Comm Manager for Athena (Version 0.5 Dec 03, 2008)

Search This thread

vidmabal

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2008
58
1
Vilnius
Offering my Comm Manager for HTC Athena

Update to ver 0.2 available at post #14

Update to ver 0.3 available at post #38

Update to ver 0.4 available at post #53

Update to ver 0.5 available at post #70

Highlights:
- Free
- Small (97KB including default skin)
- Quick (based on callbacks, not on Sleep() )
- Portable (uses only doccumented WM features)
- Finger-touchable
- Fully configurable (including keys, key actions and skin)
- Works evenly in all RealVGA resolutions
- VueFlo screen rotation aware
- Supports GRPS connections and 3G mode management
- Self installing/removing

Installing:
- Extract VCommManager.exe from .zip file and put anywhere in your PPC
- Run it
- Tap and hold for at least .5 secs on airplane - you will be redirected into configuration page
- Go into "About" page, and select needed options.
- Press "Save And Exit"

Removing:
- Go into configuration, the About
- Select "Cleanup and exit"
- Press "Save And Exit" (removes all shorthuts and registry customizations)
- Delete VCommManager.exe itself.

Moving .exe to another folder:
- From Settings/About select only items beginning with "Delete" or "Detach"
- "Save And Exit"
- Tap anywhere on screen to close window
- Move program to another location
- Go back to Settings/About to change custumizations

Working:
- Click any of images to perform task
- Tap and hold for at least half second to enter configuration dialog for selected option. Tapping on Airplane - enters VCommManager config. Other actions may be defined there.
- Click outside bounding rectangle to close program

Making your own skin:
Pictures are placed into .bmp file in one line. First active, then inactive ...
Transparent color is RGB(255, 0, 255)
Height of picture is defined by bitmap height
Width of picture is BitmapWidth / 12
If BitmapHeight < 16 - it is considered invalid.
If BitmapWidth < 16*12 - it is considered invalid.
If BitmapWidth is not multiple of 12 - it is considered invalid.
If external bitmap is invalid - internal is used.

Attachments: Screenshot & Program
 

Attachments

  • VCommManager.jpeg
    VCommManager.jpeg
    64.2 KB · Views: 1,924
  • VCommManager.zip
    27 KB · Views: 721
Last edited:

eaglesteve

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2007
3,747
6
Sydney
I see.... That's good. Thank. Will try out and give you feedback soon. Cheers.

edit:

Tried this. Absolutely the best comm manager I've seen. Love the short and long touch concept.

What are some examples of how we can use the user button?

Thank you for this very good tool.

This should be the comm manager of choice for ROM cooks.
 
Last edited:

vidmabal

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2008
58
1
Vilnius
Tried this. Absolutely the best comm manager I've seen. Love the short and long touch concept.

What are some examples of how we can use the user button?

... simply don't use it

Seriously:
All buttons, exept "Airplane" has same behavior:
1. You can run hard-configured tasks
2. Additionaly you can run applications of your choice. Remember: only when application terminates you are getting back to VCommManager.
3. If "Perform ... tasks" is not selected - you have to specify application for status check. Return value is 0 == inactive state, !0 == active state.
4. Remember to use fully specified apps (no .lnk, etc)

For instance to take screenshot I have changed in Config/Data:
1. Unmarked "Perform configured tasks"
2. Added "\Windows\magic ss.exe" (with quotes) in "Run on Activate"

User button is treated similary, exept that it has no "predefined" and has "demo" picture - you must use external bitmap to create some look.
 

AlexVallat

Senior Member
Jun 16, 2008
123
19
Excellent! I like being able to turn off GPRS when required - my previous solution involved creating a "Null" connection and setting it to be the active one!

It took me a while to figure out how to get skins to work, though - I was assuming a relative path, and it needed absolute. Perhaps a browse button on the Skin text box might be a good idea?

Here's a skin I threw together from resources grabbed out of PK2 Kaiser Comm VGA:
 

Attachments

  • VCommManagerHTCSkin.zip
    12.9 KB · Views: 289

cktlcmd

Senior Member
Oct 12, 2005
2,299
10
Farmington, CT; Jackson, NJ
Thanks very much for this app. Solved my problems in Real VGA Comm Manager.

