Better Everything + hotfix

This is a patch release to fix issues in v2.1.0.6 deemed important for stability based on bug reports.

For the full list of v2.1 changes visit:
https://www.rocksdanister.com/lively/changelog/

Miscellaneous

music_app_exclusion.mp4

• Apps can now be excluded from displaying music information in the settings (Experimental.)
• New reload setwp option to restart wallpapers.
  Show documentation
• Added library item reorganizing animation.
• Control panel styling improvements.

Fixes

• Fixed Set as Wallpaper context menu not showing screen selector when required.
• Fixed media properties resetting on restart in some systems.
• Fixed splashscreen always showing in some systems.
• Fixed Mpv player writing to log excessively.

Translations

• Added Irish language. Thanks to socbocs.
• Updated community translations.

SHA256

93e873373a84a6444f9ff0966dd36c1d38f3f7230c4011e61eb61a01a6194eb4

Better Everything

This page may not display properly in older versions of Lively, open in browser:
https://www.rocksdanister.com/lively/changelog/

This update has been cooking for months.. lots of features and fixes 🥳.

New "Music Tunnel" Wallpaper

music_tunnel.mp4

• Mesmerizing infinite music tunnel powered by shaders and Lively API with upto 7 customisation options.
  Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0zJkmno8hs

Better Screensavers

screensaver_ui.mp4

• You can now select different screensavers independently of the running wallpaper.

• Each screensaver can have a custom layout, such as span or duplicate, separate from the wallpaper settings.

• Screensavers can now run without needing the Lively app to be open. You can use Lively exclusively as a screensaver app!
  Note: This feature is available only in the installer version of Lively.

• Optimized and reduced Screensaver Plugin size from 30MB to just under 8KB 🪄
  Requires new Screensaver Plugin.

Better Control Panel

control_panel.mp4

• Introducing the new display selector interface that resembles Windows settings. This feature visually shows the positions, sizes and other details of connected displays.
  Creating this custom control from scratch was quite a task, as there is no stock way to achieve this 😅

Better Performance - 100,000+ Controls!

customise_performance.mp4

• The wallpaper customization menu code has been completely rewritten for better performance and easier maintenance.
• Thanks to virtualization and templating techniques, the new system has been tested to handle over 100,000 controls effortlessly.

Better Update Experience

updater.mp4

• The app updater (installer) has been better integrated into the main interface, featuring simple and non-distracting notifications.
• The latest update information can now be viewed directly from within the app.

Better Wallpaper Scaling

media_scaler.mp4

• For better flexibility and user control wallpaper scaler settings are now applied for individual media file and wallpaper layout like span and duplicate.
• This feature is only available when Mpv video player is selected.
  Old media customization settings will be cleared to enable this feature.

Better FolderDropdown Control

folderDropdown.mp4

• Redesigned FolderDropdown control with file preview and deletion support.
• Preview is supported for most popular formats as it is generated from system shell.
  Show documentation.

Patreon Supporters <3

patreon_supporters.mp4

• Just a little something to show appreciation.

Miscellaneous

tray_light.mp4

• New light themed system-tray menu.
• While installing application wallpaper now there is option to add launch arguments.
• Modernized the interface with new Segmented control.

Windows 24H2 Support

• Upgrades have been implemented to ensure compatibility with the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 release.
• These enhancements are expected to function with insider versions of Windows; however, please note that insider builds are not officially supported.

64-bit Architecture

• Lively is transitioning from x86 (32-bit) to x64 (64-bit) process architecture.
• This change will enhance application performance by better utilizing system resources.
  If your current installation has admin privileges, you may receive a one-time prompt asking for the install type. This is normal.
  A restart may be requested at the end of the installation process. While not strictly required, it is recommended.
  For backward compatibility, the installer filename remains listed as x86.

Commandline

• New random setwp option to randomly select a wallpaper from the library.
  Show documentation
• New showExclusive command, allowing Lively to function as a standalone screensaver application.
  Show documentation
• Setting wallpaper not present in library will now get auto imported if its media file.
• Sending commands directly through application executable is now instant, 1s delay is gone.

