Classic Shell: Forum

Holy something.
I just tried out new beta version Classic shell.
It can have taskbar changed to whatever image one has around.
I used a small menu bitmap.
Got it working in less than 2 minutes.
People should be able to make their own fast too.

Thank you Ivo, and gang.

Stop taunting me with your shiny blue taskbar image...you're making me want to turn it into a Visual Style

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Ive PM'ed Ivo about a potential Taskbar skin sub-forum, Until then: I designate this the official Taskbar skin thread!

That's a good idea O:

Also AAAAAH SO MANY POTENTIAL VISUAL STYLES >.<

Oh and that Snekbar needs a matching menu...perhaps depicting a half-swallowed Win7 menu?

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I was thinking about doing a cool snake winding around the taskbar or something, but that would require it to go over the taskbars top level (I guess I could do it in rainmeter)
I also just re-realized you can drag the taskbar up to increase its # of rows. Sadly this causes certain UI Inconsistencies (Cortana, task view, Show Hidden Icons, New Notifications, and System Clock, are all stretched, while everything else is just pushed to the top) Otherwise I could make some nice, but space consuming visuals

Update: after a bit of manipulation (2 invisible toolbars, one above one below) I can make an extended task-bar look somewhat uniform... Though this only works with the 'primary' taskbar. (which means I wont be using this trick personally)
I also confirmed that 100% transparent parts of a taskbar, still cant be clicked through (to the window behind them)

Let me guess...we aren't going to be seeing Taskbar button skinning anytime soon (if ever)?

(I'm 90% joking btw, this is already awesome ._. )

...wait, would that kinda mandate a special skin format for the Taskbar or something? .-.

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The problem with the button skinning is that buttons need a large number of custom images. The button can be with or without text, grouped or not. Buttons have many states - normal, hover, pressed, active, progress, error, etc. And on top of that the buttons look different on each of the 4 taskbar positions. I'm sure there are specific requirements for each Windows version as well.
If you want to do this, you are better off with a complete new theme.

Umm...in Windows 10, the buttons don't use Visual Styles. They can't be skinned by normal means. That's the whole reason I asked.

If info is needed regarding the specific states of those buttons, I can probably get that info, if that would help... C:

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http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Icon-for-an-Exe-File
Its manual, and tedious but it gets the job done.. (specifically method 3)

I think I may have failed to establish my point. I meant the application buttons.

Also those buttons aren't images, they're...vector-based or something. Like the background.

And I mean the application buttons, not search/task view/start.

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I think it might just be me whose lost, but which application buttons? Like google chromes icon on the taskbar? because thats what the linked method does

Close. I don't mean the icon itself, I mean the button which surrounds it while hovered over, when opened, etc.

Does that make more sense? .-.

EDIT: If not, look here:

That thing. You can't skin those on Windows 10.

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Ah, I actually thought that's what you meant for a second when I first posted Yea, that would be a nice piece to add IMO if themes can no-longer touch it at-least... Something I would like to see that might get missed in implementation: 'Overlay on bottom' checkbox that draws the Icon above the overlay (which is how windows 10 does it by default, whereas on 7, it is truly an overlay IE if it were made solid black, you wouldn't see the button at all)

Yeah. In Windows 10, themes can't touch dis, and given that background skinning is already available in Windows 7 and 8.1 , well...it just makes sense ._.

But I get the feeling this would get complicated enough to justify a Taskbar skin format akin to Start Menu skins...if a tad simpler. Oh, and the button shine is another factor - idk if it'd be possible to disable or not, but I'd imagine disabling it in Windows 7 and 8.1 would be easier than re-adding it into Windows 10...so I'd expect the shine toggle to potentially be "not worth the work"...

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Yea, that shine in w7 that moves around with the button is def not worth adding
and yea I would agree that it should have 9 slices like the menu buttons.

I always liked the Shine, but meeh, as long as it isn't disabled in Windows 7 and 8.1 without option...


Yeah. Or however many are in RTM. (I accidentally pulled the above image from a mid-development beta, from before the Superbar was 100% finalized in form and function .-. )

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Well, time to take advantage!

