Classic Shell: Forum

Hi, this is my first start menu skin that I've made. The skin is a Windows 10 looking start menu. This shows the new feature, emblems.

A picture can be seen here:

I've attached the .skin7 to this post.

Credits go to:
Ivo - for his awesome program.
Jcee - for help on padding, and guideance
Juniper7 - for help with resource hacker, and skin text

Edit: Version 2 is now out. It fixes the padding for the search pane, and the jump list. It seems to have the same column 1 bug though as Jcees skin though.

Pretty snazzy. Nice concept.
Better than the first one.
The jump view is a bit squished, with search stretched.
Still it gets people talking/thinking. Thanks.
For the future, who knows if links get implemented?
All comes down to MS. If they want to release some code, or be selfish,
and force others to work a year or more reinventing similar code for links, live tile.

Thanks for your input, it's much appreciated. ^^ It's definetly better than my first one, thanks! =) You're right about jump view and search being stretched. At first I wasn't sure what the jump view was, but it's in the first column for items with arrows on them.

I was thinking not to go the Microsoft way for live tiles. We could be waiting ages for that xD

We could instead have links that work exactly like under 'customize start menu' and clicking on the 'icon' then filling out 'command' , which would work.

See my post here:
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=5277 for more ideas. If you search for Nintendo, it's there. Or if you want I could post it here.

I was also thinking that emblems could have a state to them like the start button does, like if we were to have a hover state, or/and possibly animated too.

Yep, those ones.
Main_search_padding=11,11,11,9
Main_jump_padding=3,10,11,9


Did you see what the emblem is in Metallic skin? It is hidden, not turned on.
A head of a screw. Going from a screw head, to multi stated, animated link,
looks to be very complicated, for all those effects to happen.
Mind you, I'm just a layman.

I'll try to add that padding in, and see what happens, thanks.
I'll also check out what the emblem is in the metallic skin.

I'm not sure how feasible an animated .png emblem would be. But if we started at links, and worked our way up, that'd be good.

How does having a Nintendo emblem that goes to the Nintendo forums, or a Nintendo gameboy emulator sound?

Hello redblade8.
I donno.
Here is way I see it. May be a bit negative.

From looking at the Home page, this is Ivo's project.
Gaurav Kale & Jcee do testing, forum help, recommendations,
with a lot of other support people to do language translation.
It's not a business. Just volunteers.

I'm half guessing what happens.
Ivo would look at the feasibility of implementing features like you suggested.
To spend time to research the information, study, develop into something useful for a large proportion of users.
If a lot of people ask for it, priority goes higher.
I've come back to this site for I guess, around three years now.
From reading people's comments, there are a lot who want the old "classic" way,
and don't want to have anything to do with 8-10 start menu.
As each year went by, I saw a shift, for newer Windows features.
It's mind boggling how many feature/options there are now.

It might still be an uphill climb for the features you ask?
Only Ivo knows. He's the brains behind all the coding.
There is only one of him, compared to Microsoft teams of software engineers.

Do any start menu companies offer the features you want?

Here's the thing: Links would probably be fairly easy to add to emblems; and it would be useful enough. however its highly unlikely that many users will use emblems in the manner you are suggesting (as tiles), because its simply too complicated for most users to even edit a .skin in reshacker. and requires considerable work to setup. (also there is currently a limit to 10 emblems, and i suspect they are hard-coded)
Something like custom shut-down and restart buttons would most likely be the primary use.. (though its a feature I would like to see implemented)

Hi, thanks for your replies, it's much appreciated.
I put a lot of work into my replies, maybe too much sometimes. I like to throw everything that I think of out there & try to look for input. I do understand that this is Ivo's project, and that he is a one man army as Ive said before too. I've always been a supporter of Ivo, since 2010. I consider him a friend. I remember the old forums on sourceforge, and talking to Ivo on sevenforums.

I didn't say that this wasn't Ivo's project though, or that it was a business, which it isnt. I agree with you.

I didn't mean that links would or wouldn't be added , but I was just saying 'if'. So I'm not sure, I was just throwing things out there. I don't expect them to be added either. I didn't mean anything bad by it.

