndoWithTarget:self selector:@selector(insertGraphic:) object:aGraphic]; [self.undoManager endUndoGrouping]; NSLog(@"graphics are %@", [self sortedGraphics]); //Update drawing [self.quartzView setNeedsDisplay]; } and here's the wierdness: Before delete: graphics are ( <NSManagedObject: 0x1cc3f0> (entity: Graphic; id: 0x1c05f0 <x-coredata:///Graphic/t840FE8AD-F2E7-4214-822F-7994FF93D4754> ; data: { canvas = 0x162b70 <x-coredata://A919979E-75AD-474D-9561-E0E8F3388718/Canvas/p20>; content = <62706c69 73743030 d4010203 04050609 0a582476 65727369 6f6e5424 746f7059 24617263 68697665 7258246f 626a6563 7473>; frameRect = nil; label = nil; order = 1; path = "(...not nil..)"; traits = "(...not nil..)"; type = Path; }) After redo: graphics are ( <NSManagedObject: 0x1cc3f0> (entity: Graphic; id: 0x1c05f0 <x-coredata:///Graphic/t840FE8AD-F2E7-4214-822F-7994FF93D4754> ; data: { canvas = nil; content = nil; frameRect = nil; label = nil; order = 0; path = nil; traits = nil; type = nil; }), You can see it's the same object, just totally bleached by Core Data. The relationship delete rouls apparently have nothing to do with it as I've set them to "No Action" in a test.

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  • What You Need to Know About Windows 8.1

