Better Pause feature

[NewDeli]

Hi,

I noticed it was a bit difficult to pause correctly emulation via WinUAE without hitting F12.
Most notably, the game / Workbench screen would be minimized after the first clicks on the other monitor desktop (I use dual display).

After that, it is necessary to double click on the taskbar button a couple of times to maximize the screen again (or even alt+tab + taskbar button double click).

Just pausing emulation doesn't ensure reduced CPU usage to the extend one notice after hitting F12, and the emulation screen is even less "sticky".


My priority settings :
Above normal / normal, no sound / below normal, no sound, pause
Always on top : unticked

[killergorilla]

You tried pressing Pause/Break on your keyboard?

[TCD]

You can also assign any key or button to 'Pause emulation' in the input panel.

[NewDeli]

Thanks, I have read previous threads about the pause feature.

Main problem is that the Workbench window gets minimized behind my back if I don't also bring up the GUI, so I should need to first maximise it before being able to enter emulation again.

And may be you haven't noticed, CPU usage is quite different between plain pause, and pause + F12 (which seems to consist in a more "powerful" pause option)

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

And may be you haven't noticed, CPU usage is quite different between plain pause, and pause + F12 (which seems to consist in a more "powerful" pause option)

What do you mean by 'pause + F12'? Also 'plain pause' sets the CPU usage to 0 (both in WinUAE and in Windows taskmanager) here.

[NewDeli]

About CPU usage : You're right, it works as intended "today" ! It still puzzles me that everything's back to normal when you're about to report a WinUAE issue .

let's focus on the unattended minimizing, in native mode, then
(Could be easier to spot in a Dual Display setup).

[Toni Wilen]

DirectX fullscreen modes always minimize when focus is lost. There is no way to change this.

Use fullwindow mode if you don't need vsync.

btw, there is also "pause when minimized" option.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

let's concentrate on the unattended minimizing, in native mode plz.
Could be easier to spot in a Dual Display setup.

So, windowed mode and then you change to the second monitor (any software included?). By doing that WinUAE gets minimized and won't come up again with a single click. Is that the problem? Not sure how to reproduce that on a single display setup at all.

[NewDeli]

To recap :
It's in native mode, full-screen, vSync enabled (but I suppose it's the same without vSync).
Game screen always minimize when focus is lost, as put it Toni.

WinUAE won't come up again with a single click, after that . I need to use workarounds, like clicking in the systray icon to bring up the GUI first, only then WinUAE can regain focus.

@TCD
Changing to the TFT is just a matter of alt+tabbing, software behind that is Catalyst/Powerstrip, a Dual Display setup I have already described, AFAIR.

[TCD]

I was asking about the setup, because I thought it was a windowed mode you used (you didn't mention fullscreen before).

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

WinUAE won't come up again with a single click, after that . I need to use workarounds, like clicking in the systray icon to bring up the GUI first, only then WinUAE can regain focus.

Never had a problem with that (also tested VSync to see if that causes a problem). Are you sure there is no other software messing up the Windows Z-order?

[NewDeli]

Except that WinUAE is not set on the main display, there is nothing worth mentioning. Well, I didn't halt background activity, like Winamp and such, but it shouldn't come in the way.

Anyway, it's more annoying to have a paused game screen minimized (I mentioned F12, because that happens also with the GUI being displayed) than to have to restore full-screen with a couple of clicks or keypresses. Hopefully, this doesn't happen in RTG mode.

[NewDeli]

• Normal F12 press : To pause emulation
• Long F12 press : To bring up GUI

I suppose it doesn't suit your taste, but one never knows...

If fullscreen screen losing focus could be prevented from being minimized with the GUI activated (i understand it's not possible simply with emulation paused), that would be great.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

• Normal F12 press : To pause emulation
• Long F12 press : To bring up GUI

I thought we had the 'pause is just fine as it is' sorted? Otherwise I don't get the joke.

[killergorilla]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

• Normal F12 press : To pause emulation
• Long F12 press : To bring up GUI

You really have some "special" ideas sometimes.

[NewDeli]

It seems to me that when a game is minimized as described above, chances to get it in its previous state after switching off the GUI are increased if the game was previously paused.

In other words : I noticed the probability that emulation fails increases if F12 is used to pause the game.
Pause then F12 -> "safer pausing" or so it seems.

( "fail" in pausing / unpausing scenarios is not easy to quantize, as you can imagine. )

[Toni Wilen]

I am confused what exactly is wrong..

[Hungry Horace]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

I am confused what exactly is wrong..

user error?

[NewDeli]

I'll try again (if it still doesn't fit, never mind, by all means DON'T get confused because of me, you should know words based on "confusion" count triple in EAB Scrabble, in my case )


Main request :
I'd like fullscreen screen losing focus to be prevented from being minimized, with the GUI activated.


Subsidiary request :
Optional Linking of the Pause and Show GUI functions, so that I (we) could maximize a running game more easily if I (we) forgot to pause it before that.
When I hit F12 again (after having "paused" a game with the "Show GUI" function), the maximizing gets tedious because the game is actually running, while WinUAE is still minimized in the taskbar.

An illustration : let's say I need to switch screen, I hit F12, game screen gets minimized as soon as it looses focus. Then my attemps to maximize it again (using "show GUI" from the systray) sometimes fail, I suspect because the game is fully running. So, I can hear the music but WinUAE would be stuck onto the taskbar, despite clicking on it or alt+tabbing.

[TCD]

What about setting 'When Inactive' to 'Pause emulation' then? Toni has already answered your main request btw.

[AmigaFriend]

I've tried that in my dual display, game running full screen in 2nd display, hit f12, automatically pauses, gui appears in 2nd display, move mouse to 1st display, click on desktop of 1st display, winuae minimizes to taskbar, one (1) click in winuae icon on taskbar, winuae returns to fullscreen with gui, press ok in gui, games unpauses and continues.

I surely do not see what's wrong.

Using Windows 7 x64.