Overview
From the creator of TouchFlo Detacher comes Mobile Shell 3 Toggler! This is a sister app (at least in spirit) to TFD.
MS3T allows you to quickly and easily switch between the classic Today screen and SPB Mobile Shell 3 by using shortcuts which can be assigned to hardware buttons, links in MS3 itself, etc.
Tip Jar
Like this app? Want more like it or quicker updates? Tip a buck (or Euro or Pound or whatever) or two to help the author out! Click here to make a safe donation via PayPal.
CodePlex
Mobile Shell 3 Toggler is hosted on CodePlex: http://ms3t.codeplex.com/
Current features
MS3T adds the following links into the Mobile Shell folder in your Programs folder.
[Close Spb Mobile Shell] - Kill the MobileShell.exe process
[Hide Spb Mobile Shell] - Show the classic Today screen
[Show Spb Mobile Shell] - Show Mobile Shell 3
[Toggle Spb Mobile Shell] - Show Today if MS3 is visible; Show MS3 if Today is visible
[SmartToggle Spb Mobile Shell] - Similar to Toggle, but it will only toggle if you are already on the Now or Today screen. If you are in another app, it returns to the Now or Today screen. That's what makes it smart.
Limitations
- If you try to assign SmartToggle to the HTC Home button (using AE Button Plus, for example) on your HTC device, it will only work as a regular Toggle. The reason is that the home button always returns to the Today screen (or Now screen) BEFORE AE is able to tell SmartToggle to run. So, SmartToggle sees that you are currently on the Today screen and will toggle accordingly. The same problem will probably also exist with any other similar type of button on other manufacturer's devices.
- On MS3 version 3.5, MS3T may not work when combined with Second Today to give you MS3, TF3D, and Today simultaneously.
How it Works
I wanted to briefly explain how MS3T works for anybody else interested in extending this idea in other (hopefully free) apps.
Mobile Shell 3 has a window using the class SpbNow_MainWindow. This window is a part of the MobileShell.exe process. If you send a particular message to this window, it will tell Mobile Shell 3 to hide or show. This is how the links inside MS3 and the "Spb Home" link on the Today screen work. I imagine there are probably many other messages that may control some pretty cool things, but I haven't explored too deeply. I was only interested in the show/hide messages. I discovered this by using DotFred's Task Manager and analyzing all the window messages going to the various windows owned by MobileShell.exe. I noticed two non-standard messages whenever I showed or hid MS3. Then I sent those messages from my app and, voila! It worked! MS3T was born. Interesting side note: the window that all the MS3 graphics are drawn onto has the window class "Manila" just like TouchFlo. That probably would get confusing if you are running both at the same time. lol.
Action, Message, WPARAM, LPARAM:
Hide MS3, 0x82BC, 1, 0
Show MS3, 0x8258, 1, 0
Another message, 0xC005, seems to happen very regularly when using MS3. I think it might be "refresh screen" but I'm not sure. WPARAM and LPARAM are both 0 in this case.
AFTER UPGRADING MOBILE SHELL VERSION
If you upgrade Mobile Shell 3 to a newer version (for example, from 3.0.1 to 3.5), you should reinstall Mobile Shell 3 Toggler. The reason is that MS3T installs its shortcuts into the Mobile Shell 3 folder and the upgrade can mess them up.
History
V1 - Initial release
Download
Download the latest version at CodePlex: http://mst.codeplex.com/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx
Requirements
Windows Mobile 6.1
Spb Mobile Shell 3, 3.0.1, or 3.5
From the creator of TouchFlo Detacher comes Mobile Shell 3 Toggler! This is a sister app (at least in spirit) to TFD.
MS3T allows you to quickly and easily switch between the classic Today screen and SPB Mobile Shell 3 by using shortcuts which can be assigned to hardware buttons, links in MS3 itself, etc.
Tip Jar
Like this app? Want more like it or quicker updates? Tip a buck (or Euro or Pound or whatever) or two to help the author out! Click here to make a safe donation via PayPal.
CodePlex
Mobile Shell 3 Toggler is hosted on CodePlex: http://ms3t.codeplex.com/
Current features
MS3T adds the following links into the Mobile Shell folder in your Programs folder.
[Close Spb Mobile Shell] - Kill the MobileShell.exe process
[Hide Spb Mobile Shell] - Show the classic Today screen
[Show Spb Mobile Shell] - Show Mobile Shell 3
[Toggle Spb Mobile Shell] - Show Today if MS3 is visible; Show MS3 if Today is visible
[SmartToggle Spb Mobile Shell] - Similar to Toggle, but it will only toggle if you are already on the Now or Today screen. If you are in another app, it returns to the Now or Today screen. That's what makes it smart.
Limitations
- If you try to assign SmartToggle to the HTC Home button (using AE Button Plus, for example) on your HTC device, it will only work as a regular Toggle. The reason is that the home button always returns to the Today screen (or Now screen) BEFORE AE is able to tell SmartToggle to run. So, SmartToggle sees that you are currently on the Today screen and will toggle accordingly. The same problem will probably also exist with any other similar type of button on other manufacturer's devices.
- On MS3 version 3.5, MS3T may not work when combined with Second Today to give you MS3, TF3D, and Today simultaneously.
How it Works
I wanted to briefly explain how MS3T works for anybody else interested in extending this idea in other (hopefully free) apps.
Mobile Shell 3 has a window using the class SpbNow_MainWindow. This window is a part of the MobileShell.exe process. If you send a particular message to this window, it will tell Mobile Shell 3 to hide or show. This is how the links inside MS3 and the "Spb Home" link on the Today screen work. I imagine there are probably many other messages that may control some pretty cool things, but I haven't explored too deeply. I was only interested in the show/hide messages. I discovered this by using DotFred's Task Manager and analyzing all the window messages going to the various windows owned by MobileShell.exe. I noticed two non-standard messages whenever I showed or hid MS3. Then I sent those messages from my app and, voila! It worked! MS3T was born. Interesting side note: the window that all the MS3 graphics are drawn onto has the window class "Manila" just like TouchFlo. That probably would get confusing if you are running both at the same time. lol.
Action, Message, WPARAM, LPARAM:
Hide MS3, 0x82BC, 1, 0
Show MS3, 0x8258, 1, 0
Another message, 0xC005, seems to happen very regularly when using MS3. I think it might be "refresh screen" but I'm not sure. WPARAM and LPARAM are both 0 in this case.
AFTER UPGRADING MOBILE SHELL VERSION
If you upgrade Mobile Shell 3 to a newer version (for example, from 3.0.1 to 3.5), you should reinstall Mobile Shell 3 Toggler. The reason is that MS3T installs its shortcuts into the Mobile Shell 3 folder and the upgrade can mess them up.
History
V1 - Initial release
Download
Download the latest version at CodePlex: http://mst.codeplex.com/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx
Requirements
Windows Mobile 6.1
Spb Mobile Shell 3, 3.0.1, or 3.5
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