Windows-Dots

Note

1. Make sure to go through the readme entirely for a complete setup. You are open to choose according to your liking too.
2. $USER - Your User Name
3. If $PROFILE doesn't exist, use this command to create a profile for powershell New-Item -Path $PROFILE -Type File -Force
4. If the above command doesn't work, allow Powershell to sign remote scripts Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope LocalMachine
5. Make sure to create .env for YASB in its default director as some widgets like weather rely on it. Documentation here

Tools Used:

• AltSnap - Resizing window with Alt Key, with ease

• ExplorerPatcher - A good customization tool for Windows 10/11 with extensible features

• Fastfetch - A good CLI tool to fetch information about your system.

• Flow Launcher - Powetoys Run, but way better

• GlazeWM - i3-like window tiling manager, built using Rust

• GlazeWM Autotiler - Implements automatic tiling to GlazeWM

• MacType - If you love MacOS and want better font rendering, this software is a heaven. Recently brought back from dead. Really recommend this. (even though their website is dead, good to see this project active in github)

• Nilesoft Shell - A great context menu customization tool with extensive features, allowing you to add your own context menu options with the help of scripts

• Smooth-Scroll - A paid software with trial period, improves smooth scrolling in Windows and MacOS

• Tacky-Borders - A cool Windows Border Customization without any compromise in resource usage

• Thide - Another goated tool by YASB dev, a lightweight tool to hide taskbar permanently

• WindHawk - Windows Customization made easy. Every user should try this

• Yet Another Status Bar - A status bar with customizations and extensible features, built using Python

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Preview:

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Rice Setup Guide

Discord QuickCSS

Paste the content from no_rounded.css to any Discord client that has QuickCSS support

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ExplorerPatcher

Import the reg file from the directory to the application to use simple alt+tab behavior

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Flow Launcher

For an optimal search, make changes to the following plugins

• Web Searches - Change action keyword for google from * to gg
• Program - Index Sources: Tick UWP Apps, Start Menu, Registry; Options: Tick Hide App Path, Hide Uninstallers, Hide Duplicated Apps

Recommended Plugins

• AnyVideo Downloader
• Clipboard+
• Emoji+
• Temp Cleaner - If using scoop add this location to the Temp Folders list C:\Users\$USER\scoop\cache
• Windows Terminal Profiles

To apply the theme, navigate to FlowLauncher directory where it contains the necessary steps documented as images (STILL NEED TO REFINE IT TO SYNCHRONIZE IT WITH WINDOWS THEME MODE)

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GlazeWM Autotiler

To install this, you have to install rustup and cargo then use the below command

cargo install --git https://github.com/Dutch-Raptor/GAT-GWM.git --features=no_console

Have already done the required configurations for it in GlazeWM

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Nilesoft Shell

Paste the config into the app directory. Make sure to open them as admin.

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Oh My Posh

Use robbyrussel theme for minimalism

Before that, create a directory for $POSH_THEMES_PATH

mkdir $env:POSH_THEMES_PATH -Force

Now to apply it, add the following command to $PROFILE

if (Get-Command oh-my-posh -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
	oh-my-posh init pwsh --config "$env:POSH_THEMES_PATH\robbyrussell.omp.json" | Invoke-Expression
}

Note

I recommend to install oh-my-posh with scoop package manager as the configuration is provided according to that. You can test with other type of installation and let me know of any issues!

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Task Scheduler

Made changes from the base AltDrag config to be optimal for both desktop and laptop users, tacky-borders included

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Thide

Open Powershell and type this command

thide enable-autostart

This adds thide to startup to hide taskbar permanently everytime, runs in tray

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VSCode

1. Install Custom CSS and JS Loader extension for VSCode
2. Open Command Palette Ctrl + Shift + P then type: Open User Settings (JSON)
3. Paste the below JSON snippet and save it

"vscode_custom_css.imports": [
	        "file:///${env:USERPROFILE}/Documents/VSCode-CSS/no_rounded.css"
]

4. Create a directory named VSCode-CSS in the provided path in the command below or you can just create it manually via file explorer

mkdir -p '$env:USERPROFILE/Documents/VSCode-CSS'

5. Paste the no_rounded.css from CSS-Snippets to the created directory
6. Open Command Palette again and type: Enable Custom CSS and JS Loader then restart VS Code once the prompt shows successful (ignore any warning/errors)
7. You will get a prompt saying 'VSCode is corrupted' ignore it and hide it permanently.

