WB3 and SkinStudio

from WinCustomize Forums
Well, thanks to XP, I haven't been using WB for a while now, but WB3 and Alexandrie's first rate skins have grabbed my attention and I'm eager to get back into my evil ways. I'm just wondering if we'll see support for the new features of WB3 in SkinStudio any time soon?

Cheers,

AJ.
5,926 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I imagine it won't happen until the final code for WB3.0 is released.

But I'm with you. There are modifications I'd like to make to a couple of Alexandrie's XP skins to suit my own personal tastes, but without support in SS, or any decent documentation of how to code for WB3, I'm lost...
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
SkinStudio coder Adam Najmanowicz has just completed his MSc (congratulations to him, BTW). I suspect he'll be working on implementing the new features immediately.
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Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yep he hopes to have a new build shortly that supports the XP features.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
In the meantime, is there ANY documentations available? I mean, where did Alex read about how to implement the new features, through private emails with you. Come on, Stardock, if you want people to skin for WB3, give us some meat!

I tried to looked at Alex's skins... I'm lost. There is a .XP file that seems to be like a second configuration file, like a companion for the .UIS file... But what the heck are .WBD files? Is it that new vector image format that WB is going to support? How does one one one or create one? So many quesitons... Please? Shed some light on our confused minds?
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
>> How does one one one or create one? So many quesitons... Please? Shed some light on our confused minds? <<

Hehe...Talk about confused minds...Did that make sense to anyone else?

Just messin with ya, paxx.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Right now it's mainly about reverse engineering the .xp file.

In WindowBlinds 3, the start bar for XP is handled by a .xp file that is specificed in the .uis file.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
And would you care to say what those WBD files are? I tried opening them in Photoshop, even removing the extension to let Photoshop detect what they are (it sometimes work with Mac files), but nope. Won't open it.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
my XP start bar stuff is not in one of those .xp files and it works just fine...

Isn't that just a file specified in the UIS so it could be xxxxx.win or what ever the theme author wanted?

and yes what are those annoying .wbd files I remember reading someting about them making WB faster but what are they and will there be a utility in Skinstudio to remove them from a skin directory. so the dont screw up things when you make changes to a skin...?
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yes, the XP file is just an extra UIS (or rather, INI) file, both for separation purposes and because it might be pushing the limit on file sizes for 9x-based computers if they were kept together.

The WBD files are a "native" format of skin information - they're so WindowBlinds doesn't have to have read the UIS file every time it wants to start a program. And yes, they are annoying. Hopefully the "Reload current skin" systray option will be modified to wipe them. I think SkinStudio will be changed to do it too.