What is a "tool" window?
Wednesday, July 16, 2003 by I.R. Brainiac | Discussion: Skinning
I'm still confused as to what exactly is a tool window.Is it like the window that comes up when you adjust audio properties.What are some examples?
Koasati
Reply #2 Wednesday, July 16, 2003 7:10 PM
Reply #2 Wednesday, July 16, 2003 7:10 PM
The little "Tool" windows, in Dreamweaver........ for example.. 
I.R. Brainiac
Reply #3 Wednesday, July 16, 2003 7:29 PM
Reply #3 Wednesday, July 16, 2003 7:29 PM
I see references to people forgetting or not bothering to skin tool windows.I just assumed WB skinned them automatically.I dont let WB skin photoshop and i dont have dreamweaver or wincust. browser.I do have a shareware version of iconpackager,i'll check and see if it's getting skinned.
knatzz
Reply #4 Wednesday, July 16, 2003 8:30 PM
Reply #4 Wednesday, July 16, 2003 8:30 PM
The latest skinstudio will help you, It has them in the preview window
jcg
Reply #5 Thursday, July 17, 2003 6:53 AM
Reply #5 Thursday, July 17, 2003 6:53 AM
I just skinned my first toolbar, but I can't seem to get the text in the titlebar test to behave. The size won't be constrained, and it keeps changing colors. 
Koasati
Reply #6 Thursday, July 17, 2003 7:00 AM
Reply #6 Thursday, July 17, 2003 7:00 AM
Tool Windows are tricky....... they're a bit different in every app it seems.
grayhaze
Reply #7 Thursday, July 17, 2003 7:13 AM
Reply #7 Thursday, July 17, 2003 7:13 AM
The hardest thing I've found to skin is the toolwindow titlebar buttons. Each instance of a toolwindow uses a different size and alignment for its buttons, meaning that it's almost impossible to get those buttons looking good on every toolwindow.
MadIce
Reply #8 Friday, July 25, 2003 2:09 AM
Reply #8 Friday, July 25, 2003 2:09 AM
Grayhaze: There may be a solution to your problem. First use UIS1+ instead of UIS2. That allows you to specify tool window borders in the [Borders] section. This has the same problems, but a while back Neil Banfield granted my feature request to correctly to line the buttons up more logically. To do so you add ShiftButtonCoords=1 to the [Borders] section. After setting that option the problem is gone. So, if UIS1+ does not limit your skin then use that. I am probably the only skinner that ever used this option, so my BlackAndBlue skin may be the best sample. The problem with UIS1+ skins is that it doesn't allow plugins and you love those! Maybe Neil is willing to add a similar option to UIS2 skins. Try to mail him and ask for it. Who knows.
[Message Edited]
[Message Edited]
MadIce
Reply #9 Friday, July 25, 2003 2:26 AM
Reply #9 Friday, July 25, 2003 2:26 AM
Well, I wrote Neil an e-mail and CCed it to you. Let's see how it goes. Maybe Neil can find the time to add that feature.
I.R. Brainiac
Reply #10 Friday, July 25, 2003 7:47 AM
Reply #10 Friday, July 25, 2003 7:47 AM
Darn...after all this and i'm still not sure Ive seen one or what I'm looking for.
MadIce
Reply #11 Friday, July 25, 2003 11:25 AM
Reply #11 Friday, July 25, 2003 11:25 AM
Example: If you have PSP then you will see small windows like the layer tool.
Tool windows have a 19 pixel high titlebar (sizeable ones 20 I think) and a close button only. They have no icon, but do have a title. Tool windows appear on top of their application and cannot be moved behind it. Tool windows do not appear on the taskbar. Unlike MDI and regular windows they cannot be tiled, cascaded, minimized or maximized.
That's all I can say to describe them.
[Message Edited]
Tool windows have a 19 pixel high titlebar (sizeable ones 20 I think) and a close button only. They have no icon, but do have a title. Tool windows appear on top of their application and cannot be moved behind it. Tool windows do not appear on the taskbar. Unlike MDI and regular windows they cannot be tiled, cascaded, minimized or maximized.
That's all I can say to describe them.
[Message Edited]
I.R. Brainiac
Reply #12 Friday, July 25, 2003 1:53 PM
Reply #12 Friday, July 25, 2003 1:53 PM
Think I get it,...apparently I dont let wb skin apps that use tool windows so I never notice whether they are being skinned or not.
MadIce
Reply #13 Saturday, July 26, 2003 2:45 AM
Reply #13 Saturday, July 26, 2003 2:45 AM
I think if you don't skin them then they will remain unskinned. Even if you have set SkinToolWindows=1 in WB.ini then sizeable (I think) tool windows remain unskinned. The latter is a bug introduced in WB4.
MadIce
Reply #14 Saturday, July 26, 2003 2:52 AM
Reply #14 Saturday, July 26, 2003 2:52 AM
I've checked my last remark again and it seems that SkinToolWindows=1 doesn't work anymore. So, if not specifically skinned then tool windows remain unskinned.
jebland
Reply #15 Saturday, July 26, 2003 6:56 AM
Reply #15 Saturday, July 26, 2003 6:56 AM
While doing my latest round of updates to Paxx's Breal WB skin (for my own use), I discovered that there is another button on PSP7 tool windows that I cannot get to skin. It is the Pinning button that holds the window open. Sort of an "always on top" function. The close button skins but this one does not.
Koasati
Reply #16 Saturday, July 26, 2003 7:36 AM
Reply #16 Saturday, July 26, 2003 7:36 AM
jebland, that auto-rollup, or lock-open button, in PSP, really looks out of place on a skinned tool window, doesn't it?
jebland
Reply #17 Saturday, July 26, 2003 7:43 AM
Reply #17 Saturday, July 26, 2003 7:43 AM
Sure does, but I couldn't figure out anything on it. Just one of those "Oh well, I tried.
Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.
Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
- Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums and downloading skins.
- Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
- Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
- It's simple, and FREE!
Reply #1 Wednesday, July 16, 2003 1:31 PM