    - by Chris Hoffman
    Windows 8.1 is available to everyone starting today, October 19. The latest version of Windows improves on Windows 8 in every way. It’s a big upgrade, whether you use the desktop or new touch-optimized interface. The latest version of Windows has been dubbed “an apology” by some — it’s definitely more at home on a desktop PC than Windows 8 was. However, it also offers a more fleshed out and mature tablet experience. How to Get Windows 8.1 For Windows 8 users, Windows 8.1 is completely free. It will be available as a download from the Windows Store — that’s the “Store” app in the Modern, tiled interface. Assuming upgrading to the final version will be just like upgrading to the preview version, you’ll likely see a “Get Windows 8.1″ pop-up that will take you to the Windows Store and guide you through the download process. You’ll also be able to download ISO images of Windows 8.1, so can perform a clean install to upgrade. On any new computer, you can just install Windows 8.1 without going through Windows 8. New computers will start to ship with Windows 8.1 and boxed copies of Windows 8 will be replaced by boxed copies of Windows 8.1. If you’re using Windows 7 or a previous version of Windows, the update won’t be free. Getting Windows 8.1 will cost you the same amount as a full copy of Windows 8 — $120 for the standard version. If you’re an average Windows 7 user, you’re likely better off waiting until you buy a new PC with Windows 8.1 included rather than spend this amount of money to upgrade. Improvements for Desktop Users Some have dubbed Windows 8.1 “an apology” from Microsoft, although you certainly won’t see Microsoft referring to it this way. Either way, Steven Sinofsky, who presided over Windows 8′s development, left the company shortly after Windows 8 was released. Coincidentally, Windows 8.1 contains many features that Steven Sinofsky and Microsoft refused to implement. Windows 8.1 offers the following big improvements for desktop users: Boot to Desktop: You can now log in directly to the desktop, skipping the tiled interface entirely. Disable Top-Left and Top-Right Hot Corners: The app switcher and charms bar won’t appear when you move your mouse to the top-left or top-right corners of the screen if you enable this option. No more intrusions into the desktop. The Start Button Returns: Windows 8.1 brings back an always-present Start button on the desktop taskbar, dramatically improving discoverability for new Windows 8 users and providing a bigger mouse target for remote desktops and virtual machines. Crucially, the Start menu isn’t back — clicking this button will open the full-screen Modern interface. Start menu replacements will continue to function on Windows 8.1, offering more traditional Start menus. Show All Apps By Default: Luckily, you can hide the Start screen and its tiles almost entirely. Windows 8.1 can be configured to show a full-screen list of all your installed apps when you click the Start button, with desktop apps prioritized. The only real difference is that the Start menu is now a full-screen interface. Shut Down or Restart From Start Button: You can now right-click the Start button to access Shut down, Restart, and other power options in just as many clicks as you could on Windows 7. Shared Start Screen and Desktop Backgrounds; Windows 8 limited you to just a few Steven Sinofsky-approved background images for your Start screen, but Windows 8.1 allows you to use your desktop background on the Start screen. This can make the transition between the Start screen and desktop much less jarring. The tiles or shortcuts appear to be floating above the desktop rather than off in their own separate universe. Unified Search: Unified search is back, so you can start typing and search your programs, settings, and files all at once — no more awkwardly clicking between different categories when trying to open a Control Panel screen or search for a file. These all add up to a big improvement when using Windows 8.1 on the desktop. Microsoft is being much more flexible — the Start menu is full screen, but Microsoft has relented on so many other things and you’d never have to see a tile if you didn’t want to. For more information, read our guide to optimizing Windows 8.1 for a desktop PC. These are just the improvements specifically for desktop users. Windows 8.1 includes other useful features for everyone, such as deep SkyDrive integration that allows you to store your files in the cloud without installing any additional sync programs. Improvements for Touch Users If you have a Windows 8 or Windows RT tablet or another touch-based device you use the interface formerly known as Metro on, you’ll see many other noticeable improvements. Windows 8′s new interface was half-baked when it launched, but it’s now much more capable and mature. App Updates: Windows 8′s included apps were extremely limited in many cases. For example, Internet Explorer 10 could only display ten tabs at a time and the Mail app was a barren experience devoid of features. In Windows 8.1, some apps — like Xbox Music — have been redesigned from scratch, Internet Explorer allows you to display a tab bar on-screen all the time, while apps like Mail have accumulated quite a few useful features. The Windows Store app has been entirely redesigned and is less awkward to browse. Snap Improvements: Windows 8′s Snap feature was a toy, allowing you to snap one app to a small sidebar at one side of your screen while another app consumed most of your screen. Windows 8.1 allows you to snap two apps side-by-side, seeing each app’s full interface at once. On larger displays, you can even snap three or four apps at once. Windows 8′s ability to use multiple apps at once on a tablet is compelling and unmatched by iPads and Android tablets. You can also snap two of the same apps side-by-side — to view two web pages at once, for example. More Comprehensive PC Settings: Windows 8.1 offers a more comprehensive PC settings app, allowing you to change most system settings in a touch-optimized interface. You shouldn’t have to use the desktop Control Panel on a tablet anymore — or at least not as often. Touch-Optimized File Browsing: Microsoft’s SkyDrive app allows you to browse files on your local PC, finally offering a built-in, touch-optimized way to manage files without using the desktop. Help & Tips: Windows 8.1 includes a Help+Tips app that will help guide new users through its new interface, something Microsoft stubbornly refused to add during development. There’s still no “Modern” version of Microsoft Office apps (aside from OneNote), so you’ll still have to head to use desktop Office apps on tablets. It’s not perfect, but the Modern interface doesn’t feel anywhere near as immature anymore. Read our in-depth look at the ways Microsoft’s Modern interface, formerly known as Metro, is improved in Windows 8.1 for more information. In summary, Windows 8.1 is what Windows 8 should have been. All of these improvements are on top of the many great desktop features, security improvements, and all-around battery life and performance optimizations that appeared in Windows 8. If you’re still using Windows 7 and are happy with it, there’s probably no reason to race out and buy a copy of Windows 8.1 at the rather high price of $120. But, if you’re using Windows 8, it’s a big upgrade no matter what you’re doing. If you buy a new PC and it comes with Windows 8.1, you’re getting a much more flexible and comfortable experience. If you’re holding off on buying a new computer because you don’t want Windows 8, give Windows 8.1 a try — yes, it’s different, but Microsoft has compromised on the desktop while making a lot of improvements to the new interface. You just might find that Windows 8.1 is now a worthwhile upgrade, even if you only want to use the desktop.     

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  • The HTG Guide to Using a Bluetooth Keyboard with Your Android Device

