Audacity Window Incorrect when Started on Secondary Screens

Audacity Version: 2.0.2 (had the same problem in 2.0.0)
Operating System: Windows 7 (32 bit)

Thank you for making Audacity available to the world as you do. As a developer myself, it is obvious that a lot of hard work has gone into creating and evolving this extremely useful tool.

What I am Trying To Do

If I close Audacity on the main screen and restart it, it appears in exactly the same position and dimensions as when I closed it. However when I do this on the secondary screen and the secondary screen is placed below the primary screen, only the title bar re-appears until I click it. I expected Audacity to regain it’s height and width as it was when I closed it or at least reappear in it’s default height and width.

How to Reproduce the Problem

I have two monitors setup one above the other (not side by side). The top monitor is my primary desktop. The two displays have been setup correctly in the Windows display settings so that I can move things up from the bottom monitor and have it appear on the top monitor.

  • Place Audacity on the bottom (secondary) screen
  • Close Audacity by clicking on the X located in the upper right corner
  • Start Audacity again

Although it will reappear in the right position, as it was when I last closed it, the window will be collapsed with only the title bar showing. As soon as I click on it, it expands but the content area will be at it’s minimum height.

It looks like this is a result of the way the height of the window is being saved. I suspect the source code may either not be calculating coordinates in the right order or it may not allowing for negative coordinates which happens when the secondary monitor is either below or to the left of the primary one. To ensure that coordinates are within the display area, I recommend that the saved coordinates be compared to the total display area. If they are outside that range, then they would need to be re-calculated to be inside the area or default coordinates should be used. This includes the left, top, height and width (not bottom and left) to ensure that Audacity doesn’t appear horizontally or vertically collapsed.

I’ve experienced this issue in my own development which is why I am familiar with the issue. Let me now if you have any questions.

Additional Information

  • I do not need to record anything.
  • There is no error message that appears.

Anything you could to to include a fix in the next release of Audacity would be most appreciated.

Best regards,

Michael Milette

Hi,

It’s possible that Edgar who worked on the most recent changes to the window positioning code might look in, but until he does, are you saying that arranging the monitors on top of each other is the issue?

Extending a laptop display onto a separate VGA screen set up to the side as secondary monitor, I can drag Audacity from the laptop to the VGA screen, restore its window down to some recognisable size, exit, then on restart, its window reappears at the correct size and position on the secondary monitor.

Exactly how are you arranging the monitors one above the other? Do you mean with an “orientation” option in the Windows Control Panel (Display > Screen Resolution)? Unfortunately I don’t have any such option that I can find on my HP Pavilion g6 running Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).



Gale

How to Reproduce the Problem

I have two monitors setup one above the other (not side by side). The top monitor is my primary desktop. The two displays have been setup correctly in the Windows display settings so that I can move things up from the bottom monitor and have it appear on the top monitor.
•Place Audacity on the bottom (secondary) screen
•Close Audacity by clicking on the X located in the upper right corner
•Start Audacity again
Although it will reappear in the right position, as it was when I last closed it, the window will be collapsed with only the title bar showing. As soon as I click on it, it expands but the content area will be at it’s minimum height.

Ok, this is what I have, Win 7 SP1, 64 bit, Intel core i7-3820 CPU 3.60 GHz, 8 GB Memory, Dual Screen.

I followed your instructions and could not duplicate. I moved the secondary screen (in screen resolution) to the bottom, to the left and to the top, tried it all several times in each position. Each time i would load in main screen, and it worked, then moved to secondary screen ans closed and the loaded and it would load in the restore down posiotion but it was all there. I did not just get a title bar. i got the whole Audacity screen. it was in the restore down (small screen) but all there, i just clicked the Maximize button and went to full screen. I do not know what i did differently but i had no problem, Marty