Can you identify where to change these Vista colors? They're a complete mystery to me!

By mkanet Posted May 1, 2008 12:27:20

I'm sure one day SKS will evolve to where a you can right-click any OS GUI component in a virtual desktop and change it's properties. But until then, I guess we need to dig around through the menus and submenus to find where to change these properties for each respective GUI component.

Anyway... can someone please tell me where to change the light/white colors pointed out in the picture below? I've been able to change every aspect of the Vista GUI except for the following.

BTW, I really appreciate all the help I've received in the past several days! I'm almost done wtih my skin.

Thanks a million!
Michael

0 Karma 24 Replies 3 Referrals

I have the same problem...

It so disturbed me that I stopped all work on a new skin, unloaded WindowBlinds and now will use Vista Aero Theme until Stardock correct this.

If you will send me the wba file I'll load it here and explore the uis and sss files to find what it is you are looking for. I try to use a comparison of things to find what it is and will give you a detailed location.

WWW Link

SGT

You can use any WBA for this. Those components are all part of Windows Vista.... and a couple from Outlook 2007.

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Don't everyone answer at once

Hmmm . .SGT offers to help . .and you are . . curt.
Perhaps not the best choice.

I welcome any help. ..and still waiting for anyone with answers. What I'm asking doesnt require any specific skin; just general knowledge of SKS.

Hmmm . .SGT offers to help . .and you are . . curt.Perhaps not the best choice.

The problem may not be SKS itself.
Any Office application have been known to be quite a "bitch" to skin. Alot of the colors are hardcoded (can't be modded)
Might be the same with some of the Vista bits.

But if I know the SD devs correct, they'll find a way around all that

6 is the buttonface color.

1 and 3 cannot be changed.

4 is more than likely ScrollbarArrows.bmp IF the grippers have been skinned that particular way..

The pink in whatever application you have going on there and in some areas of the skin, just colorpick the exact color and search the code for it.

Lastly, if you want help in these forums, please excercise some patience and manners.

There's nothing hard about modifying these attributes (from software engineering/reverse-engineering standpoint); at least the non-office components. I am just hoping that SKS already supports this; at least for a few of the items. I am hoping someone can confirm that NONE of these items can be changed currently in SKS.

To find out more about how to change these resources for Vista Aero, visit the below link. It includes how to change many of the items shown above in the PDF file; unfortunately, I dont think this works on WB 6.x altered themes.

WWW Link

The problem may not be SKS itself.Any Office application have been known to be quite a "bitch" to skin. Alot of the colors are hardcoded (can't be modded)Might be the same with some of the Vista bits.
But if I know the SD devs correct, they'll find a way around all that

Some can, some can't...confirmed.

If it is not that 'difficult' why are you asking?

Your coming off as rather arrogant in my opinion, at the same time asking for help.

1 and 3 cannot be changed.

Because of these two unskinned areas I has stopped using WB!

Hope this will be corrected in a nearest future...

Sorry, I didnt see your post nor anyone else's until significantly later; which might have appeared I ignored your post and kept looking for answers. It appears the forum has had some problems lately with updating thread posts timely and appears to post them in "spurts".

So far, 1 and 3 have been confirmed as they can't be changed. I'm not sure which specific section in SKS to change #6 (button face color); nor, the pink color... hence, why I started this thread.

Hopefully, there's a definitive answer to which sections in SKS the other components can be changed.

Lastly, it seems like the only person bothered by my posts might be you. Sorry, you feel that way; it seems your perception might not be shared by others trying to help.

6 is the buttonface color.1 and 3 cannot be changed.4 is more than likely ScrollbarArrows.bmp IF the grippers have been skinned that particular way..The pink in whatever application you have going on there and in some areas of the skin, just colorpick the exact color and search the code for it.Lastly, if you want help in these forums, please excercise some patience and manners.

Sorry, you feel that way; it seems your perception might not be shared by others trying to help.

That very well may be.

Hey vStyler, I found "button face" color. Thanks

I am hopeful I might be able to change #2.

# 2 is definately changeable, as are all of those pink areas... just search its RGB in the code and you'll find it.

I have one more color to find. It's for legacy drop down menu borders. Where in Skinstudio do I chang that white color?

menu item button (if you mean the seperator lines ) in pop up menus.....

Actually all of these parts can be changed. Mostly in sks via the uis and/or sss files. But anytime you work with forcing the explorer to have new settings it will do things else where and it will make you think. Alot of it comes automatically as when one part is changed the code is set to run another color and so forth. The trick is to find that and using a proper balance with that in mind.
Most of the explorer back grounds are used in Office and work almost the same. We have played with this in the gui for a program interface called Power Archiver for sometime trying to get it right for Vista.
There is a better way - but I'm not explaining it here without show and tell. Always seems someone wants the quick easy way of doing it. Most skinning is not easy and in some cases can be hazardous too.
Vstyler will agree with that one - he has had his days with XP and Vista.
Oh don't get me wrong it is fun to work with windows and find what you can do with it.

SGT

[quoteBecause of these two unskinned areas I has stopped using WB! Hope this will be corrected in a nearest future...[/quote]

Don't blame Stardock - blame Microsoft

Sorry..... quote feckup

And no edit-button....

Thanks for responding you guys..

Specifically, its the white borderlines in the menus... not to be confused with the standard popup menus you see in Explorer/My computer or Notepad.... these are menus you would see in Firefox for example or Skype. I'm just not sure where in SKS I can change this.

menu item button (if you mean the seperator lines ) in pop up menus.....

For one thing, Skype and Firefox both have their own skinning engines - and when software uses its own skinning, if often doesn't work well with WB or SKS.

Those menu borders in Skype are controlled, believe it or not, by the button face color. It doesn't make sense at all, I know, but often applications that have custom skins break all of the conventions for where to use the colors.

Yeah Cobra, I realized that the button face color changed those menus. I just couldnt figure out which one was responsible for the white borders.

Thanks for explaining. Maybe, there's a button face border color or something...

For one thing, Skype and Firefox both have their own skinning engines - and when software uses its own skinning, if often doesn't work well with WB or SKS.Those menu borders in Skype are controlled, believe it or not, by the button face color. It doesn't make sense at all, I know, but often applications that have custom skins break all of the conventions for where to use the colors.

If that is a normal right click context menu in explorer the white line is the menu seperator which is actually incorporated into the mousover image.. state 2.