The Rainmeter window message API can be used to query or control Rainmeter from external applications. The examples are for C++ and AutoIt, but similar functionality is available from any programming platform that can send window messages to running applications.
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The Rainmeter window message API can be used to query or control Rainmeter from external applications. Documentation for the available queriese, as well as their definitions, can be found here.
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The examples are for C++ and AutoIt, but similar functionality is available from any programming platform that can send window messages to running applications.
Query
The following sample demonstrates how to retrieve a running skin's window handle based on the skin config name. Note that the returned handle should only be used to check if the skin is active or not -- do not abuse the handle.
Bangs can also be used from the Windows command line as a parameter to the Rainmeter.exe executable. Example: "C:\Program Files\Rainmeter\Rainmeter.exe" !RefreshApp.
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Note: Many bangs have a Config parameter. Unless otherwise specified, valid values are the config name of a currently loaded skin to be acted upon or * (asterisk) to act on all currently loaded skins. When optional and not supplied, the parameter defaults to the current config. If executing a bang with a "config" parameter from the Windows command line, the parameter is always required.
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Command Line Arguments
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Bangs can also be used from the Windows command line as a parameter to the Rainmeter.exe executable. Examples:
Note: Any variable of any kind, including Built-In Variables, are not executed when calling Rainmeter from the command line. Likewise, the Config parameter is always required in places where it is treated as optional.
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Operating System bangs
!SetClip Parameter: String
@@ -97,7 +106,9 @@
Application bangs
!Quit
- Quits Rainmeter.
+ Quits Rainmeter.
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+ Note: This becomes the only bang that can be executed from the command line when Game Mode and Unload all skins is turned on.
Play Parameter: SoundFile
@@ -158,9 +169,11 @@
Option and Variable bangs
Section (required): If the section does not exist in the file, a new section will be written at the end of the file.
Key (required): If the key does not exist under the section, a new key will be written at the end of the section.
Value (required): Value to be written. Any previous value will be overwritten.
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FilePath (optional): If not specified, the current skin file is used. The file must exist and must be located under either #SKINSPATH# or #SETTINGSPATH#.
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FilePath (optional*): If not specified, the current skin file is used. The file must exist and must be located under either #SKINSPATH# or #SETTINGSPATH#.
* Note: This option is required when executing the bang from the command line.
@@ -914,7 +927,7 @@
Skin group bangs
Deprecated bangs
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!Execute
The !Execute bang, used both to indicate multiple bangs in one statement and to execute external applications has been made optional. Do not use it in new skins.
diff --git a/source/manual/getting-started/customizing.html b/source/manual/getting-started/customizing.html
index 5b2afe120..e2be89680 100644
--- a/source/manual/getting-started/customizing.html
+++ b/source/manual/getting-started/customizing.html
@@ -15,9 +15,14 @@
DeviantArt
- Probably the biggest and best collection of skins, deviantArt not only has a special Rainmeter category, but also a dedicated Rainmeter Group, which is run by members of the community and features a curated stream of skins, screenshots, tutorials, interviews and more. All skins on deviantArt are checked for malware before they are accepted by the group.
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Lifehacker
- Not only is the Lifehacker community full of Rainmeter users, but Lifehacker's editors frequently post featured desktops and how-to guides for popular skins under the Rainmeter tag. Be sure to browse the Lifehacker Desktop Show & Tell pool on Flickr, as well.
+ Probably the biggest and best collection of skins, deviantArt not only has a special Rainmeter category, but also a dedicated Rainmeter Group, which is run by members of the community and features a curated stream of skins, screenshots, tutorials, interviews and more. All skins on deviantArt are checked for malware before they are accepted by the group. Note: An account is needed to download skins.
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Rainmeter is not available for non-Windows systems, including Mac OS and Linux, and there are no plans to support these operating systems.
Download
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Start by downloading the Rainmeter installer from Rainmeter.net.
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Start by downloading the Rainmeter installer from Rainmeter.net.
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Install
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Installing Rainmeter is mostly automatic.
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Install
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To install Rainmeter, run the installer program that you downloaded, and follow the instructions. (See Installing Rainmeter if you need more detailed instructions, including steps for installing Rainmeter as a portable application.)
Rainmeter will run automatically after it has been installed.
Identity of the network interface controller (NIC) to measure.
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Identity of the Network Interface Controller (NIC) to measure.
This can be defined in one of several ways:
The string value Best, which will automatically detect the active interface.
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Options
Notes:
When the option is set to Best, the function will select a "wired" network connection in preference to a "wireless" one, if both are active.
When the option is set to Best, DynamicVariables=1 must be set on the measure if you want it to automatically react to changes in the active interface. This should be done if for instance you have a laptop or other computer that you switch between wired and wireless connections.
SetRepeat n: Where n is 1 (repeat on), 0 (repeat off), or -1 (toggle repeat).
SetVolume n: Where n is either an absolute value (SetVolume 50 to set volume to 50%) or a relative value (SetVolume +20 to increase volume by 20% orSetVolume -40 to decrease volume by 40%).
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Note: On partially supported players, as well as players not listed here, the MediaKey measure can be used to substitute some of the bangs listed above.
