Classic Shell: Forum

XP Classic Retro (menu skin only)

This menu skin is similar to the classic menus in XP. Not exact match, but close enough for the retro feel.

It has the qty 31 color variations, with the color title bar/ band at top of menu.
It has the older single classic menu, with the gradient caption bar on left,
as well as a hybrid single menu, with bar on top.

This is a very large 3 MB file. It is basically 3 variations,(caption single, single, two column),
times 30, which is 90 total. Yes, the high contrast types are somewhat redundant, only added 50KB though.
I shrunk bitmaps, where I could.
Still, qty 164 picture bitmaps. A whole lota menu.
Whew, glad I can now put this menu to bed.

Tried with CSM 4.1.0 on Win7/8.1 Works best in Win8.1 The 3d border is built into bitmap.
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 style"
or "Classic with two columns".
Pick "XP Classic Retro" in Skin tab.


ps The menu is standalone. Does not change taskbar/windows border color.
I threw in some experimental color bar menus at the end of the list.
If you want the op system caption blank, or replaced with personal words, alter in the "menu look" tab of CSM.





Edit:
Removed original skin with bad spelling.
Moved style 7 and Classic style 1/2 rev C skins, zipped to this post, for fast download speed.
Rev B still in other original post location.

Edit: Added request for plain menu Classic 2 column.

Edit: Upgraded 7 style version to revision B. Top bar band is bigger for 144 DPI 150% size.

Edit: Added white jump and white search view option to big 7 style skin. Color picker skin not changed.

Edit: Upgraded Classic 1/2 style version to revision E. Top bar band is bigger for 144 DPI 150% size.
For CSM 4.3.0
Included in zip is old rev D for compatibility with older versions of CSM.

Edit: Separate simple color picker skin added for classic 1/2 styles, as per request from Gaurav.

juniper7, you are awesome! Amazing work. For Windows 7, where the Classic theme still works, this is great. And for Windows 8 too.

Found a typo: 'Pumkin' should be 'Pumpkin'

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Oh rats. Thanks for catching it.

I'm sure I left a few others here and there. Need a good QC cat to get them all
In fact, I never fully deleted a non working feature in options.

Now is a good time to ask if this feature is possible, or impossible.
I was trying to have small icons in first column, with large icons in second, to look more like XP.

Main_large_icons=0
Main2_large_icons=1

Never worked. Does the "2" have to be in a different location?
I've seen some old menus where the 2 is placed in other function locations,
and works, and others, where it saw as script error.

If I could get it working, makes more sense to include this and put the p back in pumpkin!
In case it's a no, I'll look into making the classic black n blue single gradient variant, to add.

Different icon size for each column is not possible. Since the right side column icons don't change that frequently, you can make them smaller than what size you have set for the left by finding icons that have the size you want (like 24x24) and padding them with transparent pixels to the full icon size (32x32). That is, basically, use smaller, 24x 24 size images inside 32x32 size. Then set the new icons from the Customize tab

You can also edit the Luna skin to reduce the icon padding in the second column. You can even use negative padding (Main2_icon_padding=4,-4,4,-4).

I don't know of a way though to make second column icons bigger and left column icons smaller.

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OK. Thanks for the information. I understand.
I'm not sure the end user would want to go to that trouble though. Will leave it up to Weboh.

I have put the p in, and added the classic black and blue gradient.
Now skin with 31 flavors.

I will add the rev B skin now, and delete the original later, if no bugaboos.
Hope no problems. Cross fingers.

Wow Classic Black and Blue is another rich looking color combination. Thank you again juniper7, you have made a great skin. I love the variations with gradients. They make it look so rich. The effort you put into making skins is remarkable.

I know "Classic" isn't white, but can I make a request to add a "White menus" checkbox option so the main menu and submenu are white? The "Windows 8", "Windows Aero" skins have this option.

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Hello GauravK.
You have given me a brain challenge.

I get it with the white submenu. Brown shoes, brown pants, brown shirt, dulls the senses.
Need a white shirt for the business part of it. I will add as an option. It will still retain the 3d colored border and separators.
That is easy. It will use one tiny bitmap green mask to get the bleached white look, for the 23 original variations.

As for the main menu, If I make them all white, it takes away from the original battleship grey look
They will, look sharper, hygienic, and newer looking.
But I don't know. The "rainy day" wouldn't be the same if sun glasses are required. Tropic night would look lit up with 10 arc lamps
Maybe we could have a compromise. I will put option for white main/submenus only for the original 23 variations.
This will require 3 more larger bitmap green masks. Ha ha, the file keeps getting bigger.

