Remotely
Possible
Remotely
Possible turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a customizable remote control for
your Windows PC.
Getting Started
Remotely Possible needs to run on both your iPhone and your Windows PC (Windows XP and later supported). Your Windows PC needs to be able to communicate via Wi-Fi to your iPhone.
Before installing Remotely Possible for Windows, it is recommended that you install Bonjour for Windows. Bonjour may already be installed on your computer, if you have Apple iTunes installed. Bonjour allows your iPhone or iPod Touch to find your Windows PC automatically. With Bonjour you will not need to manually configure the connection to your Windows PC. If your computer is running a 64-bit version of Windows, be sure that you have the 64-bit version of Bonjour installed.
The Remotely Possible software for Windows can be
downloaded from: http://validbit.com/RemotelyPossible/builds.
Once the zip file is downloaded to your computer, extract the file
(RemotelyPossible.exe) to a folder on your computer’s hard drive (see Figure 1),
or extract the file to your computer’s desktop.
To run the Windows software, simply double-click on RemotelyPossible.exe.
There is no setup wizard; RemotelyPossible.exe directly runs the
application.
Important: Moving RemotelyPossible.exe to a different folder after
running it can cause unexpected behavior the next time you run it.
It is strongly recommended that you choose a location for RemotelyPossible,
save the file there, and always run it from that location. If you need to
move RemotelyPossible.exe to a different folder, you'll need to select
"Options -> Reset to defaults" the next time you run it.
Figure 1: RemotelyPossible.exe saved to a folder
When the software is running, the Remotely Possible icon will appear in the taskbar notification area tray (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Remotely Possible running in the tray
Closing the main Remotely Possible window will leave Remotely Possible running in the tray, allowing it to be available for incoming connections from your iPhone or iPod Touch. To completely exit Remotely Possible, choose “Exit Remotely Possible” from the “File” menu, or choose “Exit” from the tray icon context menu.
Overview of How
Remotely Possible Works
1. The Remotely Possible iPhone application will discover any Windows PCs that are running the Remotely Possible software for Windows.
2. You choose a Windows PC to connect to, and the connection is made.
3. You perform a gesture or press a button in the iPhone Remotely Possible software (example: you press the Play button)
4. Remotely Possible on the iPhone informs the Windows PC of the action that occurred (example: “the Play button was pressed”)
5. Remotely Possible on Windows checks if there is a configured application profile for the application currently running in the foreground.
a. If there is a profile for the current foreground app, that application profile is selected
b. If not, the default application profile is selected
6. Remotely possible looks up the command that was sent (Play button in our example) in the selected application profile to see if it is mapped to anything.
7. If a mapping exists (example: the “Play” button is mapped to “press the P key”), then Remotely Possible on Windows performs the mapped action (press the P key).
8. In this way, performing gestures and pressing buttons in the Remotely Possible iPhone app allow you to control the behavior of applications running on your Windows PC. Each application can have its own unique command for each gesture or pressed button.
Navigating the
Remotely Possible iPhone app
The initial Remotely Possible screen on the iPhone allows you to select the Windows PC that you wish to connect to (see Figure 3). This list will be automatically populated with the names of Windows PCs running Remotely Possible and have Bonjour software installed. If the PC you wish to connect to is not in this list, you can manually add the name of the computer by clicking on the Edit button. Once you select the name of the PC you want to connect to, you’ll be prompted for the password for this PC, if this is the first time you’ve connected to this particular PC. Note that the password can be reset in the Remotely Possible software for Windows under the “Options” menu.
Figure 3: Computers list
Once connected to the Windows PC, you’ll see a screen in the iPhone app that allows you to choose between two Remote Control modes: Buttons and Gestures, and you’ll see a list of configured application profiles for this PC (see Figure 4).
Figure 4: Main screen once connected
One limitation of most iPhone remote control applications is that you have to look at the device’s screen to see where a particular button is. With Remotely Possible’s Gesture control mode you can use your remote control without having to look at the screen. You can use gestures like slides, taps and flicks to control your Windows applications.
Figure 5: Gesture control mode
If you prefer tapping buttons, the Buttons control mode (see Figure 6), gives you 3 screens of buttons that can be pressed to perform various actions on the Windows PC. You can slide to any of these screens by dragging your finger left or right, just like on the iPhone’s main screen.
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Figure 6: Buttons control mode |
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You can flip between Gesture control mode and Button control mode by tapping the top right corner of the screen. You can close either control mode by tapping on the top left corner of the screen. The middle screen in Figure 6 has reminder icons for flip and close.
