CLose Min Max buttons glow

Can't make it work

from Stardock Forums

Hello everyone!
I am new to WindowBlinds and skin studio. I have installed the trial of last version of Window Blinds and now I am trying to create a skin using skin studio. I have installed it 5 days ago and I only have only 25 days left! please help me before expires so I can have some time to try it out with my skin, and I can decide if buy or don't buy WindowBlinds.

Actually I am just found a problem with making the glow around the close, Minimize, Resotre/Maximize buttons; I just can't understand how it works.
The basic buttons are 8 state buttons with 160x20 size (20x20 single frame). The glow is a 1 state image, 20x20. I am making the skin with modifying the default stardock Sabertooth skin. The problem is that no matter what margins I put and any parameters in the Extra section, the glow is always show as a vertical bar, more or less thin; but I modify the parameters and doesn't work, it only move a little to left or to right and if parameters are big it do not show at all. The button frame is rounded and the glow is rounded too.

Can someone please help me do the glow work?

Thanks

skinstudio
29,434 views 24 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

This is image for buttons:

http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/5784/windowframeclosebutton.png

 

this is image for glow:

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/8666/windowframeclosebuttong.png

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Hi, Mario;

I found this tutorial to be helpful in the beginning, and does talk about glow in buttons about half way down this page.  I hope it's information that can help clear things up for you.

peace,

Mally

Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting MallyMcGinnis, reply 2
Hi, Mario;

I found this tutorial to be helpful in the beginning, and does talk about glow in buttons about half way down this page.  I hope it's information that can help clear things up for you.

peace,

Mally

 

UIhmmmmm, what tutorial Mally? :)

 

Link?

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

That tutorial talks about the glow on the start button, which doesn't work the same way at all. 

I wish I could give useful advice on the glow on the title bar buttons, but it's a mystery to me, as well.  I've just been skinning the mouseover button to glow without using the glow image section, since "I don't get it" :blush: either.

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting k10w3, reply 5
That tutorial talks about the glow on the start button, which doesn't work the same way at all. 

I wish I could give useful advice on the glow on the title bar buttons, but it's a mystery to me, as well.  I've just been skinning the mouseover button to glow without using the glow image section, since "I don't get it" either.
Hahaaa... Me 2 !  Guilty as charged :blush: :rofl:

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The min, max and close button glow only shows up on mouseover. It actually lays over your button, so you need to make the center of the glow totally transparent, so your button can show through it. It has painting margins, just like your button, and you will want to set them to cover the whole glow so it does not get distorted.

Note: the glow image will be larger than the button image.

Hope that helps.

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

That's what I do. Margins are all 9 (so 2 px of resizable H/V image if need). But image do not show!! Look:

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6705/senzanomexg.png

(click on link for for big size image)

the red strip between the close and min button is the close glow (image in the post before) with:
MARGINS (paint using margins):
L: 9
R: 9
T: 9
B: 9
EXTRA:

T: 0
B: 0

L: 0

R: 0

 

i modify extra and margins but nothing, it only move stripe to right or left. but on skin diamond the glow works. why work on diamond and not work on sabertooth??

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top

can someone try to modify sabertooth with images i put before and tell me margins and extra parameters please?

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

FWIW, Mario, I tried it using Xiandi's instructions and got the same result that you did, even though I used completely different painting margins (I used 4, 4, 4, 4; then tried tweaking it using all sorts of different numbers, some positive, some negative -- never got it to work).  All I can figure out is that perhaps, because you have a shadow on the button image, it's COVERING the glow.  The glow has to be bigger than the image you're applying it over...maybe?

Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Add this in on your Code Editor tab for the glow image:  Framecount=1

All of the rest of your settings are correct, Mario.

+1 Loading…
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Xiandi, reply 11
Add this in on your Code Editor tab for the glow image:  Framecount=1

Is this another one of those mysterious bits of knowledge about the quirks of SKS7, that only a few are aware of, like the font colors for the toolbar buttons?  (There is something weird like that with regards to the "Show Desktop Button" in 7, where you have to add some bit of code...I have it written down now, but it drove me nuts for a while).

I really need to start a thread and list all that I already know, leave it so others can add what THEY know, and maybe people who wanted to start skinning wouldn't get to frustrated and intimidated.

Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting k10w3, reply 12

I really need to start a thread and list all that I already know, leave it so others can add what THEY know, and maybe people who wanted to start skinning wouldn't get to frustrated and intimidated.
Word !

Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I am in the process of adding content to the wiki help section for sks. Some parts are already in place. For every section of sks there is a help tab. In there you will find a link to the wiki page for that section (it says check to see if there is any info in the wiki for this section....or something like that) My ultimate goal is to add as much content to those section as possible and I encourage everyone with any knowledge to contribute B)

+1 Loading…
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting k10w3, reply 12
Is this another one of those mysterious bits of knowledge about the quirks of SKS7, that only a few are aware of, like the font colors for the toolbar buttons? (There is something weird like that with regards to the "Show Desktop Button" in 7, where you have to add some bit of code...I have it written down now, but it drove me nuts for a while).

I really need to start a thread and list all that I already know, leave it so others can add what THEY know, and maybe people who wanted to start skinning wouldn't get to frustrated and intimidated.

nope, i found most of my codex tricks, like xiandi's 'framecount=1'  picking through mikebryants and treetog's windowblinds.

you will be amazed at their codex stuff...

Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Vampothika, reply 15

nope, i found most of my codex tricks, like xiandi's 'framecount=1'  picking through mikebryants and treetog's windowblinds.

you will be amazed at their codex stuff...

 

That's where I found the one about adding "SimpleMode=0" to the show desktop button to the code, too, but it would sure make things easier and less of a mystery if there was a thread where we could all LIST those tricks, so the new WB skinners wouldn't think SkinStudio was broken, or that they were designing something wrong with no clue on how to actually design it. 

This thread proves my point that such a list is in demand -- all Mario wanted was to put a simple glow around a round button; his design was correct, but the tasks required to make the design work were so unintuitive, he went back to Linux. One of my other passions, aside from skinning, is cooking.  If following a recipe were as convoluted as SKS7, I wouldn't be able to boil an egg (and I'd probably starve to death).  Look, I got all the ingredients, I followed the steps and the egg is still cold as ice and totally runny in the middle.  What did I do wrong?  "Oh, you have to go ask the master chefs so they give you the number to set the burner on the stove at, otherwise the egg will just sit there in the pan."

I'm going to start a thread now with the things I know and hopefully others will add to it. 

Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting k10w3, reply 18
One of my other passions, aside from skinning, is cooking.  If following a recipe were as convoluted as SKS7, I wouldn't be able to boil an egg (and I'd probably starve to death).  Look, I got all the ingredients, I followed the steps and the egg is still cold as ice and totally runny in the middle.  What did I do wrong?  "Oh, you have to go ask the master chefs so they give you the number to set the burner on the stove at, otherwise the egg will just sit there in the pan."

I'm going to start a thread now with the things I know and hopefully others will add to it. 
Word !! #2 :star:

Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting 2of3, reply 14
I am in the process of adding content to the wiki help section for sks. Some parts are already in place. For every section of sks there is a help tab. In there you will find a link to the wiki page for that section (it says check to see if there is any info in the wiki for this section....or something like that) My ultimate goal is to add as much content to those section as possible and I encourage everyone with any knowledge to contribute

Thanks, Tim.  I appreciate this.

Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting k10w3, reply 18
Oh, you have to go ask the master chefs so they give you the number to set the burner on the stove at, otherwise the egg will just sit there in the pan."

lol dam yr funny girl.

Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting MarioDeAndre, reply 16
Code editor is available for Skin studio Pro only... i have free.

this should be part of skinstudio free,

its NEEDED to skin.

why isnt it there?

 

Reply #23 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting 2of3, reply 14
I am in the process of adding content to the wiki help section for sks. Some parts are already in place. For every section of sks there is a help tab. In there you will find a link to the wiki page for that section (it says check to see if there is any info in the wiki for this section....or something like that) My ultimate goal is to add as much content to those section as possible and I encourage everyone with any knowledge to contribute

That would be so helpful!  Many of you have already written text that would be appropriate to add, and could be added as you answer newbie questions. 

peace,

Dave

Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting MallyMcGinnis, reply 23

That would be so helpful!  Many of you have already written text that would be appropriate to add, and could be added as you answer newbie questions. 

peace,

Dave

Dave, in case you missed it, I've got everything here (and a little bit more) posted in this thread: https://forums.wincustomize.com/409965