Version history
Latest version: 2.8.1 (February 2, 2021): Fixed bug causing halo, mouse image and cross hair to be behind other windows in certain conditions.
Version 2.8
Since December 22, 2020 the following features are available:
- Keyboard shortcuts can be chosen for turning on and off all the basic features individually.
- A new possibility to set a boundary for the mouse image and the keyboard display.
This is useful when a screen recorder or screen sharing is applied to part of the desktop only.
- No more graphical distortion when the full screen halo is resized.
- Smaller click indicators are possible.
- Version 2.8.1 (February 2, 2021): Fixed bug causing halo, mouse image and cross hair to be behind other windows in certain conditions.
Version 2.7
Since November 20, 2016 the following features are available:
- Color settings for the click rings and wheel arrows.
- Line width settings for the click rings and wheel arrows.
- Option to turn off the mouse wheel arrows.
- Option to show "L", "M" or "R" on the click rings to indicate the button.
- Option to set the rings of all three mouse buttons to the same size.
- Option to show discs instead of rings as click indicators.
- Version 2.7.1 (February 4, 2017): Spanish translation
- Version 2.7.2 (June 12, 2017): Turkish translation.
New command line argument "/halohole" to define the size of the hole in the halo in % of the halo size.
Examples:
"/halohole=90" big hole
"/halohole=10" small hole
Numbers ranging from 10 to 95 are allowed.
- Version 2.7.3 (July 30, 2017): Customizable texts.
You may create a file named "AlternativeTexts.txt" in the same folder where either the file "SpotOnTheMouse.exe" or the file "SpotOnTheMouse.ini" is located.
Typical locations for these files are:
C:\Program Files (x86)\SpotOnTheMouse
or
C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\SpotOnTheMouse
In the "AlternativeTexts.txt" file you can enter texts from the software (any of the supported languages) and the customized text separated by "=".
Example:
Return=Enter
Tabulator=Tab
- Version 2.7.4 (December 21, 2019): Danish translation.
- Version 2.7.5 (March 30, 2020): Improved behaviour when the program is started twice.
Version 2.6
On April 10, 2016 the following changes have been published:
- Option to define whether the program is ended when the settings window is closed, or if it is kept running in the system tray.
- New graphical design.
- Support for changing the screen resolution.
- Fixed problems on multi-monitor systems ocurring when the primary monitor was not the top-left monitor.
- Version 2.6.1 (October 17, 2016): Solved problem with incorrect positioning of halo etc. on Windows 10 when monitors have different text and app scaling.
Version 2.5
Since March 11, 2012 the following feature is available:
- Options to change the keyboard shortcut keys.
- Version 2.5.1 (June 2, 2012): Icon in the system tray.
Closing the settings window does not end the program any more. Instead the button in the task bar is removed.
Via the tray icon the settings window can be re-opened.
- Version 2.5.2 (June 12, 2012): Minor improvement.
- Version 2.5.3 (July 15, 2012): By command line arguments the distances between the mouse pointer and the mouse image or the keyboard display can be modified.
Examples:
"/pof=1.5" increases the distance between the mouse image and the mouse pointer by factor 1.5.
"/kof=2" increases the distance between the keyboard display and the mouse pointer by factor 2.
Factors ranging from 0.01 to 10 are allowed.
- Version 2.5.4 (August 4, 2012): Minor improvement.
New command line argument "/pause" to start the program in pause mode.
- Version 2.5.5 (November 1, 2012): Focus problem with mouse wheel display fixed.
- Version 2.5.6 (March 3, 2013): Option to reduce the refresh rate.
- Version 2.5.7 (June 2, 2013): Fixed rare problem with licence information on Windows 8.
Fixed Click Indicator interfering with mouse clicks.
- Version 2.5.8 (September 9, 2014): Fixed bug: Since version 2.5.4 the click rings have not moved with the mouse pointer any more.
