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OS/2 - Technical => Applications => Topic started by: DavidG on 2008.05.20, 00:58:37

Title: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.05.20, 00:58:37
Hi Everyone

I have been playing around with development of an eScheme.  I basically, took my Mac like Window theme and used it as the basis for my escheme.  I modified some of the mouse pointers in the Bubble escheme and used some of its icons. I added new system sounds, but at least on my system, only the default sounds work.  I am attaching it for people to try.  If WPS resets during install, just install it again and everything will be back to normal.  Why the WPS resets sometimes during install is beyond me. 
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: melf on 2008.05.21, 09:33:47
Hi David.
I would have tried you scheme if I hadn't uninstalled eschemes again. I have begun to travel a little more in my work and have discovered that important functions in xwlan doesn't work if eschemes is installed. "Connect to hotspot" is one of them and add/edit profile. "Connect to hotspot" just doesn't work. I have to delete the widget, set MPTS to connect to "ANY" network and reboot. If I try to edit a profile, ecenter will close down. These findings are consistent - if I install eschemes they appear, if I uninstall they disappear.
I have bugreported that. Have you noticed that behaviour?
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.05.21, 12:22:36
Quote from: melf on 2008.05.21, 09:33:47
Hi David.
I would have tried you scheme if I hadn't uninstalled eschemes again. I have begun to travel a little more in my work and have discovered that important functions in xwlan doesn't work if eschemes is installed. "Connect to hotspot" is one of them and add/edit profile. "Connect to hotspot" just doesn't work. I have to delete the widget, set MPTS to connect to "ANY" network and reboot. If I try to edit a profile, ecenter will close down. These findings are consistent - if I install eschemes they appear, if I uninstall they disappear.
I have bugreported that. Have you noticed that behaviour?

I have never got xwlan to work even though supposedly my wireless nic is supported.  The driver loads, but I have no internet access.  This is before eSchemes is even installed.

I attempted to do a black theme and discovered it is near impossible.  Some text setting are tied to others when they really need to be separated.  In the end, the black theme trashed my system and I had to reinstall.  I think I found out why the new sounds don't work. eSchemes installs them to the root directory instead of where they should be installed.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: melf on 2008.05.21, 22:53:30
Yes, there is still quite a few issues with eschemes. Seems to be hard to construct schemes that works in all types of dialogues. Sometimes you don't see the icons, sometimes not the text. I hope these bugs is possible to get rid of cause eschemes really have capacity to lift the desktop.


Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.05.22, 04:50:09
Once its fully functional, I'd like to step in and try my hand at skinning. There are a ton of Luna skins that are really beautiful and well done, I'd like to try and adapt them to eSchemes.
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.05.23, 19:40:58
Quote from: David Graser on 2008.05.20, 00:58:37
Hi Everyone

I have been playing around with development of an eScheme.  I basically, took my Mac like Window theme and used it as the basis for my escheme.  I modified some of the mouse pointers in the Bubble escheme and used some of its icons. I added new system sounds, but at least on my system, only the default sounds work.  I am attaching it for people to try.  If WPS resets during install, just install it again and everything will be back to normal.  Why the WPS resets sometimes during install is beyond me. 

I modified some of the colors in my scheme and uploaded the revised MAC_Like.sch

Just scroll up to my first post.  I replaced the old MAC_Like.sch with my revised one.

One thing I have noticed is that sometimes I either need to run Unimaint or Cleanini  before  the old scheme is totally replaced with the new scheme.
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.05.31, 21:53:41
I created a new simple escheme called jewels that can be downloaded from the Canadian site for anyone interested.

http://ecomstation.ca/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=18

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.01, 19:07:23
I just revised the jewels theme.  Changed the sounds which at this point does not work in eSchemes 1.47.  I also changed the mouse pointers giving them more color since the control buttons are colorful.  Again the revised escheme can be downloaded from the Canadian site.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.01, 19:15:57
Do you have a screencap of the applied scheme? Not that I'm going to bother with eSchemes for a long while...
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.01, 22:44:43
Check the Canadian site for a pic.  There is something wrong with this site.  Barerly able to post a message.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.02, 07:23:15
I have posted a new picture of another escheme I am working on. For lack of a better name I am calling it XP_Clone.  It can be found it the same topic at the Canadian site.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.02, 07:35:21
Very nice. Does eSchemes allow you to skin all the window components or just titlebar, buttons, radio, and colors? I have reworked the default XP luna skin to a very sleek black/grey version and I'd love to make an eScheme out of it, but only if every object is skinnable, otherwise, it just looks horrible IMO.
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.02, 07:45:24
Quote from: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.02, 07:35:21
Very nice. Does eSchemes allow you to skin all the window components or just titlebar, buttons, radio, and colors? I have reworked the default XP luna skin to a very sleek black/grey version and I'd love to make an eScheme out of it, but only if every object is skinnable, otherwise, it just looks horrible IMO.

