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Corky_O
Corky_O
Join Date 04/2004
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ObjectDock Plus – Create A System Tray Dock 101

A mini tutorial for beginners

January 22, 2006 10:04:53 PM from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

ObjectDock Plus – Create A System Tray Dock 101

 

This mini tutorial is designed for beginners who want to understand the basic steps involved in creating a system tray dock using ObjectDock Plus.

 

An assumption has been made that users have already installed ObjectDock Plus, so please do so before using the procedures in this tutorial (note – make sure that any free version of ObjectDock has been uninstalled previous to installing ObjectDock Plus). If you have any content files that you have downloaded for use with the free version, it is recommended that you copy these files to a temporary folder on your computer before uninstalling the free version of ObjectDock.

 

This mini tutorial has been created using the default Windows XP installation and settings, and illustrates procedures using the main ObjectDock Plus dialog boxes.

 

ADDING "SDMCP.EXE" TO THE STARTUP FOLDER

 

1 – Click Start > My Computer > open (double-click) the "C:" drive > open the "Documents and Settings" folder > open your account folder (the folder with your user name on it) > open the Start Menu folder > open the Programs folder > open the Startup folder > right-click inside this folder, and mouse-over the "New" option, and then select "Shortcut" – as shown in the image below:

 

 

2 - Use the browse button to navigate to the "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Stardock" folder, and then select the "sdmcp" file. When completed, your dialog box should look like the image shown below:

 

 

3 – Click "Next", and then "Finish", which should leave you with a new shortcut to the "sdmcp.exe" file as shown in the image below:

 

 

Note – if you have Stardock Central installed, you can alternatively start that program > go to Tools menu > Settings > select "Enable MCP notification area support" > click "OK". This will provide the same support required to load the notification area (AKA the System Tray) icons onto a dock.

 

4 – Restart your computer to load the "sdmcp" executable.

 

CREATE A SYSTEM TRAY DOCK

 

1 – Right-click the ObjectDock icon in the notification area, and select "My Docks" as shown in the image below:

 

 

2 - The "My Docks" dialog that pops up will show any current docks that are loaded. For this exercise, I will use a "blank canvas", and therefore will remove any other docks by selecting them and clicking the "Remove this dock" button as shown below:

 

 

3 – With all docks removed, click the "Create new dock" button as shown below:

 

 

This will place a new default dock on the desktop as shown in the image below:

 

 

Note – I have deselect the "Magnification" option (found in the Appearance category) to make working with the dock entries easier.

 

4 – Click the "Dock Contents" category in the left-hand list of the ObjectDock Properties to display the Dock Contents options, and then select the "Show system tray icons on the dock" option as shown in the image below:

 

 

As you can see in the image above, this will load the System Tray icons onto the dock.

 

5 – If you wish to hide the Windows taskbar, you can select this option in the General category as shown in the image below:

 

 

6 – Let’s remove the other "non-system" tray entries, by right-clicking the entries and selecting the "Remove Entry" option in the context menu as shown in the image below:

 

 

Repeat this until you only have the system tray icons displayed on the dock. I am setting this dock up as a separate dock, which tends to prevent any possible conflicts in a theme. The image below shows the result:

 

 

7 – Now click the "Positioning" category in the left-hand list of the ObjectDock Properties to display the Positioning options as shown in the image below:

 

 

Note – I have selected the "Align Right" in the Alignment drop-down list, and "Always-On-Bottom" in the Z-Ordering drop-down list.

 

8 – To change the image for a system tray icon, press the "Ctrl" key while left-clicking on the system tray icon to invoke the "Dock Entry Properties" as shown in the image below:

 

 

Click the "Change Image for this Tray Icon" button as shown in the image below:

 

 

Use the "Choose Image" dialog to navigate to, and select the icon or ".png" file you want for your image, and then click OK as shown in the image below:

 

 

Repeat as needed to change your system tray icons.

 

The image below shows the completed system tray dock:

 

 

I hope you found this mini tutorial useful. Until next time, have fun and "Keep On Customizing".
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Corky_O
jlaj1989
Join Date 07/2005
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Reply #1 January 25, 2006 10:03:59 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
What is the ADDING "SDMCP.EXE" TO THE STARTUP FOLDER for. just wondering
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thomassen
Join Date 01/2003
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Reply #2 January 25, 2006 10:29:47 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
sdmcp.exe is a service process to keep track to the system tray icons.


