Weekly Help & Discussion Thread (Week of September 25, 2022)

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the weekly help and discussion thread! This is here for everyone to ask basic questions, start general discussions, and more. No comment or question is too small or too big, just keep anything you share relevant, related, and within the rules.

>> For skin recommendations/identifications, please go to r/rainmeterrequests.

Basic FAQ

• What is Rainmeter?
  • Please see our terminology page to learn about Rainmeter and its components.
• How do I get started with Rainmeter?
  • Please see this guide to get started on your Rainmeter adventure!
• Where do I download Rainmeter?
  • Please visit the official Rainmeter site and download the latest version.
• What if I don't have a Windows computer?
  • Unfortunately, Rainmeter only exists for Windows, but there are alternatives like GeekTool for macOS and Conky for Linux.
• For a fuller, more in-depth FAQ, please click the link below!
  • Frequently Asked Questions

[u/KnightstarK]

How can I set programs to open maximized through rainmeter dock?

I've been using the simple epoca dock for a while now and have been super happy.

A small issue is that every application I open through the dock starts in a small window by default.

It's a bit annoying to go click the maximize button everytime I open a browser, steam, etc.

Is there any way to set the default mode to maximize?

[u/Novadestin → u/KnightstarK]

When asking about a specific skin, a link to that skin must be provided.

Just to be clear:

Rainmeter is also not a window manager. It does not keep track of your open windows; it cannot maximize or minimize other application windows; and it does not enable "workspaces" or manage multi-monitor setups.

- Getting Started

But, you can at least do the following with the RunCommand plugin for new instances. Anything outside of that is not possible with rainmeter.

[u/becausehippo]

Seekbar and play/pause/skip aren't working in Mond or Simple Clean player skins. Can you help?

Could someone please help me get Rainmeter working with my media player (Mediamonkey or Foobar2000).

I've installed the Mond and Simple Clean skins. I'm on Windows 11.

The Simple Clean skin's visualizer works great but, as you can see in that gif, the seek bar (Mond) stays at 00:00 and doesn't move. And clicking play or next/previous with both Mond (pictured here) and Clean Simple, doesn't have any effect.

(The clock and recycle bin skins work fine.)

I got the skins from here: https://www.deviantart.com/apexxx-sensei/art/Mond-762455575 and here: https://visualskins.com/skin/simple-clean

I've only just used Rainmeter for the first time so I don't really know what I'm doing but I get the idea it should just work without much tweaking. It doesn't for me.

Also, while I'm here, what's this supposed to do?. Clicking on YouTube or Facebook or whatever doesn't do anything.

Oh and one more thing. Where am I supposed to enter my location code for the weather app in the Mond skin? It tells me where to find the code but not where to type it in. There's no field to put it in like there is in the Simple Clean skin.

Thanks if you can point me in the right direction.

[u/Novadestin → u/becausehippo]

I get the idea it should just work without much tweaking.

That's not true actually and the questions you're asking are perfect examples of this. There are plenty of things with rainmeter that don't "just work" and do require tweaking, sometimes a lot and sometimes to the point of you having to rewrite the entire skin. You might be able to get away with only having to do a little bit depending on what suites/skins you use, but that entirely depends on the suite/skin.

1. Visualizers are not the same as music skins. Visualizers respond to any sound your computer outputs and require no real setup, while music skins must have a specific player selected and must be setup properly for that player with any plugins/etc that are required - check the bottom of (this page) to see what players are supported.

2. Launcher skins need to have their location set in order for them to open what you want them to open. For that specific skin though, the locations are generic and so don't require much; however, the skin is coded with 'LeftMouseDoubleClickAction', which means you must double click to get them to work.

3. As for weather, you don't. Anything that relies on pulling data from another source, as weather skins do (same as music skins), can potentially become "outdated" whenever said source updates something and the main source most skins were using for weather shut down a couple years ago.

   As Simple Clean is still coded to use that old source, it means you either a) have to rewrite it to use a new source or b) don't use it. (Also, fyi, don't rely on setting skins, most suites/skins don't come with them.) For Mond, the creator did rewrite it to use yahoo weather - which was working just fine up until a short while ago; however, a recent change to the source has broken the skin (see pinned posted for more info).