Fences 5.53 Release Feedback Thread

Known issues

While we appreciate all feedback, please remember that we offer no official support for beta \ preview \ developer channel versions of Windows. If you report issues while in any of those early release channels, you should not expect them to be addressed unless it still exists in a retail version of Windows.

• We are monitoring reports where the old setting ('Store my Fences' positions on a per-screen-resolution basis') was indeed preserved with an installation of Fences 5.53, however, its behavior for its renamed setting (Preserve my layout by scaling my Fences groups), may not be rendering Fences and layout as it once had.

***Reserved***

Multi-monitor enhancements

We have always been working to improve the reliability of Fences placement on the Desktop.  What has made this challenging over the years are all the variables that are involved:

• Quantity of monitors

• Connection types 

• DPI \ Scale \ Resolution

• Waking from sleep \ hibernate states

• The evolution of Windows itself and how it manages items on the desktop

That said, with Fences 5.53, we believe it addresses most monitor scenarios with a new monitor option:

'Store my layouts on a per-monitor-configuration basis'

Note: This option will be enabled by default for new installs ONLY.  Anyone installing 5.53 over a prior version of Fences 5 will need to enable it manually.  The decision to not enable it for existing install was not to disrupt anything a current client is doing to manage monitors in Fences manually (creating \ restoring snapshots for example).

Reporting issues

For any issues with the new layout engine, we have set up a dedicated thread to review them.  Please see

https://forums.stardock.com/528229/fences-55-new-layout-engine-thread

V5.53 ISSUE: In this version, when changing screen resolutions the Fences no longer scale to the new size. Very frustrating when relying on changing resolution such as for streaming etc. Worked on previous versions.

Knowing that installs over the prior version will keep the settings you had, I'll assume you have manually set 

• Backups
• Layout auto-adjustments
• 'Store may layouts on a per-monitor-configuration basis'

For how you are \ were using Fences, if you set it back to:

• 'Preseve my layout by scaling my Fence groups'

...and perhaps restore a snapshot, does it work as you like then?

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

V5.53 issue - no longer working correctly with external monitor

My setup

• Windows 11 Pro version 23H2 (OS build 22631.3593).
• Fences.exe version 5.5.3.2.
• Laptop with 3840x2160 screen + 3440x1440 ultra-wide monitor connected via Thunderbolt 4 dock with HDMI interface.
• The monitor is about 5m away and I frequently use Win-P to switch between Duplicate and Second screen only modes.
• Fences group positions set differently for the two screen modes.
• Fences layout auto-adjustment = Store my Fence group positions on a per-screen-resolution basis
  AND have also tried Store my layout on a per-monitor-configuration basis.

Main problem

Previously, Fences switched the layout automatically and correctly when the screen mode changed.  Since updating to 5.53 it no longer switches automatically, instead it seems to be auto-scaling which gives unusable results in my situation.

When switching to Duplicate mode, I can work around the problem by using Restore Snapshot (having taken a snapshot in that mode), though that's obviously less convenient than automatic switching.

However, Restore snapshot doesn't work correctly in Second screen only mode (i.e. having taken a snapshot in that mode too).  Several fence groups are restored at slightly incorrect positions and with slightly smaller sizes than when the snapshot was taken, so some icons aren't visible.  Fixing these manually every time I switch screen mode is a real pain.  Strangely, the same happens if I take a snapshot (with everything fixed) and immediately restore it, or even if I just click on Reset saved settings for other screen resolutions.

Related issues I've noticed

• Some Fence groups need to be larger than the number of icons, e.g. a 1x6 group containing 6 icons in a single column only showed 5 of them unless the height was increased to 6.3.
• When resizing one group after another, the size of the previous group is initially shown on screen, though it becomes correct as soon as a boundary is dragged.
• The Layout auto-adjustments menu changes sporadically.  Sometimes it includes the per-screen-resolution option, sometimes this option isn't shown.  Also, the Keep groups sized to even multiples of icons option sometimes changes for no obvious reason.

What I've tried

Numerous combinations of various measures including:

• Re-installed latest version of Fences from website (5.5.3.2).
• Rebooting the laptop.
• Retaking and restoring snapshots manually.
• Making groups sizes slightly larger than should be necessary for the number of icons.
• Switching layout option between per-screen-resolution and per-monitor-configuration basis.
• Resetting saved settings for other screen resolutions.
• Enabling and disabling Keep groups sized to even multiples of icons when resizing.

Nothing seems to fix or even affect the problems reported above.