Fixes

• Fixed close wallpaper button disabled in span layout when non primary display was selected previously.
• Fixed video wallpaper position not synchronized on startup in duplicate layout.
• Fixed Customize wallpaper not applying to selected screen if wallpaper is not running.
• Fixed application crashing when adding some program to wallpaper pause rules.
• Fixed high system resource usage during update download.
• Fixed InfoBar overlapping with other elements.
• Added unicode support for LivelyProperties Textbox and FolderDropdown.
  For example now you can interact with text and filenames with Chinese characters.
• When unique DeviceId is not available for display a hashcode is generated which should resolve some display related wallpaper bugs.
• Optional TaskbarCrashTimeOutDelay settings variable to configure the check time between Taskbar Explorer process crash.
• Fixed app v2.1.0.4 crashing on some systems with fractional display scaling.

Translations

• Added Belarusian, Galician, Kazakh, Burmese and Slovak languages.
• Updated community translations.

Updates

• Upgraded .NET runtime to 8.0.5 (x64).
• Updated WindowsAppSDK v1.5.240404000.
• Upgraded Visual C++ Redistributable v2015-2022 (x64).
• Updated Mpv player.
• Updated CEF player.
• Updated dependencies.

SHA256

e9a1fb80d9736e6336ef3e0b7c900446dd45bcb0865caad3ddb91e11717d19cc

Windows 11 22H2 Support

This update includes patches for Windows 11 22H2 update and other critical bugfixes.

See the new feature in action:
https://rocksdanister.com/lively/changelog

What's changed in Lively v2.0.7.4

Fixes

• Windows 11 22H2 update patches.
  Fixed wallpaper disappearing when Copilot(Preview) opened.
  Fixed wallpaper disappearing when Bluetooth device connected.
  Fixed wallpaper disappearing when USB device connected.
  Fixed wallpaper disappearing when Display settings changed.
• Fixed wallpaper disappearing on some systems resuming from sleep.
  This is a Chromium/driver issue, as a workaround wallpaper is restarted if crashed.
• Fixed wallpaper taking focus when starting.

Performance

• Refactoring and updates results in improved UI and Core performance.

Updates

• Updated Mpv player build 20231008
• Updated CefSharp browser v111.2.70
• Updated .NET Core Runtime v7.0.12
  You may receive a prompt to restart after updating, but it is not necessary.
• Updated WindowsAppSDK v1.4.231008000
• Updated community translations.

Known issues

• Wallpaper in some rare instances disappear when running games Fullscreen, it is recommend to switch to Windowed/Borderless mode.
  For best latency make sure to turn on Windowed game optimization on Windows:
  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/optimizations-for-windowed-games-in-windows-11-3f006843-2c7e-4ed0-9a5e-f9389e535952
• Incompatibility with MSI Afterburner with RivaTuner Statistics Server, HW64 or other overlay utility.
  Add exception/set to low priority for LivelyUI.WinUI.exe program in the overlay utility.

SHA256

ae6c0c40b8868a94db9b46306e894897527234a43b46077994098258d533445e

A New Smarter Lively

Lively just got smarter with AI.. introducing first of many to come AI feature "Depth Wallpapers"

See the new feature in action:
https://rocksdanister.com/lively/changelog

What's changed in Lively v2.0.7.0

AI Depth Wallpapers

• Using Machine Learning to predict distance of objects from the camera and then use GPU shaders to create 3D image!
• When it comes to privacy, everything is run 100% local. No network required to run the model, no data sent to the cloud.
• In my testing works best with scenery, dont be afraid to try different things out and share with the community what you find. You can get some stock images to try here: https://www.pexels.com/

New Wallpapers

• "Living Room" a stylish isometric room showing currently playing music, dynamic lighting that reacts to music bass and more!
  Preview: https://youtube.com/watch?v=aIy7hUrmHf4

UI/UX

• Updated ColorPicker control, packed with new features.
• Tray customize menu now takes display scaling into account.
• Refactoring and improvements should yield better performance and consistency.