As for the other 8, they are more complicated, with separate set of up to four bitmap masks for each variation required.
Some won't look good. For those ones, I will leave as is, or just make a white submenu.

Is that ok?
Also, this may take a while.

Yes that's OK. I would have made them myself but you are a skinning pro now.

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Wow, these look great! Still brings a smile to face each time I open the start menu! Thanks Juniper! Even the "System Glass Color" works better than expected, and it works with most themes. I found a way to use it without an Aero theme: Change the "over-ride glass color" setting to what the color of your theme is. The only problem is you can't change the menu color separate from the caption color, but I didn't even ask for that feature, so I can't complain. But I have to ask: Where did Tropic Morning/Night come from? They look good though. I attached the log off and shut down buttons that XP uses for them (In a .zip, since .ico s aren't allowed for some reason. Can you allow them Ivo?)

Skinning pro. You so funny GauravK
The way I'm going, having problems with the bleaching, and script logic, I will always be a nubee!
If I ever finish this monster, could be 3.5MB.

I wasn't sure if it is white 255, or off white 240. I started to have both selectable,
but gave up as it got really complicated for my brain. So blinded by the white 255 it is .

I have finished qty 20 variations so far. The rest will take longer,
as they don't reference much from the first variation skin folder.

Hello Weboh.
I always see tropic sea horizons in glass buttons.
Hence the name, and they are colored bars that fit the gradient bar theme.
Made them from looking at web sites, on how to make simple glass buttons.
I use Pixelformer to make the round corners, some of the gradients, and of course,
adjust the alpha layer. If you want to put the tropic buttons in other menus,
I did not make them transparent like Ivo's. That can be good and bad.
Good in that they can be on white or black backgrounds. Bad as no see through blending.
You can change the alpha layer transparency easily, with Pixelformer.

Gotta go. It's 4:15 in the morning Bye

Since you're still making changes, one thing I would suggest is to put the variations in alphabetical order. There's so many variations, it's hard to find the right one. Or if you're really feeling ambitious, you could make the menu color and font color selectable as well in one variation. (I use modified Windows 98 Plus! Themes, and it'd be nice to have a"Plus!" menu that I could make go with it.) I'm fine with me needing some setup to make it work, similar to your Luna BBT theme. But I know how much wok it was to do all you've done, and it's all I originally asked for.

Complications. The nightmare continues.
Looking at my xp classic os,
I found I made the separators wrong for submenus and single column. They should not have the little left shadow.
Those are only on the two column. I will have to devise a method to put it back properly for all:(



I put the variations same as in the original list, reading bottom to top. I could put them in order, except the first skin variation "Windows standard".
From what Ivo informed me way back, can't have options in variations. It could be possible as general options. It really starts getting too much for that in a menu skin this size. The logic drives me bonkers, when everything is just one long script.

Sorry, I want to put this menu to bed. It keeps waking up. Will have to give it a sleeping pill for Zzzz, not revision Z

Later, probably next week, will come back again, for update.

Hi it's Juniper7 here, in trouble.

Does anybody have any idea why the radio option buttons, sometimes get stuck, with set showing all selected?

Thought was because I moved the options text around. I put back, and still stuck. Reset skin, reset settings- stuck.
I replaced with older working backup skin, in skins folder. Now even that one is stuck. Tried even earlier one-stuck.
Deleted all skins in skins folder, in case there is a size limit. Uninstalled Classic Shell, restarted, reinstalled,
-same problem. Only program I installed was Aero glass for 8.1 by Big Muscle, about a week ago. Uninstalled, restarted,-stuck.
Put even earlier backup without option, then next one with option-ah works, put latest skin in, two column works, single -stuck.
Did virus scan-nothing. Restarted Classic Shell numerous times, as well as computer.
Changed to standard skins, and back and forth, finally the latest skin is unstuck on both single and two columns :roll
Even installed back Aero Big Muscle. Still ok.

Uncanny.
Is it my terrible skin scripting, that leaves the bad scripting memory in Classic Shell for awhile? Possible.
Corrupt skin files? Maybe, but how do they fix themselves?
Classic Shell? Don't know
Another program? Unlikely
Windows 8.1? Unlikely
Virus? Unlikely
Aliens? Possible

Now I can't get to lock up. I want to release the rev C skin, now afraid will stick again with another user.
Anybody have this problem when skinning?

Can you attach here the text file for the skin you are having problems with?

Hello Ivo.
I was going to give the text for the first main skin, then thinking what about the other thirty skin folders.
I better just upload the skin.

I did try it on Win7 afterwards and no problems.

