Note: This project has been ported from kaear.co.uk and was last updated 04/04/2005, 02:31:20

Is Active Desktop actually useful? I think it is, and I intend to prove it!

Using a generic Access database I've catalogued my entire collection of media (DVDs, CDs, Mp3s, etc), downloads, software and games. Using IIS to serve up a front end for this grand database, it's possible to embed the finished page into an Active Desktop window. Very handy if, like me, you have a whole monitor just screaming out to be used in a useful way.

An active desktop window on screen able to be hidden/shown via hyperlinks in the window itself (ie no right clicking the desktop and turning active desktop off); completely viewable frontend with security measures in place to allow only those viewing from http://localhost/ to be able to add/edit/delete from the database; cross referenced audio listing with my mp3 folder to be able to add files and folders to QCD, cross referenced DVD listing with my Films folder to play in Media Player, ditto that with Animé and Downloads. Search, sort and ordering facilities are also a must.

For distribution amongst those who care to try it: it should be non-intrusive (so it could be placed on the main monitor and not cause grief), customizable (maybe skinnable?) and easily installed without having to muck around with IIS too much; it should be viewable from the outside, so others can see what's listed in your database (maybe with the option of turning this off, or having various levels of easy viewing). If possible, using some other viewer, to see who else is using the same software and being able to search through their archives.

Collective archival. Before anyone gets too excited, I'm not advocating illegal activities, and nor am I participating in them: this project is strictly a non-profit-experimental-pre-alpha-personal-don't-you-dare-try-to-sue-me sort of a project. Consider that a disclaimer!

• Show/hide function (using IFRAMEs, which is messy at best.)
• Add, list & sort music
• Security measures implemented (currently impossible to view unless viewing from localhost).
• Launch QCD from hyperlink (run: protocol, see links for details)
• Add files/folders to QCD from hyperlinks (the activeX settings for localhost have to be set right down, but it works)
• An automated script that seeks out new MP3 folders and updates the music database on request.

• Allow music to be sorted more dynamically (without editting the source file).
• Allow the music to be searched for a particular album/artist/format.
• Expand the music section to make it easier to add media that isn't in the MP3 folder.
• Include video collection (DVDs, VHS etc) for Films and Anime.
• Include downloads, also search/sortable.
• Make the colours/aethetics more customizable using the same interface, or by way of a config file/database area.
• A gallery to show some of the work so far!

What about having network traffic monitors, login status, permission listings, useful links and other such silliness embedded in an Active Desktop window? These are things to look into, that have sort of stemmed from the idea of using Active Desktop for useful things.

run: protocol handler
Virtual Plastic HTML in the UI
WinPcap packet capturing architecture DLL
PacketX ActiveX interface to WinPcap

This project functioned, after a fashion, but I now realise that it's a rather crude method of embedding information into the desktop. Also, I've since stopped using Windows, which means that I no longer feel any particular drive to do anything with this. There's so much stuff in existence for Linux that does Cool Things ™, that I probably won't be making an effort to port it all over to LAMP (Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP). Enjoyable to play with, tho'