I rely heavily on Fences and working around these problems is a big nuisance.  Can you please provide access to a copy of the previous version, which worked perfectly, until the issue is resolved?

I've got the scaling option set as default. When I bring back in a snapshot it then works if I make the resolution smaller, but doesn't scale back up again when the resolution returns to the larger size.

Continuous bug reports. Explorer keeps restarting. Post made in Fences Forum section.

I have answered your other thread.

https://forums.stardock.com/528092/bug-report---bug-splat-every-reboot

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

Windows 11 -- Desktop Icon spacing no longer adjusts to icon size, making it is extremely small or even negative with very big icons. It reverts back when uninstalling Fences.

Please see:

https://forums.stardock.com/528046/page/1/#3931746:~:text=com/support/productkeyretrieval-,Reporting%20an%20issue,-Please%20include%20the

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

Your link is a mess...

Reporting an issue

Please include the following for anything found:

• Exact Windows version \ build (winver.exe)

• Detailed steps to recreate the issue seen

• Screenshots and videos are very helpful.  Videos can be uploaded to a cloud drive service (GoogleDrive, DropBox, OneDrive, YouTube), with a shared link included in your post.  Images can be copied and pasted directly into a post.

• If there are specific apps that the app does not work (well) with, please note what apps and their exact versions.  If any app is not common, a link to a trial version would be appreciated.

Thank you for your interest and any time you put into making Fences 5 a better product.

No time for this...

Related: Upgrade from Fences 5.04 to Fences 5.53 on a single monitor system messes up icon spacing in portals: lower icons obscure text of icons above. This happens on Windows 10 [22H2 (OS Build 19045.4412)] - It works properly on windows 11. 

Quoting TheAncient1, reply 17

Related: Upgrade from Fences 5.04 to Fences 5.53 on a single monitor system messes up icon spacing in portals: lower icons obscure text of icons above. This happens on Windows 10 [22H2 (OS Build 19045.4412)] - It works properly on windows 11. 

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. I can not reproduce your issue on my system. Refer screenshot below. Need to know your monitor resolution and scale (100%,150%,200%)?

Thank you.
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

Does this still happen if you have the new engine set

If you did not have it set, then set it and nothing happens, please try to reboot to be certain if it is still rendering poorly or not. 

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

@basj:     Display Resolution is 1920 x 1080     Scaling is 125%

@sdrohan:  I set the Layout to "per-monitor-configuration basis" as indicated in your post.

           [I have an additional option not shown in your post): "store on a per-screen-resolution basis (legacy)"]

           Unfortunately, the icons are still overlapping the text of the icons above them.

           I then re-booted in the hope that might fix things but it did not: the icons are still messed up.

           I ended up reverting to Fences 5.04. (this reverted back to "per-screen-resolution basis")

What are you guys doing here answering questions on a Sunday? Don't you guys get weekends off?

Your scaling @125% is not crazy but I would like to know if lowering it has an effect (I suspect it will but I am not sure I would call that a solution if you don't want it scaled that low). The same goes for alternate resolutions as that does seem pretty low.

One other thing, if you Click + Ctrl + MouseWheel in \ out do the icons arrange as you would hope?  Example:

https://cdn.stardock.us/support/uploads/NVIDIA_Overlay_2024-05-26_21-52-21.mp4

That will inflate \ shrink icons on the desktop. Again, not likely a solution but I would like to know.

What are these 'weekends' you speak of...? 😉

With any major release, we like to keep an eye on things no matter what...

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

@sdrohan: ● Re-installed Fences 5.53 re-booted and switched to "per-monitor-configuration basis"

                  ● Switched scaling to 100% - same overlap - just smaller

                  ● Used the Ctrl + MouseWheel method and this did work, however: You have to do this for each portal individually  and then also
                     adjust the sizes for those portals. All in all, this is a pain in the aft.

"Weekends" are a concept that is not well known within the IT industry: Apparently, in some places, people occasionally get time off for good behaviour.

That explains it then; my behavior is notoriously poor

Indeed a pain but when done, does it have it in a state that is useful \ 'like it was'?  Or, no, while this works to have the names not bleed over into other icons, they have to be really small and are less identifiable when zoomed out?

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

@sdrohan: After a lot of fiddling around, I managed to get things into a state where it's "workable" again and I no longer look like Kirk in your profile picture. I should be able to work with this until Windows 10 "dies" in 2025. As I pointed out before, I do NOT have this problem on my Windows 11 machines.