I have noticed in past on other skin making, when changing option text, the next time I restart Classic Shell, there might be more than one button dotted. Once I click on it, it goes back to single dot. Then all is well.

For this skin, they froze up for many hours.
I am kind of sloppy making scripts. If it doesn't work, I tend to put more copies of text to make it work.
I could be the problem

Thank you very much for taking time to look at it.


Edit: I put the rev C skin on first post.

Now that you mentioned off white (240) and having actually used the Rev C skin, I agree that white for both columns can be blinding. Maybe one column white and the other colored with the original, off-white or original+white/black mixed to give pleasant, readable shade would achieve perfection in the look. The Aqua variation already does it and it looks lovely.

But I don't want you to spend more time on it unless you really want to, so even if rev C is the final revision, it's OK. We could always mod the skin ourselves.

I am also willing to donate you some amount for putting effort into making a nice skin. Can you privately PM me your PayPal?

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Hello GauravK

I did start to play with brighter mix single columns.
A bit tricky to find balance of white and original color.
I'm leaning towards keeping a bit of color, rather than grey white.
As for the two column split, yes probably white or hovering around 240, with possibly tint, maybe not.
The test picture Rainy Day, is around 240 on left side. Never tried 255 white on left.

Sadly, I have run out of time. I have to stop.
Can probably work on it six or seven days from now, only small amount of time.

I gather you never encountered any stuck radio buttons. That's good.

ps
I did like some of the white variations.
Such as Lilac, Marine, and Slate.
There was just enough color left over, to accent them.

Nope I did encounter them but I figured Ivo will take a look at the bug when he gets time. It happens for the "Submenu color" radio group.

Your sample screenshot looks good. Personally I think 255 white in left column and a shade closer to the title bar for right column (but which keeps the text readable) will look outstanding. Take your time to make the skins, there's no rush or deadline.

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Hello GauravK
I'm in a bit of brain fog, as to where to go now.
I did lighten the right column a bit for picture. After you mentioned, I put back to no mask on right.
As far as I know, there is no way it can get any darker to match the bar above, without touching the main bitmap.

I am using the modified green mask, with the internal menu white color, to bleach out the left column.
So the original bitmap can only be same, with blended mask pixels, all the way up to white, or some other color.
Only one color available internally.
I did study the way Win7 changes Classic Shell default Classic Skin color.
With opacity as solid, and 0 for alpha layer. I think it could use that color plus internal menu color.
Difficult to work properly for darkening, as user would need to do it.
Could not find a way for it to work in Win8.1 at all.
Hoping there is a simple way to get what you want. Any ideas?

If each of the original bitmaps require replacing with tweaked one, it will become a long project indeed.
I will have to abandon it at that stage.

Hey. Just changing the subject a little. Upon experimenting for you, I found what I was looking for, way back.
So it is possible, to have a selector short circuit, and cut through the menu.
Take a look at the picture of one. Not a lot can be controlled on it though.

Later

Any update on these? I've seen you posting screenshots with changes, but I haven't seen the next file. Each version gets better and better. Keep up the good work!

I like Tropic Night... Wish I can set transparency level

Is it possible to add "outline" around font (like white outline around black font or black outline around white font)?

Glow around the font is supported only on Windows 7. The color is determined by the current theme (usually white). For example the Full Glass skin uses this feature.

Ok, thank you.

But is it possible to add "outline", not "glow"? Glow sometimes looks... well, imho, not as good as outline.

Sorry.
This menu skin has gone into hibernation, for lack of time:(
Does not stop anybody else from modifying it for better or worse.
The way I see it, if it got uploaded to public, it belongs to everybody to play with.

The little time I have, I want to get back to my ugly duckling high contrast skin, which I started months ago.
Bye:)

I've modified the Black & Blue sub-skin to make it a Windows 2000 skin, as soon as I work out a couple of bugs I'd be happy to share it if anyone wants it (also if it's ok with juniper7)

Request for skinning God, juniper7 to make the XP Classic Retro skin for Windows 7 style. Will perfectly blend in with this skin for Windows 8.1: http://simplexdesignsart.deviantart.com ... -517664235

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Skinning God?
To know everything, see everything. You guys are the Gods.

I have a hard enough time remembering what I did the day before.
My brainwash sleep not only washed away the toxins, but also most of my memories.
I'm more a Born Again Skinner.

