Entry using 2nd monitor when only one available?

This is a bug. It should be like that. I will enter a bug report for that.

Thanks for the quick reply.

You might want to take a look at the excellent way that Remote Desktop Manager handles Connection/"Use these RD Gateway server settings:", "Open gateway only when unable to ping host" for inspiration.

By setting that checkbox, when I'm at Location A, the gateway is used, but when I'm in Location B (inside the Gateway), it correctly bypasses the gateway because it can ping the IP address.

I look forward to something similar, such as "Use Primary monitor when secondary monitor is disconnected/unavailable" checkbox for "Display".

Hello fmorriso,

Could you tell us more information about your setup?

- What is your operating system?
- In Location A and Location B, which monitor is your primary monitor? Does it change in both cases?
- Can you reproduce the behavior in Location A if you remove the secondary monitor, for example?
- Are you running the latest version of RDM?

I'm running Windows 8.1, and I am unable to reproduce the bug. No matter what, when only one monitor is used, the window opens in that monitor.

As a temporary workaround, could you try using the global windows shortcut Win+Arrow key when you don't see the opened connection? It should move the selected window around, even if you cannot see it. You might have to press it multiple times. (eg: win+left a few times to move it left).
edited by Hubert Mireault on 9/30/2014

Operating System: Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64-bit with Update 1 and patched through and including the September 2014 "Patch Tuesday" Windows Update.

Location A: laptop connected via DVI cable to secondary Dell monitor. That makes the laptop monitor 1 and the secondary monitor the Secondary Monitor. Remote Desktop Manager works just fine at location A. No issues.

Location B: only the laptop is available. No secondary monitor. This can be at work or anywhere other than Location A.

I am running Remote Desktop Manager 9.2.10.

Keep in mind that my SharedConnections.xml is in "the cloud", which, while it does eventually map to a location on the laptop's hard-drive, is still primarily located "in the cloud".

Are you using an XML-based source of connection information?

I have not tried disconnecting the secondary monitor while at Location A. I'll try that soon and report back to you.

Hello fmorriso,

I am still unable to replicate the bug even with the same conditions.

But, at the same time, while looking through the code, I found and fixed another bug relating to the secondary monitors. It should be live on the latest version of RDM. If possible, could you test out the latest version of RDM (10.0.2.0)?

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Regards

I'll give 10.0 a try.

Meanwhile, I can confirm that if I shutdown my laptop, disconnect the cord for the secondary monitor, boot, launch RDM 9.2, launch an entry marked to use the Secondary Monitor, it opens minimized on the Windows 8.1 taskbar and no amount of keyboard short-cuts or mouse manipulation will make it visible. Therefore, I have to launch Task Manager and use End Task to kill that unusable/inaccessible RDM session.

I can reproduce the error at will using RDM 10.0.2 or it's "free" counter-part 1.0.2.

Would it help if I emailed you or uploaded the .xml file I'm using?

You can PM the XML file, and I can test it on my end. Be sure to replace any sensitive information with dummy data, such as passwords or usernames.

I will get back to you when I have tested it.

Regards

I do not understand the phrase "PM the XML". Is that some kind of FTP mechanism that I've never heard of? Please provide detailed instructions on what I must do to provide you my XML file.

Hi,
Hubert was talking about private message (PM).

Have you made any progress implementing this "use whatever monitor is available when secondary monitor is not available" feature?

Hi,
What version do you use? It should already be working.

I'm using 1.1.3.0.

I don't see anything in the Display dropdowns that indicates it will use Secondary Monitor when available and revert to the main (only) monitor when the otherwise desired secondary monitor is not available.

Please provide specific instructions for choosing a value from both dropdowns that will achieve my ultimate goal of having a single entry that will automatically choose the secondary monitor if available, but will gracefully degrade to using the only available monitor when that secondary monitor is disconnected or otherwise unavailable.

At the moment, I'm forced to maintain near-duplicate entries for every one of my remote connections:

1. with External in the first dropdown and Secondary Monitor in the second dropdown.
2. with External in the first dropdown and Primary Monitor in the second dropdown.

If I accidentally launch an entry defined the way #1 above is defined when there is no secondary monitor available, I get a taskbar entry that cannot be used and must ultimately be killed via task manager.
edited by fmorriso on 1/31/2015

I can't reproduce it. Could you try to select Monitor #2 instead of Secondary?

Could you export me on your session (you can change the credentials and the host name)?

Changing the second dropdown from Secondary Monitor to Monitor #2 fixes this issue.

So, as far as I'm concerned, why even offer a "Secondary Monitor" option in that dropdown listbox if it doesn't really work?

Hi,
I have verified the code and the application use the main screen when it detect that you only have one monitor. I can't reproduce your issue but it seems that Screen.AllScreens return more than one screens on your computer

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.screen.allscreens(v=vs.110).aspx

The secondary could be different than the #2. The secondary is the screen at the right of the primary while the #2 is the second screens starting from left hand side.