Enhancements

• Added .JFIF image support.
• LivelyProperties now support tooltips, display helpful information about the setting on hover.
  Learn more: https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki/Web-Guide-IV-:-Interaction

Fixes

• Fixed wallpaper FileDialog not opening when the program is Run as administrator.
• Fixed media not changing in music wallpapers when the new track is from the same artist.
• Fixed scaling settings not working with Windows Media Foundation (wmf) player.

Translation

• Updated translations.
• The new features may not be translated to all the languages on first release due to the nature of community translations, hope you understand.
  You can help translating, learn more: https://crowdin.com/project/lively-wallpaper

Updates

• Updated Mpv player.
• Updated dependencies.
• Updated .NET Desktop Runtime v7.0.7
• Updated WindowsAppSDK v1.3.2

Known issues

• Incompatibility with MSI Afterburner RivaTuner Statistics Server, HW64 or other overlay; add exception for Lively UI.

SHA256

a83933272e3d3a03ac4136c64efd2a5d47ca6280a6c2e67cf6fcb93c9d5a1ec9

Search and improvements + hotfix

This is a patch release to fix issues in v2.0.6.5 deemed important for stability based on user reports.

What's changed in Lively v2.0.6.6

• Fixed application crashing/blank for some users
  microsoft/WindowsAppSDK#3616
• Fixed Active Wallpaper button not showing wallpaper count on restart.
• Fixed tray customize menu theme.

What's changed in Lively v2.0.6.5

New website

• I made a new interactive website for Lively.
  Check it out: https://rocksdanister.com/lively

New Wallpapers

• "Protein Clouds" wallpaper with customization.
• "Rain" wallpaper updated with video background support.
  Only webm video files are supported due to licensing, convert your existing files:
  https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki/Web-Guide-VI-:-Webpage-Video-Support

UI/UX

• Search function implemented in title area, find installed wallpapers based on name.
• Labels are hidden after first run for a more clean look.
• Updated Mica Backdrop implementation based on latest guidelines.
• New hover animation for expander menu and other enhancements
• Made about page icons less jagged.

Enhancements

• New commandline command for wallpaper placement.
  https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki/Command-Line-Controls#placement-method

Performance

• Smoother UI scrolling and responsiveness.
• Latest WindowsAppSDK improvements.
  https://github.com/microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml/milestone/18?closed=1
  https://github.com/microsoft/WindowsAppSDK/milestone/14?closed=1

Fixes

• Fixed application UI being blank for some users.
• Fixed debugger title not visible in dark theme.
• Latest WindowsAppSDK improvements.

Installer

• Fixed Korean language not displaying correctly in Installer.
• Removed duplicate languages from the list.

Translation

• Added Danish and Afrikaans languages.
• Updated community translations.
• Lively now supports over 40 languages! Thanks to all translators.
  Learn more: https://crowdin.com/project/lively-wallpaper

Updates

• Updated dependency libraries.
• Updated WindowsAppSDK v1.3
• Updated .NET Desktop Runtime v7.0.5

Known issues

• Incompatibility with MSI Afterburner RivaTuner Statistics Server, HW64 or other overlay; add exception for Lively UI.
• Elevation (Run as admin) is not fully supported in some versions of Windows and file dialog fails to open.

SHA256

f62eb93451e4aa704d5d94c40511e3af146b74b2cca9f304cd3b81f05e37df9a

Search and improvements

This update includes new search feature, quality of life improvements and fixes.

I made a new interactive website for Lively, check it out: https://rocksdanister.com/lively

What's changed in Lively v2.0.6.5

New Wallpapers

• "Protein Clouds" wallpaper with customization.
• "Rain" wallpaper updated with video background support.
  Only webm video files are supported due to licensing, convert your existing files:
  https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki/Web-Guide-VI-:-Webpage-Video-Support

UI/UX

• Search function implemented in title area, find installed wallpapers based on name.
• Labels are hidden after first run for a more clean look.
• Updated Mica Backdrop implementation based on latest guidelines.
• New hover animation for expander menu and other enhancements
• Made about page icons less jagged.

