per pixel window frames

Sunday, January 6, 2008 by jazzymjr | Discussion: SkinStudio Help

I finally decided to try to make per pixel window borders. I got all the images done, including the titlebar buttons, loaded into SKS 5, and then I lost all the skinning to the menubar and toolbar...they came up with the classic color I had set in the classic colors section. (Fortunately, I had saved my blind before attemtping this, so I didn't lose everything.) I already had the regular window frame borders done. I have no clue what I did wrong!

I'm running WB 6 and SKS 5.

Any ideas?
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vStyler
Reply #1 Sunday, January 6, 2008 6:42 PM
In per pixel frames you lose functionality you may have had in bitmapped frames. Menubars being one of them, you also cannot animate titlebar buttons or add button sounds.

Bit of a trade off but I'd still rather have Perpixel functionalilty than all that is lost with it.

jazzymjr
Reply #2 Sunday, January 6, 2008 6:46 PM
Thanks for the quick reply! Are you saying that I need to change the menubar and toolbar to tga's?. I don't animate titlebar buttons, so that is not a problem. It's just that I want the menubar and toolbar back!

eieio
Reply #3 Sunday, January 6, 2008 6:59 PM
jazzymjr

With perpixel frames, menubars aren't skinned anymore other than the coloring.

vStyler
Reply #4 Sunday, January 6, 2008 7:05 PM
Doesn't matter what kind of image you use in per pixel frames.. its not skinnable, it will take on the characteristics of windows classic in those areas.

jazzymjr
Reply #5 Sunday, January 6, 2008 7:20 PM
Thanks pic and vStyler. So, then I guess I need to make sure my classic color matches the color of my skinned menubar in the regular frame.

I'll give it another go around. The blind I am working on has rounded edges, and, needless to say, it looked much better in the per pixel style.

Another question....do I skin the maximized window frame too? If so, do I use the same images as for the per pixel frames?

I sure wish there was a tutorial for the per pixel frames that I can understand!

Oh...yet another question: how can I get rid of the system icon in the per pixel window titlbar icons? I don't use it in the regular frames, and would like it to be the same in the per pixel frames as well.

vStyler
Reply #6 Sunday, January 6, 2008 7:25 PM
you can sometimes use the same image for the maximized frames.. depending on design but yes you have to skin it.

I need to make sure my classic color matches the color of my skinned menubar in the regular frame.

Yup

Never tried but I'm pretty sure you can't get rid of system icon in per pixel. Could be wrong.

jazzymjr
Reply #7 Sunday, January 6, 2008 8:20 PM
Thanks, vStyler...you've been really helpful. I'll post back here if I run into any more glitches.

vStyler
Reply #8 Sunday, January 6, 2008 8:24 PM
Anytime Mary Jane   

Daiwa
Reply #9 Sunday, January 6, 2008 8:28 PM
Has anyone tried to offset the system icon to outside the frame? Same way we make text "disappear" from the ShutDown dialog?

eieio
Reply #10 Sunday, January 6, 2008 8:35 PM
I tried it on a skin I had for a test and it was not visible. The skin seemed ok as far as operation.

I offset it -30 pixels

vStyler
Reply #11 Sunday, January 6, 2008 8:38 PM
Yeah IR's Slider skin it isnt showing in per pixel frames..so yes u can make it not show.. I just have always left it included in mine.. windows seem somewhat bare without it imo.

jazzymjr
Reply #12 Monday, January 7, 2008 12:39 PM
Well, got the per pixel frames done. You sure lose a lot of skinned stuff in the process though: the menubar(I can live with that), the midi buttons, menubar buttons, lost control over the color of the font on my system buttons, can't make the text bold on the taskbar buttons anymore..won't hold...there is probably more that i just haven't caught yet. The blind is only partially done, so I may find other stuff going bye-bye too.

On the plus side, the window frames look good. I was able to get rid of the system icon (had to set the offset to -60 beofore it finally disappeared).

All in all, I'm not sure if I really like the trade offs for per pixel frames. Makes me feel that I left some stuff unskinned.

Neil Banfield
Reply #13 Tuesday, January 8, 2008 4:34 AM

Per pixel frames have no impact over the font on your system buttons, your bold text on the taskbar buttons or anything like that.

When on XP the menubar will not use the menubar skin, thats the only non titlebar related change.  When on Vista it will use the menubar skin.


jazzymjr
Reply #14 Tuesday, January 8, 2008 4:58 AM
When on XP the menubar will not use the menubar skin, thats the only non titlebar related change. When on Vista it will use the menubar skin.


I am running XP. The menubar lost its skinning, the midi buttons lost the skinning, the menubar buttons lost the skinning. All I know is that these items were skinned before I applied the per pixel window borders, and then poof...the skinning was gone, and I am now looking at classic midi buttons, no menubar buttons at all, and classic menubar. My system buttons had off white text before the per pixel window borders, and black text after....this is bad, because the buttons are a dark color, and you can no longer see the text on them.

I guess I will just not do per pixel window borders until I switch to Vista....

Neil Banfield
Reply #15 Tuesday, January 8, 2008 3:57 PM
jazzymjr: That is what I said.  Those are all on the menubar.

jazzymjr
Reply #16 Wednesday, January 9, 2008 6:06 AM
Neil, what about the text on my system buttons? Why did that change? If I could get the right color back for them, then I guess I will do the per pixel window borders. I don't really like the classic menubar stuff...but, I guess I can live with that.

vStyler
Reply #17 Wednesday, January 9, 2008 6:36 AM
Perpixel shouldnt affect your sys buttons whatsoever... check your colors \ fonts for your button make sure everything is in order. I can't think of anyway they would be affected unless you used same colors or fonts for your titlebar and when you change one, the other of course will change.

jazzymjr
Reply #18 Wednesday, January 9, 2008 6:51 AM
This is really weird. The system buttons took on the system text color from the classic stuff. They are behaving the same way that system buttons do like when you are using google...the buttons under the search window...I have the button, but the text color is black, no matter what skin I am using of my own or anyone else's.

butch123
Reply #19 Wednesday, January 9, 2008 6:58 AM
Hi jazzymjr as i no longer skin xp, Vista only if you like you can use any of my per pixel window borders that suite you..

jazzymjr
Reply #20 Wednesday, January 9, 2008 7:08 AM
Hi jazzymjr as i no longer skin xp, Vista only if you like you can use any of my per pixel window borders that suite you..


Thanks, butch....I think what I will do is see how you did the per pixel thing and see if i can duplicate it. I learn best from seeing something in place and then trying to duplicate the same result.

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