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Windhawk

Some useful mods I found for my Windows workflow

• "Sign in with a passkey" Blocker - add zen.exe to process exclusion list
• Alt + Tab per monitor
• Block Win + V - I prefer Flow Launcher clipboard
• Center Titlebar
• Control Panel Color Fix
• CTRL+SHIFT+C Quotes remover - really handy
• Customize Windows Notification Placement
• Dark Mode Context Menus
• Dark Mode for Notepad
• Disable rounded corners in Windows 11 - I hate rounded corners with a square monitors so yes
• Disable Virtual Desktop Transition Animation
• Disable Voice Access Hotkey
• Disable Windows Ink Modifier Tooltips
• Explorer breadcrumbs Middle-Click New Tab
• Explorer Font Changer - Very useful to change fonts system-wide (almost). I prefer Inter Display
• F1 Blocker
• Fix white flashes in explorer
• Message Box Fix
• No Focus Rectangle
• No Properties Icon
• No Run Icon
• Primary Taskbar on Second Monitor
• RegEdit Auto Trim Whitespace
• Select filename extension on double F2
• Show All Apps by Default in Start Menu
• Smart Copy and Paste
• Start Menu open location - Monitor 0
• Start Menu Size - Width: 450 Height: 650
• Taskbar Height and Icon Size
• Taskbar on top
• Taskbar Tray System Icon Tweaks - Toggle everything on
• Turn off change file extension warning
• UXTheme Hook (For Implementing Windows 10 theme for 11. Theme Link: 10ThemesFor11)
• Windows 11 Custom Title Bar Colors
• Windows 11 File Explorer Styler - To remove rounded borders (still buggy and yet to fix)
• Windows 11 Notification Center Styler - Use this to change border to square for and Action Center and Toast Notifications
• Windows 11 Start Menu Styler - To remove rounded borders for it as well
• Windows 11 Taskbar Styler - To make taskbar transparent and configure border for Flyouts

For square corners in other windows elements (Action Center, Flyouts, Start Menu), copy the respective file content from Windhawk directory and paste it in Advanced Settings --> Mod Settings in the following mods

• Action Center - Windows 11 Notification Center Styler
• Volume and Brightness Flyouts - Windows 11 Taskbar Styler
• Start Menu and other elements - Windows 11 Start Menu Styler
• File explorer - Windows 11 File Explorer Styler

Changes to be made from some mods

• Customize Windows Notification Placement - Use the following settings
  • Monitor: 0
  • Horizontal placement: Right
  • Distance from right/left: -8
  • Vertical placement: Top
  • Distance from bottom/top: -22
  • Notification appearance animation: Automatic
• Smart Copy and Paste - Toggle the following options enabled
  • Remove Tracking Parameters
  • Auto-trim whitespace
• "Sign in with a passkey" Blocker - add zen.exe to process exclusion list
• Taskbar Height and Icon Size - Set taskbar height and all other elements to -1. Then use thide to completely hide it. This is to ensure taskbar isn't visible anymore at any time.
• Taskbar Tray System Icon Tweaks - Hide everything
• Windows 11 Custom Title Bar Colors - For this make sure to add the following process in exclusion list in Advanced tab
  • notepad.exe
  • Taskmgr.exe
• Windows 11 File Explorer Styler - Set Translucent background effect to None to utilize Windows 11 Custom Title Bar Colors mod color.

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Windows Terminal

In Settings, go to Rendering section and change Graphics API to Direct2D to fix font rendering issues

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YASB

1. To use wallpaper widget, save them in this location $env:USERPROFILE/Pictures/Wallpapers/Home Screen
2. Most of the widgets are customized for you, and YASB has the ability to choose your own widgets on runtime via the context menu in bar
3. For clock widget, the country code uses YASB_CAL_COUNTRY_CODE variable. Make sure to set a country code in your .env file. Check docs here

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Zen Browser

Some changes in settings required for a good tiling experience

1. Type about:config in the search bar and change the following configurations

• zen.theme.content-element-separation : 0 (You may prefer to keep this default if you love padding)
• zen.view.experimental-no-window-controls : true
• zen.theme.essentials-favicon-bg : false (for proper tab bar animations in essentials)
• zen.theme.border-radius : 0
• extensions.webextensions.restrictedDomains : accounts-static.cdn.mozilla.net,addons.cdn.mozilla.net,api.accounts.firefox.com,content.cdn.mozilla.net,discovery.addons.mozilla.org,oauth.accounts.firefox.com,profile.accounts.firefox.com,sync.services.mozilla.com (to ensure stylus includes mozilla related websites as well, except for other restricted services)
• widget.prefer_windows_on_current_virtual_desktop : false (to fix url links opening in new window when using windows with tiling window managers)

2. Follow the guide here to utilize userChrome.css and userContent.css: Live Editing Zen Theme
3. Paste the zen browser snippets in the chrome directory of your current profile
   • <profile>\chrome\userChrome.css
   • <profile>\chrome\userContent.css

Note

userChome.css - For browser user-interface customization

userContent.css - For customizing inner elements of the browser

To open the current profile folder, do the following steps

1. Open about:profiles
2. Open the profile folder which is currently active
3. Follow the above third step

The above steps are purely for customizing the browser manually. I have worked on a sine mod called Square UI for eliminating rounded corners in both the browser and the websites rendered without the need of extensions, and have all the configurations combined and automated. Also has Custom uiFont mod integrated.

Recommended Mods

• Square UI (Highlhy recommended if you don't want to add the customizations manually)
• Custom uiFont (If configured manually)
• Left Side Glance
• No Sidebar Scrollbar
• Remove Tab X - set for pinned tabs only