Enhancements

• New commandline command for wallpaper placement.
  https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki/Command-Line-Controls#placement-method

Performance

• Smoother UI scrolling and responsiveness.
• Latest WindowsAppSDK improvements.
  https://github.com/microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml/milestone/18?closed=1
  https://github.com/microsoft/WindowsAppSDK/milestone/14?closed=1

Fixes

• Fixed application UI being blank for some users.
• Fixed debugger title not visible in dark theme.
• Latest WindowsAppSDK improvements.

Installer

• Fixed Korean language not displaying correctly in Installer.
• Removed duplicate languages from the list.

Translation

• Added Danish and Afrikaans languages.
• Updated community translations.
• Lively now supports over 40 languages! Thanks to all translators.
  Learn more: https://crowdin.com/project/lively-wallpaper

Updates

• Updated dependency libraries.
• Updated WindowsAppSDK v1.3
• Updated .NET Desktop Runtime v7.0.5

Known issues

• Incompatibility with MSI Afterburner RivaTuner Statistics Server, HW64 or other overlay; add exception for Lively UI.
• Elevation (Run as admin) is not fully supported in some versions of Windows and file dialog fails to open.

SHA256

01c8069f2a47834362da7d301a796c3838385c54546da3f33b9b96b91bea98be

Music wallpaper are here! + hotfix

Lively wallpapers that show currently playing music from Spotify, Chrome.. are here!

Check out this trailer to see what's new:
https://youtu.be/sU20riug44Y

What's changed in Lively v2.0.6.1

Music wallpaper (NowPlaying API)

• Get currently playing song in webpage wallpapers from the system using NowPlaying API.
• New wallpaper "Music TV" included with this release showcasing the feature.
• Learn more:
  https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki/Web-Guide-V-:-System-Data

UI/UX

• New Report bug tray-menu that helps with reporting issue (will work even in the event some issue is preventing the main app to fail.)
• New library hover animation and selection design.

Enhancements

• New optional AppData Mpv configuration path.
• Learn more: #1482

Fixes

• Improved startup time of wallpapers using System Information API.
• Fixed check update system-tray menu crashing when there is no internet.
• Fixed webpage wallpapers not working when installed as admin. #1579

Development

• JSON Schema for LivelyProperties API implemented thanks to @dejohansson
• Learn more: #1542

Installer

• Added 27 new language.
• Updated Inno Setup v6.2.2
• Removed unused NODEPENDENCIES flag.

Translation

• Added Lithuanian language, thanks Sharanchius.
• Added Norwegian language, thanks Magnus Røkke.
• Updated language translations.

Updates

• Updated dependency libraries.
• Updated WindowsAppSDK v1.2.3
• Updated .NET Desktop Runtime v7.0.3
• Updated CefSharp browser v110.0.280

Known issues

• Incompatibility with MSI Afterburner RivaTuner Statistics Server, HW64 or other overlay; add exception for Lively UI.
• Elevation (Run as admin) is not fully supported in some versions of Windows and file dialog fails to open.
• When using Lively screensaver, display log-on screen settings do not lock system.

SHA256

3991f4c4af685c2ff20ebfde2cbdebe27f4f468c11f036a5e3140b43605317c6

Music wallpaper are here!

Lively wallpapers that show currently playing music from Spotify, Chrome.. are here!

Check out this trailer to see what's new:
https://youtu.be/sU20riug44Y

What's changed in Lively v2.0.6.0

Music wallpaper (NowPlaying API)

• Get currently playing song in webpage wallpapers from the system using NowPlaying API.
• New wallpaper "Music TV" included with this release showcasing the feature.
• Learn more:
  https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki/Web-Guide-V-:-System-Data#--system-nowplaying

UI/UX

• New Report bug tray-menu that helps with reporting issue (will work even in the event some issue is preventing the main app to fail.)
• New library hover animation and selection design.