Fully supported players
The following players are fully supported. All features should work unless stated otherwise.
An additional selector option that can be used to define an instance for some SysInfoType values.
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Network Interface Controller
For SysInfoType values related to network information, this will identify the network interface controller (NIC) to use.
This can be defined in one of several ways:
The string value Best, which will automatically detect the active interface. If not specified, this is the default.
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The description (name) of the network interface controller. For example, Qualcomm Wireless Network Adapter.
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The name of the network interface controller. For example, Qualcomm AR938x Wireless Network Adapter.
The alias of the network interface. For example, Ethernet or Wi-Fi 3.
The index number of the network interface controller. This number can be found by starting Rainmeter with Debug turned on, but be aware that these numbers can change during normal usage of Windows.
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Example: SysInfoData=Best
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Note: When the option is set to Best, the function will select a "wired" network connection in preference to a "wireless" one, if both are active.
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When the option is set to Best, DynamicVariables=1 must be set on the measure if you want it to automatically react to changes in the active interface. This should be done if for instance you have a laptop or other computer that you switch between wired and wireless connections, or if you change your connection using a VPN.
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Notes:
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When the option is set to Best, the function will select a "wired" network connection in preference to a "wireless" one, if both are active.
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When the option is set to Best, DynamicVariables=1 must be set on the measure if you want it to automatically react to changes in the active interface. This should be done if for instance you have a laptop or other computer that you switch between wired and wireless connections.
Options available for use with all images. These options are to modify the display of an image file, and do not work with square/rectangle Image meters created entirely with SolidColor / SolidColor2, or with any shape created by a Shape meter.
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Note: Valid image file types in Rainmeter are .png, .jpg, .bmp, .gif, .tif and .ico. If no extension is provided on an image file name, .png is assumed.
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Note:Supported image formats are .png, .jpg, .bmp, .gif (no animation supported), .tif, .webP and .ico. If no file extension is included, .png is assumed.
Meter=Image displays either an image defined by a measure value, or any named image. If W and/or H are included in the meter options, the image will be scaled to fit the meter size.
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Supported image formats are .png, .jpg, .bmp, .gif (no animation supported), .tif, .webP, and .ico.
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Note: If no file extension is included, .png is assumed.
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Note:Supported image formats are .png, .jpg, .bmp, .gif (no animation supported), .tif, .webP and .ico. If no file extension is included, .png is assumed.
External Windows commands can be executed by specifying the path to the executable and any parameters. Enclose the command in square brackets [], and enclose any values with spaces in quotes.
``` ini
diff --git a/source/manual/user-interface/context-menus.html b/source/manual/user-interface/context-menus.html
index 096ac8772..c76d8c2db 100644
--- a/source/manual/user-interface/context-menus.html
+++ b/source/manual/user-interface/context-menus.html
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
Skin context menus
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___________
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Note for skin authors: Custom skin context menu items can be added using Context options in a skin. Details and examples here.
Skin settings submenu
diff --git a/source/tips/finding-your-network-interface-for-sysInfo-and-net.html b/source/tips/finding-your-network-interface-for-sysInfo-and-net.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8ab49e5f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/tips/finding-your-network-interface-for-sysInfo-and-net.html
@@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
+layout: docs
+permalink: tips/finding-your-network-interface-for-sysInfo-and-net/
+title: 'Finding your Network Interface for SysInfo and Net'
+---
+
Tip by JSMorley
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As of Rainmeter 4.5, Rainmeter has changed how the SysInfo measure network options and Net (NetIn/NetOut/NetTotal) measures find the correct network interface / adapter to measure. This was done to make things more logical and consistent between the SysInfo and Net functionality, consolidate some internal coding for network functions, and increase efficiency of the code.
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If you simply want to measure information about the currently active network interface on your system, it's very simple:
The option value of "Best" will detect and measure the currently active interface. For almost all cases, this is what you want.
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Note: There are cases where the meaning of "Best" can change while the skin is running. Most commonly this will be if you have a system, like a laptop, that has both wired (Ethernet) and wireless (WiFi) connections, and you switch between them. Another common case is if you have VPN software, that creates a "tunnel adapter" when running. In order to have your skin react to these changes, you must set DynamicVariables=1 on the measures.
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Setting DynamicVariables=1 on the measures is recommended if you intend to "distribute" your skin, as while you might only have one network adapter, this may not be true of all your end-users.
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Note that "Best" is now the default for both SysInfo and Net measures.
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If you have two or more network interfaces that can be active at once:
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In this case you are going to want to create separate SysInfo and / or Net measures to measure each of the interfaces. You certainly are going to want to at least be specific about which interface to measure. The recommended way to do this is to use the name (Description) of the actual network adapter in the measures.
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There are many ways in Windows to find the Description of the network adapters, two ways are:
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Turn on Debug mode and Log to file in the Settings panel in Rainmeter, and restart the application.
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The information about all your network interfaces will be in the log that is created. Be sure to turn both of these off when you are done with them.
