TaskFacade 4 for HD2

[spacepants]

Just got an HD2, and after looking for a good task manager found this awesome app TaskFacade 4. Unfortunately the dev appears to have stopped development for it, and the HD2 is just too fast for the app. I was bored, so I decompiled it (it's .net so that's easy) and made some minor fixes.

Anyway, here's what I fixed:

4.02 fixed by aussiebum (thanks aussiebum! ):

1. Fixed names of shortcuts.
2. Changed default destination directory to install on a storage card when selected.


4.02 changelist:

1. Fixed a memory leak that occurred when an app was started and closed outside of Task Facade.
2. Cleaned up Layout config page.
3. Cleaned up config file loading to minimize potential errors due to old and incompatible config files.


4.01 changelist:

1. Increased maximum number of frames for zoom-unzoom animation.
2. Added an optional sleep between frames to smooth out animation and reduce amount of resources used by the app.
3. Fixed a minor race condition which sometimes caused an updated icon to flash through just reactivated app.

Attaching latest version. Works perfectly on my HD2. Check it out.

Attaching screenshots.

YouTube video demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFZHZb5cX9A
_

 

[vasta.antonio]

... Thanks!

 

[umiss]

Possible to get some screens.
I usually feel that task managers drain the battery a bit. How about this one?

 

[spacepants]

Added screenshots. I just got this phone, so it's hard for me to judge its impact on the battery life. I will do some experiments.

 

[jolas]

Excellent try!!!

I used to use TaskFacade on my HD, but I always got the problem of gwes.exe growing larger and larger when usin TF, so I had to unistall it.

Can you manage to correct this problem?

 

[traianescu]

Mr. spacepants, why don't you fix even "klaxon" , as the source is free, because gives problems with HD2.. to dismiss/snooze an alarm needs to unlock the phone first

 

[lbhocky19]

have original taskfacade 4 on my hd2 it works fine except for the reasons you gave for making the new one.
tried it last night and it came up with something like the settings wouldnt load. i sot reset hoping thats all it needed but it still didnt work.
then my phone started having the led blink non stop.
so i uninstalled and put the original back on.
soft reset many times and tried tweaks to get the light off and eventually it stopped.

overall the program didnt work and no idea if led was unrelated

 

[jolas]

Excellent try!!!

I used to use TaskFacade on my HD, but I always got the problem of gwes.exe growing larger and larger when usin TF, so I had to unistall it.

Can you manage to correct this problem?

spacepants,

Your modification causes me the same problem.
Is it possible to make TaskFacade run as a service?

 

[spacepants]

Excellent try!!!

I used to use TaskFacade on my HD, but I always got the problem of gwes.exe growing larger and larger when usin TF, so I had to unistall it.

Can you manage to correct this problem?

I just tried it today. After about 20 hours of running, with many task switches gwes.exe grew from 4.73 MB to 4.85 MB. And I am not sure if this was because of the TaskFacade - I didn't see any connection between its growth and app usage.

I am pretty sure I didn't fix this. Did you use version 4 when you saw this behavior? I guess it could also be thanks to a fix made in WinMo 6.5.

 

[spacepants]

spacepants,

Your modification causes me the same problem.
Is it possible to make TaskFacade run as a service?

Huh, strange. I am not seeing this. Do you have any repro steps? Also what are you running it on - which WM version?

 

[spacepants]

have original taskfacade 4 on my hd2 it works fine except for the reasons you gave for making the new one.
tried it last night and it came up with something like the settings wouldnt load. i sot reset hoping thats all it needed but it still didnt work.
then my phone started having the led blink non stop.
so i uninstalled and put the original back on.
soft reset many times and tried tweaks to get the light off and eventually it stopped.

overall the program didnt work and no idea if led was unrelated

Crap, sorry for all the trouble. I don't see how the app could have made the LED blink - it has no code that would call that API. Are you sure it's related to TaskFacade?

I am fixing the dependence of the app on the config file. It sounds like the installer didn't work for you for some reason, since it should have replaced everything.

Thanks for giving it a shot.

 

[jolas]

Huh, strange. I am not seeing this. Do you have any repro steps? Also what are you running it on - which WM version?

Now, I'm on WM6.5.5 (23542 build), with sense 2.5.20121225.0.

Let's say that gwes.exe is consuming 38MB before I use TaskFacade.
Right after I run TF, it raises to about 42,7MB and it keeps raising when I use new programs. There is a point above that, I loose HTC menus and standard WM menus are displaying instead.

After a few time gwes.exe stabilizes it size to about 44-45MB.

I don't know if there use some kind os issues when using TF in Touch HD, because it has the same effect with different ROMs I tested.

 

[spacepants]

Now, I'm on WM6.5.5 (23542 build), with sense 2.5.20121225.0.

Let's say that gwes.exe is consuming 38MB before I use TaskFacade.
Right after I run TF, it raises to about 42,7MB and it keeps raising when I use new programs. There is a point above that, I loose HTC menus and standard WM menus are displaying instead.

After a few time gwes.exe stabilizes it size to about 44-45MB.

I don't know if there use some kind os issues when using TF in Touch HD, because it has the same effect with different ROMs I tested.

