Clarification about overlay "overwrite request" icon

[Flint]

26.03.25 Added: An overlay icon is displayed in the system tray when an overwrite confirmation dialog is open while Total Commander is not in the foreground (32/64)

I have some questions about it.

1. In Windows 10 I could not get this overlay icon, however I tried. Is this a Win11-exclusive feature? If so, it should be mentioned.

2. In Win11 the overlay icon (red question) does appear in the described situation, but it happens in the taskbar button. There are no icons for TC in the system tray (aka notification area). And even when I turn on the "Move icon to system tray when minimized" option, and minimize TC while the copy operation is in progress, when an overwrite confirmation pops up in background, there is no overlay icon in the TC tray icon. Is this just the incorrect wording, or a bug?

[ghisler(Author)]

1. It should work on Windows 7 and newer. I'm using this function:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/shobjidl_core/nf-shobjidl_core-itaskbarlist3-setoverlayicon
2. Sorry, the description was wrong, it should appear on the taskbar button.

[Flint]

Well, I cannot make it work in Windows 10. Also tried in Win7, still no luck. When the overwrite dialog appears, the taskbar button just starts flashing, as usual. No overlay icon.

Here's the video from Win7 (in Win10 it's the same):
https://youtu.be/teGpjImWmho

Tried with 32- and 64-bit versions.

[petermad]

I also don't see any overlay under Windows 7 or 10 in neither 32bit nor 64bit TC 11.55rc2

The button in the taskbar blinks when a new overwrite dialog is opened and TC is in the background - but no overlay.

[Dalai]

Quote from the link Ghisler posted:

To display an overlay icon, the taskbar must be in the default large icon mode. If the taskbar is configured through Taskbar and Start Menu Properties to show small icons, overlays cannot be applied and calls to this method are ignored

[Flint]

My Win10 is configured with default large icons and no titles. Still nothing, just the button flashes.

[petermad]

After changing to large icons I can now see the red questionmark when an overwrite dialog pops up while TC is in the background.

i would have liked if the overlay was also shown when I already have an open overwrite dialog and then put TC in the background.

[Flint]

OK, that's weird. I changed to large icons in Win7, and indeed, the overlay icon appeared there. Then I switched to my Win10 test virtual machine, which already had large icons and where I did all my previous unsuccessful testing. Started recording the video, started copying, switched to another window — and this time the overlay icon decided to show up!

The only thing I did was open the Windows Settings, clicked the "Combine taskbar buttons" to see which options there were, and re-selected the same "Always, hide labels" that was already set there. I suspect, this action somehow reinitialized the taskbar and maybe fixed some internal state that could have been inconsistent in some way. As of now, I am no longer able to reproduce the non-showing overlay icon. I guess that was my end, then.

Thanks to everyone for helping.

[ghisler(Author)]

The overlay icon only shows up when Total Commander is NOT in the foreground. The idea is that when you are doing something else in another program, you get notified more prominently.

i would have liked if the overlay was also shown when I already have an open overwrite dialog and then put TC in the background.

What for? You already get the full overwrite dialog.

[petermad]

The idea is that when you are doing something else in another program, you get notified more prominently.

Well, I already got allerted by the blinking button in the taskbar.

What for? You already get the full overwrite dialog.

I might have put another program in front myself (and forgotton about the waiting overwrite dialog), or another window popped up from another program, and took my attention away from TC - in those cases it would be nice with the questiom mark, to remind me that I have unfinished business in TC to attend to.

[ghisler(Author)]

I might have put another program in front myself

But then Total Commander doesn't have the focus, and the overlay will be shown!

[petermad]

But then Total Commander doesn't have the focus, and the overlay will be shown!

Not here - here the overlay is only shown if the overwrite dialog turns up while TC is NOT in focus.

Here is what I do:
1. I start a copy of a file that exists in the target - the overwrite dialog pops up. I put another application in front (while the overwrite dialog is open) - there is no overlay on the taskbar icon.

2. I start a copy of 2 big files that exist in the target in TC. I accept to overwrite the first file. While the first file is being copied I put another program in front. When the first file is copied TC (in the background) asks for overwriting the second file - and the overlay icon is shown.

I would have liked to see the overlay icon also i scenario 1.

[ghisler(Author)]

here the overlay is only shown if the overwrite dialog turns up while TC is NOT in focus

That's exactly what I wrote above.

I would have liked to see the overlay icon also i scenario 1.

What for? You already see the overwrite dialog, why would you need to be informed about it? Makes no sense to me.

[petermad]

What for? You already see the overwrite dialog,

As I wrote earlier: I might have put another program in front myself (and forgotton about the waiting overwrite dialog), or another window popped up from another program, and took my attention away from TC - in those cases it would be nice with the questiom mark, to remind me that I have unfinished business in TC to attend to.