Ted's Bridge World Using Multiple Monitors
with ACBLscore -3

GETTING AROUND

An Active Window (that is, having the current Focus or Foreground) is the one most recently accessed by either the mouse or the keyboard.  It is somewhat difficult to identify in Windows-10, although a usable setting can be arranged.  In all prior versions of Windows, assigning different colors to title bars is child's play.

Only the Active Window can be moved to another monitor.  (That is how Windows works.)

Press [Ctrl-Alt-Right/Left Arrow].  The window will move directly to the same position on the next screen.  (This function is provided by the DisplayFusion  utility.)

Using the [control-key(s)] with [Right-Arrow] moves a window among the screens in rotation (1-2-3-1, etc.).  Using [Left-Arrow] moves a window in the opposite direction (1-3-2-1).

Note: any monitor that is not turned on remains in the 'rotational loop'.  Using the [control-key] functions will scroll windows through inactive screens just as if they were powered on.

When a window is transferred to another screen, it performs in standard Windows fashion by temporarily overwriting anything already there but without destroying it.  If, for example, a chart is displayed on Screen-2 and something else is sent over there, it merely is superimposed upon the original data.  Pressing [Right-Arrow] again will continue moving the new window to Screen-3, restoring the prior data on Screen-2.

Albeit technically unnecessary, it is convenient to set all monitors to the same pixel-resolution; this permits one to compose a layout on the main screen regarding content, size, and position, knowing that it will look the same after it is moved.  Of course, an Irfanview  screen can be 'prettied-up' after a relocation with the usage of a pair of program hotkeys.

Every open window has a corresponding icon on the Desktop Taskbar.  No matter where it is currently located, a window can be deleted by [Right-click] on the corresponding taskbar icon, then [Close window] or [Esc].  It also can be retrieved to the main screen by [Right-click] on the icon, then [Ctrl-Alt-P] or [Ctrl-Alt-A].

DISPLAYING ACBLSCORE LEADER CHARTS

Pressing [F8,Screen,option] in ACBLscore  begets a pop-up window.  Nothing else can be done in the program while that window is open; it has to be closed down first.  Because it cannot simply be moved to another screen, that window's data must be presented in another manner.  Two solutions are available:

EASY METHOD  (Create a Graphical Image)

In ACBLscore,  press [F8, Enter, Enter] to produce a chart of leaders in rank order.  Then, the procedure can vary depending upon the section table-count, which determines whether all the desired data show up on the screen at one time.

(all player names and scores are visible on the screen)  Press [PrtScrn].  A copy of the Active Window will be captured by FastStone, then displayed by Irfanview.

(some section data are not visible)  Press [Ctrl-Alt-PrtScrn].  A Red Border will surround the visible portion of the client-section of the Active Window.  Without moving the mouse, [Left-Click] it once.  The window will be auto-scrolled downward so as to capture the remainder of the page that was not showing previously.  When the scrolling reaches the bottom, press [Esc] immediately.  An image with all the data will then pop up in Irfanview.

On a typical monitor, the display breakoff-point might be 10 tables; yours might be different.  In any case, the new image can be resized with [Plus] or [Minus] at any time.  After moving the graphic, pressing [Enter] will toggle Irfanview's  FullScreen Mode, which will enlarge the text and clear away some unwanted clutter.

Tip: Avoid allowing the capture utility to scroll sideways, because the resultant output probably will be corrupted.  That is why the [Esc] key needs to be pressed before any horizontal scrolling takes place.

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SUMMARY OF A TYPICAL KEYBOARD SEQUENCE

With the normal ACBLscore  game screen in the Active Window:

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Tip: Remember always to use only a [Printscreen] function for displaying ACBLscore  data remotely; otherwise, you won't be able to continue using that program.  If you forget and send a Leaders chart to a remote screen, just press [Esc] to close it down and restore order.

Tip: Don't worry about what to do with existing data on a remote screen.  If desired, you can close down a window by deleting the requisite Infanview icon from the Windows Taskbar; but that really isn't necessary.  When updating game results, you can just send a new graphic to a screen, overwriting whatever is there; remember that Irfanview doesn't care how many instances of itself are running.

ALTERNATE (non-recommended) METHOD  (Create/Edit a Text File)

This method would be necessary with a larger section and no scrolling-capture facility.  Fortunately, we do have one of those, and the alternative of manipuating text files would be tedious beyond words; so I won't discuss that option further.

DISPLAYING OTHER STUFF

Of course, usage of the remote screens is not limited to the posting of Section Leaders.  One might wish to display, for example, a holiday greeting, information regarding an upcoming event or lesson series, or perhaps photos of the newest great-grandchild.  The screen setup accommodates all windows, not just those produced by ACBLscore.

RESTARTING AN APP

I suppose that one of the three key utilities could stop running due to some obscure system-glitch or other.  To that end, it would be wise to keep shortcuts to the executable files in a handy folder; then, any of them could be restarted simply by [double-clicking] on the appropriate filename.  When running, each of these programs displays an icon in the [System Tray] section of the Windows Taskbar.

Note that DisplayFusion  and Dual Monitor Tools  must be running at all times whenever any screen is in a remote location; otherwise, both ACBLscore  and the Extended Desktop will be unmanageable.

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Happy directing!  Using this method really is as easy as I claim it to be.  As of March, 2023, after six years of usage, no glitches in the system have occurred.

An added bonus is available, that makes using ACBLscore  easier and faster when it counts the most.  If you like, check out this article on <Hotkeys for ACBLscore>.

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