You can change the control buttons, radio and checkbox buttons, mouse pointers, sound, titlebar colors and text colors.  You can also change background colors, however, it does not allow one to gradient the colors except for the titlebar, nor at this point allow one to apply a skin over an opened window.  It would be nice if one could do gradients to the backgrounds such as the properites pages.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.02, 07:49:27
Aw, that's a bit of a dissapointment. I was hoping I'd be able to change the scroll-bars, everything, window frames, etc. Ah well, I'll stick to fiddling with Luna for now.

Speaking of, eCenter/xCenter should be color aware, or at least the icons need to not be all gray so it looks goofy as hell if you change its color like it does now. :shudders:

Also, I think you should be able to grab something, hover on its title in the window list in ecenter, and have that window raise to focus like in Windows, it makes things so much easier than having to get the windows ready beforehand then drag across. I work with most apps fullscreened :\
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.02, 08:08:24
Quote from: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.02, 07:49:27
Aw, that's a bit of a dissapointment. I was hoping I'd be able to change the scroll-bars, everything, window frames, etc. Ah well, I'll stick to fiddling with Luna for now.


You can change the scrollbars and windows frames.   The problem is that this is not the only thing one changes.  Unfortunately, the scrollbar is tied to the color of the SYSCLR_ButtonMiddle.   The Scrollbar setting is for the background color and not the scrollbar itself. The checkbox text and radio text background colors are also tied to this setting.  With the window frames, you are also changing the outlines of the scrollbar and other buttons.  As a result, one cannot do what one always wants to do.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.02, 08:32:48
Ah, another disappointing development. I was hoping that with eSchemes you'd be able to actually "skin" the interface, change the images that would comprise the scrollbars, window frames, window backgrounds, etc. Changing colors is not so much skinning as, well, frankly, something that should have been built into the WPS to begin with.
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.02, 08:48:33
Quote from: David Graser on 2008.06.02, 07:23:15
I have posted a new picture of another escheme I am working on. For lack of a better name I am calling it XP_Clone.  It can be found it the same topic at the Canadian site.

David

I am far enough along that I uploaded the WinXP_Clone eScheme to the Canadian site.

http://ecomstation.ca/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=18&p=32#p32

If I make any additional changes, I can always upload a revised scheme.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: melf on 2008.06.02, 10:06:03
Quote from: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.02, 08:32:48
Changing colors is not so much skinning as, well, frankly, something that should have been built into the WPS to begin with.

Sajin, as a matter of fact, it is built in since at least warp 3. You find it in Appearence>scheme palette. You can do a lot of color changes there. Then just drag the scheme to desktop while pressing Alt - and you get a system change.
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.02, 10:19:04
Not to the window frames/backgrounds. The are locked at IBM grey, regardless of what color i set them. The color change only shows up in the scheme palette preview (small one, the object you drag) and inbetween the little up/down arrows to adjust the color values.
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: melf on 2008.06.02, 17:17:51
Yes, there are limitations, which eschemes adress. Anyway, the ability to change colors is since long time built in. This is  my own scheme, inspired by the ecotoys escheme:

http://elfonnet.nu/pics/schemepalette.jpg (http://elfonnet.nu/pics/schemepalette.jpg)
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.02, 18:56:34
Quote from: melf on 2008.06.02, 17:17:51
Yes, there are limitations, which eschemes adress. Anyway, the ability to change colors is since long time built in. This is  my own scheme, inspired by the ecotoys escheme:

http://elfonnet.nu/pics/schemepalette.jpg (http://elfonnet.nu/pics/schemepalette.jpg)


Looks good melf.  This is another one I was thinking about making an eScheme for. 

What I would like to see is grandient capability for the following items.