But doesn't it have to be in the registry startup for LOCAL MACHINE in order to catch all icons? I thought it had to be started before any other processes to catch all the icons.
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keymastr1008
Join Date 08/2001
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Reply #3 January 25, 2006 3:52:37 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
it was useful... thanks! i didn't know about the control-left click in order to bring up the dock properties... which is why i always shy away from using a dock as a systray... i hate the ugly icons. now i can choose my own. thanks again!
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Corky_O
sleepydawg
Join Date 06/2004
+1
Reply #4 January 25, 2006 6:13:55 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Thanks for taking the time to do this tutorial. It was very helpful.
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Corky_O
Corky_O
Join Date 04/2004
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Reply #5 January 25, 2006 8:44:50 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

But doesn't it have to be in the registry startup for LOCAL MACHINE in order to catch all icons

Not to my knowledge, it seems to work fine in the user account startup folder.

You can add it to the "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup" folder to include all users on the machine if you wish. It will serve the same purpose as a "LOCAL MACHINE" entry.

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jinxjx
Join Date 01/2007
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Reply #6 February 16, 2007 6:56:43 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
i know this is old post but with the systray dock, are there any icons that go to the dock when a program runs like the regular systray ?...thank you..
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TheDrumBone
Join Date 06/2007
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Reply #7 July 6, 2007 11:25:51 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
This didn't work for me in WinXp Sp2 OD 1.9, but I found a way around it by using nimix' system tray:

https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=3916&libid=29

~ Boroko
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dave-brombacher
Join Date 02/2008
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Reply #8 February 16, 2008 4:33:34 PM
from JoeUser ForumsJoeUser Forums

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jwo
Join Date 03/2008
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Reply #9 March 3, 2008 7:55:43 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
okay what do i do if object dock isnt in my windows toolbar system tray? [ i'm stuck on step 1 of CREATE A SYSTEM TRAY DOCK]

thanks
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Corky_O
Join Date 04/2004
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Reply #10 March 4, 2008 9:45:30 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
I've have been inactive for a while, so this tutorial is quite dated. After installing ObjectDock on Vista (32 bit)today, I see that Stadock does not install the old 'sdmcp.exe' file with the stand-alone ObjectDock Plus v1.9 installer. Since the System Tray functions work after installing, I am assuming that it is no longer needed with the new code.

jinxjx,

I am not sure what you mean. You can create a system tray dock (either non-tabbed or tabbed) and any loaded tray icons should show up (at least they did for me in a test I just ran). You can alternatively show system tray icons on the left or right of a non-tabbed dock using the options in 'Dock Contents' category of the 'Dock Settings' (A.K.A. - ObjectDock Properties dialog).

The DrumBone & dave-brombacher,

I apologize for not keeping current and am glad you found an alternative. If needed, the options I will list below for 'jwo' should also work.

jwo,

You can use one of the following to create a system tray dock without using the system tray icon for ObjectDock (I am not sure why that is missing on your system).

1 - for a non-tabbed system tray dock, simply create a new dock via the 'My Docks' button (bottom left of any dock settings dialog). Once the dock is created, go to the 'Dock Contents' category and select the 'Display system tray icons along with my icons' and then select either left or right side in the drop-down menu.

Note - if you want just a system tray dock, simply drag the non-system tray icons off the dock and you will be left with a system tray dock. You can then use the dock settings dialog for that dock to customize the dock.

2 - for a tabbed system tray dock, create a new tabbed dock in 'My Docks' dialog > Right-click the new tabbed dock > Tabs > Add new tab > Add systray tab. Once the system tray tab is created, you can remove the other tabs using the 'Dock Settings\Tabs & Styles' dialog to leave only a System Tray tab, which can act as a drawer on the edge of the screen.

The rest of the modifications should work from the tutorial.

Good luck and have fun to everyone!
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Corky_O
Bichur
Join Date 10/2003
+253
Reply #11 March 4, 2008 9:57:50 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
, I see that Stadock does not install the old 'sdmcp.exe' file with the stand-alone ObjectDock Plus v1.9 installer. Since the System Tray functions work after installing, I am assuming that it is no longer needed with the new code.


That's what they say - don't need it for OD+1.9 or OBar2


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RobJK
Join Date 11/2007
+3
Reply #12 April 19, 2008 3:15:09 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
I really thought that this was how to do a dock on the taskbar but I guess i am an idot. Anywyas that is pretty cool thanks.Very helpfull.
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KuriPonPon
Join Date 06/2008
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Reply #13 June 1, 2008 7:27:32 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
I don't have "sdmcp.exe". Where can I find it?
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PINCHOPINCHO
Join Date 06/2009
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Reply #14 July 8, 2009 11:43:15 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
how can i change the icon for animated tray icons?????? change for high res animated icons...
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Nico25394
Join Date 05/2009
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Reply #15 August 11, 2009 4:55:50 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
i dont find the sdmcp.exe please tell me where to find
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