I think I may have found the problem, but without a way to repro the bug I can't be sure I fixed it. Looks like gwes.exe can in some cases cache images that are in use, and if you do not explicitly dispose of them, the cache keeps growing.

I am not sure why I am not seeing this on my HD2. I have a Kaiser and a Touch Pro 2 lying around here - I will see if I can get a repro with them tomorrow, and test the potential fix.

Weird that your gwes.exe at the beginning is already 38 MB - I haven't seen mine go above 6 MB. It sounds like some other program on your phone may already have a problem.

 

[bbonzz]

Weird that your gwes.exe at the beginning is already 38 MB - I haven't seen mine go above 6 MB. It sounds like some other program on your phone may already have a problem.

It depends on which app you use to determine it: sktools separates process and heap (so the measure is lower) while, for example, memmaid keeps it together (and thus the measure is higher).
Anyway, to give an example, with Manila and iPhoneToday my gwes at startup is 13.6 mb with sktools and 42mb with memmaid

btw, i too (blackstone) have problems with TF as jolas: after a short while i lose manila menus AND TF, also if in foreground, is not visible (it's there, since if i blind click somewhere i go to a different task, but i cannot see anything)

 

[jolas]

I think I may have found the problem, but without a way to repro the bug I can't be sure I fixed it. Looks like gwes.exe can in some cases cache images that are in use, and if you do not explicitly dispose of them, the cache keeps growing.

I am not sure why I am not seeing this on my HD2. I have a Kaiser and a Touch Pro 2 lying around here - I will see if I can get a repro with them tomorrow, and test the potential fix.

Weird that your gwes.exe at the beginning is already 38 MB - I haven't seen mine go above 6 MB. It sounds like some other program on your phone may already have a problem.

Sorry, I was not very clear. When I said that my gwes.exe is 38MB, I mean at a random point (after a few hours of use), not after a soft reset.

As for the gwes.exe and caching images, I believe that you are right...
I hope you to find a solution, to make possible for me to use TF.

Thanks for your effords!!!

 

[jolas]

It depends on which app you use to determine it: sktools separates process and heap (so the measure is lower) while, for example, memmaid keeps it together (and thus the measure is higher).
Anyway, to give an example, with Manila and iPhoneToday my gwes at startup is 13.6 mb with sktools and 42mb with memmaid

You are right! For my measure I use memmaid, after a soft reset gwes.exe is about 21MB...

btw, i too (blackstone) have problems with TF as jolas: after a short while i lose manila menus AND TF, also if in foreground, is not visible (it's there, since if i blind click somewhere i go to a different task, but i cannot see anything)

Yes, this is exactly the problem I have, too.

Are there other HD users who face the same problem with TF, or we are the only 'lucky'?

 

[lbhocky19]

yeah i have no idea how it would have done anything to the led but it definetly happened right after installing ?
il give the next cab a shot though and see if it installs properly

 

[spacepants]

You are right! For my measure I use memmaid, after a soft reset gwes.exe is about 21MB...

Yes, this is exactly the problem I have, too.

Are there other HD users who face the same problem with TF, or we are the only 'lucky'?

Strange, I still can't repro this. Tried it on a couple of Energy ROMs on my Touch Pro 2 (one based on 21898, the other on 23554) - nothing. At best I get a 50k growth in gwes.exe every time a program starts and closes. I am using Task Manager 3.1 for measurements BTW, but memmaid concurs.

OK, if this doesn't repro on my Kaiser I am going to write a quick test program and try running through the normal operations of the app several thousand times to see if that has any effect.

Could you confirm that the steps you are using to get into this state? Are they the following?

1. Start an app.
2. Minimize the app.
3. Open TaskFacade.
4. Switch to the app.
5. Close the app from TaskFacade.
6. Go to step 1.

Thanks again for trying this out, BTW.

 

[jolas]

Strange, I still can't repro this. Tried it on a couple of Energy ROMs on my Touch Pro 2 (one based on 21898, the other on 23554) - nothing. At best I get a 50k growth in gwes.exe every time a program starts and closes. I am using Task Manager 3.1 for measurements BTW, but memmaid concurs.

OK, if this doesn't repro on my Kaiser I am going to write a quick test program and try running through the normal operations of the app several thousand times to see if that has any effect.

Could you confirm that the steps you are using to get into this state? Are they the following?

1. Start an app.
2. Minimize the app.
3. Open TaskFacade.
4. Switch to the app.
5. Close the app from TaskFacade.
6. Go to step 1.

Thanks again for trying this out, BTW.

I want to thank you for keep searching about the problem I face.

The steps I usually do are:

1. Start an app.
2. Minimize the app.
3. Open TaskFacade (I have assign it to a hardware key via AEButton Plus)
4. Switch to the app.
5. Close the app.
6. Go to step 1.

I am grateful for your work!

If you want, I could try your test versions to resolve the problem I face.

Thank you!

 

[famewolf]

What button are you assigning taskfacade to and what app are you using to do it? I tried aebuttons and it fails to map the volume up and down on the T-Mobile US version of HD2...not sure about other keys.