Foldable Fences

Organize Icons into Collapsible Containers

Create resizable fences to group your icons. Double-click to collapse and reclaim your desktop space.

What Are Fences?

Fences are translucent containers that sit on your desktop and hold icons. Think of them as virtual folders that display their contents right on your desktop—no clicking required to see what's inside.

Unlike actual folders, fences are:

  • Visual - See all icons at a glance
  • Collapsible - Hide with a double-click
  • Resizable - Adjust to fit your needs
  • Drag-and-drop - Move icons in and out easily

Creating Your First Fence

  1. Right-click on an empty area of your desktop
  2. Select RuleDock → Create Fence
  3. Draw a rectangle to define the fence area
  4. Name your fence (e.g., "Work Projects", "Games", "Design Files")
  5. Start dragging icons into your new fence!

Fence Features

📁

Double-Click to Collapse

Double-click any fence's title bar to collapse it into a compact strip. Double-click again to expand. Perfect for decluttering when you need focus.

⊡

Pin to Lock Position

Click the pin icon to lock a fence in place. Pinned fences can't be accidentally moved or resized—ideal for your most important groups.

◈

Adjustable Transparency

Right-click a fence to adjust its transparency from 30% to 100%. Match your desktop aesthetic or make fences nearly invisible.

⇔

Resize Freely

Drag any edge or corner to resize. Fences automatically reflow icons to fit the new dimensions.

Drag & Drop Operations

RuleDock supports intuitive drag-and-drop for all icon operations:

Action How To
Add icon to fence Drag from desktop into the fence
Remove icon from fence Drag out of fence to desktop, or right-click → Remove
Move between fences Drag from one fence directly into another
Reorder within fence Drag and drop to rearrange
Open file/folder Double-click the icon (not the title bar)

Right-Click Context Menu

Right-clicking a fence reveals options for customization:

Fence Context Menu 
📁 Rename Fence
📌 Pin/Unpin
🎨 Transparency
   ├── 30%
   ├── 50%
   ├── 70%
   └── 100%
📏 Auto-Size to Contents
🔒 Lock Editing
🗑️ Delete Fence

Icon Context Menu

Right-clicking an icon inside a fence shows:

Icon Context Menu 
▶️ Open
📂 Open File Location
📋 Copy Path
Move to Fence →
   ├── Work Projects
   ├── Games
   └── Design Files
❌ Remove from Fence

Appearance Customization

Make fences blend with your desktop or stand out—your choice:

  • Transparency - 30% to 100% opacity
  • No Borders - Clean, minimal look by default
  • Title Bar - Shows fence name, collapse/pin buttons
  • Hover Effects - Subtle glow when mousing over icons

Behavior on App Exit

When you close RuleDock, all icons inside fences are automatically restored to their original desktop positions. This ensures you never lose access to your files, even if RuleDock isn't running.

The next time you start RuleDock, it reads the saved layout from SQLite and recreates all fences exactly as you left them.

Tips for Effective Organization

💡 Pro Tips

  • Use descriptive names - "Q1 Reports" is better than "Folder 1"
  • Collapse rarely-used fences - Keep your desktop focused
  • Combine with rules - Auto-sort new files into the right fences
  • Pin your main fences - Prevent accidental moves
  • Group by workflow - Not just file type, but how you use them

Start Organizing Your Desktop

Download RuleDock and create your first fence in under a minute.

Download RuleDock Free