Overlay Application

A powerful, scriptable overlay tool for Windows that displays customizable text and images on top of other applications. Features include multi-monitor support, grid positioning, text rotation, strobing effects, and customizable colors.

Features

• Scriptable CLI Interface: Control overlays through command-line parameters
• Multi-Monitor Support: Display overlays on any connected monitor
• Grid Positioning: Position overlays in a 3x3 grid layout (automatically adjusts for vertical displays)
• Text Rotation: Display multiple texts that automatically rotate at specified intervals
• Visual Effects:
  • Custom text and drop shadow colors
  • Strobing effects for dynamic text
  • Transparent backgrounds
  • Impact font as default
  • Contrasting outline (black or white)
  • Toggleable glow effect
  • Zoom animation
  • Pulsating text (size and glow variation)
• Display Options:
  • Absolute positioning (X, Y coordinates)
  • Grid positioning (column, row)
  • Center positioning
• Text Customization:
  • Three sizes: small, medium (default), large
  • Default pink/purple color with glow effect
• Automatic Timing: Overlays automatically disappear after specified duration

Documentation

• README.md - User guide and usage instructions
• IMPLEMENTATION.md - Technical documentation for developers
• CHANGELOG.md - Version history and changes
• LICENSE - MIT License information

Installation

Prerequisites

• .NET 8 SDK
• Windows OS

Setup

1. Clone or download the repository
2. Open a terminal in the project root directory
3. Restore dependencies:

   dotnet restore

4. Build the project:

   dotnet build

Usage

Basic Command Structure

dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- [options]

Quick Examples

1. Display simple text centered on primary display for 5 seconds (using defaults):

   dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- -text "Hello World" -duration 5

2. Display strobing purple text with pink drop shadow in top-left corner:

   dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- -text "STROBING" -duration 10 -foreground "#800080" -dropshadow "#FF69B4" -strobing -column 0 -row 0

3. Display rotating texts every 2 seconds for 10 seconds:

   dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- -texts "FIRST;SECOND;THIRD" -duration 10 -switch 2 -column 1 -row 1

4. Display text on secondary display (index 1) in bottom-right position:

   dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- -text "DISPLAY 2" -duration 5 -display 1 -column 2 -row 2

Display Management

List all available displays:

dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- -list-displays

Positioning Options

You can position overlays using three different methods:

1. Absolute Positioning:

   -x 100 -y 200

2. Grid Positioning (recommended):

   -column 0 -row 0    # Top-left
   -column 1 -row 1    # Center
   -column 2 -row 2    # Bottom-right

3. Center Positioning:

   -center

Text Options

1. Single Text:

   -text "Your Text Here"

2. Multiple Rotating Texts:

   -texts "Text1;Text2;Text3"
   -switch 2           # Switch every 2 seconds

3. Text Size:

   -size small         # Small text
   -size medium        # Medium text (default)
   -size large         # Large text

Visual Customization

• Text Color: -foreground "#RRGGBB" (default: #FF69B4 - pink/purple)
• Drop Shadow Color: -dropshadow "#RRGGBB" (default: black)
• Outline Effect: -outline (adds black or white outline depending on text color)
• Glow Effect: -glow (adds a subtle glow around text, enabled by default)
• Zoom Animation: -zoom (text grows from center to full size)
• Pulsating Effect: -pulse [fast|medium|slow] (text pulses in size and glow)
• Strobing Effect: -strobing
• Display Selection: -display N (0-based index)

Timing Options

• Duration: -duration N (seconds, default: 10)
• Text Switching Interval: -switch N (seconds, default: 2)

Grid System

The overlay uses a 3x3 grid system for positioning:

Column 0    Column 1    Column 2
Row 0    │ Top-Left  │ Top-Center │ Top-Right
Row 1    │ Mid-Left  │ Center     │ Mid-Right
Row 2    │ Bot-Left  │ Bot-Center │ Bot-Right

For vertical displays, the system automatically adjusts to a 1x3 grid.

Advanced Examples

1. Complex overlay with all features:

   dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- -texts "ALERT;WARNING;CRITICAL" -duration 15 -switch 3 -foreground "#FF0000" -dropshadow "#000000" -strobing -display 1 -column 1 -row 0

2. Multiple sequential overlays:

   # First overlay
   dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- -text "PREPARING" -duration 3 -column 1 -row 1
   # Second overlay (after first completes)
   dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- -text "READY" -duration 2 -foreground "#00FF00" -column 1 -row 1

Scripting

Create batch files for complex overlay sequences:

@echo off
echo System Maintenance
dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- -text "MAINTENANCE MODE" -duration 5 -foreground "#FFFF00" -dropshadow "#000000" -column 1 -row 0
timeout /t 1 >nul
dotnet run --project Overlay.Cli -- -text "SYSTEM RESTARTING" -duration 3 -foreground "#FF0000" -dropshadow "#000000" -strobing -column 1 -row 1

Troubleshooting

• Overlay not visible: Ensure display index is correct (use -list-displays)
• Text cut off: Try adjusting position or using different grid positions
• Performance issues: Reduce strobing effects or number of simultaneous overlays

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.