Customize Your
Remote Control
All of the buttons and gestures can be customized from the menu for your computer (the one with the application list on it). If you click on the Edit button, you can re-arrange the applications list for this computer or edit the gesture or button controls.
For the gesture controls, you can edit various sensitivity settings to configure the device to work better with your control style. You can also change the background image by selecting a picture from your device’s photo library.
For button controls, you can turn any button on and off, change the image of the button, change the button’s size and even its location on any of the three control screens in either portrait or landscape mode.
If you are currently connected to a PC, you can save and restore your iPhone or iPod Touch application settings to and from the server. You can even share your customized interface with other Remotely Possible users.
Which Way is Up?
Both the gesture controls and the button controls can be used and edited in portrait or landscape mode in any orientation. You can pick up your iPhone or iPod touch and not have to worry about which direction it is in. All the menus will flip to work with any orientation. You can even hold your device upside down. Once you are on the button controls or gesture control screen, the interface will remain locked in whatever orientation you were in. This is to allow you to move your hands freely and not have the control screens flip on you. If you need to change the orientation, close the control screen and return to a menu and rotate your device to a different orientation and then go back to the control screen.
Understanding
Application Profiles
Remotely Possible uses the concept of an application profile to allow you to configure how Remotely Possible handles various commands from the iPhone. Different Windows applications may need to respond differently to any given gesture or button press on the iPhone. Each application profile contains a set of mappings between the action performed on the iPhone and the desired action on the Windows PC. You can map any iPhone gesture or button press to a keystroke, windows message, or command to run. Remotely Possible will automatically use the appropriate profile for the application that is running in the foreground of your Windows PC. If the application running in the foreground doesn’t have a configured profile, then Remotely Possible will use the default profile, which also can be configured to your needs.
If you open the Remotely Possible main window you’ll see a screen that shows all the currently configured application profiles (see Figure 7).
Figure 7: Main Remotely Possible PC window
You can edit the properties and mapping of the profile (Figure 8) by double-clicking the profile icon.
Figure 8: iPhone mappings for Windows Media Center
Controlling your
Windows PC with Gestures
When running in Gesture remote control mode, you can perform the following gestures that can then be mapped to various actions on the PC via an application profile:
- Flick Left
- Flick Right
- Flick Up
- Flick Down
- Slide Left
- Slide Right
- Slide Up
- Slide Down
- Tap
- Double Tap
- Two Finger Tap
- Three Finger Tap
A slide involves holding a finger on the screen and moving in the desired direction. A repeating slide can be accomplished by pressing and holding the gestures screen in the desired direction Example: to repeat a “Slide Left,” hold down continuously on the left edge of the gesture screen. A flick is a quick movement in the desired direction.
You can exit this mode by tapping the upper left corner, or flip to the button controls screen by tapping the upper right corner.
Controlling your
Windows PC with Remote Buttons
When running in Buttons remote control mode, you can press the following buttons that can then be mapped to various actions on the PC via an application profile:
- Press Up
- Press Down
- Press Left
- Press Right
- Press Enter
- Press Back
- Press Play / Pause
- Press Stop
- Press Next Track
- Press Prev Track
- Press Info
- Press Guide
- Press Volume Up
- Press Volume Down
- Press Mute
- Press Custom Button 1
- Press Custom Button 2
- Press Custom Button 3
- Press Custom Button 4
- Press Custom Button 5
Note that the up/down/left/right buttons send the corresponding slide command. For example, the up button sends a Slide Up gesture. The “Press Enter” button corresponds to the “Tap” gesture. Not all of these buttons are initially displayed on the Remotely Possible iPhone application. You can edit the button layout to decide which buttons will be displayed and in what configuration.
The volume up and volume down software buttons are not the same as the volume up/down hardware on the iPhone, and the software buttons can be set to perform different operations than the hardware buttons, which are always tied to system volume.
Starting /
switching to applications
The application list on the Remotely Possible iPhone app reflects the configured application profiles on the Windows PC. Tapping an application name on the iPhone will launch the application on the PC. If the application is already running, it is brought to the foreground. If there are multiple instances of the application running, tapping the application name multiple times will cycle through the instances of the application on the Windows PC.
Volume Control
The hardware volume switch on the side of the iPhone can be used to increase or decrease the system volume of the Windows PC. Just connect to a Windows PC, and then press the hardware volume switch up or down.
Configuring a new
application profile
To add a new profile for an application, choose the “New” option from the File menu on the Remotely Possible Windows application. The “New Application Profile” window will appear (Figure 9).
