HoverDesk Tutorial - The VWM Plugin

The VWM Plugin.

The VWM (Virtual Windows Manager) is a cool plug which lets you have up to 4 virtual desktops.
It took me a while to figure out what was so good about it. I'll try to describe it as best as I can for anyone who doesn't know what it does.

Say for example I had my web browser opened and maximized. I want to keep my web page open, but I want to start making a new skin after I was heavily inspired by a screenshot I just noticed at my favourite skin site ;)
My web browser in open and maxed in the #1 desktop. I click onto desktop #2. My webbrowser 'disappears' and now I have a clean desktop with no apps running on it. So I open PSP 7 and start designing. I need to take another quick look at the screenshot in the web browser so, without minimizing PSP 7 I click the #1 desktop and as if by magic PSP 7 'disappears' and I'm back at the web page. I've seen what I need now so I click back to desktop #2 and continue designing in PSP. Then I notice my brother is online and I want to chat with him. I simply click desktop #3 and proceed to open a chat window with him in this desktop. All the time I am able to flick between programs without maxing or minimizing windows all the time.
The thing to remember is when I say maximized I mean maxed to my desktop working area, I can still access my VWM and other HVD tiles because I have made sure these tiles are not covered when I max windows.

To skin this we could just drop a texture on it then configure the modules.ini file to add the vwmA.bmp (active texture).
Rather than dropping a texture on it we will use the .ini file to configure every part of the plugin (including the textures). We need all the practice we can get!! =]

First all let me explain that there are three modes to have VWM in. See the screenshot, because a picture paints a thousand words!!

The first on the left is a square with each quarter representing each desktop.
The middle one is a rectangle divided into four equal parts horizontally to represent each desktop.
The final one on the right is a rectangle divided into four equal parts vertically to represent each desktop.

OK, so first right click the main tile and from the pop up menu select plugins then HoverVWM (HDVWM.dll)
The VWM plugin will appear on the desktop in position 0,0 (top left corner) in it's default state.

Right click the main tile again and from the pop up menu select plugins then HoverVWM (HDVWM.dll) again.
This will unload the plugin and write the necessary information to the modules.ini file.

Once more right click the main tile and from the pop up menu select plugins then HoverVWM (HDVWM.dll)
The VWM plugin will appear on the desktop in position 0,0 (top left corner) in it's default state again.

Configuring the modules.ini File

Shift and drag the VWM to an area we can work with it.
Now navigate to the Pixel Perfect theme folder and open the file called modules.ini

It's simply a matter of filling and adjusting the modules.ini file to make the plugin fit the texture.

Please use the settings in the screenshots.
Save the file after each screenshot then right click the plugin and select reload settings.

active = the name of the file to be used to display the active desktop
VWMMode= For 2x2, type 0. For 4x1, type 1. For 1x4, type 2. For this theme type 1
trans = select 0 if your bmp does not contain any pink, select 1 if it does contain pink. For this theme type 1
texture = the name of the bmp file to be used for the VWM background.

Move onto the next screenshot and repeat.

Once you have the VWM looking like the one above shift and drag it into position. My VWM sits just to the right of the main tile.
Tip: When I have my plugin configured correctly I exit HVD then reopen it.
This ensures the settings are saved.