Yep, adding blank space at the top of the start menu top image is definitely a good workaround. It also allows the start menu to be below the taskbar if you have it positioned at the top of your screen. 

Okay, I get it, now I wonder why we didn't get a wb owners manual, lol.

I was wondering if you could accomplish you goal, not sure if that is the point here though, is it, by leaving the user pic, but making the image blend with the places list so as to appear invisible, then align things. I did it with mt new skin and it is a wood texture, blends real nice, maybe an option.

If not okay, just a thought.

Basically, we all need to accept we all skin different, we all are just trying to figure it out, some stuff just don't work because of the program.

If I wrote the program(wb), nothing would work, so I still love sks and wb.

Happy skinning all, and on a good note, seems we had a good discussion on skinning here, and we all love that, great reading for all, thanks to the op for the entertainment and short term community project,lol.

Further thoughts, I guess if you do not want the text down that far on the start menu, it will not suffice to do the above.

Also, on the search results area, you could use the start menu animation layer to create a lite gradient or color or texture change that will stay visible when in search mode. I did this on my current work, but just to tone down the gradient effect that is coded to that area. I just did a saturation layer to adjust the lightness and color some. I made it so it works in all modes, but the skin design would dictate whether or not it would work for you. Okay, just thoughts, enjoy skinning either way, DT1.

I'm glad that Lightstar and Doortech1 came in here. I'm sure I must have been missing something and meant no harm with anything I said. Guess I learned how to make SKS work for me and others have made it work for them.

Like Lightstar said. Could be redone better, but it is what it is and one learns how to work around things. Sure is better than having nothing and thankful to have SKS and other StarDock products.

No worries, man. We all just seemed a little confused. 

By the way... anyone know how to change the places list font? 

You change the Programs List using the Item mouseover/ text settings. If you use the Item mouseover in the Places list section you can change it there. Many times you don't need the item mouseover in the Places list so if you don't have one there it will be controlled by the Program list for both sides.

Ha! Thanks. I didn't think to check there, even though I do have a second mouseover.

Late to the party again, as usual.

But, some words of advice, RUN RUN RUN, now you have a new can of worms, or can be.

As soon as you created a "item mouse over" for the places list, text settings quit working normally. By that I mean the colors for mouseover states and such can be quite confusing to get right or to your liking.

Best option is to set all , programs and places text to "os defaults" and gradually change states and colors checking to see what you get. Also, the "skin colors" section " has some of the colors used and some are the defaults, so if you start from scratch with default text settings, then get what you can out of those "skin colors" areas first, then try altering your normal, mouse over, and pressed states after, you will make better sense of things and achieve the result you want , hopefully, not always possible.

Just some info, if you already knew, no biggie, good luck, happy skinning.

Yup! Way back when, I made a thread asking about the screwiness of the text colors and fonts in the Start Menu, and got some tips then.

My start menu for this skin is pretty much 100% complete at this point. Just need to fix a transparency issue... but I think I can figure that one out on my own.

Thanks though!

So i am back, with a little info for all who care.

I was tinkering with the user pic area, due to this thread, and discovered that when I placed a solid image( I did this to see what the user pic area does with and without an image, resizing issues and such), when I decided to place a texture layer on the start menu. Well, it would appear the user pic area is the winner,the texture does not show in that area. The only way was to lose that section by hiding.

Just another start menu discovery, on my part, you all may already know. Thought I would share anyhow.

Even with the user pic hidden, windows will still reserve the space where it would have sat leaving that area totally unusable. I have worked out that you need a total of 30 px for the user pic. That is, 30px from the top of the menu. Say for example the top part of your startpanel is 15px. You then need to set the top text margin on the places (right side) to 15 px.

      15px (top part)

+    15px (text margin right side)

------------------------------------

      30px

I think this is an OS limitation, not a WB/SKS shortfall.

I do have something you could try: make the top part of your start panel 30px instead of what you have. Simply add extra blank canvas to the top part image. The only drawback I could imagine would be that the panel would sit very far from the taskbar if the user had a top taskbar config. But let's face it, only weirdos do that anyway.

Keep in mind, I haven't personally tested this....just thinking out load.

But the texture works with the pic hidden, so it is a matter of which gets preference in the code I would think.

Not an issue anyhow, as all you have done, I learned to adapt and find a way around, thanks for the input.And the tips.

Oops.......looks like you are one of those weirdos, Kevin!