SwitchRes is a totally configurable Control Panel, distributed with a Control Strip Module, which will allow you to control the resolutions of your monitors. You can define which resolutions are really accessible, and which will require a confirmation.
You can save the position of the icons on your desktop, independently from one resolution to the other, unlike the Finder. The position of the icons is restored at startup.
You can also create ‘display sets’ which will allow you to change the resolution and the depth of all your monitors with one click.
You can assign a specific set to an application, so that every time you use this application, your Mac will automatically switch to predefined resolutions.
Configuration
SwitchRes will require a Mac with MacOS 8. A PCI PowerMac is required to access to the ‘extended resolution feature’.
Shareware
SwitchRes is distributed as a $9 shareware. This version is an evaluation version. You can use it, but the preferences saving on disk is deactivated in the unregistered version.
To register, you can use the included ‘Register’ application. Don’t forget to write your address or eMail address, so that you can get the key to register.
Usage
Installation
Just drag and drop the ‘SwitchRes Control’ Control Panel on your system folder. If you want to use the Control Strip Module or the Contextual Menu Item, drag them onto your System Folder too.
Then you have to restart your computer to use SwitchRes.
Note: You will need to delete all previous versions of SwitchRes in the Control Strip Module folder to use the new version.
Principal menu
After installation and restart, you have access to the principal menu, either in the menu bar, or in the Control Strip. This menu will look like this:
Each hierarchical menu give you the detail of each monitor:
You can choose the resolution and the depth of the all monitors.
The resolutions in italic (like 640 x 480, 120Hz) will require the traditional confirmation box. This dialog will be displayed 5 seconds.
When the ‘ctrl’ (control) key is pressed, you can switch into a grayscale mode instead of a color mode.
Secondary menu
The secondary menu will be displayed in the Control Strip by clicking on the SwitchRes icon while holding down the ‘’ key:
This menu allows you to open the Control Panel. The Control Panel can also be opened on the Finder with a double-click on its icon.
The Control Panel has 4 parts, each represented by a button on the left side of the dialog.
Preferences are saved when quitting the Control Panel or closing the dialog. All settings are applied immediately.
First part: Resolutions
You can see the resolution list of every monitor. The button under the list allows you to display all resolutions your video card is capable of. Warning: your monitor may not support all these resolutions. I’m not responsible of any damage caused to your monitor.
If this button is grayed out, no other resolution is available.
From left to right, in the list, you can see:
• the resolution itself
• the vertical refresh rate of this resolution
• if this resolution is allowed or not
• if this resolution is displayed in the menu or not, or if it requires a confirmation alert box
• if this resolution owns an icon setting
Under this list, the options allow you to:
• Configure the menu: by displaying the refresh rate in the menu
(Example: “640 x 480” or “640 x 480, 120Hz”)
and by displaying a custom monitor type
(Example: “Multiscan monitor”, “21” Multiscan monitor” or whatever you want)
• Keep same color depth – You can specify to keep the same depth or to use the deepest available when switching in a new resolution.
Second part: Preferences
The buttons shown in this part of the dialog allows you to:
• save automatically the positions of the icons of the desktop when a switch occurs. The button on the right or the last command of the menu is devoted to do this manually, which can be time saving if you don’t change your icons frequently;
• set the resolution of every monitor attached after restart, or use a specific display set (see below);
• change the delay of icon repositioning at startup. In order to wait for external hard drives to mount on the desktop, this delay is modifiable.
• activate or deactivate the menu in the menu bar of each application:
Third part: Display sets
In this part, you define the settings of all your monitors that you want to figure in a set. Each set can contain up to 7 displays settings. That will allow you to use a preference for non-permanently attached displays.
All sets can be displayed in the principal menu.
You can add a key shortcut to each display set. For that, just click on the shortcut, ands then press the key that you want to use. If you want to delete a shortcut, just click with the mouse instead of pressing a key.
Fourth part: Applications
In this part, you define which applications will have their own settings. The settings are the display set used and the sound level.
Various
Comments
For all comments, you can email me at:
madrau@kagi.com.
Thanks to David Nine, Christoph Sahm, Tobias Jachmann, Tom Sabourin, Mike Gerenser, Bob Patterson, Scott Lahteine and Michael Kummer for beta testing.
New in version 1.4
• The Control Strip Module becomes optional
• You can use a system menu in the menu bar
• Each display set can be activated by a key shortcut
• Added a Contextual Menu Item to change resolutions by clicking on the desktop
• The correct bitdepth is restored after restart, as the resolution
• Corrected a bug that prevented a resolution change when the Control Strip was hidden
• Corrected a bug that changed popup windows in standard windows after restart
• Corrected a conflict with SpeedDoubler 8
New in version 1.3.2
• Now compatible with ExtensionsStrip, GoMac and OneClick
• Fixed a problem that sometimes prevented the monitor popup to be used in the control panel
• Fixed a problem with Audio CDs
• Constant switches between two resolutions don’t occur any more
• Mirroring is working on more than two displays
• Corrected a bug that corrupted memory if you had more resolutions on the second display than on the first
• Application choice: you can ‘Drag and Drop’ an application, and Navigation Services are used when available
• You can now use the keyboard in the lists
• A tick is displayed in the principal menu when the current configuration matches a display set
New in version 1.3
• PowerPC version of the control strip module
• All monitors are handled (maximum 6 – contact me if you want more)
• Resolution changes now occur before the application is launching, not after
• The color depth is correctly set on MacPicasso cards
