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TransparentBar v0.2.2

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@github-actions github-actions released this 08 Nov 08:49
· 15 commits to main since this release
v0.2.2
8889850

TransparentBar v0.2.2

Connector polish and resilience update adding a subtle grid pattern, accessibility options, DWM and Remote Desktop safety gates, and adaptive strip sizing.

What comes bundled:

  • TransparentBar.exe - Native Windows host executable (x64)
  • transparentbar_bridge-0.2.2.dll - Native taskbar transparency bridge
  • Inno Setup Installer (TransparentBar-setup-v0.2.2.exe) - Standard per-user installation with desktop shortcut option
  • Portable ZIP Archive (TransparentBar-windows-x64-v0.2.2.zip) - Standalone package with SHA-256 verification sums

What doesn't come bundled:

  • Visual noise by default
    • The faint grid pattern is subtle by design and can be turned off in the tray menu
  • Connector failures during Remote Desktop or when DWM composition is off
    • Sampling pauses instead of rendering blank or stale pixels

New and improved MAJOR features in 0.2.2:

  • Subtle Grid Pattern on the Connector

    • Added a faint square-grid overlay (7% line alpha, 28 px cells scaled by DPI).
    • Horizontal lines brighten the sampled colour, vertical lines darken it, both fading with the same vertical falloff as the gradient.
    • Toggle it with Connector pattern in the tray menu; the setting is stored per user under HKCU\Software\TransparentBar.

  • Accessibility: Reduced Connector Animation

    • New Reduce connector animation tray toggle disables the cross-fade, so sampled colours snap to the new edge immediately.
    • Useful for colour-vision and motion sensitivities, and for users who prefer instant updates.

  • DWM Composition Safety Gate

    • Checks DwmIsCompositionEnabled before sampling; when composition is off the strip hides instead of showing stale pixels.
    • Resolved at runtime from dwmapi.dll, preserving compatibility with older Windows builds.

  • Remote Desktop Pause

    • Detects SM_REMOTESESSION and suspends connector sampling entirely while the desktop is remote, saving CPU during RDP work.

  • Adaptive Strip Sizing

    • Strip height capped at 55% of the taskbar height, so thin taskbars (e.g. tablet mode) no longer get an oversized strip.
    • Strip width is capped at 1920 px for ultra-wide screens.
    • Both bounds scale with monitor DPI like the rest of the connector geometry.

New and improved minor features in 0.2.2 include:

  • Synchronized Versioning: Updated Cargo manifests, PE file resources, Inno Setup manifests, About dialog, taskbar bridge channel, and both tray settings keys to 0.2.2.
  • Regression Coverage: New unit tests for the grid pattern and replace-motion snap, and for proportional strip sizing on thin taskbars.
Click here to view technical & architectural details
  • Target Architecture: Windows 10 & 11 x64 (MSVC static CRT), primary and secondary bottom taskbars.
  • Style Plumbing: A Style struct (pattern, reduce motion) is read from the per-user registry on every connector update, so tray toggles apply without restarting.
  • Test Suite: 19 host unit tests and 7 bridge tests passing.

Downloads & Verification

Full Changelog: v0.2.1...v0.2.2

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