I knew it wouldn't be long before an xp taskbar skin popped up especially since its so easy to skin.

Hmm...I'll see if I can get the taskbar images from every other version of Windows.

I guess this means I have a lot of ßetas to locate


EDIT: BTW this feature is completely nonfunctional with the Classic Theme on Windows 7, and completely messed up with the Classic Theme on Windows 10 D:

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Yes, skinning requires the Windows theme engine, which is disabled for the Classic Theme on Windows 7. I don't know what Classic Theme for 10 you are talking about.

Maybe it's the high contrast ones?

Other.
It's kind of fun going back in past with wild colors of history taskbars.
This was from screenshot of Metroid Prime at

http://www.smasher9a.com/nintendo.php

The taskbar options do have limitations, as it's static.
Still mighty fine if one is willing to alter the taskbar image to match their own system.
In my case I'm on Win 10. I altered the black area to fit my setup.

I put in no border line transition between taskbar and tray image.
That way, you can use Gaurav's method, by reducing the right horizontal border 170 pixels and lower.
With each lower number, the tray transition will move to the left.

No, that's Aerolite. When I say Classic Theme on Windows 10, I mean Classic Theme on Windows 10.


Anywaves, moving on to the actual problem at hand...


Anyone else see the issue here? ._.

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Well, it doesn't seem to be a standard Windows feature. Non-standard features like that are not supported. You should not mix multiple skinning solutions, like a third party theme + Classic Shell. Only one system can be in charge of the taskbar look.

*sigh*

It is a standard Windows feature - this is the same Classic Theme as was present in Windows 95 - 7. The only new part is the means to access it and the ability to do so without disabling Dwm.

If you want to try it, here you go: http://winclassic.boards.net/thread/38/classictheme-exe
However, I strongly recommend you do so in a Virtual Machine, as this application is still in early development and has been known to cause some users' Windows 10 installs to implode and require a system restore or full reinstall.


Oh, and if it were a Visual Style, it wouldn't be able to modify the Taskbar at all .__.

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Got it. Still, the way the taskbar skinning is done (the texture and text color, not the overall color) is by affecting the theme. No theme, no skinning. For the same reason it doesn't work on Windows 7 with Classic Theme.

Well evidently the Visual Styles aren't completely disabled. Not to mention that it does sort of work...well, that depends on what you define as "work", but it does a thing, whereas on Windows 7's Classic Theme it didn't. It just doesn't do the desired thing.

...that...still isn't going to be fixed, is it?

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I modifyied that Metroid taskbar and got this:
I leave my edited version below.

Is it possible to totally remove the skinning from the taskbar so it to appear like other controls under the classic theme?

Uh...Annixx? Isn't that what we already have? If anything, I thought we wanted to retain what little influence Visual Styles do have, e.g. text, metrics, etc. ... ._.

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I was talking about Windows 10. Do you mean you know how to remove styling from Win10 taskbar?

Yeah, just rename ClassicTheme.exe to ClassicThemeA.exe, run it, then restart explorer.

Problem is, doing so doesn't do squat to resolve our issue (all it does is fustercluck the metrics, hide the start button, and break all the text), so if anything, I figure we'd want to FORCIBLY ENABLE Visual Styles.

And in terms of the cosmetic issues...that isn't controlled by Visual Styles in Windows 10 regardless.

Also...check WinClassic. I suspect you may know how to put one of my theories into action...

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SketchAnimations2

I'll just put the Blue XP pngs for others in a zip.


I put in no border line transition between taskbar and tray image.
That way, you can use Gaurav's method, by reducing the right horizontal border 170 pixels and lower.
With each lower number, the tray transition will move to the left.

Here is a gold one from metalX2 by grayhaze



I put in no border line transition between taskbar and tray image.
That way, you can use Gaurav's method, by reducing the right horizontal border 170 pixels and lower.
With each lower number, the tray transition will move to the left.

This wood taskbar is by Teschio of Woodworks.