SYSCLR_FieldBackround
SYSCLR_DialogBackground

I would like to see the

SYSCLR_ButtonMiddle no longer used for CheckBox and Radio text backgrounds.  Give this background its own setting.

I would like the capability of replacing the actually scroller with a bitmap.  Also the up and down arrows on the scrollbar with bitmaps.

I would like to be able to do use rounded bitmaps.  I know from communicating with Allesandro a few years ago that the problem is a bug in one of the components of the operating system.  He said it could be worked around, but why should he go to all the trouble when IBM should have been the one to fix it.  I believe this was the straw that broke his the camels back and influenced his decision to quite programming for OS/2.

As I stated earlier, you can chnage the window frame colors.  You just have to watch to see if the changes that are applied to the buttons are also what you want.

David


Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.02, 19:16:36
I know that Luna (XP's native skinning engine) makes "rounded" bitmaps and other bitmaps with transparency with standard bitmap files that have a "mask" area of one color. Then, in the .MSSTYLES entry for that object with transparency, a value is set saying make "XXX,XXX,XXX" color be transparent. I think that this method should work for eComStation as well. Or if not, the scheme objects could be comprised of .ico files of whatever size/bit depth that natively support transparency as well. Transparency anti-alias is not really important on things such as window frames or tabs, scroll bars, etc. I will show you an example of what I am talking about below.
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.03, 00:00:43
OK, I have modified the WinXP_Clone a little bit. I changed the window frame controls to a blue color. However, this changes the scroller and some of the pushbutton outline colors. Which do people like better? I kinda like the revision better. The blue goes more with the control colors. The only drawback is the scroller. Unfortunately, it relies on the same window frame controls. Let me know and I will email Eugene the one most liked.  It can be found at the Canadian site.

Saijin

The problem with rounded bitmaps in eCS and OS/2 occurs when a Window is resized.  The larger the window, the more distorted the rounded corners are.  The only controls that can be rouned right now are the titlebar control buttons and the radio and checkbox buttons.  Any other bitmap distorts at the ends.  That is why one cannot use a rounded corner titlebar bitmap in eCS right now.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.03, 01:31:38
That's very interesting David, I did not know that. Hmm, this poses an interesting question then. I wonder how Luna handles it then? I believe the FRAMECAPTION bitmap is divided into 2 seperate images (top/bottom) as well as left and right. You set these X,Y coordinates in the MSSTYLES. I believe that then, these are drawn static sized on the outside edges of the window (regardless of window size) and then another bitmap is tiled horizontally to fill the gap when the window is resized. For the frames on the vertical edges, the same process must be applied.

What determines how the windows are drawn in OS/2 and can it be modified in such a way that it would work with rounded frames?
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Pete on 2008.06.03, 05:54:52
Quote from: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.02, 10:19:04
Not to the window frames/backgrounds. The are locked at IBM grey, regardless of what color i set them. The color change only shows up in the scheme palette preview (small one, the object you drag) and inbetween the little up/down arrows to adjust the color values.

Hi Saijin_Naib

As I have Red Active frames and light blue backgrounds it is possible to do.

It seems that you have some sort of problem if they "are locked at IBM grey"... maybe the use of checkini and cleanini or similar tools will help.

Regards

Pete
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.03, 06:25:24
It appears that when applying schemes, it is best to run Cleanini every now and then before applying any new scheme.  Even then, a restart is required.  This is with eCS Window themes, iThemes, and eSchemes.  For some reason some handles get lost.
Unimaint is another good program to run.

I uploaded revision 2 of the WinXP clone to the Canadian site.  I deleted the others because this is the one I settled on.  I also uploaded a new scheme  called PillowTalk.  Thanks melf for nudging me to create a theme out of the white window theme I originally created years ago!

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.03, 06:35:50
I refuse to use eSChemes until such a point as its working properly and doesn't cause me undue strife with PMBIDI.DLL or other garbage. I was talking about how the default OS/2 scheme palette has values you can adjust but have no effect.
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.03, 06:46:50
I run two eCS partitions. One I consider my don't test anything paritition.  However, there comes a point when I do test some things on it.  Just not too often.

The other eCS partition is where I do most of my testing.  If I wreck this partition testing things, I have my good partition to fall back on until I get the partition installed again.

When eCS GA comes out, my test partition will become my good partition and I will make my old good reliable partition my test partition.

I think everyone needs one partition for play without fear of destroying it.