Enhancements

• New optional AppData Mpv configuration path.
• Learn more: #1482

Fixes

• Improved startup time of wallpapers using System Information API.
• Fixed check update system-tray menu crashing when there is no internet.

Development

• JSON Schema for LivelyProperties API implemented thanks to @dejohansson
• Learn more: #1542

Installer

• Added 27 new language.
• Updated Inno Setup v6.2.2
• Removed unused NODEPENDENCIES flag.

Translation

• Added Lithuanian language, thanks Sharanchius.
• Added Norwegian language, thanks Magnus Røkke.
• Updated language translations.

Updates

• Updated dependency libraries.
• Updated WindowsAppSDK v1.2.3
• Updated .NET Desktop Runtime v7.0.3
• Updated CefSharp browser v108.4.130

Known issues

• Incompatibility with MSI Afterburner RivaTuner Statistics Server, HW64 or other overlay; add exception for Lively UI.
• Elevation (Run as admin) is not fully supported in some versions of Windows and file dialog fails to open.

SHA256

17851ab868ce7c0e27636851f2e200b63fe2cae4490dfa6143042c6ed8635338

.NET 7, WindowsAppSDK 1.2 and UI

This update upgrades project to .NET 7, WindowsAppSDK 1.2 and includes new UI changes.

What's changed in Lively v2.0.5.0

UI/UX

• File drag'n'drop is back, add media files as wallpaper by simply dropping it to the UI.
• Updated wallpaper library with gradients and added mouse hover effect.
• Added Splashscreen when running the application for the first time.
• Updated Add wallpaper dialog.
• UI/UX enhancements.

Performance

• Upgraded project to .NET 7
• Upgraded project to WindowsAppSDK 1.2
• Overall UI startup time and performance should show improvement.
• Switched to ImageMagick Q8 from Q16, should improve wallpaper preview creation speed.

Fixes

• Reduced vertical smoothing and delay of audio wallpapers.
• Reduced update downloader resource usage.

Depreciated

• Fast UI mode is removed due to difficulty maintaining it.
• Audio button removed from frontpage, open settings to adjust audio.

Updates

• Updated CefSharp browser.
• Updated dependency libraries.
• Updated language translations.

Known issues

• Incompatibility with MSI Afterburner RivaTuner Statistics Server, HW64 or other overlay - add exception for Lively UI.
• Elevation (Run as admin) is not fully supported in some versions of Windows.

SHA256

00446677990be6841dd83b9e3b736d71a70a094f3babbdfb5fb9139f97d95b94

Application themes

This update includes very important stability patch and a new theme feature that lets you personalize Lively experience.

Update feature trailer

https://youtu.be/TQ4WFLc6ijM

What's changed in Lively v2.0.4.0

Application theme

• Personalize Lively UI with custom art/animation.
• Automatically generate theme based on the running wallpaper.
• Learn more:
  https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki/UI-Theme

Screenshot

• New screenshot commandline command to capture wallpaper frame.
• Learn more:
  https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/wiki/Command-Line-Controls

Fixes

• Fixed IPC connection not closing immediately when exiting client.
• Fixed excessive console.log() crashing html wallpapers.
• Fixed some UI/UX inconsistencies.

Updates

• Updated WindowsAppSDK v1.1.5
• Updated .NET Core Desktop Runtime v6.0.9
• Updated CefSharp browser v105.3.390.0
• Updated dependency libraries.
• Updated translations and added Czech language.

Known issues

• Incompatibility with MSI Afterburner RivaTuner Statistics Server, HW64 or other overlay - add exception for Lively UI.
• Elevation (Run as admin) is not fully supported in some versions of Windows.

SHA256

f9146eda6fc65629ffb674f0ec11d461ad02617a255e94d9b01ad6b9db368e67