/me starts felling confused again

it is *very* good news that this has now been fixed, but what i dont understand is that it works fine on my win2k box.

i simply click on the button to get a list of all the items in my quick launch folder. i suppose if it is down to the version of the plugin, then in part it was probably a machine specific problem.

overall, i think it is a case of all round

I know what you mean about the confusion. It doesn't make sense to me either that the items on the menu don't work for me. I'm glad to know that it works for you though. It works great now the way it was done above though, so it is just as good that way I guess. If you have any more ideas though, we can still try to lick it the other way too (if you still want to mess with it that is).

/me wonders about the morality of licking starone's skin in public
/me realises that since on one else visits here, this is hardly public
/me *blush*

i suppose the question is, does this button now do what you wanted?

from your origional description's, i thought that you wanted a button to produce a menu that had all the items in the quick launch menu.

however, it doesnt sound like your current configuration of the button is doing that.

it might be interesting to investigate this further, although since i havent yet read the documentation i am not sure how we would do this

It all boils down to the original matter. When I use the smartbar button, that menu brings up the programs in Object Edit. When I use the new menu button I have added, everything works as it should. Thought about emailing Stardock and have them explain the Smartbar bit since apparently that is where I am having the problem. But, on the other hand, if it worked for you then I just don't know.

have you seen the "WindowBlinds 3.1 preview!" news article?

perhaps it is worth waiting a few days, to see what the beta brings.

yours is the only skin i have encountered with smartbars, and this sould provide some basis for comparison, so long as we can find another skin using smartbars for comparison.

in the mean time, what other mysterious problems are there still outstanding?

None, other than that one.

Where did you see the preview article?

I will do a search of it. I'm interested in seeing what it covers. Maybe the solution to this lies within.

the news story is just a few stories down on the front page of wincustomize

follow the link, and there is:
So what's new in it over 3.0?
5) Full SmartButton implementation (the final 3.1 will include XP PowerUser skin that uses this)

this is what is leading me to wonder if the current smartbar implimentation isnt all that it could be.

starone - It all boils down to the original matter. When I use the smartbar button, that menu brings up the programs in Object Edit.

/me *eurika*
just had a cunning thought
basically, what you seem to have done in skinstudio is to add a button to your skin that calls a dll.
the fact that this is on a smartbar adds some extra stuff to the UIS file, which makes this less obvious.

however, by the looks of it all that is happening is that a dll is being called, which is then supposed to bring up the menu of items in the quick launch menu.

for what ever reason, the relivent dll (called quickl.wpb) is still on this machine, even though i am currently running WB 2.21b

so, in a little bit i am going to have a go at replacing the winmenu button on my test athenda skin with this quicklaunch dll

the major benifit of this is that, if it works, it allows us to experiment with the dll in isolation, which gets us away from questions about the smartbars, ect.

i will report bach soon

when i try this, i get a corrupted graphic on the button, and it doesnt seem to do anything

can you try this on WB3, and let me know what happens?

i have simply added this block to the athenda skin:

[Button4]
; button to test quick launch menu plugin
Align=1
XCoord=100
YCoord=5
Action=-3
ButtonImage=athenda\min.bmp
Visibility=1
; DllName=athenda\WBWinMenu.dll
DllName=quickl.wbp
; Alpha=200
; Mask=athenda\mask_rollup2.bmp
; InSound = athenda\click.wav

perhaps the problem is that i am running WB 2.21b. the other thing is that perhaps this dll is being passed some form of paramater or some such by smart.dll.

if you dont get anywhere either, then perhaps it is time for another thread, and see if we can get some help from someone who knows more about these plugin's.

Did the above and it went spastic. Had to go to safemode to fix it. Then went back and added the info about the smartbar and the extra button with smart.dll. Brought it up just fine, but the programs still launched in Object Edit.

Put this info in the uis if you want to experiment at that end:

[SmartBar0]
Name=Quick Launch Menu
DLL=quickl.wbp
WIDTH=24
Enabled=0

[SmartBar1]
Name=url Button
DLL=url.wbp
WIDTH=24
Enabled=0

[Button6]
Align=1
XCoord=100
YCoord=5
ALpha=254
Width=24
Height=24
Action=-3
ShiftAction=0
CtrlAction=0
Visibility=0
DllName=smart.dll
SmartBarNumber=0

[Button7]
Align=1
XCoord=120
YCoord=5
ALpha=254
Width=24
Height=24
Action=-3
ShiftAction=0
CtrlAction=0
Visibility=0
DllName=smart.dll
SmartBarNumber=1

[Smartbar.quicklaunch]
Image=Athenda\min.bmp

The only problem at your end in this experiment is that if you don't have WB3, the smartbars may be included in that version only. I can't remember if it shows in 2.2.

