This is unbelievable!  How could you possibly not allow the user to place icons where they want them?  Why do you think someone would use a product like this in the first place?  All Fences does is trade mangling of desktop icon arrangements by Windows for mangling of them by Fences.  But now the mangling is in little boxes.  That's no improvement over Windows at all. Your product is useless.

You were so close to having a nice product that I would gladly buy, but due to your boneheaded design, I'll be uninstalling it now.  You survived a total of 15 minutes.

I have Fences 2.0 which is supposed to be an upgrade from Pro and I can't stop icons from zipping all over the place as they please. This is hugely annoying. I used to think I was going to love this product, but I've done a 180 on it because of the "auto-arrange" problem.

I sure hope this can be fixed in a future version update.

What????  You can't put icons where you want?

OH MY GOD...  This is the most INSANE THING I CAN IMAGINE.  A program, meant to HELP users arrange icons the way THEY WANT, will NOT allow them to arrange them the way they want????

This is a MASSIVE FACE-PALM FAIL.

Honestly, I can't believe how stupid this is.  It's annoying as hell.  Loved what I was seeing.  Hate it now.  I have NO use for this.

Sorry, it's the simple truth.  I need my icons where I need them.  End of story.  Pull your heads out, stardock.  Honestly.

Yeah, I get that... basic functionality.... only available in the "pro" version.

That's like getting wheels on you car as an option.  Hey, at least you have air conditioning and a radio, right?

If the pro version is the only way to achieve the same basic functionality that was available in windows for the past few decades... somebody's not thinking straight.

Placing icons where you wish, is so basic to the functionality of any windowing system, that to kill that behavior is simply unforgivable.  Sorry.

Placing icons is a functionality that is so bedrock in its nature that it should come before nearly every other feature in Fences... color changes, opacity, etc. etc. etc.  All very slick.  But people arranging their icons is at the HEART of the desktop experience.

Making such things a "pro" feature is nonsensical... and tarnishes an otherwise excellent piece of software IMHO.

Fences really is nice, so far as it goes... authors should be proud... except as noted.

"Windows' leaving of icons where they are put by the user isn't a 'basic functionality' of the OS GUI....it is simple indifference/inaction on the part of the GUI."

You've proven my point in one sentence.  You have basically said: "First, allow users to move icons as they will." then any other enhancements, such as grid snapping behavior go ON TOP of that.  This makes the user controlled placement the absolute foundation, it's true basic functionality.

True indifference or non functionality in such a circumstance would be the OS placing the icon, and not listening to user need. Not listening to the user is so horrific that no windows system is that way, to my knowledge.  Amazingly, Fences is.  It's actually a regression:  "You can't put them where you want, but we do let you sort them in a few cool ways" is just not that impressive, especially at the cost of the core idea of making your desktop look how you want it.

Adding functionality by making additional smart sorts *available* should indeed be lauded.  It's a good thing.  But KILLING basic functionality in the process is the stupid part.

Why?

#1, it is not necessary to kill it.

#2, "User selected rules" from a limited list of selections, is a restraint. (ex: My rules are not available)

And no, the basic advantage of Fences is not "placing" icons. It is the GROUPING of icons, and creating a visual PORTHOLE to the group.

A porthole to a fully user defined placement of icons is VERY valuable.

Imagine:

A group of icons, stacked vertically, say, graphics applications:  Photoshop, Modo, 3D Max, Corel, etc...  To the RIGHT of EACH icon are support files for each application in the stack... like shortcuts to documentation... to web links for tutorials.... to a folder with current projects.  These icons project *horizontally*.  Now, you make a portal with Fences that expose only the applications themselves... a tall vertical strip, your apps laid out neatly.  

Using a horizontal scroll bar, you can then slide over and see all of the *supporting* icons on that row... which you probably don't want to see all the time.

This is intelligent icon placement. 

It's not available in Fences.  IT thinks it knows BETTER.

Wrong.

The brilliance of that placement is supplied by the user.  The brilliance of clearly grouping icons, and allowing a viewing porthole is supplied by Fences.

That's the power it *should* have.   Adding a couple more sorting options to the ones windows already has... well, that's nice.  Killing intelligent placement, that's not nice.

To make my case a little more clear:

Where is the option to sort Icons with Applications shown with priority over support files?

It ain't there.  

 

Where is the option to arrange support files smartly with their applications?

Again, not there.

 

Sorting is fine... as far as it goes.

It's comforting to know that shortcomings of Fences are now seen to be shortcomings of the user instead.

So the pro version, in your estimation, is not so much about making Fences better, but rather bowing down to the over fastidiousness of some users?  A very interesting position. 

Well done, sir.

Hi,

I am just trying 30 days trial before i buy the full version but i can not find the function to drag and sort the icons as per my wish.

Is this feature available as i badly need it.

Thanks

+1, I would like to see that feature implemented as well.

I have to agree, and cast my vote for manually positioned icons with absolutely no re-flow, even in portals.  Current behavior is kind of a deal breaker for me.  Fences has lots of features, and is very pretty, but maybe should spend more time on making a few core features work well.  In 1 day of trial I found 3 genuine bugs and this "feature".  Not an ideal start.  

This is so frustrating. I nearly got around this issue by changing my workflow to use fences folders instead, and then display the contents using a list view.

But then you lose the ability to disable sorting like you can in a normal fence, so you can't even manually reorder the files within the folder fence.

Is there away to disable sorting in a folder fence so it is possible to manually order them?

Thanks

Thanks RND, unfortunately I can't see your images, the links are broken.

I'm using Windows 7 and I can't update to 8 due to the drivers that I need to use

Any idea how to get this working on Windows 7?

Alternatively, any idea how to increase the font size of the rows in Folder View so they're bigger and bolder, like an icon would have been?

I'm not seeing the images either RND and I'm using IE 11 as you with no addons.