PersistentWindows

1. New feature: auto save window pos history at PW exit, the history file (in xml format) is automatically reloaded when relaunching PW (without rebooting PC) or upgrade to new PW version, so that previous window captures and snapshots will continue to function smoothly.
2. Bug fixes for 5.56 introduced new feature: auto inherit killed window pos.
3. #336 : let PW menu reflect -check_upgrade=0
4. #333 : add new command option -delay_restart to restart PW with specified delay while hiding the DOS launching window

0. #335 Fix random failure in pre-release 5.55 to display context menu
1. #321, #326 Enhanced user experience, keep window position history even after the window is closed, and when a new window is launched, it will automatically inherit the corresponding position history. By keeping window position history persist in ram, all previous captures (both automatic and manual snapshots) will continue to function smoothly after app upgrade/restart (excluding PersistentWindows itself).
2. #289 Improve first time user experience, override the DPI scale setting to "Application" in auto-start PersistentWindows task script to solve restore failure due to multi-monitor mixed DPI setting.
3. Add double quote to PW path in auto-start task to avoid failure to manually change command line option in task scheduler, when PW path contains special characters (space etc).
4. #330 Fix unminimized window position on non-primary monitor
5. #331 Add menu option to Enable/Disable webpage commander feature
6. Improved user experience for webpage commander

1. #321, #326 Enhanced user experience, keep window position history even after the window is closed, and when a new window is launched, it will automatically inherit the corresponding position history. By keeping window position history persist in ram, all previous captures (both automatic and manual snapshots) will continue to function smoothly after app upgrade/restart (excluding PeristentWindows itself).
2. #289 Improve first time user experience, override the DPI scale setting to "Application" in auto start PersistentWindows task script to solve restore failure due to multi-monitor mixed DPI setting.
3. #330 Fix unminimized window position on non-primary monitor
4. #331 Add menu option to Enable/Disable webpage commander feature
5. Improved user experience for webpage commander

1. Suggestion to avoid DPI related issue causing gradual failure to auto restore (#311)
   Especially If you have fractionally scaled display (such as 125%, 150%), it is strongly suggested to override the high DPI scaling property of PersistentWindows.exe to "Application" via Properties->Compatibility->Change high DPI settings dialog from explorer, the resulting new display config would require user to capture to disk immediately after relaunching PW w/ new property setting.
   

2. Fix taskbar restore failure in 5.53 (#309)

3. Fix hotkey conflict w/ a Chrome plugin which also uses Alt + Q (#308). The new hotkey is Alt + W, and can be configured using command line such as -hotkey "X", which means the hotkey is Alt + X.

4. The vi-style hotkey feature introduced in 5.53 is now renamed to "Webpage commander", and can be invoked from PW menu or by Alt + W hotkey. The webpage commander window is meant to be used with all major web browsers to simplify keyboard/mouse command.
   
   To achieve best operating efficiency, users might want to minimize the commander window to 8x8 size by pressing the minimize button or pressing key "Z". For a complete list of command shortcuts, please refer to online help.

1. Fix failure to auto restore due to high-DPI UI support in release 5.45 (#276, #289)

   Users who want high-DPI UI on fractional scaled display (such as 125%, 150%) can override the high DPI scaling to "Application" for PersistentWindows.exe in the Properties->Compatibility->Change high DPI settings dialog from explorer, remember to capture to disk immediately for the brand new display config entry.
   

2. Fix unexpected taskbar move during auto restore #301

3. Fix unexpected minimize to tray icon action #300

4. New experiment feature to introduce one letter commands similar to vi editor for web browsing by using a hotkey proxy window, for more details refer to online help
   

1. Fix crash when capture to disk (#296)
2. Restore explorer window with arbitrary folder name
3. Refix #288, relaunch PW once when taskbar is not ready

Install 5.52_dpi_unaware special release if you encounter #276, #289

1. Change default icon again (#287 )
   

2. Add command option "-legacy_icon" to switch back to original icon as in 5.49 (#287)

3. Add menu option to experiment customized icon using any .ico or .png file (#287)

4. Experiment user .ico(.png) file need to be manually copied to PersistentWindows program folder and renamed to pwIcon.* to finalize icon customization (#287)

5. Reliably hide window to system tray of taskbar when Ctrl click minimize button (#286)

1. Fix #286, failure to minimize window to notification area when Ctrl click minimize button

1. New icon (#274 )
   

2. New Feature (#279)
   Ctrl click the minimize button to hide a window to notification area in taskbar
   Download patch from https://github.com/kangyu-california/PersistentWindows/releases/tag/5.50_patch

