Missing separator
Monday, March 22, 2004 by Sput | Discussion: Skinning
I seem to hit this issue each time I make a skin, but this time I'm stumped because it was working very nicely....
The separator item on my pull down menus is invisible. Every other graphic in Menus/Pull down item image work fine, except the separator.
I have a different Pull Down Item (Top Item) graphic, but it was working with that to start with.
The only thing I knowingly changed that seemed related (and just before I noticed the separator had gone walkabout) is adding some details to the Pull Down Items Extras...but that shouldn't make the separator suddenly vanish should it?
Even if I make the separator frame in the Pull down item graphic a solid colour, I'm seeing nothing on any menus...help. How do I get it working again?
The pulldown items extra is a tga, the other menu graphics are bmps relying of magic pink. If I make the normal and separator graphics into solid colour then the menu has gaps in the solid colour showing the menu background image where the separator should be about half the height of the normal menu items.
...what's going on? How have I broken this? Particularly when it was all working fine for ages!
The separator item on my pull down menus is invisible. Every other graphic in Menus/Pull down item image work fine, except the separator.
I have a different Pull Down Item (Top Item) graphic, but it was working with that to start with.
The only thing I knowingly changed that seemed related (and just before I noticed the separator had gone walkabout) is adding some details to the Pull Down Items Extras...but that shouldn't make the separator suddenly vanish should it?
Even if I make the separator frame in the Pull down item graphic a solid colour, I'm seeing nothing on any menus...help. How do I get it working again?
The pulldown items extra is a tga, the other menu graphics are bmps relying of magic pink. If I make the normal and separator graphics into solid colour then the menu has gaps in the solid colour showing the menu background image where the separator should be about half the height of the normal menu items.
...what's going on? How have I broken this? Particularly when it was all working fine for ages!
Shameless Designs
Reply #2 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 6:00 AM
Reply #2 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 6:00 AM
I somehow missed this thread earlier... Sorry Sput. Nothing comes to mind off the top of my head, but I'll do some research and get back to you. One thing occurred to me, but not sure it applies. On your tga for the pulldown items extra, do you have translucency enabled? I seem to recall having a similar problem that required me to disable translucency in a tga in order to see an overlapping or underlying bmp. I can't recall exactly now, but I'll dig through my skinners notebooks and check in Skin Studio and see what I can come up with. 
Sput
Reply #3 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:06 AM
Reply #3 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:06 AM
Goot pointer to something to try Shameless D...The change I made to the extras might have made it over lap the menu items in a different way. Yes, it is usuing translucency, though to be honest, I probably ought to switch to an 8 bit BMP and magic pink (except for the anti-alias with the x as it needs to work on different backgrounds...)
I'll try this route tonight though.
Ta Koasati - it might need someone to look at the file for me to see if I've done something stupid I guess - it's always hard to spot your own mistakes.
I'll try this route tonight though.
Ta Koasati - it might need someone to look at the file for me to see if I've done something stupid I guess - it's always hard to spot your own mistakes.
Koasati
Reply #4 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 10:54 AM
Reply #4 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 10:54 AM
If you want me take a look, fire it over. I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to WB/SS, but I'll be glad to take a shot.
Sput
Reply #5 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 5:20 PM
Reply #5 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 5:20 PM
Koasati - hopefully, you have mail...I've tried everything and I'm still stumped. 
Koasati
Reply #6 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:40 PM
Reply #6 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:40 PM
I have tried everything I can think of, sometimes twice. At one point, I had a separator in "some" menus, but not all. 
..... but they never showed again.
What version of SkinStudio are you using? Maybe SS broke something, I can't think of any other explaination.
Sput
Reply #7 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:46 PM
Reply #7 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:46 PM
Koasati - I'm using SS v 4.1.0 Build 872.
I've also checked the code view to see if I can see anything odd, but with no avail. I've had problems with separators with every skin I've worked on so far (4)...eventually I've got the others working, but this one is most anoying as I HAD it working perfectly first time as I'd learned from the previous tried.
I'm glad it's not just me in a way, but at the same time it means I can't fix it *sigh*
I've also checked the code view to see if I can see anything odd, but with no avail. I've had problems with separators with every skin I've worked on so far (4)...eventually I've got the others working, but this one is most anoying as I HAD it working perfectly first time as I'd learned from the previous tried.
I'm glad it's not just me in a way, but at the same time it means I can't fix it *sigh*
Sput
Reply #8 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:48 PM
Reply #8 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:48 PM
What I might try is starting a new skin and putting just the menu graphics in and seeing if that works...but I'm rather demoralised with fighting it at the moment....
Sput
Reply #9 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:49 PM
Reply #9 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:49 PM
Oh...and thanks for looking! I should ahve said that first! 
Sput
Reply #10 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:57 PM
Reply #10 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:57 PM
Grrr...now I'm more confused as it all works in a new skin! I just created a new "empty" skin and used the File/Import Skin Components in SS (I had to copy the background graphic by hand for some reason)...and it all works then! The same settings, the same graphics.
