Organize and Group Desktop’s Shortcut Icons with Stardock Fences
Many users tend to place many shortcut icons on their desktop for easier access to a program or command. However, too many shortcuts icons without proper grouping or arrangement could really mess up your Windows Desktop. You probably need to spend some time to locate a particular shortcut icon. The problem gets worse when there are more and more shortcuts added to the pool. To tackle this practical problem, Stardock has introduced a grouping app called Fences.
Good fences make a good desktop interface. Stardock Fences allows users to organize their desktop icons by grouping them into blocks. Each block is “visually” fenced up with a labeled shaded area. Users can add the shortcut icons to the relevant block and organize them accordingly. For instance, users can create a Microsoft Office block to fence MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint into a group; users can also create a Game block to fence all the computer games into another group, etc. With this grouping facility, users will enjoy better organization in their computer’s desktop.
Stardock Fences is easy to use and very flexible. Users can easily right-click their mouse on the desktop, drag and draw a rectangle to create a fence. Users are free to rearrange and resize the fences created. With all the fences created, the desktop applications are more organized and properly grouped. However, users can be still get frustrated with so many icons in the desktop. Fences addresses this issue by incorporating a “Quick-Hide Activated” feature to this app. Quick-Hide Activated can hide or show all the icons with an easy double click on any empty space in the desktop.
By Double-clicking blank space on your desktop, you have activated a feature of Fences called Quick-Hide. Double-click blank space on your desktop at any time to quickly hide/reveal your desktop icons.
You can select individual fences or icons to remain visible during a quick-hide; just right click and click “Exclude from Quick-Hide”.
Stardock Fences is currently in preview beta and it is available for downloading free via the link here. This app supports all Windows XP, Windows Vista and even Windows 7 for both 32 and 64 bits.
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July 26th, 2009 13:57
Thanks alot for the s/w. I have just downloaded it and will give it a try. I do not have very messy desktop but this cool tool will certainly help enhance my desktop. Thanks again.
March 28th, 2009 21:53
I’ve been doing this – the artsy non-tech way – for years (though not quite a decade, Hazus..
)
Just create a desktop background that has different areas – whether you simply and primitively create a bunch of coloured boxes in Paint, or pick your favorite Mondrian, or put together a funky collage of steampunky machine interiors, pop-up ’screens’, and gear cutaways, connected with tubes and pipes to mark off your ‘fences – doesn’t really matter, as long as there are clear definitions between the areas. Then take ‘autoarrange’ and ‘pop to grid’ off, and move your icons where you want them!
I’ve used screenshots from different game interfaces and ‘blanked out’ the material contained inside each interface area to create wild WOW-styled desktops, Baldur’s Gate simulation desktops, and even a Insanaquarium take-off where my little icons were all sorted out over top of various fish tanks…
Yes, this is the ‘hard way’ workaround, because if you cram too many more icons into a certain area, you’ve got to redesign your background. Fortunately I love changing up and customizing my desktop! But I’m about to head over and give Fences a try…
February 8th, 2009 04:16
Very KDE4-ish. But I can actually see myself using this on a Vista desktop; it’s always been a little odd about rearranging icons whenever it felt like it. (XP’s autoarrange actually worked.)
February 7th, 2009 20:08
This is only about a decade late.