The skin revisions kind of fizzeled out.
From what I remember there was a problem with the green mask not working, and random temporary stuck radio buttons.
To be 240/255 white, and also to have split 240/255 white on left, and original on right.
I wasn't sure what you wanted with the white. To make white 255/255 on left is easy with just one green mask referenced to white.
To darken the right at same time, another set of every tailor made bitmaps would need to be made.
It would be huge amount of work. Skin had around 200 bitmaps, and would get even bigger!
Was busy, and I kind of got disenterested at that time. Maybe a green/blue combo mask in future might reduce bitmap qty?
I put skin on the back burner. It's on one of my drives somewhere.

Time has passed.
Ivo came out with an updated CSM version fix for the green mask, to fix the white option. The radio buttons, I think just needed skin to be reset.




Ok, so now you would like it all converted to Win 7 style.
Now all the questions.

1. Is it ok to just convert the rev B (without white option), or do you want rev C (the full white option), or never finished rev D (split white)?

2. Do you want the inside programs background always white, or same color as Mainleft?

3. The picture frame will have to sit in middle of right column on the bar. It might look funny when other bigger icons show.
Do you want it a bigger frame sticking out of menu, or inside below gradient bar, or original on bar?

4. Do you want me to just include the original colors, and leave the other custom ones for another separate skin in future?

5. Do you want the gradient bar on the jump, and search menus?

6. Do you want the old search box (easy), or a 3d version (possibly lots of work for each color, or might be easier if most of it invisble)?

7. Can the search bitmap be regular, or should I try and duplicate the blue magnifier button in screen shot?

8. Do you even want the gradient title bar at top, or just the solid colors, like in the menu screenshot?

Whatever the answers,
this is going to be a big, big project, and take some weekends to do it.

@200+ customized bitmaps
Just wow..., I would never go to that level of work for a skin If you ever do complete it, it should definitely be baked into classic shell's defaults

What you need to do is cut the options.. particularly ones that have exponential growth.. My aero glass: skin for example had 7 bitmaps related to the main menue if I recall (dark/med/light)*2(Left column dark or matching right) and 1 extra one for 'taskbar on top' which forced medium, and dark right column options (because I didn't see the feature as significant, but someone did request it)

We are a bunch of crazy people.
Even the Classic captions skin by R.O.B. has over 130 bitmaps.

Why so many? Possibly the new tinting features can help reduce the overall count?

Great, now I need to make a Dragonball skin with 9,001 bitmaps >.<

WHO'D BE YOUR GOD THEN?

But in all seriousness, wow. 200 bitmaps. I actually do feel slightly compelled to try to top that...heh... (probably not via Dragonball, though - I don't even watch that show. It was just necessary for the joke to work.)

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TILES WOOOOOO

Like I said IVO, alot of features can add exponential growth to the number of bitmaps required.. Its likely (I havnt checked to confirm) that their skins don't use system color, but instead rely on hard-coded color variations to get everything 'perfect' Then even throwing in a feature like "Make the left column white" doubles the number of bitmaps in-use because each variation needs a white-left version. Throw in another similar option (like 'reserve space for shutdown') and that number doubles again, because all the bitmaps need a version that supports that extra space, and a version that supports that extra space AND white left column

Sure, but with the tint system you can use a single bitmap+mask and have 3 separate color areas. The colors can be set via the tints. You can have as many variations as you want without adding bitmaps.

In the simplest case you can even replace the bitmap with a solid color, so all you need is a single mask bitmap. Let's say you have a mask that is square with 4 quadrants - black, red, green, and blue. You can control what color goes into each quadrant:
Main_bitmap_mask=11 - the mask bitmap
Main_bitmap=#123456 - first color (goes into the black areas of the mask)
Main_bitmap_tint1=#56789A - second color (goes into the red areas of the mask)
Main_bitmap_tint2=#ABCDEF - third color (goes into the green areas of the mask)
Main_bitmap_tint3=#FEDCBA - fourth color (goes into the blue areas of the mask)

The alpha channel of the mask bitmap can be used to provide transparency.

Take a look at the Metro skin. It makes heavy use of this trick to combine the Windows colors into multiple shapes.

A God good skinner would be as efficient as possible, to use the minimum amount of bitmaps, and text to get the job done.
I do try sometimes. Most of the time I'm pretty lazy, and waste a lot.

I can reuse most of those menu bitmaps again, and the caption ones would be trashed.
It is probably a lot less time to convert those, than starting again with tint masks.

I still don't know if tint masks can make a solid color,
up to 100% like a green mask referenced to menu background color can,
or is it just a max of 50% mix?

Yes, masks can make solid color. If the mask is 100% red you'll get 100% of the tint1 color. You can mix the colors too - 50% red and 50% green will mix tint1 and tint2 50/50.