I'm actually in the vote of having the old "classic" way, and am actually a big supporter of that too. I just like the windows 10 tiles look on the start menu. If you look at my screenshot above, I have a windows 98 start button, a classic windows 7 taskbar, and a windows 10 looking start menu, all on a windows 8 os. xD I guess I like taking the best of each os.

There is currently a program on think pads right now that gives the classic theme for windows 8, and 10. I'm hoping that there will be a final release, but I might have to use stardock windows blinds instead.

Youre right about classic shell being the best. I dont think any start menu company out there comes close to the current classic shell, even when it was just starting out it was still better.

Jcee, I agree with you that editing a skin for the start menu isn't just the average users thing to do. I don't think the average user would want to go through all the trouble of using resource hacker just to make a windows 10 tile emblem start menu.

It could be used for a custom shutdown, restart, or log off button though.

Thanks again for your replies! ^-^

If emblems could have links, one could imitate the built in taskbar on side of new Win10 menu.
That use, could be more fitting. Have up to ten that user can change with custom image emblems, along with their links.

I had to laugh at the size of the user picture, when I first saw it.
Thought user picture on John Edward's skin was small. Win10 one even smaller. Need glasses.

I didn't think of that, that sounds pretty cool. I haven't been on windows 10 for a while now as I went with windows 7, then back to 8, so I don't remember the side icon area exactly. xD That is pretty small, that's like 1/4 the size of one icon almost. O.o

I'm going to try to add that padding in later today I think, and see about the metallic skin too.

That taskbar section, whatever it is called, does expand to show the user name,
just in case everybody's picture is too hard to discern. That pretty girl is not me, by the way.
I'm a guy who gets bored looking at oneself.

I referenced that little screw to show how the emblem started out, as like a little badge/logo/extra non stretching image,
to the features you were thinking about. Have you seen screenshot of Jcee's upgraded skin.
I think there are going to be lots of emblems, patterns used, maybe even masks for them too.

The taskbar sections expands out to show the user name? Or is it when you hover your mouse to the left the taskbar area slides out? I think I saw that user picture on shpkongs post.

Ok, now I know what you mean by the screw head. I was just about to post on here that I found a 'plus sign' with the emblems, but now I see it as a screw head too.

Where can I find Jcees skin? I think it'd be cool to see what skins people can make with the new emblem and patterns options. I'd like to get more into skinning, but bitmap slices confuse me.

Win 10 Click to expand



Jcees skin newest is Zergmetal3
It's progressing.

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3215#p27837

Emblems and Patterns are new to CSM 4.3.0
Takes a while to figure it all out.
I only learned about using tint colors, and that's been out more than a year.

>where can I find Jcee's latest skin
Right here: http://www.classicshell.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3215&p=28767#p28767

Oh, I see now. I dont have windows 10 on hand, so that helps as a reference. Cool, I'll go check out Jcees new skin, thanks. I can't seem to figure out masking, I'm not sure what tinting is exactly. To tint something another color?

Masks.

Kind of like using masking tape, when painting.
You put the masking tape, where you don't want the paint to go.
But it works out the opposite here. Wherever the mask is,
that's where an assigned color, or image shows up, in the menu.

It's a bit like TV and movies have a color mask, blue chroma key, or green screen, detected in a narrow color range,
and replaced with fake scenery behind actor, weatherman.

Ivo has made available different color masks, (you don't see that color on the menu on desktop),
that can be used for having masks show system glass color, Metro colors, menu color, photo images, tints.
The masks can be blended together for gradient mixing effects.

There is a skinning tutorial describing in better detail.

http://classicshell.net/tutorials/skintutorial.html

Ok, that makes more sense kind of, thanks. Masking tape & the opposite of it is a good analogy. I read the skinning tutorial , I did find pattern masking, which after your explanation makes more sense though. Bitmap masking doesn't make as much sense for me though. xD

Sorry, I'm a terrible teacher about masks. My vocabulary is limited.
Even though bitmaps have channels, in my mind, I think of them as layers.
It's easier for me to visualize everything as layers in a stack.

Masks are used in photo programs that allow layers to be used.
Very easy to see how masks work, when one can disable,
enable back and forth to see effect in those programs.
Can bet you their help files, explain it a lot better than me.