- Version 2.5.9 (December 7, 2014): The mouse image can be positioned left of the mouse pointer by command line argument (e.g. "/pof=-1").
Hiding delay for mouse image, halo and cross hair can be set to zero seconds.
- Version 2.5.10 (November 1, 2015): Workaround for a bug in Windows 10 causing click rings to not always be shown.
- Version 2.5.11 (December 13, 2015): New command line argument "/taskbar" to run the program with the taskbar button always visible.
Version 2.4
Since March 10, 2011 the following features are available:
- Options to hide the mouse image, halo and cross hair when the mouse is inactive or when text is entered.
- Option to show mouse buttons on the keyboard display.
- French translation of the user interface.
- Avoid flickering of mouse image and full screen halo on some Windows 7 systems.
- Don't show the software's own hot keys (Shift+Ctrl+A and Shift+Ctrl+Y) on the keyboard display.
- Customizable mouse image.
The black mouse image has to be chosen in the main window.
Six GIF files of the same size with a transparent background are required in the program's installation folder (usually "C:\Program Files\SpotOnTheMouse" or "C:\Program Files (x86)\SpotOnTheMouse"):
mouse.gif: image of the whole mouse.
buttonleft.gif: image of the highlighted left button.
buttonright.gif: image of the highlighted right button.
buttonmiddle.gif: image of the highlighted middle button.
wheelup.gif: image of the mouse wheel rotating upwards.
wheeldown.gif: image of the mouse wheel rotating downwards.
- Version 2.4.1 (May 31, 2011): Polish translation (incomplete).
- Version 2.4.2 (June 5, 2011): Fixed bug: In many cases (since version 2.3.2) the settings were not saved.
- Version 2.4.3 (June 26, 2011): Polish translation completed.
Version 2.3
Since January 31, 2009 the following feature is available:
- Options to lock the screen positions of the mouse image and the keyboard display.
- Version 2.3.1 (March 22, 2009): Start the settings window minimized, if it has been minimized when the program was ended.
- Version 2.3.2 (June 6, 2010): Improved compatibility with Windows Vista and Windows 7 regarding file access restrictions.
- Version 2.3.3 (September 25, 2010): Enabled toggling pause by hot key in the trial version.
- Version 2.3.4 (January 16, 2011): Fixed crashes sometimes occurring when the task bar is on the left or top of the screen.
- Version 2.3.5 (February 20, 2011): Installs in the start menu for all users.
Version 2.2
Since September 29, 2008 the following features are available:
- Language can be switched to German.
- Full screen halo.
This is only suitable for fast computers (at least 3 GHz processor clock).
- Larger keyboard display.
- Version 2.2.1 (October 28, 2008): Improved support for systems with multiple monitors.
- Version 2.2.2 (January 27, 2009): Improved compatibility with Windows Vista.
However, the program still does not correctly show mouse clicks on the Internet Explorer if the Internet Explorer runs in "protected mode".
The only solution is to switch off the "protected mode" in the security options of the Internet Explorer.
Version 2.1
Since January 24, 2008 the following features are available:
- Extended keyboard support.
- Fading time for key list can be changed.
Version 2.0
Since September 29, 2007 the following feature is available:
- Keyboard support.
Keys and certain combinations of keys can be displayed next to the mouse pointer.
Version 1.3
Since February 24, 2007 the following feature is available:
- The cross hair can optionally contain arrows, which are indicating the direction and the distance to the mouse pointer.
Version 1.2
Since November 1, 2005 the following features are available:
- Halo and cross hair blink for a few seconds when the Ctrl + Shift + Y keys are pressed.
- Version 1.2.1 (November 21, 2005): Toggle pause with the Ctrl + Shift + A keys.
- Version 1.2.2 (March 11, 2006): Cross hair supports systems with multiple monitors.
Version 1.1
Since May 12, 2005 the following features are available:
- Color settings.
- Option to reset all settings to default.
- Some minor improvements.
Version 1.0
May 1, 2004: the first release.