Classic Shell: Forum

Experiment
Part 1 of 3 BlackenLite revB
Update. Now revB "Center user name" option is on permanently.

This test bed, or double beds was made for Win8.1. Works on Win7, as I put some internal color presets to offset Win7 wild color.
Tried with CSM 4.1.0
Not compatible with most older versions of CSM. Will only partially work.
After downloading file, paste in skins folder. Usually C:\Program Files\Classic Shell\Skins
Exit CSM, restart CSM, and go to "Start Menu Style" tab.
Pick Classic or Classic two columns.
Pick "BlackenLite" in Skin tab.

Incentives
- Metal pipe signage on way to work.

-Had to see what a black and white, verses white and black column menu looks like.

-To challenge myself, and the limits of skinning, without much artistic, or scripting knowledge.

-Had to be different. So made column tint darker than normal.

My favorites
- Metal Grey edge variation with Pipe button.

- Sky Blue variation with Rubber tire button. My new word, I DYNAMIZED it.

- I can live more with the Tire edge, Rubber Tire, Blue Regular combination.

-Mylar plastic button on white. Believe it or not, this was made from a vertical sliver of Ivos.

Made it brighter, but the white reflection interfered with the white text. So I pushed it very high.
Not good enough to be called glass, so I call it plastic.

The goofy
- Not a big fan of transparent menus. It gives some texture, but to me, looks ugly most of the time.

Added an option to turn it off.
- The pipe button in submenu looks so 3d real. Touch it!

- The blue inverted button was from my goofy mistake, having regular blue on opposite column.
Made a screen shot to put back on white column. Tends to look better with black column though.
Guess due to contrast punch.

- Oh yeah. The single classic with name or picture is bizarre. No idea why I made it like that.

Problems
- This skin got way too big. For each addition, ten times the problems of making it all work together.
Modifying and saving file hundreds of times meant something is going to go wrong at some point.
It was me, overwriting the file. So I redid breaking it up into 3 parts.
Probably going to be my last big skin. I will go back to simple one offs in future:)
I don't know if there are mistakes in the scripting or not,
as I never checked every possible combination of feature options.
Let me clarify that. I know there are protocol mistakes, but I believe I fixed most of the visible ones.

-Still has radio option dots not showing up, or showing more than one, at first time use. No idea how to fix.

-I will gladly fix any of my buggy mistakes, when you find them, as long as I have time:)

- One more thing. Disable menu shadow setting in CSM options, to get of line at bottom corner.
Bye.

hello Juniper7

bien belle surpise pour commencer cette nouvelle année !!
decidemment, vous n'arreterez pas de nous surprendre ! beau travail et quelle impressionnante imagination !
bravo, et merci de vos commentaires lorsque vous postez un de vos nouveau "produit"
C'est pour moi, le thème le plus abouti en matière de nouveauté et de multiples choix proposés !
re-bonne année !

translate :

Hello Juniper7
Very beautiful surpise to begin this new year!!
Decidemment, you will not stop surprising us! Beautiful work and which impressive imagination!
Bravo, and thank you for your comments when you post one of your new "product"
It is for me, the most accomplished theme regarding novelty and regarding multiple proposed choices!
Re-good year!

The same comment for two other themes

just a small question





thanks

Hello Pipalou50
It's a bit hard to tell what's going on behind the fuzzed up picture:)
Is it BlackenLite or your own masterpiece skin?

It looks like the button color is controlled by the Windows System glass color.
That can be adjusted by right clicking on empty part of desktop,
and getting to Personalization\Color and Appearance. Adjust the sliders to change the color.
CSM overide glass color option can alter color as well.
I think you know that already, though.


The button may have a real picture color, that does not change. You can use Resource Hacker to save a copy of the bitmap picture,
edit it in say, Adobe photoshop, by adjusting the hue to your taste, saving it as 32 bit bitmap, and replacing original one with new one in resource hacker.

The button bitmap could be a neutral black, grey, or even white bitmap, but have a green hexnumber, or green bitmap mask,
for intensity level, referenced to the internal menu hex color.
That hex color text can be changed inside the skin. It looks like this "Main_background=#AEA661" or "Submenu_background=#AEA661"

If it is referenced to a red hex number, or red bitmap mask, for intensity, it uses the System glass color as first explanation. Only the saturation level can be adjusted.

I hope the french translation does not make confusion.
Here is a simple picture of how the masks work.
I'm finding out it is more complicated than picture, as the alpha layer of original bitmap plays a role.
Bye.

