Program: hidedesktop

Function

This program will hide the desktop by displaying a full-screen window on top of it. The hiding window can optionally include a message or graphic in the middle of the screen.

Running program

Text message

hidedesktop [ /t timeout ] [ /b background ] [ /f foreground ] [ /n font ] [ /s fontsize ] [ /u ] [ message ]

This will display message on the screen in the requested font, colour and size.

Graphic display

hidedesktop [ /t timeout ] [ /b background ] /i imagefile [ /m { CENTER | TILE | STRETCH } ]

This will display the requested graphic imagefile on the hiding window.

Close Hidedesktop

hidedesktop /x

This will terminate the current hidedesktop and allow the desktop to be seen again.

Parameters

• /t timeout
  The desktop will remain hidden for timeout seconds. The -x flag provides an alternate way to stop hiding the desktop.
  Default: 60 seconds

• /b background
  This is the colour of the screen that hides the desktop. The background parameter can be specified in one of two ways:

  • a colour name. This can be red, green, blue, white, or black.
  • an R:G:B value. This is three numbers (from 0 to 255) separated by colons. The numbers give the Red, Green, and Blue intensities of the colour. For example 0:128:0 in a mid-intensity green, 0:0:0 is black, and 255:255:255 is intense white.
  Default: blue which is 0:0:128

• /f foreground
  The colour in which the message is displayed. This is a colour specified as for background.
  Default: white or 255:255:255.

• /n font
  This is the name of the font to be used in displaying the message. If the font name contains spaces the parameter must be included in quotes. For example: "Times New Roman"
  Default: Arial (a sans-serif font)

  Note: If the specified font doesn't exist the program will choose any font available in the requested fontsize.

• /s fontsize
  Specifies the size in points of the font to be used for displaying the message.
  Default: 12

• /u
  Updates the text message being displayed by an existing instance of hidedesktop. If the existing instance is displaying a graphic it has no effect on the display. If there is no other instance, a new hidedesktop instance is created with default settings used and the text message set to this parameter.

• message
  Anything remaining on the command line after processing the options is used as the text that displays while the desktop is hidden. If there is no message on the command line the hiding screen does not display any text (and foreground, font, and fontsize are not used).

• /i imagefile
  This is the name (including the extension) of a file that contains a graphic to be displayed on the screen. This file must exist and be one of the formats listed in Notes. If the imagefile name contains spaces the parameter must be enclosed in quotes. There is no default, if this parameter is omitted the program will display message.

• /m
  This flag and its associated parameter alters the displaying of the graphic. /m CENTER displays the graphic at its normal size centered on the screen. /m STRETCH expands the graphic to fill the screen. /m TILE displays multiple copies of the graphic to fill the screen. The default is /m CENTER. /m on its own is an error.

• /x
  This flag instructs the program to find and shut down any existing instance of itself. The desktop is then visible again. Specifying /x when there is no existing instance is not an error.

Description

This program is designed to run within a script. The script would run hidedesktop which hides the desktop and returns immediately to the script. The script could then run other programs without the user seeing the programs being run or messages from those programs. The script could use hidedesktop /u to update the displayed message to show progress. The script would them run hidedesktop /x to stop hiding the desktop. If the script finished without running hidedesktop /x the timeout would ensure that the desktop would eventually return.

hidedesktop will intercept and ignore any attempt to close it prematurely (such as typing Alt-F4).

Notes

• It is possible to display the message in the same colour as the background making the message invisible.

• The accepted graphics formats are:

  	File Extension
  JPEG	.jpg
  BitMap	.bmp
  Graphic Interchange Format	.gif
  Icon	.ico
  Windows MetaFile	.wmf

  
  

  The program does not support PNG or TIFF formats.

• If the /x option is given, all other options and parameters are ignored. If the /i option is given, the foreground, font, fontsize, and message options are ignored.

• The hidedesktop -x function replaces the showdesktop program that was previously available.

Examples

• hidedesktop

  Displays a blue screen that hides the desktop for 60 seconds. There is no message on the screen.

• hidedesktop /t 120 /f green Processing...

  Displays "Processing..." in green on a blue screen. This will go away after 2 minutes (120 seconds).

• hidedesktop /t 20 /b black /f 120:60:0 /n "Times New Roman" /s 48 Please Wait

  Will display "Please Wait" in the middle of the screen. The message will be displayed as brown text on a black background in 48-point Times New Roman. The screen will display for 20 seconds.

• hidedesktop /u Stage Two

  Will change the text being displayed by the hidedesktop that is currently running to "Stage Two". If there is no existing hidedesktop the text "Stage Two" will display for up to 60 seconds in white on a blue background.

• hidedesktop /b white /i "images\wait.gif"

  Will display the graphic in the file wait.gif in the images sub-directory in the middle of the screen. It displays on a white background for 60 seconds.

• hidedesktop /t 30 /i weave.jpg /m TILE

  Tile the image in the weave.jpg file to cover the screen. This will remain on screen for up to 30 seconds.

Errors

If hidedesktop detects errors it returns immediately with an error code:

Errors in command line parameters may display as part of the message rather than returning an error code.

Known Issues

• hidedesktop displays its window as HWND_TOPMOST which places it above all other windows. However it is possible for other windows to also place themselves as HWND_TOPMOST and they will overlay the hidedesktop window. Some examples of this are:
  • the Task Bar which displays when the Windows key (near the space bar on the keyboard) is pressed
  • the Windows task switching menu accessed by pressing the Alt-Tab key combination. However any application selected will not display
  • Task Manager, when the "Always on Top" option is set
   

• As the scripts run applications and switch focus between the application's windows, the cursor will move around the window. Parts of the application window may also appear momentarily.

• hidedesktop does not disable the keyboard and it is possible to switch focus to a window that is hidden and type in that window.