StackyNG Documentation

Features

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

StackyNG v0.7.0 - Feature Overview & System Description#

StackyNG is a modernized, high-performance Win32 utility designed to declutter the Windows taskbar by grouping shortcuts into organized, hierarchical menus (“stacks”). It serves as a successor to the original Stacky project, rewritten for speed, stability, and compatibility with modern Windows 10/11 environments. View Readme

🚀 Key Features Implemented#

1. High-Performance Architecture#

Asynchronous Scanning: Unlike legacy tools that freeze the UI while scanning folders, StackyNG uses a background worker thread. You see a “Loading…” menu immediately, which dynamically refreshes once the data is ready.
Memory-Mapped Cache: Shortcut data and icons are stored in !stacky.cache using Win32 Memory-Mapped Files (CreateFileMapping). This allows near-instant loading on subsequent launches by mapping the file directly into the process memory space.
Structural Validation: On launch, StackyNG performs a lightning-fast structural scan (names and timestamps only) and compares it against the cache. It only rebuilds expensive resources (like icons) if a change is detected.

2. Modern Visuals & High DPI#

WIC (Windows Imaging Component): Uses the modern WIC API for high-quality, linear scaling of icons, ensuring they look sharp regardless of the source format.
High-DPI Awareness: Utilizes SHGetImageList to extract jumbo/large icons from the system, preventing the “blurry icon” syndrome common in older Win32 apps.
Dark Mode Support: Deep integration with the Windows 10/11 “Immersive Dark Mode.” The application detects your system theme and applies dark-themed menus (DarkMode_Explorer) and tooltips automatically.
Dynamic Tooltips: Hovering over any menu item displays a tooltip showing the target path or the shortcut’s metadata description.

3. Advanced Customization (`stacky.json`)#

Every stack folder can contain a stacky.json file to override default behavior:

Tutorial

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

StackyNG Tutorial#

This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide on how to get the most out of StackyNG, the modern icon stack solution for the Windows taskbar. View Readme

1. Why StackyNG?#

The Problem#

Windows taskbar shortcuts are great, but they quickly become cluttered. If you have 20 games or 15 development tools, pinning them all individually takes up precious screen real estate.

The StackyNG Solution#

StackyNG allows you to group related shortcuts into a single “stack.” When you click the stack, a clean, high-performance menu pops up with all your icons, beautifully rendered and ready to launch.

Build Guide

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Building StackyNG#

StackyNG is designed for versatility, supporting multiple build systems to accommodate various developer environments. View Readme

1. Supported Build Methods#

Method 0: PowerShell Automation (Recommended)#

This script orchestrates compilation for multiple Windows 11 target architectures and configurations automatically.

Usage: Run from a standard PowerShell terminal (no special Native Tools prompt required).
Build all targets: .\build.ps1
Build specific targets: .\build.ps1 -Arch x64 -Config Release
Clean & Rebuild: .\build.ps1 -Clean
Get Help: .\build.ps1 -h OR -Help

Setup Stacky

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Setup_Stacky Documentation#

1. Overview#

Setup_Stacky is a WPF-based GUI utility designed to streamline the management of StackyNG workspaces View Readme . It replaces manual command-line configuration with an intuitive Windows interface, ensuring workspaces are structured consistently and launching them is as simple as clicking an icon.

Key Features#

Directory Orchestration: Automatically initializes new stack directories and prepares them for application shortcuts.
Config Management: Generates a standard stacky.json configuration file, which serves as the “brain” for how StackyNG handles applications within that stack.
Shortcut Automation: Automatically generates a properly configured Windows Desktop shortcut (.lnk) that points to your stacky.exe and passes the stack directory as an argument.

2. Technical Workflow#

The application gathers user input through its WPF front-end and executes the following logic:

Roadmap

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

StackyNG Future Roadmap#

This roadmap outlines planned features and potential improvements for future versions of StackyNG. View Readme

🚀 Upcoming Features (v0.8.0+)#

🎨 Visual Enhancements#

Custom Menu Animations: Smooth fade-in or slide-out effects for menus.
Icon Glow/Effects: Optional visual feedback when hovering over items.
Smart Launch Positioning: Detect taskbar shortcut location vs cursor position to anchor the menu exactly where the user clicked, replicating the “native” Windows flyout feel.

⚙️ Functional Improvements#

Pinned Items: Allow certain shortcuts to always stay at the top of the menu, regardless of alphabetical sorting.
Recursive Monitoring: Deep monitoring of subfolders for instant updates.
Recent Items Integration: Optional section at the top of the menu for most recently used shortcuts.
Interactive Config UI: A small companion tool to visually edit stacky.json settings.

🛠 Technical Debt & Optimization#

Incremental Cache Updates: Instead of a full rebuild when a change is detected, only update the changed item.
Improved Logging: Implement log rotation and configurable verbosity levels.
Comprehensive JSON Support: Transition from the current minimal parser to a standard, lightweight JSON library for more complex configuration.

💡 Long-term Vision (v1.0.0+)#

🌐 Cross-Platform (Partial)#

While the core is Win32-based, explore a companion configuration GUI built in a cross-platform framework (e.g., Qt or Dear ImGui) to make stacky.json editing easier.

📦 Portable Stacks#

A feature to “package” a stack (shortcuts + config + icons) into a single portable directory for easy syncing across multiple Windows machines.

⌨️ Hotkey Support#

Allow triggering specific stacks via system-wide global hotkeys.

🤝 Community Contributions#

We welcome ideas and pull requests! If you have a feature suggestion, please open an issue or start a discussion.

NOTICE

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

NOTICE#

This product includes software developed by:

Pawel Turlejski (original author of Stacky)
B Dib (updates and maintenance)

Licensed under the Apache License, version 2.0 (the “License”); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at:

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an “AS IS” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.

License

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Apache License#

Version 2.0, January 2004 http://www.apache.org/licenses/

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE, REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION#

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the “License”); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

StackyNG Documentation

Features

StackyNG v0.7.0 - Feature Overview & System Description#

🚀 Key Features Implemented#

1. High-Performance Architecture#

2. Modern Visuals & High DPI#

3. Advanced Customization (stacky.json)#

Tutorial

StackyNG Tutorial#

1. Why StackyNG?#

The Problem#

The StackyNG Solution#

Build Guide

Building StackyNG#

1. Supported Build Methods#

Method 0: PowerShell Automation (Recommended)#

Setup Stacky

Setup_Stacky Documentation#

1. Overview#

Key Features#

2. Technical Workflow#

Roadmap

StackyNG Future Roadmap#

🚀 Upcoming Features (v0.8.0+)#

🎨 Visual Enhancements#

⚙️ Functional Improvements#

🛠 Technical Debt & Optimization#

💡 Long-term Vision (v1.0.0+)#

🌐 Cross-Platform (Partial)#

📦 Portable Stacks#

⌨️ Hotkey Support#

🤝 Community Contributions#

NOTICE

NOTICE#

License

Apache License#

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE, REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION#

3. Advanced Customization (`stacky.json`)#