Clint's Wallpaper Master
Special note
This article contains OLD information for the 1.x series of CWM. It’s rather old (last updated 2003), but is lightweight and has minimal requirements.
If you’re interested in the 2006-new 2.x series, please see here
Old, outdated content continues…
In a nutshell
Changes your desktop wallpaper periodically. Completely freeware, with no advertisements or spyware. Download
Features
- New orientation type ‘scaled’. This is a bit like Windows’ stretch feature, but it maintains the correct aspect ratio of your image, and as an added bonus anti-aliases (i.e., makes it smooth) This makes for very nice looking pictures.
- Tracked folders. Designate a couple of folders to track, and whenever you save a file to it, it will automatically get added to your active list (very handy). It will remove files when you delete them, and delete/insert when you rename files. This makes it very easy to keep your lists synced with your wallpaper directory. Note that all sub-folders are automatically tracked.
- Customisable hot-key to change wallpaper
- Microsoft Internet Explorer integration. When you right click and select an image to be `set as wallpaper’, CWM will save the file for you and add it to your current list.
- Quick tray list selection – switch between lists in two clicks
- Resolution/bit depth change from tray
- SmartSwitch – CWM will hold off changing wallpapers if a application is currently maximised.
- Enable/disable screensaver (quick way to turn off the ‘saver before watching a movie)
- Transparent desktop icon text (for ye olde Windows 2000)
- Hide desktop icons for non-ActiveDesktops
- Can switch images randomly or sequentially
- Customised time delay and image orientation
- Manually switchable via tray icon or hotkey
- Everything you’ve ever dreamed of, and then some.
Notes
The way I normally use the program is to make a shortcut to it, and put that in the Start menu, under Programs > Startup. That way, it starts switching my wallpaper as soon as I login. You’ll probably want it to start in `automatic’ mode, which will cause it to minimise itself to the system tray. To do this, change add `/auto’ the end of the shortcut’s target (make sure the whole path of the program is enclosed with speech marks, but the ‘/auto’ part isn’t. More on command line options later on.
The ‘Automatic’ orientation (available only while inserting files) attempts to calculate the best orientation for the file as it adds it. The basic rules are:
- if the image is below half of the current screen size (in either width or height), it will tile,
- if the image’s ratio (width/height) is the same, or close to the current screen’s ratio, it will stretch,
- otherwise, the image will be centered.
Using the automatic mode will make inserting files slower (it has to open each file and check it’s height and width). Depending on your machine, and the number of files you are adding, this may or may not be a problem.
Options
These options can be set from the main window (by left clicking on the preferences icon), or from right-clicking the system tray icon. Some options might appear in the system tray, but not in the other, and vice-a-versa
- Delay: (minutes) How often wallpaper should automatically change. This will mean nothing if switching is currently paused. Current delay is shown in brackets
- Pause: Toggles pausing the switching of papers. If on, it will be ticked
- Next/Previous: Jumps to the next or previous paper
- Switch Orientation: Changes the orientation of the current paper
- Random Switching: When ticked, will choose random papers to switch to, otherwise it will switch in sequence
- Auto-shutdown: Will cause program to automatically shut itself down after it starts and changes the wallpaper. Note the program must be started using the `_Auto Clint’s Wallpaper Master_’ shortcut (it uses the ‘auto’ commandline switch)
Shortcuts
- Left-clicking on system-tray icon will switch to the next paper
- Right-clicking on system-tray will popup a handy little menu
- Tooltips! almost every object has a tooltip. If you aren’t sure what an item does, hover your mouse over it for a second or two.
- The major Manager options have associated keyboard shortcuts (shown to the right of the option in the menu)
- In main window, or paper list manager: Holding down SHIFT or CONTROL when clicking on a delete file icon will do different things. The default will prompt you, and delete to Recycle Bin. Holding SHIFT will delete to Bin without confirmation. Using CONTROL will delete the file forever, without any confirmations.
Download
CWM.msi (1.4MB) and then grab
the update.Screen shots
2. June 2003
More stuff in: code
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