    - by Matt Klein
    Android devices aren’t usually associated with physical keyboards. But, since Google is now bundling their QuickOffice app with the newly-released Kit-Kat, it appears inevitable that at least some Android tablets (particularly 10-inch models) will take on more productivity roles. In recent years, physical keyboards have been rendered obsolete by swipe style input methods such as Swype and Google Keyboard. Physical keyboards tend to make phones thick and plump, and that won’t fly today when thin (and even flexible and curved) is in vogue. So, you’ll be hard-pressed to find smartphone manufacturers launching new models with physical keyboards, thus rendering sliders to a past chapter in mobile phone evolution. It makes sense to ditch the clunky keyboard phone in favor of a lighter, thinner model. You’re going to carry around in your pocket or purse all day, why have that extra bulk and weight? That said, there is sound logic behind pairing tablets with keyboards. Microsoft continues to plod forward with its Surface models, and while critics continue to lavish praise on the iPad, its functionality is obviously enhanced and extended when you add a physical keyboard. Apple even has an entire page devoted specifically to iPad-compatible keyboards. But an Android tablet and a keyboard? Does such a thing even exist? They do actually. There are docking keyboards and keyboard/case combinations, there’s the Asus Transformer family, Logitech markets a Windows 8 keyboard that speaks “Android”, and these are just to name a few. So we know that keyboard products that are designed to work with Android exist, but what about an everyday Bluetooth keyboard you might use with Windows or OS X? How-To Geek wanted look at how viable it is to use such a keyboard with Android. We conducted some research and examined some lists of Android keyboard shortcuts. Most of what we found was long outdated. Many of the shortcuts don’t even apply anymore, while others just didn’t work. Regardless, after a little experimentation and a dash of customization, it turns out using a keyboard with Android is kind of fun, and who knows, maybe it will catch on. Setting things up Setting up a Bluetooth keyboard with Android is very easy. First, you’ll need a Bluetooth keyboard and of course an Android device, preferably running version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) or higher. For our test, we paired a second-generation Google Nexus 7 running Android 4.3 with a Samsung Series 7 keyboard. In Android, enable Bluetooth if it isn’t already on. We’d like to note that if you don’t normally use Bluetooth accessories and peripherals with your Android device (or any device really), it’s best practice to leave Bluetooth off because, like GPS, it drains the device’s battery more quickly. To enable Bluetooth, simply go to “Settings” -> “Bluetooth” and tap the slider button to “On”. To set up the keyboard, make sure it is on and then tap “Bluetooth” in the Android settings. On the resulting screen, your Android device should automatically search for and hopefully find your keyboard. If you don’t get it right the first time, simply turn the keyboard on again and then tap “Search for Devices” to try again. If it still doesn’t work, make sure you have fresh batteries and the keyboard isn’t paired to another device. If it is, you will need to unpair it before it will work with your Android device (consult your keyboard manufacturer’s documentation or Google if you don’t know how to do this). When Android finds your keyboard, select it under “Available Devices” … … and you should be prompted to type in a code: If successful, you will see that device is now “Connected” and you’re ready to go. If you want to test things out, try pressing the “Windows” key (“Apple” or “Command”) + ESC, and you will be whisked to your Home screen. So, what can you do? Traditional Mac and Windows users know there’s usually a keyboard shortcut for just about everything (and if there isn’t, there’s all kinds of ways to remap keys to do a variety of commands, tasks, and functions). So where does Android fall in terms of baked-in keyboard commands? There answer to that is kind of enough, but not too much. There are definitely established combos you can use to get around, but they aren’t clear and there doesn’t appear to be any one authority on what they are. Still, there is enough keyboard functionality in Android to make it a viable option, if only for those times when you need to get something done (long e-mail or important document) and an on-screen keyboard simply won’t do. It’s important to remember that Android is, and likely always will be a touch-first interface. That said, it does make some concessions to physical keyboards. In other words, you can get around Android fairly well without having to lift your hands off the keys, but you will still have to tap the screen regularly, unless you add a mouse. For example, you can wake your device by tapping a key rather than pressing its power button. However, if your device is slide or pattern-locked, then you’ll have to use the touchscreen to unlock it – a password or PIN however, works seamlessly with a keyboard – other things like widgets and app controls and features, have to be tapped. You get the idea. Keyboard shortcuts and navigation As we said, baked-in keyboard shortcut combos aren’t necessarily abundant nor apparent. The one thing you can always do is search. Any time you want to Google something, start typing from the Home screen and the search screen will automatically open and begin displaying results. Other than that, here is what we were able to figure out: ESC = go back CTRL + ESC = menu CTRL + ALT + DEL = restart (no questions asked) ALT + SPACE = search page (say “OK Google” to voice search) ALT + TAB (ALT + SHIFT + TAB) = switch tasks Also, if you have designated volume function keys, those will probably work too. There’s also some dedicated app shortcuts like calculator, Gmail, and a few others: CMD + A = calculator CMD + C = contacts CMD + E = e-mail CMD + G = Gmail CMD + L = Calendar CMD + P = Play Music CMD + Y = YouTube Overall, it’s not a long comprehensive list and there’s no dedicated keyboard combos for the full array of Google’s products. Granted, it’s hard to imagine getting a lot of mileage out of a keyboard with Maps but with something like Keep, you could type out long, detailed lists on your tablet, and then view them on your smartphone when you go out shopping. You can also use the arrow keys to navigate your Home screen over shortcuts and open the app drawer. When something on the screen is selected, it will be highlighted in blue. Press “Enter” to open your selection. Additionally, if an app has its own set of shortcuts, e.g. Gmail has quite a few unique shortcuts to it, as does Chrome, some – though not many – will work in Android (not for YouTube though). Also, many “universal” shortcuts such as Copy (CTRL + C), Cut (CTRL + X), Paste (CTRL + V), and Select All (CTRL + A) work where needed – such as in instant messaging, e-mail, social media apps, etc. Creating custom application shortcuts What about custom shortcuts? When we were researching this article, we were under the impression that it was possible to assign keyboard combinations to specific apps, such as you could do on older Android versions such as Gingerbread. This no long seems to be the case and nowhere in “Settings” could we find a way to assign hotkey combos to any of our favorite, oft-used apps or functions. If you do want custom keyboard shortcuts, what can you do? Luckily, there’s an app on Google Play that allows you to, among other things, create custom app shortcuts. It is called External Keyboard Helper (EKH) and while there is a free demo version, the pay version is only a few bucks. We decided to give EKH a whirl and through a little experimentation and finally reading the developer’s how-to, we found we could map custom keyboard combos to just about anything. To do this, first open the application and you’ll see the main app screen. Don’t worry about choosing a custom layout or anything like that, you want to go straight to the “Advanced settings”: In the “Advanced settings” select “Application shortcuts” to continue: You can have up to 16 custom application shortcuts. We are going to create a custom shortcut to the Facebook app. We choose “A0”, and from the resulting list, Facebook. You can do this for any number of apps, services, and settings. As you can now see, the Facebook app has now been linked to application-zero (A0): Go back to the “Advanced settings” and choose “Customize keyboard mappings”: You will be prompted to create a custom keyboard layout so we choose “Custom 1”: When you choose to create a custom layout, you can do a great many more things with your keyboard. For example, many keyboards have predefined function (Fn) keys, which you can map to your tablet’s brightness controls, toggle WiFi on/off, and much more. A word of advice, the application automatically remaps certain keys when you create a custom layout. This might mess up some existing keyboard combos. If you simply want to add some functionality to your keyboard, you can go ahead and delete EKH’s default changes and start your custom layout from scratch. To create a new combo, select “Add new key mapping”: For our new shortcut, we are going to assign the Facebook app to open when we key in “ALT + F”. To do this, we press the “F” key while in the “Scancode” field and we see it returns a value of “33”. If we wanted to use a different key, we can press “Change” and scan another key’s numerical value. We now want to assign the “ALT” key to application “A0”, previously designated as the Facebook app. In the “AltGr” field, we enter “A0” and then “Save” our custom combo. And now we see our new application shortcut. Now, as long as we’re using our custom layout, every time we press “ALT + F”, the Facebook app will launch: External Keyboard Helper extends far beyond simple application shortcuts and if you are looking for deeper keyboard customization options, you should definitely check it out. Among other things, EKH also supports dozens of languages, allows you to quickly switch between layouts using a key or combo, add up to 16 custom text shortcuts, and much more! It can be had on Google Play for $2.53 for the full version, but you can try the demo version for free. More extensive documentation on how to use the app is also available. Android? Keyboard? Sure, why not? Unlike traditional desktop operating systems, you don’t need a physical keyboard and mouse to use a mobile operating system. You can buy an iPad or Nexus 10 or Galaxy Note, and never need another accessory or peripheral – they work as intended right out of the box. It’s even possible you can write the next great American novel on one these devices, though that might require a lot of practice and patience. That said, using a keyboard with Android is kind of fun. It’s not revelatory but it does elevate the experience. You don’t even need to add customizations (though they are nice) because there are enough existing keyboard shortcuts in Android to make it usable. Plus, when it comes to inputting text such as in an editor or terminal application, we fully advocate big, physical keyboards. Bottom line, if you’re looking for a way to enhance your Android tablet, give a keyboard a chance. Do you use your Android device for productivity? Is a physical keyboard an important part of your setup? Do you have any shortcuts that we missed? Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think.     