Sorry to interrupt, but...

...what am I doing with my life?

_________________
TILES WOOOOOO

Hmm.. Getting out of school early, and making CSM creations?

Did you go into "Customize Start Menu", and delete all the second column?
Are you using invisible shutdown button?

a) School hasn't started for me yet
b) I don't skip school anywaves


Nope, Adobe Blank font


Nope, there's a setting for that

_________________
TILES WOOOOOO

Sneaky snake options. Bravo.

No, I thought you were helpful. Masks are kind of like layers? I can relate to that with photoshop , enabling and disabling the view of different layers. It reminds me of when I was trying to figure out how to make a layer transparent, but it wasn't working. I just had to delete the layer underneath to make it transparent.

Nice start menu splitwirez. You made that with classic shell?

I made a new start menu with new padding text as suggested. I'll attach it to my first post.

Yes. Thanks

_________________
TILES WOOOOOO

Not sure if you can get what you are after with your skin. Is more complicated than Metro.
The jump and search padding can be increased to the same 318, instead of 218.

If using transparent option, the search,
jump bitmaps would need to have the right border increased a bit to stop emblems on top of line.

If you want default look with first column, to not exceed over to emblems side,
I think only way is make the search and jump bitmaps 318 pixels extra width on the right border part.
Slicing numbers to change to the wider sizes.

I did not try all these.

Edit:Ok, I tried just one extended jump bitmap for picture.
There are too many sets of bitmaps in this skin, to play with. Got lazy.
At least this sample can help somewhat.



Main_bitmap_jump_slices_X=13,1,2,2,1,327
Main_jump_padding=3,10,325,9

I was day dreaming.
Instead of metro tiles, have the whole area set up to use custom emblem image. For easy change up.

Have a large family portrait, or weeks to do list giant sticky,
or commandments-
Thou shalt not gesticulate wildly.
Thou shalt not drink more than one beer.
Thou shalt not take over another's post.

Ok, I'm outa here!

Ook ook! here's some more commandments
Thou shalt not fart in public
Thou shalt not drive if easily distracted by busty joggers
Thou shalt not shout 'SMITE MEE OH MIGHTY SMITEEERRR'
Thou shalt not allow creepy old men who enjoy singing west side story while blowing their lid at passing drivers into their car

ok im done

_________________
"A book is a mirror. If an ass peers into it, it doesn't expect an apostle to peer out." - E.M. Forster

Thou shalt not fly away for no apparent reason
Thou shalt not abuse memes more than 9,001 times daily
Thou shalt not transform into a potato
Thou shalt not spontaneously combust
Thou shalt not question my motives for doing this:

Thou shalt not allow me to continue posting these commandments

_________________
TILES WOOOOOO

roflmao!!

_________________
"A book is a mirror. If an ass peers into it, it doesn't expect an apostle to peer out." - E.M. Forster

So how much longer until we finish the 9,001 commandments? :V

_________________
TILES WOOOOOO

Hi, I'm sorry that I haven't been on here in a while, nice commandments though lol.

I'll try doing what you said about the bitmaps, thanks juniper. =)

Thou shalt not ask questions thou doesn't want to know the answer to.
Thou shalt not limit the number of commandments.
Thou shalt not question my reasons for continuing this dank meme.
Thou shalt not allow me to continue the 9,001 commandments.

_________________
"A book is a mirror. If an ass peers into it, it doesn't expect an apostle to peer out." - E.M. Forster

>Don't limit the number of commandments
>There's 9001 commandments
are you even trying?

*ahem* I repeat, thou shalt not ask questions thou doesn't want to know the answer to

_________________
"A book is a mirror. If an ass peers into it, it doesn't expect an apostle to peer out." - E.M. Forster

thou shall not hijack threads
thou shall not mention dank meme without link
thou shall be on topic
end. ( or begin ) xD

We do get a little carried away sometimes.
Hopefully, we never cross the religion, political line.

Back to your skin topic. I don't know about any bug in your skin.
It has different text for the emblem position, than Jcee's one.
Let me know if help needed with all the bitmaps.