Call for features

[powdarrmonkey]

Ok, I'm after feature ideas for the next version of Shutdownertron, which is in development now.

I plan to include:

• Split service and interface, for Vista compatibility and to allow immediate shutdown if nobody is logged in
• 'Second Chance' shutdown later on if the user aborted the first

If there are others you want to see please post them and I will consider them. I'm keen to avoid bloat though, so don't be offended if they aren't in the release.

[JJonas]

Shut down the computer if it has not been used for X number of minutes please

[meastaugh1]

Another vote for the 'second chance shutdown' feature you've already proposed. I think it would also be useful to have an option to only shutdown if there is no user currently logged on (ie at logon screen).

[rosswilson]

I think it would also be useful to have an option to only shutdown if there is no user currently logged on (ie at logon screen).

I think that this would be a great idea. I find it annoying that a whole room will be left on at times yet only a handful of students are using the computers. It would certainly save having to search through VNC and shutdown manually.

Could we possibly combine JJonas suggestion with this and have a rule where computers that have been sat at the login screen for more than 5 minutes shutdown?

[powdarrmonkey]

Ok, I will try and get login detection working in time for a release, so you can choose between allowing a user to override and not even trying if there is someone logged in.

As to a shutdown on idle, as I've already said elsewhere this is much better handled by the built-in power management functions. Windows will quite happy respect different settings for the default user (the profile which is loaded while at the login screen) and a real user's profile.

[meastaugh1]

Ok, I will try and get login detection working in time for a release, so you can choose between allowing a user to override and not even trying if there is someone logged in.

Sounds promising, thanks. Just wondering whether it would be useful to have both options available independent of each other? For example, no action for logged on computers, but computers with no logged on user receives a warning of an impending shutdown with the option to abort.

[PiqueABoo]

and not even trying if there is someone logged in.

Yup this scenario is what makes sense to me (and most folk I've done it for on CCs etc.)

a) Shutdown all workstations *without a user logged on* at say 4pm, 5pm.

b) Shutdown all workstations *with or without a user logged on* at 6pm, but if someone is logged on they are prompted and can override.

I will try and get login detection working in time for a release

There's a relatively simple WMI approach to that, you just have to watch out for remotely logged on and services etc., but IME that's uncommon.

[powdarrmonkey]

I vaguely had this down already, so most of it just needs integrating properly (and yes, it's with WMI )

What's taking the time is making it play nicely with Vista...

[paulshi]

Can you enter a setting for forced shutdown, i.e. when a user has left their computer locked it requires the -f parameter as I would like to run it at night but some people have left their machines logged on.

[powdarrmonkey]

Can you enter a setting for forced shutdown, i.e. when a user has left their computer locked it requires the -f parameter as I would like to run it at night but some people have left their machines logged on.

Think I might manage that

[AliG]

Yeah def multiple shutdown times say 3?

And the ability to skip if a user is logged on the first 2 tries.

[djones]

Any update on your progress with this? I have deployed v1.3 and am very happy with it - great job - however, I would love to see forced shutdown, resume from standby and then shutdown as well as multiple shutdown times implemented. Not many requests then! ;-)

Dave

[JJonas]

Having just seen this months electricity bill I would also like to register my interest for multiple shutdown times.

[sahmeepee]

I have an automated shutdown script I made for our school. Whilst mine is designed differently, it does have some of the features mentioned above so maybe I could share my experiences:

• For detecting if anyone is logged on, you simply have to check for the presence of explorer.exe. If it's not running, then nobody is logged on (unless you have replaced the Windows shell - unlikely I would imagine)
  
• I was wary of shutting down computers that had just been turned on, e.g. it's parents' evening and they want to turn on a room full of computers and log onto them, but they start turning them on 5 minutes before the script is set to run, so they shut down again straight away: annoying! To combat that, I check if the Windows screensaver is running and if it has been running for more than x seconds it will deem the computer to be idle.
  
• I don't want to log off a computer if it's still logged on in the evening, because someone might be working on it. Apparently they don't all leave at 15:35:01, who knew?! So I just run a separate script at chucking out time (23:30) that does a forced shutdown on all classroom PCs. I allow office PCs to stay on overnight if they still have a logged on user, simply because the energy saved for that small subset of computers is less than one teacher would expend if I euthanised their Word doc.

[SpuffMonkey]

Can it do a delprof prior to shutdown?