That means there must be something in an entirely unrelated section of the skin causing a side effect....what a PAIN...
That means there must be something in an entirely unrelated section of the skin causing a side effect....what a PAIN...
Sput
Reply #11 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 10:12 PM
Reply #11 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 10:12 PM
What the,.....I've now transfered all the easily transfered bits and the menus still work...I'd carry on transfering bits by hand except that the transfer process has broken so many other bits...
I can't find any differences in the code in any areas relating to the menus though, so I'm DEFINATELY stumped now... 
I can't find any differences in the code in any areas relating to the menus though, so I'm DEFINATELY stumped now...
Sput
Reply #12 Thursday, March 25, 2004 9:20 PM
Reply #12 Thursday, March 25, 2004 9:20 PM
This is beyond a joke now
I carried on re-creating the skin from copying the settings etc into an entirely new skin. I kept checking the menus each time I adjusted anything which I thought might remotely have an impact on the menus and it stayed working.
I then "finished" transfering the little things like quick launch background images, a couple of colour settings on various bits, and other entirely non-menu related items. As a last thought I checked the menu's and the separators have vanished AGAIN!
Whoever wrote this little gremlin into the software has certainly played a good trick on me now. 3 days worth of messing about in the little spare time I have to end up with no progress at all...nothing actually done on the skin in all that time.
Sput is not a happy bunny now...and kicking myself for not saving the folder as a backup when it was working about 20 minutes ago as I can't remember everything I changed last, and hence can't make the menus work again!
I carried on re-creating the skin from copying the settings etc into an entirely new skin. I kept checking the menus each time I adjusted anything which I thought might remotely have an impact on the menus and it stayed working.
I then "finished" transfering the little things like quick launch background images, a couple of colour settings on various bits, and other entirely non-menu related items. As a last thought I checked the menu's and the separators have vanished AGAIN!
Whoever wrote this little gremlin into the software has certainly played a good trick on me now. 3 days worth of messing about in the little spare time I have to end up with no progress at all...nothing actually done on the skin in all that time.
Sput is not a happy bunny now...and kicking myself for not saving the folder as a backup when it was working about 20 minutes ago as I can't remember everything I changed last, and hence can't make the menus work again!
Sput
Reply #13 Thursday, March 25, 2004 9:22 PM
Reply #13 Thursday, March 25, 2004 9:22 PM
Sput is thinking of sending this skin to support @ stardock.com to see if they can solve this...
Essencay
Reply #14 Friday, March 26, 2004 2:53 AM
Reply #14 Friday, March 26, 2004 2:53 AM
Yeah...the separator is missing on my skin too...and I have no clue as to what I did to eliminate it. I was patiently lurking in hopes that you'd find out 
Sput
Reply #15 Saturday, March 27, 2004 7:54 PM
Reply #15 Saturday, March 27, 2004 7:54 PM
Essencay -I sent an e-mail to support about it as I think it's a bug...I've been busy the last few days so I'm only just about to check for a reply...I don't expect one this soon though.
Sput
Reply #16 Saturday, March 27, 2004 8:54 PM
Reply #16 Saturday, March 27, 2004 8:54 PM
Ahh, not only have I already had a personall reply from someone, but apparently it's been passed to the dev team so *fingers crossed*
Once again, tech support from StarDock seems to be well worth the very reasonable on-going registration fee I couldn't imagine such a prompt personal reply from most software developers.
Maybe I'm biased too though as the reply included brief praise for the skin I'm working on
[Message Edited]
Once again, tech support from StarDock seems to be well worth the very reasonable on-going registration fee
I couldn't imagine such a prompt personal reply from most software developers.Maybe I'm biased too though as the reply included brief praise for the skin I'm working on
[Message Edited]
Essencay
Reply #17 Saturday, March 27, 2004 9:07 PM
Reply #17 Saturday, March 27, 2004 9:07 PM
Essencay eagerly awaits an answer
Also notice on SDC that SkinStudio and WB's have updates
Also notice on SDC that SkinStudio and WB's have updates
Sput
Reply #18 Saturday, March 27, 2004 9:16 PM
Reply #18 Saturday, March 27, 2004 9:16 PM
...I've just d/l'd them and about to re-start, but I didn't see anything in the history to indicate this issue has been tracked down and solved yet...that would be expecting too much I think...
Sput
Reply #19 Saturday, March 27, 2004 11:13 PM
Reply #19 Saturday, March 27, 2004 11:13 PM
Sput is not too surprised to find that the most recent update hasn't solved the problem....yet
BTW - oddly when other people try my skin, they report seeing the separator on SOME menus, yet I can't find any menus it works on...curiouser and curiouser...
BTW - oddly when other people try my skin, they report seeing the separator on SOME menus, yet I can't find any menus it works on...curiouser and curiouser...
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Reply #1 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 12:35 AM
I know this is driving you crazy, but I don't have much of anything to suggest..
...... but I can give you a ~bump~ 