3. New Feature (#282)
   Recover folder location of explorer window from captures on disk

4. Fix unexpected taskbar move due to early capture (#278)

5. Replace deprecated wmic.exe command with PowerShell command to capture windows to disk on Windows 10/11

1. Fix #278 , unexpected taskbar move due to early capture

1. Fix #267, Automatically restore from DB when switching to new display configuration
2. Fix #274, Slightly improve icon quality. New enhancement: User can replace the default icon by placing a pwIcon.png (or .ico) file into C:/Users/<YOUR_ID>/AppData/Local/PersistentWindows/
3. Fix #276, Allow restore unresponsive window

1. Fix #262, #266, #271, avoid unintended activation of Dual Position Switching feature. The new release requires Ctrl move or resize window to activate DPS.

1. Fix #265 (5.46 slow mouse response) by replacing global mouse hook with more efficient implementation for dual position switching feature
2. Fix #264 (5.45/5.46 minimized window become maximized upon restore)
3. Fix #262 (5.45/5.46 unexpected window move due to flawed implementation of dual position switching)

1. Fix #262 unexpected window move caused by flaws in dual position feature
2. Fix failure to restore from disk at system startup when running PW with -auto_restore_missing_windows=2 or 3

1. Improve UI text sharpness on high DPI monitor (with 125% scaling)
2. Enhancement: Restore from disk can borrow data from other display config by invoking the menu while holding SHIFT key pressed.
3. Enhancement: Restore from disk can launch Microsoft Store Apps (like Sticky Notes)
4. Enhancement: Restore from disk now launches new window in its designated virtual desktop.
5. New feature "dual positioning" to allow a window to have different position/size in foreground and background mode
   • Click empty desktop space to bring the current foreground window to its previous background position/z-order.
   • Click a background window to bring it to its last foreground position

Latest patch 10/20/2023
PersistentWindows5.45_patch1020.zip

1. Fix failure to restore from disk at system startup (when running PW with -auto_restore_missing_windows=2 or 3)

1. Fix #231, add script (auto_start_pw.bat) to help user create auto start task.
2. Fix #236, automatically unlock taskbar to restore taskbar position.
3. Fix #172, enhance restore from disk to launch new window in previous virtual desktop. (Redo capture to disk is required)
4. Fix #241, avoid switch virtual desktop during auto restore.
5. Fix issue #238,#240, more robust handling of window unminimize event during auto restore

Latest 5.43 based patch
PersistentWindows5.43_0919.zip

1. Improved UI text sharpness on high DPI monitor (with 125% scaling)
2. Enhancement: Restore from disk can now borrow data from other display config by invoking the menu while holding SHIFT key pressed.
3. Reliably restore window from disk by launching new window to its original virtual desktop.
4. bump LiteDB.dll to 5.0.17
5. New feature to switch a window between its last foreground/background position:
   • Click empty desktop space to bring the foreground window to its previous background position.
   • Click a background window to bring it to its last foreground position

1. Fix issue #224, restore minimized window icon to the taskbar/monitor corresponding to unminimized window position.
2. Fix Windows enterprise OS compatibility issue by compiling on Visual Studio 2019 instead of 2022
3. Fix .NET Framework compatibility issue by lowering version requirement to 4.5 from 4.8
4. Bump LiteDB from 5.0.12 to 5.0.13

Release Notes

1. Fix issue #213, crash when check upgrade due to format change of github release webpage
2. Enhancement: support multi-taskbar restore
3. Built with VisualStudio 2022. For users of Windows 10 Home or Enterprise, please install PersistentWindows5.41_vs2019_build instead

Release Notes

1. Fix issue #184, Reliably restore full-dual-screen remote desktop window
2. Fix issue #187, PW crashes at startup
3. Fix issue #189, PW menu disappears
4. Fix issue #190, Avoid fixing Core.UI window that seems to be off-screen but actually is not.
5. New command option -delay_auto_capture, -delay_auto_restore to finetune capture/restore latency. Find out details on Help page
6. New command option -debug_process to log window event for specified process name.

Release Notes

1. Fix issue #181 (app crash) due to improper initialization and destruction of event log object.
2. Avoid the capture of transient "show the desktop" status initiated by OS during remote desktop reconnection.
3. When -ignore_process is specified, the window message from the ignored process should be ignored as well. Some taskbar docker application such as Nexus is constantly sending window move messages, which keep PersistentWindows busy waiting for ever for capture timer expiration.
4. Build with Visual Studio 2019 (upgrade from vs2017)