Using the network interface / adapter "index" number:
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There is an interface index number that is created by Windows for each of your network interfaces. You can use this index number in the options for SysInfo and / or Net measures, but caution! These numbers are pretty dynamic in Windows and can change if you enable/disable networks. There is just no certainty that these numbers will remain constant over time.
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Getting these numbers is the same as getting the name (Description) shown above, just use the number found as IfIndex in the Rainmeter log, or InterfaceIndex in the PowerShell output.
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A backwards compatibility concern:
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As originally written, the Net (NetIn/NetOut/NetTotal) measures will see an explicit index value of "0" as meaning "all". For systems with only one active interface, this sorta works well enough, and there may be skins out there that have Interface=0 or SysInfoData=0 on them. Those skins should be changed going forward. In most cases, it is recommended that they be changed to Interface=Best and SysInfoData=Best. If you have SysInfoData=0 on any measure, Rainmeter is going to automatically change it to "Best", but will bark at you in the log...
diff --git a/source/tips/img/notepad-alternatives/VSCode.png b/source/tips/img/notepad-alternatives/VSCode.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..24bcf4ce0
Binary files /dev/null and b/source/tips/img/notepad-alternatives/VSCode.png differ
diff --git a/source/tips/index.html b/source/tips/index.html
index 0f41650ba..2c9a11ca7 100644
--- a/source/tips/index.html
+++ b/source/tips/index.html
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
diff --git a/source/tips/launching-windows-special-folders.html b/source/tips/launching-windows-special-folders.html
index e3a841f23..6ed2b4d4f 100644
--- a/source/tips/launching-windows-special-folders.html
+++ b/source/tips/launching-windows-special-folders.html
@@ -3,8 +3,9 @@
permalink: tips/launching-windows-special-folders/
title: 'Launching Windows Special Folders'
---
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Tip by kenz0 and JSMorley
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Tip by kenz0, JSMorley and the community
Windows has many "special folders" like "My Computer" and "Recycle Bin" that are not part of the normal folder system you can specify with a "path" on an action in Rainmeter, or launch differently then they appear in Explorer.
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Windows Shell: commands
These folders can be accessed by using the Windows Shell: command and the CLSID identifier codes that Windows assigns to these folders in the Windows Registry. If you know the codes, you can launch these with ease.
Another way to access certain special Windows folders and functions is by knowing and using some commands Windows supports:
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General Shortcut Commands:
My Computer with C drive selected
explorer.exe /select,c
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``` ini
LeftMouseUpAction=[shell:Desktop]
```
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If a space is included, you need to enclose with double quotes. e.g. ["shell:Start Menu"]
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If a space is included, you need to enclose with double quotes. e.g. ["shell:Start Menu"]
You can send multiple commands simultaneously by surrounding each command in brackets.
``` ini
LeftMouseUpAction=[shell:Desktop][shell:SendTo]["shell:Start Menu"]
```
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Windows UWP Apps Commands
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Launching UWP "apps"
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Note: These commands exist only from Windows 8 onwards.
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Since Windows 8, Microsoft introduced a new software enviourment known as UWP (formerly known as Metro-style apps). These can be run using the Shell:AppsFolder command, along with special parameters.
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The command should take the form of Shell:AppsFolder\FolderName!ShortCutName.
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The necesary info for lunching an app are:
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The Folder name
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Found by opening the "C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Packages" folder
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The Shortcut name
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Found by opening the Shell:AppsFolder folder (to get there, put that path into Windows Run), creating a Desktop shortcut of the app you want and inspecting its proprieties.
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Note: The majority of the time, the Shortcut name will be App, there are exceptions however, like for the Calendar app.
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So, to get the necesary info you will have to:
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Open the folder "C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Packages"
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Find the application you want, and copy that "folder"'s name.
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Inside the folder, copy the name of the "shortcut" (usually "App" with applications included with Windows)
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Put the two on a shell command of Shell:AppsFolder\FolderName!ShortCutName
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An example for the Camera app would be:
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The folder name is "Microsoft.WindowsCamera_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
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The shortcut name inside the folder is "App"
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+``` ini
+LeftMouseUpAction=["Shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsCamera_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App"]
+```
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Lunching Windows Settings app
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To launch the Settings app and tabs within it, use the ms-settings: URI scheme. All the URIs can be found here.
+``` ini
+LeftMouseUpAction=[ms-settings:]
+LeftMouseUpAction=[ms-settings:bluetooth]
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/source/tips/notepad-alternatives.html b/source/tips/notepad-alternatives.html
index f421e5e6a..d23e70dd0 100644
--- a/source/tips/notepad-alternatives.html
+++ b/source/tips/notepad-alternatives.html
@@ -44,6 +44,19 @@
Sublime Text
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Visual Studio Code
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Visual Studio Code, commonly referred to as VS Code, developed by Microsoft, is yet another source-code editor available at https://code.visualstudio.com/.
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We recommend that after you install the latest Visual Studio Code, you get the Rainmeter Support extension by will-shaw, which will add custom color coding for Rainmeter skins and a few snippets for quick creation.
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Associating skin files with your desired editor
Once you have decided on and installed a better text editor, you will probably want to associate the common Rainmeter file types of .ini, .inc, and .lua with the application. This can be done in Windows Explorer:
