Window border transparency issue...

Transparent part outside edge of the screen...

Monday, October 31, 2005 by Ronan H | Discussion: WindowBlinds

For this example lets use the R.I.P. Halloween skin released by Stardock as the base for my query.

When the skin is maximised, the transparent part of the window border goes outside the visible area on my screen, hence the top of the min / max / close buttons, and the top of the little moon and cloud image is not visible as its outside the screen. If the window isnt maximised it looks fine. It seems to be happening on all windows that can be maximised. I have to say its a little bit frustrating seeing as the reason for using WB5 skins is to see the transparency effect...

Is anyone else experiencing this? If so id love some feedback, its the first issue ive had with Windowblinds EVER since i started using it years ago...

Thanks...

Ro
23 Reply 8 Referrals
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scorpio-logic
Reply #1 Monday, October 31, 2005 11:51 PM
Ronan, what video card are you using? If it is an older card, first try going into the "troubleshooting" section of WBConfig. Down at the bottom, click "Enable if you have corrupted titlebar and text background". If this doesn't work, you options narrow slightly.

Ronan H
Reply #2 Tuesday, November 1, 2005 8:58 AM
Howya, thanks for that. My video card is as follows (from troubleshooting report):

NVIDIA GeForce2 Go (Microsoft Corporation)

My machine is a Dell Inspiron 2650, bout 3 - 4 years old now so i suppose that might indicate an "older card" in these rapidly changing times.

Ive tried the "Enable if..." feature but it still seems the same. Im not sure if im explaining whats happening properly so when i get back from work tomorrow i will depict it visually with some screenshots, it might be clearer then...

Thanks for your help...

Ro

Ronan H
Reply #3 Wednesday, November 2, 2005 6:30 AM
Im back again, heres two screenshots to highlight what i was saying. The first one is just the window in its un-maximised state and the second one is the window in its maximised state. You can see how the clouds and the moon image are clipped as the window seems to go outside the visible area on the screen...





If anyone can help with this id be very grateful thanks...

Ro

scorpio-logic
Reply #4 Thursday, November 3, 2005 12:43 AM
AAAH! Guess what: there is nothing wrong with your stuff. That seems to be where the theme stops painting. I just checked out 6 of my skins, alpha and non, it depends on the author of the skin to make it fit exact and I don't think you will find one that stays like you are expecting it to.

scorpio-logic
Reply #5 Thursday, November 3, 2005 12:46 AM
Found one: Rusty Rooster. I think it is because of the alpha pixeling that Windows just cuts it off at that point. The graphic there, the moon with the cloud, is painted off the edge of the actual window size.

Ronan H
Reply #6 Friday, November 4, 2005 9:45 AM
Hmm... Interesting i say! Does that mean that the same thing happens for everyone? If so thats quite a pity as it would seem to negate a lot of what WB5 is all about? Maybe im a little bit confused...

My favourite skin for months has been DogmaX and ive been following the updates since it began, and the WB5 version has a lovely glass border type thing around the whole skin, but of course i cant see it if the window is maximised...

I think im not fully understanding the technical explanation, as in the "painting" part, and if its a widespread problem...?

If you could explain that a bit more that would be great...and thanks so far for your wise words

Ro

scorpio-logic
Reply #7 Friday, November 4, 2005 2:17 PM
I don't see it as a problem. I see it as a limitation. When you maximize the screen, the window is instructed to take up the full space of the screen. Most of the per-pixel alpha is about what lies just outside the window, like shadows, glass effects and all that. So of course when you max a window, there is no screen left for the effects. I am not a programmer, so my theory here is just based on my understanding of how this neato-nifty toy we call windowblinds works. However, I think it would be possible to integrate a sizing transition in the authoring of the skin, to allow for keeping the glass effects and ghost effects, as in the R.I.P. skin, so that when it is maximized, the full affect is still there. But I am not sure that is built into the SkinStudio program. I will play with it, not adept so I don't know how long that might take. You have me interested though.

Ronan H
Reply #8 Friday, November 11, 2005 9:44 AM
Wow, thats very interesting indeed. It seems bizarre though that it behaves like that even though it seems to make sense technically. For myself i NEVER use windows that arent maximised, and hence if all my maximised windows arent gonna function properly in terms of transparency then WB5 has nothing for me, perhaps. Surely they wouldnt release a major program update with something like this being standard across the board? That really doesnt make sense to me... Im very confused now, it will give me something to think about on the way to work!

Ro

Neil Banfield
Reply #9 Friday, November 11, 2005 12:11 PM
The maximized titlebar itself can still use per pixel if the skin author wants.  Its just that the borders will not be visible as they are offscreen (which is normal for maximized windows)

Ronan H
Reply #10 Sunday, November 13, 2005 5:52 AM
Then is it the case that WB5 for maximised windows is useless for thousands of users then or is it just me? I cant see that they would release something like that...

R

Cavan1
Reply #11 Sunday, November 13, 2005 6:22 AM
Hey Neil, is Screen Edge Clip adjustment for per pixel frames not possible.

(which is normal for maximized windows)


If I am wrong Neil can correct me, by default maximized window clip, amount off screen is 4 pixels.

Neil Banfield
Reply #12 Sunday, November 13, 2005 8:57 AM
Screen Edge Clip adjustment is not permitted with per pixel frames.

Ronan H
Reply #13 Sunday, November 13, 2005 9:01 AM
By the way, i am not having a go at Stardock in any way about this, im just totally intrigued by the issue and am baffled why there arent more people experiencing the issue...

I find that i learn a huge amount from threads like this, such is the greatness of forums such as these!

Ronan

Cavan1
Reply #14 Sunday, November 13, 2005 5:02 PM
By the way, i am not having a go at Stardock in any way about this, im just totally intrigued by the issue and am baffled why there arent more people experiencing the issue..



Screen Edge Clip adjustment is not permitted with per pixel frames



by default maximized window clip, amount off screen is 4 pixels


Ronan H, the 4 pixel screen clip is Windows default. As Neil Banfield, developer of WindowBlinds,
stated; clip adjustment of per pixel, transparent frames is not permitted.
Unload WindowBlinds, with Luna XP you will see the same loss of top of title bar when window is maximized.

Cavan1
Reply #15 Sunday, November 13, 2005 5:05 PM
Then is it the case that WB5 for maximised windows is useless for thousands of users then or is it just me? I cant see that they would release something like that...


Forgot to put this quote in; Is Window default not WB, so Windows is useless?

Ronan H
Reply #16 Monday, November 14, 2005 6:54 AM
@ Cavan1 - Thank you for your input, i understand a bit more clearly whats happening now i think...

However, and lets talk about me pesonally for now, a few weeks ago i DLd WB5, excited by the prospect of transparency. When i installed it i went directly to brewmans DogmaX skin as its a favourite i have been using for months. I loaded it up looking forward to the beautiful glassy transparent border https://www.wincustomize.com/Preview.aspx?Source=brewman/wb/4221.jpg as can be seen here. Thats fine in the preview, i was expecting the nice border to be visible all around the edge of my screen when the window was maximized, instead i find that i cant see the border at all as its off the screen. Hence i looked at the RIP skin and a few others to see if it was happening. When i found that it was, it prompted me to start this thread. If that is going to be the case with all of the skins then i have no interest in using WB5 currently for that reason alone. I havent even looked at any of the other features on WB5, but i suspect that as long as the window border thing is an issue im not going to want to use WB5, simple as that.

I still havent had any feedback from anyone else as to whether this causes some annoyance to them or not, im disappointed that i wont be able to see the skins as they should be. I would love other peoples opinions too. I know its not a WB issue as you have stated, as it originates in Windows, and thats a pity i think.

Please could some other users share their experience of this, im sure i cant be the only one who is disappointed by this, or does everyone else in the community not use maximised windows?

Thank you thus far Cavan1, scorpio and Neil for your input...

R

Cavan1
Reply #17 Monday, November 14, 2005 7:42 AM
Hey Ronan H try Arrow https://www.wincustomize.com/Skins.aspx?LibID=1&view=1&sortby=4&sortdir=DESC&p=1&advanced=0&searchtxt=arrow
Title bar is completely transparent so still have transparent title bar when maximized, minus that little bit. The side and bottom frames still disappear.
Your welcome for the input, in the future maybe thank Neil first as WB is his baby.
Don't give up on WB5 yet as more features are added and skinners start to use them you may not mind lossing border on max. window. Did you download update for dogma x, alpha blended logoff and shutdown dialogs, full screen blended mask when select logoff or shutdown, very cool, updated 11/14.
When a window is maxed you still have all the transparent borders on all dialog windows you open.
Not trying to change your mind just pointing out that the maxed window thing is a small loss compared to all that WB5 can and will at final release do.

Cavan1
Reply #18 Monday, November 14, 2005 7:50 AM
One more thing; I feel that as skinners get used to skinning for WB5 they will hopefully offset buttons and title bar art so it is not clipped off when window is maxed. Remember this is new to them aswell so there will be a learning curve.

Ronan H
Reply #19 Monday, November 14, 2005 9:37 AM
Hello again...

I think i may have been a bit hasty earlier in some stuff i said, im ultimately very hard to please and if the slightest thing is "wrong" (using the term very lightly) with something i make a rash decision and bail... When it comes to skins, i am a pain in the hole, DogmaX is the first skin in about 5 years that ive actually stuck with, followed from early releases and continually used on my desktop, which at this point is months now... I like everything about it (ignoring the current thread of course but thats not a skin issue) and its very seldom i like a skin enough to keep it for that long. When i started using WC years ago i found one cool skin which i cant remember the name of now and that was up there at the time, im just keen to find it again to see if its still cool! Anyway, i digress...

I was a bit harsh earlier, but thats just me, if it aint perfect i dont wanna know (unfortunately) and when it comes to skins im ruthless, i might download 20 skins in a night and have deleted them all within 5 minutes because i found one thing that i didnt like about them...

I understand that WB5 is still in its early days and you have definitely helped me to become un-hung-up o the border thing, there are a lot more features that i will miss out on if i sacrifice the build just for the borders...

Im a bit of an instant gratification type of person, hence my sudden rash decisions about things...

Anyway, i think im clear on the situation now, im off to find that ancient skin i used to use and to download WB5 again...

***mental note to self*** GET OVER IT!

Thanks man... Also i didnt realise that Neil was the WB guy, i hadnt thanked people in any particular order, just as i remembered them!

See ya round the boards...

Ro

j dott
Reply #20 Monday, November 14, 2005 9:57 AM
It seems to me that you could just use a program to make your windows not quite maximized, so that they still take up the full screen, but with the effects that you want. I'm not sure if WinFX can do this, but it doesn't work with WB5 yet anyway. Maybe someone has a program suggestion. I use ZMover Linkthat can do this, but I really use it for different reasons, and it would require you to set it up for each application. There must be something freeware that will allow you to do this. To test what I am talking about, just resize a window until it takes up the screen, yet retains the edge effects.

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