As I said, it works the other way, but not the smartbar way. (Sure hate an unsolved problem, but at least I'm learning - what to do and what not to do.)

I really liked your idea of trying it in another skin (hadn't thought of that, duh!). Well, maybe the result will give you another idea. I've tried everything I can think of.

Just downloaded Windowblind 3.09a, and no txt info on smartbars.

This has been like looking for a needle in a haystack.

starone - Did the above and it went spastic. Had to go to safemode to fix it. Then went back and added the info about the smartbar and the extra button with smart.dll. Brought it up just fine, but the programs still launched in Object Edit.

/me *EEEK*
i was using my experimental skin as a per-application skin for notepad only, which i would recormend under the circumstances.

i will have a go at sticking in the smartbar info tommorow, and see. however, since i am running WB2 here, it may well wont work

Read that the final 3.1 will include an "XPPowerUser Skin" that uses the Smartbar. It may well be that the reason it won't work yet is because they haven't finished implementing it. Hopefully it will come out soon and we will be able to see if that is the "cure all".

i am not sure, since this smart bar works on my win2k machine fine.

i think i will fire off a thread about plug-in dll's tommorow, after i have tried to make smart bars work in wb 2.21b

on a different front, i have just tried my modifed athenda skin on notepad on my win2k machine, using wb 3.00. NOT a good idea it turns out, since this totaly crashed notepad! i think you (and i) should stick to experimenting with per-application skins!

definetly looking like we are going to need to try and drag some more people into this. after all, we shouldnt keep all the confusion to ourselves, it is against the spirit if christmas

Your reply really had me laughing. Your right about the spirt of Christmas. Others need to be included in all this fun we are having. I feel rather hoggish over this.

starone - The only problem at your end in this experiment is that if you don't have WB3, the smartbars may be included in that version only. I can't remember if it shows in 2.2.

well, i have just tried adding your smartbar stuff to my athenda skin, and NOTHING happened with it. may as well have not been there for all the effect it had.

there is still hope of activity in the other thread though

i have just posted a request for help on the windowblinds newsgroup, asking for helpful people to join us here, since i cannot post to the newsgroups from work.

hopefully that will help

Thanks, maybe we will get more of a response and some help. Don't seem to be getting too far yet. Maybe I need a bath. Can't be my breath, went to the dentist yesterday.

i think i know what is going on
people are probably being intimidated into silence by the raw genius at work here
/me starts giggling histerically again

I know what you mean about genius. Maybe we'll hit the world book for it. Who knows. I keep hoping 3.1 will come out. I think they just haven't perfected that part of it yet.

i think i am going to have to be brave, and reboot my win2k machine so that win98 loads, and then run some experiments there

of course this would require that i get to go home
/me stairs at the bars on the windows and feels victimised
/me feels that nice cumforting work places shouldnt have bars on the windows

Hope you have success. Bars? Is that to keep you from going home so you work around the clock? Has anyone inquired?

i think i may be back, but only just

inquiries? i think management seem to be taking the spanish inquisision as the inspiration for their enquities stratergy

anyway, i was playing around with WB on my win98 machine over the weekend.

i had some problems upgrading to WB3, but eventually got WB 3.09 working. however, when i tried your skin i didnt get any smartbar buttons at all???!!!

i think i need to grab some of the info from this thread, and get it to that machine, and do some more experiments.

when you tried this version (versions?) of WB did you actually get any smartbar buttons?

Yes, but this time I put in the coding I found. Two strips came up on the side bar on the active frame, and on the inactive frame the buttons show up. All they do is roll and unroll so far since the last upgrade. I really think they just haven't finished their finalization of that part yet. I put in the coding anyway designating the smartbars. I'm just about ready to upload this theme, but if you find a solution, I can always update it. The coding I found and implemented is as follows:

[SmartButton0]
Enabled=1
NAME0=Quick Launch Menu
DLL0=quickl.wbp
Author0=Neil Banfield
WIDTH0=20

[SmartButton1]
Enabled=1
NAME0=URL Button
DLL0=url.wbp
Author0=Neil Banfield
WIDTH0=0

[Button6]
Align=1
XCoord=22
YCoord=59
ALpha=254
Width=24
Height=24
Action=-3
ShiftAction=0
CtrlAction=0
Visibility=0
DllName=smart.dll
SmartButton=0
Image-GoldEagle\Button2.bmp

[Button7]
Align=1
XCoord=22
YCoord=89
ALpha=254
Width=24
Height=24
Action=-3
ShiftAction=0
CtrlAction=0
Visibility=0
DllName=smart.dll
SmartButton=1
Image-GoldEagle\Button2.bmp

Lots of luck on this one.