I did not try and contact him, if ok to use.
Hope it's ok. It was made in 2002.


I put in no border line transition between taskbar and tray image.
That way, you can use Gaurav's method, by reducing the right horizontal border 170 pixels and lower.
With each lower number, the tray transition will move to the left.
Due to the large size of the wood detail, I chopped off over half of the left taskbar.
Still, even having put right border as 5, the tray size does not move that much to the left.
Best to not use this image, if lots of entries in tray, or your monitor is HI-DPI.
You would have to make your own image in photo program, that best matches your system.

Since the border area is untouched and only the middle portion of the texture image is stretched, I think it would be best if for the textures that you post, there was no border in the middle of the texture that separates the notification area/tray part of the taskbar, if the texture image has one in a different color. Otherwise that middle border also gets stretched.

Here is my XP taskbar: http://i.imgur.com/BvGMaAV.jpg

Horizontal stretching: 2,154
Image used:

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Links to some general topics:

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● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

I knew that the combo taskbar/tray can never be one size fits all.
That's why I put the plain image as well, for 100% workability.

I think the tray part goes for 171 pixels. So the right border should be 171, or I just used 200 pixels,
and the remainder on left gets stretched. It was working for me with 2 to 3 icons in the tray.
Similar setup looks like it worked for SketchAnimations2 mod.

From your picture, you are a power user with lots in tray. With HIDPI, 171 pixel won't be enough for your setup.
Are you varying the right border amount in between 170 and 0? Everything will stretch, depending on what lower number is put in.
Only proper way is in image editor, to copy a chunk of transition point and paste to the left, with right border higher number to match.
But in your case with HIDPI, might as well start from scratch and make a new really wide one.

Maybe Ivo can research and find out how Windows changes the tray size,
and have slices like:

Border, Taskbar stretch, Border, Border, Tray stretch, Border

?

Ok. I will add your type as well.
This is all uncharted waters, so to speak. Might take more experimenting to find the golden way of doing it.

The wood one is not going to work as well, because of so much taskbar already in image. It won't stretch as much, if at all,
which means tray size will increase by a smaller ratio.

Your beautiful Plex theme also matches it well, juniper7. http://i.imgur.com/8TmUlMY.jpg

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I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

But...but...but what about my Plex theme?


EDIT: Taskbar background image is now attached to this post, set vertical borders to (3, 3) when in use

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That's a nice Plex theme. Sharp and soft borders at the same time.
I think your taskbar works differently, because the tray area looks different.
It's the theme that makes it look that way?

Trying to figure out the menu.
Looks like glow, so it's a Win7 type.
Is it Classic Shell menu, or Startisback, or Windows built in working with theme?
I guess CSM can have an invisible shutdown button at top.
Don't know about Log off though.
Are the shut/log off icons burnt into the skin bitmap, or are they floating "Emblems"?

Thanks ^-^


Yes.


It's a Classic Shell skin7 menu. No chance of a Windows menu - I use Windows 8.1u1, remember?

And the shutsown icons are part of the Main bitmap - emblems came a few weeks too late ._.

Also I've actually removed the text glow since that screenshot, so I could make the text itself white .___.

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Here are other XP taskbar textures: Luna Olive green, Embedded Blue, Zune-Royale Noir Black. Black taskbar text is more readable on Olive green.

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Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and did Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

And here's my recreation of one of the many Longhorn Aero Concept Taskbars :U

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So...where were we at regarding Taskbar buttons, exactly? (I do feel that it would be nice to have support for those, even if it means .skintskb files or something )

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I've just created (may not be the best,) Windows 95/Classic Theme!

I added a new forum for the taskbar skins. Feel free to create new topics there.

Alright, great to hear that! ^-^

...so...should I just give up on the Taskbar button skinning idea? :/

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It would require a great deal of time for research. Time, I sadly don't have to spare at the moment.

Oh. Well, we all really appreciate what you've done so far, and while obviously it would be nice to have button skinning available too, we understand and respect your reasoning ^-^

...well, I do, atleast. I guess I can't really speak for anyone else here

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Hmm

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