Figure 9: New Application Profile
Typically, the easiest way to add a new application is to run the application, and while it is running, click the “Choose a Program” button, and select the button from the list (Figure 10).
Figure 10: Application List
Once you select an application, its name and path should automatically populate (Figure 11):
Figure 11: After selecting Microsoft Word
The “Window class or window title” field should only be filled out if wish to restrict this profile to only apply to certain window classes or window titles. If the application you want to choose does not appear in the running task list, you can type in the information, or browse to the executable file.
Once the properties tab is filled out, clicking the “iPhone mappings” tab will allow you to configure custom mappings (see Figure 12).
Figure 12: Configuring iPhone mappings
Select gesture or button from the list, and then enter a keystroke, a command, or a window message. All 3 actions can be mapped for a single gesture or button if desired. The command to run is simply a command line that you wish Remotely Possible to execute. Windows messages allow additional control options, but should only be used with an understanding of Windows UI messaging.
The flick, hold, and launch settings apply to the profile as a whole, and not to any specific gesture or button. The values are:
- Initial flicks per second: control how fast flicks are repeated
- Flick repeat duration in seconds: controls how long flicks are repeated
- Slide hold repeat per second: when a slide command is held, how often the slide event should occur
- Maximize on launch: Should the application be requested to start maximized?
Editing an
existing application profile
Remotely Possible includes several built-in application profiles that are installed if the corresponding applications are found on your PC. These build-in profiles, as well as any other profiles you have created, can be edited. Double-clicking on the profile icon brings up the properties of the profile which can then be changed. The default profile mappings are used when none of the other profiles apply. The default profile is also used as the template for new profiles.
Exporting and
Importing application profiles
Application profiles can be saved to a file. This allows you to back up your custom settings, and share these settings with others. To save the settings for a profile, select a profile in the Remotely Possible software for Windows, then choose “Export” from the “File” menu. To import settings, choose “Import” from the “File” menu, or simply double-click the app-profile file.
Options
The following options can be accessed from the Remotely Possible Windows application:
Run at logon – If enabled, Remotely Possible automatically runs in the tray when you logon
Set network port – Allows manual configuration of the network port.
Reset Password – Allows the password to be changed
Reset to Defaults – Reset Remotely Possible back to the default settings
Built-in profiles
and default settings
The following profiles are installed initially if the corresponding applications can be found. Below are the settings for each of these profiles, which you can change as desired.
Default Application Profile (settings used when
no other profile applies)
|
Application Action |
Remotely
Possible |
Setting |
|
Navigate left |
Flick/slide left Press left navigation button |
Left arrow key |
|
Navigate right |
Flick/slide right Press right navigation button |
Right arrow key |
|
Navigate up |
Flick/slide up Press up navigation button |
Up arrow key |
|
Navigate down |
Flick/slide down Press down navigation button |
Down arrow key |
|
Accept selected item |
Tap Press enter button |
Enter |
|
Escape |
Two-finger tap |
Escape |
|
Tab |
Three-finger tap |
Tab |
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Play/pause |
Press play/pause |
Play/pause keyboard button |
|
Stop |
Press stop |
Stop keyboard button |
|
Go to next track |
Press next track |
Next track keyboard button |
|
Go to previous track |
Press previous track |
Previous track keyboard button |
|
Raise volume |
Press volume up |
Volume up keyboard button |
|
Lower volume |
Press volume down |
Volume down keyboard button |
|
Mute volume |
Press mute |
Mute keyboard button |
Windows Media Center
|
Application Action |
Remotely
Possible |
Setting |
|
Navigate left |
Flick/slide left Press left navigation button |
Left arrow key |
|
Navigate right |
Flick/slide right Press right navigation button |
Right arrow key |
|
Navigate up |
Flick/slide up Press up navigation button |
Up arrow key |
|
Navigate down |
Flick/slide down Press down navigation button |
Down arrow key |
|
Accept selected item |
Tap Press enter button |
Enter |
|
Go back |
Double Tap Press back |
Backspace |
|
Play/pause |