Everyone, just rename the file VCommManager to CommManager and use Total Commander to replace the original Comm Manager in the ROM then soft reset. So that all icons pertaining to Comm Manager now defaults to the renamed VCommManger.

Excellent Application. Thanks.

Basically all you have to do is

1....Obtain the VCommManager.exe file from the link above.
2....Rename VCommManager to CommManager.
3....Use Total Commander or any powerful file manager to replace the ROM Comm Manager with the newly renamed CommManager (formerly VCommManager), by sending the file to the Windows folder.
4....SOFT RESET

Now all icons pertaining to the built in Comm Manager points to VCommManager. Solved all problems in VGA mode. Very nice application. Thank you again for sharing.
 
Last edited:

vidmabal

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2008
58
1
Vilnius
Multilanguage

If you like this application and want to participate to make it multilanguage...

I'm attaching Exel document of all needed to translate strings.
Those are only in my dialogs and menu's...
Control panel dialog language depends on your system.

I will recompile as soon as:
1. At least 3 languages are added
2. After last addon there are 48 hours spent

If you are adding some language - please send back modified file here (or alternitavely to my PM).
 

vidmabal

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2008
58
1
Vilnius
VCommManager Ver 0.2

Update to version 0.2

For instalation instructions look into post #1 in this thread.
(If you already have ver 0.1 - simply copy .exe file on top of old one)

Changes:

1. Fixed "Run On Long Press" function (realy it never worked)

2. On Long Press enabled both - internal config and external app
(for instance, if you want to run both configuration dialogs on WiFi long press you can leave "Start Network Control" checked and enter
"\Windows\WlanMgr.exe"
into Run box)

3. Fixed dialogs in "Portrait" mode (Landscape was OK)

4. Added SIM PIN support - it's for users, that have PIN enabled.
Go to "About" tab to configure your PIN.
Feature is needed to enter automatically PIN: swithing from "Aircraft" mode, swithing phone on or changing 3G <-> GPRS.

5. Added "Language" support.
For now only English-Spain: I have not received more translations.
 

Attachments

  • VCommManager.zip
    29.3 KB · Views: 106

robjhellis

Senior Member
Jun 5, 2006
222
1
Los Angeles
How do I use the skin?

The reference to relative and absolute paths in post 8 is a bit cryptic for me. I have tried inserting \windows\VCommManagerHTCSkin.bmp into the bitmap dialog box under Main tab and of course that does not work. Would you be kind enough to tell me where the reference goes? I have copied the HTC skin posted into the Windows directory. Thanks a bunch.
 

AlexVallat

Senior Member
Jun 16, 2008
123
19
I don't see why that wouldn't work. I put the skin and VCommManager under Program Files, so I have: \Program Files\VCommManager\VCommManagerHTCSkin.bmp in the Bitmap box of the Main tab of the options, but I can't think why it wouldn't work for other absolute paths (starting with \).

Result should look something like this:
 

Attachments

  • VCommManagerHTCSkinScreenshot.jpg
    VCommManagerHTCSkinScreenshot.jpg
    56.3 KB · Views: 142
Bitmap works fine for me in either Windows or Program Files/Vcomm

Small problem with setup for me- if I tap/hold Bluetooth or WiFi to enter config screen, I can change configs OK, but the OK button and Start Menu are unresponsive, needing a SR to get out of.

I use iLauncher which has its own OK button- maybe that's a conflict?
 

vidmabal

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2008
58
1
Vilnius
Small problem with setup for me- if I tap/hold Bluetooth or WiFi to enter config screen, I can change configs OK, but the OK button and Start Menu are unresponsive, needing a SR to get out of.

I use iLauncher which has its own OK button- maybe that's a conflict?

For BT and WiFi configuration I simply call
\Windows\ctlpnl.exe cplmain.cpl,23,0
and
\Windows\ctlpnl.exe cplmain.cpl,17,0

Can you enter those strings from System "Run" dialog and check?
Do you have same problem when entering those dialogs from Control Panel?
 

cktlcmd

Senior Member
Oct 12, 2005
2,299
10
Farmington, CT; Jackson, NJ
I activated the USER function and assigned /Windows/fexplore.exe to launch on press. It does launch File Explorer, but it leaves the VcommManager interface on top. Pressing the OK button only makes File Explorer to close and leaving me with the X button at the right upper hand corner which is unresponsive. Only a soft reset can get it out from there.