French
Hello Pipalou50
C'est un peu difficile de dire ce qui se passe derrière la brume ténue image:)
est-il BlackenLite ou votre propre chef- d'oeuvre peau?
Il ressemble à la couleur du bouton est contrôlée par le système Windows couleur du verre.
Qui peut être ajusté en cliquant avec le bouton droit sur une partie vide du bureau et
obtenir à la personnalisation\Couleur et apparence. Déplacez les curseurs pour modifier la couleur.
CSM dérivation couleur du verre option peut modifier couleur ainsi.
Je pense que vous le savez déjà, cependant.
Le bouton peut avoir une véritable couleur de l'image, qui ne change pas. Vous pouvez utiliser Resource Hacker pour enregistrer de copie de l'image bitmap, modifiez-le
en dire, Adobe Photoshop, par le réglage de la teinte à votre goût et enregistrez-le en tant que 32 bit bitmap et remplacement original avec une nouvelle ressource de pirate.
Le bouton bitmap pourrait être neutre noir, gris ou blancs même bitmap, mais ont un nombre hexadécimal vert ou vert masque bitmap,
pour le niveau d'intensité lumineuse, référencé au menu interne couleur hexadécimale.
Que hex texte en couleur peut être changé à l'intérieur la peau. Il ressemble à ce "Main_background= #AEA661" ou "Submenu_background= #AEA661"
s'il est référencé à un rouge nombre hexadécimal, ou rouge masque bitmap, de l'intensité, il utilise le système couleur de verre comme première explication. Seul le niveau de saturation peut être ajusté.
J'espère que la traduction française n'est pas confusion.
Ici, c'est une simple image de comment les masques.
Je trouve que c'est plus compliqué que de photo, comme la couche alpha du bitmap d'origine joue un rôle.
Bye.

He may be asking how to change the highlight color (or if you would change it for him?)
It can be disabled by unchecking 'Highlight newly installed programs' option

Hello Pipalou50
Jcee thinks you are asking about the new installed program color button.
Looks like a lot of people on forum dislike that Windows feature for all the skins, and want to turn it off.
It will turn off by itself after a couple of days, I think. Or follow instructions from Jcee.

I know you have the talent to modify the color by yourself, because you made a colorfull skin last summer, around Fifa time!
You can go into skin file and modify these two bitmaps:

Main_new_selection=12
Submenu_new_selection=32
Sorry that is a different BlackenLite

I just changed the samples to blue.
You can change them into whatever color hue and intensity you want, then replace the original.

If another skin, the name will be the same, just the number will be different.
Or sometimes no bitmap at all. Menu will draw a rectangle button with a hex number color directly,
like this "Main_new_selection=#FFBB00" which is bright yellow.

Hope we are helping you, or at least learning more info:)

French

Hello Pipalou50
CCEE croit que vous vous interrogez sur le nouveau programme installé bouton de couleur.
Ressemble à beaucoup de gens sur le forum n'aiment pas cette fonctionnalité de Windows pour toutes les peaux, et que vous souhaitez la désactiver.
Il va s'éteindre d'elle-même au bout de quelques jours, je pense. Ou suivez les instructions du CCEE.

Je sais que vous avez du talent pour la modifier par vous-même, car vous avez fait un coloré peau l'été dernier, autour de la Fifa !
Vous pouvez aller dans fichier skin et modifier ces deux bitmaps :

Main_new_selection=12
Submenu_new_selection=32

J'ai juste changé les échantillons en bleu.
Vous pouvez les changer en n'importe quelle teinte et l'intensité de la couleur que vous souhaitez, puis remplacer l'original.

Si une autre peau, le nom sera le même, juste le nombre sera différente.
Ou parfois aucun bitmap à tous. Menu va dessiner un bouton rectangle avec un nombre hexadécimal couleur directement, comme
cette "Main_new_selection= #FFBB00" qui est jaune vif.

Nous espérons vous aident à vous, ou au moins l'apprentissage plus info:)

Hello Pipalou50

I was thinking.
Would it be more pleasant just to have a matching selector button, just sitting there,
rather than a yellow, pink, whatever button?
I think it is possible to put in script text in many locations,
to cover each selector type and black and white menu.
But there will always be a problem.
Someone will say, "there is something wrong with menu buttons".
"one of them is stuck"!

Better abandon that idea for now.
Seeya.