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  • A BYOD World in Mobile Enterprise Brings the Need to Adapt

    - by Webgui
    Yesterday brought a lot of news coverage that Cisco has stopped funding and planning its Cius enterprise-grade tablet.  Citing “market transitions” in which an increasing number of people b ring their own smartphones and tablets to work, Cisco General Manager OJ Winge said in a post on the company's official blog that “Cisco will no longer invest in the Cisco Cius tablet form factor, and no further enhancements will be made to the current Cius endpoint beyond what’s available today.”  Employees are “bringing their preferences to work” and collaboration “has to happen beyond a walled garden,” he said.The blog post also cited a recently released Cisco study which found that 95% of organizations surveyed allow employee-owned devices in some way, shape or form in the office, and, 36% of surveyed enterprises provide full support for employee-owned devices.   How is Cisco planning to move forward to adapt to this changing business environment?  Instead of focusing on tablets for enterprise customers, Cisco will instead "double down" on software that works across a variety of operating systems and smart phones and tablets, Winge said.See the post from the Cisco blog here - http://blogs.cisco.com/collaboration/empowering-choice-in-collaboration/ We at Gizmox recognize this need to adapt to the changing environment.  Our Enterprise Mobile solution is designed and built for that post-PC, BYOD business world.  We recognized the importance of providing a cross-platform solution that can easily target different devices and operating systems. We went with a web-based mobile application approach in order to achieve that and we decided to go with the new open web standard - HTML5.Our solution however provides both client and the server side programming and its uniqueness is that it allows those cross-platform HTML5 mobile applications while developing within Visual Studio using classic visual form based development. As a result, .NET developers can build secure, efficient, data-centric enterprise mobile application for cross platform mobile devices with their existing skills and tools.  See our new video about our EnterpriseMobile solution Enterprise applications today need to work on all devices, across different platforms and OS’s.  It’s just a fact of life.  How about you – do you bring your own device to work?  What’s your company’s BYOD policy?

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  • Add a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to the Microsoft Robocopy Command Line Tool

    - by Lori Kaufman
    Robocopy, or “Robust File Copy,” is a command line directory replication tool from Microsoft. It is available as part of Windows 7 and Vista as a standard feature, and was available as part of the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit. NOTE: For Windows XP, you can obtain Robocopy by downloading the resource kit. Robocopy allows you to setup simple or advanced backup strategies. It provides such features as multi-threaded copying, mirroring or synchronization mode, automatic retry, and the ability to resume the copying process. If you are comfortable with using command line tools, you can run Robocopy directly on the command line using the command syntax and options. You can also download the command line reference and usage notes for Robocopy as a PDF file. If you are more comfortable using a graphical user interface, or GUI, rather than the command line, there are a couple of options for adding a GUI to the Robocopy command line tool, making it easier to use. Both tools, RoboMirror and RichCopy, are discussed below and links to download each tool are provided. How to Factory Reset Your Android Phone or Tablet When It Won’t Boot Our Geek Trivia App for Windows 8 is Now Available Everywhere How To Boot Your Android Phone or Tablet Into Safe Mode

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  • The Earth at Night [Video]

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    This fresh video from NASA provides the clearest view of the Earth at night ever seen, thanks to the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership Satellite. Check out the video and accompanying pics to see the stunning views. In daylight our big blue marble is all land, oceans and clouds. But the night – is electric. This view of Earth at night is a cloud-free view from space as acquired by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership Satellite (Suomi NPP). A joint program by NASA and NOAA, Suomi NPP captured this nighttime image by the satellite’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The day-night band on VIIRS detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe signals such as city lights, gas flares, and wildfires. This new image is a composite of data acquired over nine days in April and thirteen days in October 2012. It took 312 satellite orbits and 2.5 terabytes of data to get a clear shot of every parcel of land surface. This video uses the Earth at night view created by NASA’s Earth Observatory with data processed by NOAA’s National Geophysical Data Center and combined with a version of the Earth Observatory’s Blue Marble: Next Generation. Hit up the link below for the full NASA press release, including more videos and photos. How to Factory Reset Your Android Phone or Tablet When It Won’t Boot Our Geek Trivia App for Windows 8 is Now Available Everywhere How To Boot Your Android Phone or Tablet Into Safe Mode

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  • Windows 7 randomly installs an "Unknown Device" successfully

    - by Amazed
    Rarely (several days to weeks between occurrences,) and seemingly at random, I get a balloon notification from Windows 7 (x64 SP1 Home Premium) that it is installing hardware for me. Whatever is being installed does so without error. However, no new hardware has been installed or plugged in! When I click the balloon it doesn't give me any useful information: Looking in the event log, I find this entry: Event ID: 20001 Source: UserPnp Task Category: 7005 Message: Driver Management concluded the process to install driver FileRepository\usb.inf_amd64_neutral_153b489118ee37b8\usb.inf for Device Instance ID USB\VID_0000&PID_0000\6&3AF9A177&0&0060&&02 with the following status: 0x0. It appears to be USB related. My motherboard has both USB 2.0 and 3.0 controllers. My keyboard and mouse are plugged into the 2.0 slots and the data/recharge cable for a tablet (but not the tablet itself) was plugged in to the 3.0 slot. No other USB devices have been attached for several days/reboots. Why is Windows doing this?

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