@ bitmap_tint
I was unaware of this feature, If it was available back when i made my skin (i believe V3.6.2 or so)
Because it wasn't available in the specific skin i decided to start from (Smoked glass)
Maybe a designated 'tutorial skin' could be stickied, with advanced comments, that makes use of every possible function call classic shell supports., (or at-least has them commented out, with potential use-case)

Hard coded captions are likely something some of those potential new features you mentioned might solve

I did a preliminary test for main menu and separator.
It was great and easy using solid colors.
Problem starts when it has to be mixed to get the same color as original.
The menus don't all follow the same intensities.
Would probably need a few more masks to cover the windows set.

It looks like it can be done with tint masks.
The way I see it, tints= more text, less bitmaps,
or more bitmaps, less text for old way.

I will try some more of it on the weekend.
Just had a thought. Will tints only work on Windows 8/10 ?

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The tint feature is relatively new - it was added a year ago.


No, it works for all versions of Windows. The Metro colors (the ones with $) are for 8 and 10.

Letting you know my progress.

Still at the experimenting stage.
After setting the tint colors text for five main bitmaps, the thought rose up.
How is glass color going to work, if the red color is used for a tint color?
Unless there is a second "glass mask" that can be used along with the tint mask,
it does not look like it's going to work. There are too many colors on the main bitmaps for using tint masks.
I think I'm going to use the original main bitmaps without tints.

So, I'm going to rule out the double height gradient title bar for picture second column icons.
The file size would get even bigger, and there would be a lot of dead gradient space.
Was even thinking of burning the lower full width horizontal original separator into the main bitmap,
but that would double the main bitmap size as well, so that would be 3 times as big for each.

That would be good for just a single standard classic XP menu skin, not 31 variations.

I am definitely going to use tint masks for all the separators, and most of the submenus, as there are fewer colors.
This will take time sampling all the colors, and putting tint color text in.
It's easier putting in the ones made up already, but then I would not learn anything new.

I will have inside programs pane white except for "Tropic Night" variation.

Will let you know in another week, how many steps further I got, and reverts.

Update. Getting sidetracked repairing a crt tv.

Only working bits at a time on the 7 style skin. About half way there.
Did the colored subs, along with standard white sub option.
Have converted most of the separators to the tint method too.
Some aspects of skin don't carry over too well in 7 style.
The center line is far over to right column, which affects the gradients. Trying to find the best ratio.
For me, it is difficult to visualize colored bitmaps in my head, when using the new tint text.
Will take longer, for sure.

Maybe another two to three weeks to go.

Take your time. Thanks.

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I'm throwing in the full/split white menus option.
Didn't realize how much more work, when it's 7 style.
Up to my eyeballs in it now, and can't climb out until it's finished.
Probably a week to go.


Question. Concerning the power button.
On most of the variations, which un hovered look would you prefer?
Border line, or full color subdued, or invisible?

Border line for unhovered. (The image on the left looks great!).

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XP Classic Retro (Win 7 style) done.

Whew!

I put skin zip on first post.

Yay! Thanks. I think it looks great. Will try it and let you know.

Edit: Any reason why the user picture is not in the extreme right of the gradient when it is not lower like its "Classic with two columns" variant? It looks weird in the center. Also, the user image can be bigger, yes? 48 or 64?

Btw tell me your PayPal juniper7, I would like to show my appreciation.

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The image is always centered. Also keep in mind that the image will be replaced by the icon of the selected item in the right column. The icon is always 64x64.

Right. So then can the gradient be made thicker to accommodate the 64 x 64 icon or user pic, juniper7?

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I live in a money tree. No need for any more.

The user picture.
That's one of the items that does not convert over too well in 7 style.
I did an experiment.
I offset the picture frame on a wide invisible bitmap.
I made one for regular, and another for high dpi.
It was all working until text length in second column was changed.
Failed. Oh well.

About your new request.
To give it some space around the frame, the gradient would have to be bigger.
In the mock up, it's at 80 pixels height, with 64 pixel image.
If the extended gradient goes accross the left column, ends up with lot's of dead space.
Ha, just thinking. You said you have a hi dpi monitor now, so it would look thinner.
It would also mean qty 31 extra bitmaps at double size would have to be included in file.
Are you sure you don't want to have a frame sticking out on the bar?

I can do anything you want, but I have to know exactly what you want, before spending time doing all 31 flavours.

I'm working on a different skin right now. I won't be working on the this one for some time.
I want to make a skin from the past, with emblem, and a couple of tile patterns.

The left one looks good. Here's how it looks: (Gradient is the same height as the Shutdown button).

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