Two-finger tap |
Ctrl+p |
|
Play/pause |
Press play/pause |
Play/pause keyboard button |
|
Stop |
Three-finger tap |
Ctrl+Shift+s |
|
Stop |
Press stop |
Stop keyboard button |
|
Go to next track |
Press next track |
Next track keyboard button |
|
Go to previous track |
Press previous track |
Previous track keyboard button |
|
Show guide |
Press guide |
Ctrl+g |
|
Show context menu |
Press info |
Ctrl+d |
|
Aspect ratio/zoom control |
Press custom button 1 |
Ctrl+shift+z |
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Raise volume |
Press volume up |
Volume up keyboard button |
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Lower volume |
Press volume down |
Volume down keyboard button |
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Mute volume |
Press mute |
Mute keyboard button |
PowerPoint
|
Application Action |
Remotely
Possible |
Setting |
|
Navigate left |
Slide left Press left navigation button Two-finger tap |
Left arrow key |
|
Navigate right |
Slide right Press right navigation button |
Right arrow key |
|
Navigate right |
Tap Press enter button |
Enter |
|
Start slideshow |
Flick up |
F5 |
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End slideshow |
Three-finger tap |
Escape |
Windows Live Photo Gallery
|
Application Action |
Remotely
Possible |
Setting |
|
Navigate left |
Slide left Press left navigation button |
Left arrow key |
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Navigate right |
Slide right Press right navigation button |
Right arrow key |
|
Select an item |
Tap Press enter button |
Enter |
|
Start slideshow |
Press play/pause Double tap |
Alt+s |
|
Pause slideshow |
Press stop |
Space |
|
End slideshow Return to gallery |
Press back Two-finger tap |
Escape |
|
Turn info pane on/off |
Press info |
Ctrl+i |
|
Rotate counter-clockwise |
Flick left |
Ctrl+comma (,) |
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Rotate clockwise |
Flick right |
Ctrl+period (.) |
|
Zoom in |
Flick/slide up Press up navigation button |
+ |
|
Zoom out |
Flick/slide down Press down navigation button |
- |
Hulu Desktop
|
Application Action |
Remotely
Possible |
Setting |
|
Navigate left Rewind |
Flick/slide left Press left navigation button |
Left arrow key |
|
Navigate right Fast forward |
Flick/slide right Press right navigation button |
Right arrow key |
|
Navigate up Increase volume |
Flick/slide up Press up navigation button Press volume up |
Up arrow key |
|
Navigate down Decrease volume |
Flick/slide down Press down navigation button Press volume down |
Down arrow key |
|
Play/pause Select |
Press play/pause Press enter button Tap |
Space |
|
Menu |
Press back Two-finger tap |
Escape |
Internet Explorer
|
Application Action |
Remotely
Possible |
Setting |
|
Navigate left |
Flick/slide left Press left navigation button |
Left arrow key |
|
Navigate right |
Flick/slide right Press right navigation button |
Right arrow key |
|
Navigate up |
Flick up |
Up arrow key |
|
Navigate down |
Flick down |
Down arrow key |
|
Scroll up |
Slide up Press up navigation button |
Page up |
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Scroll down |
Slide down Press down navigation button |
Page down |
|
Activate a selected link |
Tap Press enter button |
Enter |
|
Move through items on a webpage |
Double tap |
Tab |
|
Go to previous page |
Press back Two-finger tap |
Backspace |
|
Go to next page |
Press guide Three-finger tap |
Alt+right arrow |
Mozilla Firefox
|
Application Action |
Remotely
Possible |
Setting |
|
Navigate left |
Flick/slide left Press left navigation button |
Left arrow key |
|
Navigate right |
Flick/slide right Press right navigation button |
Right arrow key |
|
Navigate up |
Flick up |
Up arrow key |
|
Navigate down |
Flick down |
Down arrow key |
|
Scroll up |
Slide up Press up navigation button |
Page up |
|
Scroll down |
Slide down Press down navigation button |
Page down |
|
Activate a selected link |
Tap Press enter button |
Enter |
|
Move through items on a webpage |
Double tap |
Tab |
|
Go to previous page |
Press back Two-finger tap |
Backspace |
|
Go to next page |
Press guide Three-finger tap |
Alt+right arrow |
OpenPandora
Note: For these settings to work, enable
“Global Shortcuts” in OpenPandora
|
Application Action |
Remotely
Possible |
Setting |
|
Previous Station |
Flick up |
Ctrl+Win+PageUp |
|
Next Station |
Flick down |
Ctrl+Win+PageDown |
|
I like this song |
Slide Up Press up navigation button |
Ctrl+Win+Plus |
|
I don’t like this song |
Flick down Press down navigation button Press Stop button |
Ctrl+Win+Minus |
|
Play / Pause |
Press Play / Pause button |
Ctrl+Win+Space |
|
Skip to next song |
Press Next Track button |
Ctrl+Win+RightArrow |
|
Volume Up |
Press Volume Up button |
Ctrl+Win+UpArrow |
|
Volume Down |
Press Volume Down button |
Ctrl+Win+DownArrow |