Taskbar Icons - in Windows 7

[BetterRed]

If I open an epub in the editor via the file manager Open With I get an editor icon in taskbar, if I then open an epub in the viewer via the file manager Open With I get a separate editor icon in taskbar - i.e. standard windows behaviour.

However, when I open two epubs from calibre, one with the viewer and the other with the editor, the taskbar icons for the viewer and editor are grouped! Grouping taskbar icons is a standard feature of Windows 7 (right click taskbar, Properties, set Taskbar buttons: to Always combine, hide labels)

I'd prefer the editor and viewer programs each have separate taskbar icons, irrespective of how they're started.

I'd also prefer that the editor had more distinctive icon, perhaps a little red book rather than a little brown one I often use Close all on the viewer icon, especially if I see a stack of them grouped together.

BR

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

...However, when I open two epubs from calibre, one with the viewer and the other with the editor, the taskbar icons for the viewer and editor are grouped! Grouping taskbar icons is a standard feature of Windows 7 (right click taskbar, Properties, set Taskbar buttons: to Always combine, hide labels)

I'd prefer the editor and viewer programs each have separate taskbar icons, irrespective of how they're started...

For me under Win 8.1 64 bit (haven't tried 32 bit, but would assume it behaves the same) it behaves as you want. Also, if I open multiple instances of each, they are grouped correctly into the two groups.

Now that is not with Win 7 but it would seem a bit of a surprise if they behaved differently in that respect. I wonder if there is something else that changes this or some other interaction?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

For me under Win 8.1 64 bit (haven't tried 32 bit, but would assume it behaves the same) it behaves as you want. Also, if I open multiple instances of each, they are grouped correctly into the two groups.

Now that is not with Win 7 but it would seem a bit of a surprise if they behaved differently in that respect. I wonder if there is something else that changes this or some other interaction?

I suppose it could be a 'quirk' in Win 7, but I'm not going to shell out for Win 8.1 to get a Start Button I haven't had since I got a keyboard with a Windows Key

But why separate icons if the two programs are started from explorer Open With (or command line, or Run option) or via a desktop shortcut, but have them grouped if they're started via calibre's Edit Book and View Book functions. And I why are there separate icons if they're started from within Calibre but via the Open With plugin.

Surely they should be all be consistent.

BR

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

However, when I open two epubs from calibre, one with the viewer and the other with the editor, the taskbar icons for the viewer and editor are grouped!

Using Calbre portable on a 64bit Win 7 machine this is what I see too. Definitely something amiss.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

Using Calbre portable on a 64bit Win 7 machine this is what I see too. Definitely something amiss.

Same here on Win7 32 bit. I just had a look in the task manager. The program started for the viewer and editor is "calibre-parallel.exe". With that, it makes sense they are grouped. And for some reason, there are two instances of this running for each instance of the editor.

[BetterRed]

And for those for whom a picture...

BR

[AnotherCat]

I get the viewer and the editor running as two distinct applications shown in Task Manager (Win 8.1).

Perhaps the differing behaviour as between that and what davidfor sees points towards it being operating system handling matter rather than a Calibre one?

EDIT after seeing BR's pretty picture: If I open multiple instances of the viewer, for example, they show as separate applications running not as parallel processes. So must be an operating system thing.

I think I remember you have Favorites plugin installed, I also tried pointing the entries in that at the startup shortcuts for the viewer and editor thinking that may be a difference but it ignored the shortcut and picked up the .exes for them.

[AnotherCat]

Another thought looking at your picture - do you have the editor and viewer as quick start (or whatever they are called, not really needed here) icons on the task bar? I do not. Have no idea why, so a long shot, but perhaps that is somehow the difference in behaviour?

[DoctorOhh]

BetterRed's picture makes it clear why it is happening. If you open them from the GUI they are opened as calibre-parallel.exe processes, but if you open them from outside the GUI (using open with or other means) they are opened using the ebook-viewer.exe and ebook-edit.exe.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

I get the viewer and the editor running as two distinct applications shown in Task Manager (Win 8.1).

Perhaps the differing behaviour as between that and what davidfor sees points towards it being operating system handling matter rather than a Calibre one?

EDIT after seeing BR's pretty picture: If I open multiple instances of the viewer, for example, they show as separate applications running not as parallel processes. So must be an operating system thing.

I think I remember you have Favorites plugin installed, I also tried pointing the entries in that at the startup shortcuts for the viewer and editor thinking that may be a difference but it ignored the shortcut and picked up the .exes for them.

@Another Cat My understanding is that in Win 7/8 quicklaunch doesn't exist as such, its rough equivalent is to pin a program to the task bar - I have calibre pinned but not the viewer or editor

Can't see why Favourites would have any effect - but I just tested it on vanilla calibre portable in safe mode with no network same result - when I invoke the viewer and editor via V and T they are grouped, if I install Open With PI and invoke them via it then they are not grouped.

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

BetterRed's picture makes it clear why...

To be pedantic my picture makes it clear what is happening, I suspect the only person who knows why it's happening is Kovid.

I saw something similar over the weekend when testing Jelby's Prince PDF PI - in that case I see what looks like a second instance of calibre itself in my task bar - and we all know you can't run multiple instances of calibre.

BR

[AnotherCat]

Yes, it was the pinning of programs to the task bar that I meant, couldn't think of its current name (even if it has a name now) as I don't use it as it is pretty much redundant for the manner I use Win 8.

Didn't Kovid mention in one of the editor threads that it shares "resources" in some manner with the viewer, I assume for the viewing window? Maybe the way that is done is what is causing what is being experienced in Win 7?

[kovidgoyal]

When you launch the viewer or editor from within calibre, they are not launched using the standalone programs, but rather using the worker process, calibre-parallel.exe. This allows integration between calibre and the tools it launches. I'm not a windows user, but surely there must be some way to configure its docking to not group some programs.

@davidfor: The second calibre-parallel process is used to do background processing on another CPU in the editor, I believe I talked about that in another thread.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

... but surely there must be some way to configure its docking to not group some programs.

Not, as far as I know, via Windows 7 itself, it only seems to offer all or nothing choices. Maybe one of the dock utilities such as Object Dock, Rocket Dock etc can do it.

For me the task bar icon grouping issue is a lesser issue than the similarity in the editor and viewer icons.

BR

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

When you launch the viewer or editor from within calibre, they are not launched using the standalone programs, but rather using the worker process, calibre-parallel.exe. This allows integration between calibre and the tools it launches. I'm not a windows user, but surely there must be some way to configure its docking to not group some programs.

I think the grouping is all or nothing. There are probably addons that allow other groupings.

@davidfor: The second calibre-parallel process is used to do background processing on another CPU in the editor, I believe I talked about that in another thread.

Yes, I do vaguely remember it but I can't find it now. As Windows will run threads from the same application different CPUs, I assume this is to be consistent across the platforms.

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Yes, I do vaguely remember it but I can't find it now. As Windows will run threads from the same application different CPUs, I assume this is to be consistent across the platforms.

No, it's because python does not allow multiple threads to run at once in the same interpreter instance.