The new Microsoft standard application look of tabbed windows (replacing cascaded or tiled) works very well with OutsideView, letting you tab from session to session to session instantaneously, while continuously seeing a full-size widow. No more having to enlarge or shrink tiled frames each time you move your focus between sessions.
Some folks ask, though, “How do you monitor other sessions if just one session owns the whole viewing area?” Well, that’s where the OutsideView Session Bar comes in.
In earlier topics in this series, we’ve discussed Workspaces, Identity Manager, and cloned sessions. All these capabilities work in concert with the Session Bar, making it easy to view the session you want in a nice large size – while still keeping an eye on other sessions. Let’s look at how this all comes together.
First, assume a workspace automatically opens multiple sessions in the default Tabbed Windows view. Let’s also assume that you use the Identity Manager, so sessions have “Identity Type” and “Subgroup” attributes.
If it’s not already on, turn on View>Session Bar. Now you see all active sessions listed within the Session Bar. The listing can be configured via Edit>Application Settings>Session Bar. By default, though, sessions are listed by name, with their ID type and Subgroup appended.
Illustration 1: OutsideView in tabbed view, with Session Bar active. Note list of session names has the ID type, and subgroup appended.
To instantly switch your view from session to session, just click on the tabs along the top, or on the session names in the session bar. If you want a quick peek at another session, simply hover your mouse over a session name. You’ll receive an accurate pop-up image of that session’s current content. Scroll your mouse from session to session in the Session Bar and the pop-up image changes with you.
Illustration 2: With mouse ‘hovering’ over a session listed in Session Bar, a pop-up snapshot spears, showing current session content.
If you wish, you can even configure the Session Bar to constantly show you live thumbnail images of all your sessions. Just right-click on the Session Bar header and select Live Thumbnail. You can even easily filter your Session Bar to show selected categories of sessions. At the bottom of the Session bar, click on the ID Types, or Subgroups, you wish to see.
Illustration 3; OutsideView with live thumbnails in the session bar, and listing only those sessions with Subgroup value of “Training.”
Would you like additional information about using the Session Bar and Live Thumbnails in OutsideView?