French

Hello Pipalou50

je pensais.
Serait-il plus agréable d'avoir juste une correspondance bouton sélecteur, juste assis là,
plutôt qu'un jaune, rose, n'importe quel bouton?
Je pense qu'il est possible de mettre en texte de script dans de nombreux endroits,
à couvrir chaque type de sélecteur et noir et blanc menu.
Mais il y aura toujours un problème.
Quelqu'un va dire, "il y a quelque chose qui cloche avec boutons de menu".
" L'un d'eux est bloqué"!

Mieux abandonner cette idée pour le moment.
Seeya.

hello Juniper7
merci, sans le savoir, vous venez de m'apprendre beaucoup !
je fais des essais et je vous en reparle.
amicalement

Hello Juniper7,
thank you, without knowing it, you have just learnt me a lot !
I make tries and I talk again you of it.
Friendly

Thank you also has Jcee

Hey nice skin. Any chance you might do some skins for the Windows 7 style of the menu?

_________________
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.

Hi GauravK
I don't know. Scared of them?
Even though Win7 type menu is a neat design,
the left pane feels like being in a prison cell. Cramped
I like flyout/away menus. I guess will try one in the next while,
for other people.

Does the left side always have to be white?

Sorry to butt in, but...

No, it doesn't have to be white.


(That's my new Windows Lunaero skin7, hastily edited to feature...black in the left column, for the sole purpose of demonstrating that)

_________________
TILES WOOOOOO

Ah! Well that's good to know that,Splitwirez.

Then I want to make a plex menu skin for flyout, and contained Win7 type.
I promise I won't copy yours.
I don't have a lot of time these days.
You might beat me to it, as you are fast on the mark.

Well, if you want to look at mine for reference regarding the slicing and padding, go ahead - I'd rather see someone build off of my work than see them needlessly have to trudge through that nightmare

_________________
TILES WOOOOOO

The Windows 7 style also allows flyout/cascading away menus. Just switch to Windows 7 style first and then go to the Main Menu tab. Change "All Programs style" setting to "Cascading sub-menu".

_________________
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.

Hi GauravK.
I seem to have more time at work....breaks, than away from work, these days.
That flyout submenu is a good option for Win 7 type menu, that I never knew was there.
Goes to show me, there are hidden options, in the other styles.
Working on the Win7 type skin.I can't figure which text to put for the programs button, to have the big plex gem arrow.
Any idea?
And is there a way at this point to alter any of the left caged menu elements?
Such as the color of scroll bar, scroll arrows, and the white background, or is that all controlled by operating system?
I'm so used to having my name on the top of menu, but no option for that, or is it hiding somewhere too?
I noticed, I can change text to turn on icons for second column, when user image disabled, but not all icons show up?
Gather it was not ment to work.

Break is over, time for work.

The Windows 7 style is more locked down to resemble only the original menu with a few improvements. So none of the skins have option to show user name or show icons in the second column to the left of the text.

The left side (scroll bar, arrows and white background) doesn't have to be white starting with the upcoming version.

_________________
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.

Ok, thanks GauravK.

One or two more questions.
I figured out, to make the plex arrow show up for the white inner menu, is different than flyout programs.
It is called icon. I tried a regular reverse/forward arrow as a bitmap. Looks like it is working.
Here is the question: How does one insert an icon into the programs part of skin file? Ooh, and what are benifits of icon?
Can it be animated, or it just for best size proportion?

When the Windows 7 style menu is set to show "Inside main menu", the parameter that controls the icon is Programs_icon=
When the Windows 7 style menu is set to show "as cascading sub-menu", the parameter that controls the icon is programs_button_arrow=
It is a 32-bit bitmap defined in the skin. There is also Programs_icon_padding=

Does that answer your query?

_________________
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.

Kind of. Does not matter that much as it looks to be working ok.
As long as it only requires one size bitmap, not many, like in most icons.
I managed to change the inner programs menu to blue background.

Just a while ago,
I went back to site, to look at "how to make a skin file" to see if anything else can be done.
Then the heavens opened up. Your wink was right. A new upgrade with new skins inside.
And the best is scroll bars, that can be modified. YippiYiyay. Fantastic.

Thank you GauravK, and the rest of you smart people.

Now I have what I need to get the job done.
Super and great.

Actually thank Ivo. He's the one that develops and improves its capabilities. Developers, developers, developers...

Btw, there is a separate [High_DPI] section in the skin where Programs_icon= uses a different larger bitmap and different padding.

_________________
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.