The Un-Official WindowBlinds/SkinStudio Documentation Project
Thursday, September 11, 2003 by Koasati | Discussion: Skinning
The Un-Official WindowBlinds/SkinStudio Documentation Project
Documentation for skinning WindowBlinds using Skinstudio is sorely lacking. The intention of this thread is to gather as much info as possible about the subject. I think a few rules need to observed, to keep this thread on track.
1. Keep the chit-chat to a minimum.... any comment that doesn't contribute to the purpose of this thread, and threatens to hijack it, will be deleted.
2. If you have a question, begin the comment with QUESTION:
If you have an answer to a Question, begin your comment with ANSWER to #xx: (#xx being the post number of the question)
If you have a tip, start the comment with TIP:
You get the idea.
3. Please do not post a solution if you're guessing. Be sure you know what you're saying is correct, otherwise you're not helping anyone.
4 I would like to see images in this thread only when that would help explain the problem or solution, BUT optimize your images before you post them here.
Use jpg, and compress until it hurts.
Learn to use the image insertion feature before you post the image. (I don't want to see a bunch of red X's) (You can't uploaded images from your harddrive)
Your image should only show the relevant parts of the skin, or SkinStudio interface. (NO FULL DESKTOP IMAGES!) Some of us are on dialup.
If you don't know how to use the feature, or how to optimize jpgs, don't ask in this thread, start a new one in the HELP section.
Hopefully we will have most of our top skinners contributing to project... you know how you are.. 
LET'S DO IT! Who will be the first to contribute?
[Message Edited]
 |
|
Page 1 of 5 | |
|
|---|
Reply #2 Thursday, September 11, 2003 5:05 PM
| #2 by Hippy - 9/11/2003 4:44:03 PM |
| TIP: If you want to change the height of the taskbar in XP, try adding/editing the top and bottom content margins on the taskbar buttons (And also quicklaunch ones too if you use them). You can use thise to change the height |
Reply #3 Thursday, September 11, 2003 5:21 PM
The systray supports content margins, and if you're using the 'hide' option on the tray, then you'll have used the left content margin probably, to push the icons to the right a bit so as to space them out from the systray arrow a bit.
The problem comes when the tray is set not to use the hide option.
If the content margin is set too low, or isn't set at all, then the icons may spill over onto the part of the tray you don't want them too.
Setting a higer margin will fix the problem.
Reply #4 Thursday, September 11, 2003 5:43 PM
That ONE pixel determines whether or not the image will appear.
[Message Edited]
Reply #5 Thursday, September 11, 2003 5:46 PM
Dang it Mark! There is a very good reason why I want tips to begin with TIP: and so forth...... And that would be to help me when I start building a FAQ with this thread. Could you please comply? Like Brainiac did it, yeah! Truly Mark, I appreciate your sharing this info with us, just please help me a little.
EVERYONE please read the instructions before you post.
[Message Edited]
Reply #6 Friday, September 12, 2003 6:24 AM
QUESTION: What is the "Control Panel Vertical Separator"?
Reply #7 Friday, September 12, 2003 6:26 AM
Question: How/where do I change this? Other Control Panel Options (header?)
Reply #8 Friday, September 12, 2003 7:47 AM
Odd, that the colors were not set to the colors shown in the image above, but never changed until I physically moved the slider. Seems to me, to be mislabeled also. Shouldn't it read "Other Control Panel Header" if that's what it relates to?
[Message Edited]
Reply #9 Friday, September 12, 2003 7:50 AM
Go a shade darker and a shade lighter(sideways) than your main content background color to give it a 3d effect.
Reply #10 Friday, September 12, 2003 7:55 AM
Reply #11 Friday, September 12, 2003 4:39 PM
Those undefined fonts will get you. If you leave some fonts undefined, WB seems to use the last font used (previous skin) for them. So while the font for the Toolbar Buttons, etc. may look good on your system, someone else opens the skin and gets these teeny little, barely readable fonts. Define all your fonts even if they seem to 'look ok' undefined on your machine.
And, along that same line, the fonts you can't define use, I believe, Font #0, which is pretty small itself. It doesn't hurt to make this one a little bigger.
Reply #12 Friday, September 12, 2003 6:42 PM
| by Skinner I.R. Brainiac - 9/11/2003 5:52:29 PM Tip:Logoff and shutdown flag.You CANNOT use magic pink. Plus,if the alignment of your replacement image is critical because it completes or supplements the overall design,BEWARE,the flag is not placed in exactly the same position in both instances.Your better off replacing the image with a single pixel that blends with the logoff\shutdown graphic. It is the 'please wait' dialog that pops up when you change skins that dosnt' line up.The flag displays about 7 to 10 pixels to the left in comparison to the logoff\shutdown placement. by Madam Fuzzy Logic - 9/12/2003 9:47:36 AM by Skinner I.R. Brainiac - 9/12/2003 6:01:49 PM Any way to clean 6,7,13,15,16 up into one post? |
Yes, but I had to delete the post numbers, or this could get really confusing..
Reply #13 Saturday, September 13, 2003 4:36 AM
This is the control panel vertical seperator, marked in the image with the arrows.
It supports a colour gradient attribute or you can specify an image if you prefer.
Reply #14 Saturday, September 13, 2003 6:32 AM
Reply #15 Saturday, September 13, 2003 7:52 AM
once you add a logoff\shutdown button background,the buttons themselves stop reacting to mouseovers.
Reply #16 Saturday, September 13, 2003 7:59 AM
Hippy reanswered #6 better(he used pictures!)
It used to be question 8.
[Message Edited]
Reply #17 Saturday, September 13, 2003 8:09 AM
Reply #18 Saturday, September 13, 2003 9:40 AM
Reply #19 Saturday, September 13, 2003 10:08 AM
Course you can delete any of these side comments,except it messes with the numbering.
How is Hippy posting images?I cant do that with nowhere to link to.
[Message Edited]
Reply #20 Saturday, September 13, 2003 10:29 AM
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!
|
|
Page 1 of 5 | |
|
|---|
Reply #1 Thursday, September 11, 2003 5:04 PM
TIP: Small tip for the Start Menu usericon in XP.
The size of the image is 48x48, so keep that in mind if you're trying to blend in or line up your user icon on a skin, and you're having problems.
A lot of people assume it to be 50x50, which can give you a real headache if the icon is a matching one for the skin, and you want to blend it in.
Edited by me, because Hippy obviously didn't read al the instructions ....
But I do appreciate you, Mark!