 
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: melf on 2008.06.03, 10:26:12
Quote from: David Graser on 2008.06.03, 06:25:24
I uploaded revision 2 of the WinXP clone to the Canadian site.  I deleted the others because this is the one I settled on.  I also uploaded a new scheme  called PillowTalk.  Thanks melf for nudging me to create a theme out of the white window theme I originally created years ago!

David
Pillow talk looks cool. I downloaded a bunch of your icon teams some time ago, I really understand you can't remember everything you done, there really is a lot of them!
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.03, 10:58:11
Quote from: melf on 2008.06.03, 10:26:12
Quote from: David Graser on 2008.06.03, 06:25:24
I uploaded revision 2 of the WinXP clone to the Canadian site.  I deleted the others because this is the one I settled on.  I also uploaded a new scheme  called PillowTalk.  Thanks melf for nudging me to create a theme out of the white window theme I originally created years ago!

David
Pillow talk looks cool. I downloaded a bunch of your icon teams some time ago, I really understand you can't remember everything you done, there really is a lot of them!

If anyone sees a windows theme that they want to make an escheme with, have at it.  All you have to do is extract the icons from the themes dll by typing

rdc nameofdll.dll

This extracts the icons from the dll.  Now rename the icons to the names found in the index.sch of an eScheme.  Now set the icon editor to look for bmps

*.bmp

and the location where the bmps are.  Select one and edit the bitmaps to the background color you will be using.  Remember that these are multi-page bitmaps.  You will have to modify both bitmaps inside the bmp file. Save and go to the next one.  For the radio and checkboxes, using bitmap 48, create your own, or extract from another escheme and modify to your needs.  Modify the index.sch in your scheme for the colors you want.  Copy the modified bmps into the nameofescheme.sch you are creating.  It is easy if you start with a *.sch from the scheme palette and modify it to your needs. PillowTalk took me around 3 hours to do modifying the icons from the White Windows theme.  Because I wasn't creating the bmps from scratch, this sped up my development time tremendously.  I figure out of the 130 something window themes I have created, there has bound to be something that appeals to someone.  I also created the WinXP_Clone and MAC_Like themes from other Windows themes I had created years ago.  eSchemes makes it easy to create a theme.  All one needs is a little imagination (which I am greatly lacking in) and a little determination in figuring out what what setting does what in the index.sch.  Through trial and error, I have figured out what most do now.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.04, 18:24:23
I just uploaded a revised Pillowtalk eScheme to the Canadian site.  I made one small change to the ButtonLight color.  As I have said, I am learning as I go.  I also uploaded a revise pic showing the small change.  Change is readily seen in the properies pages.
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.05, 20:00:06
I just finised my GreyIsMyName eScheme and uploaded to the Canadian site.  This is an attempt to make a better looking grey scheme.  The finished scheme has been revised a little from the original pic I posted here.

http://ecomstation.ca/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=18

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.06, 12:18:54
I decided to try something different.  I created a new eScheme called MilitaryDress and can be downloaded from the Canandian site.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.07, 12:49:02
I have posted my BlackIsBlack to the Canadian site.  Read the post about PMView.  In addition, I noticed that the Post and Preview button text when replying in Seamonkey must be hardcoded black.  As a result, The text cannot be read.  However, most programs I can see do not have a problem with this black eScheme.  So far, PMView and some buttons in Seamonkey.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.07, 20:51:30
There is something about the type of edit buttons used on the pages of this site.  With a black scheme, the buttons go black.  The Canadian site only has one problem about handling the black theme.   The one common problem both site have is with the selection down arrows.  Both go black.  Not sure how these arrows are coded in Seamonkey.   I was wondering if there is a way to change the default text color of these buttons to another color?

By the way, I uploaded a rev1 of the black theme to the Canadian site.  I still have not been able to track down which setting is causing this sites buttons to turn black and the PMView details view at the bottom of each graphic.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.07, 21:55:48
The window control buttons look like the ones I have in Moonlight :P did you chroma/levels the ones from Blue Luna?
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.07, 22:12:24
The Window control buttons came from my WinXP black windows theme I created years ago.  I had to modify the background of the colors to black.  The same for the radio and checkbox buttons.

David
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.09, 20:00:27
Pictures of eSchemes and WPS Wizard combined
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: DavidG on 2008.06.09, 20:02:36
Another combination
Title: Re: Developed New eScheme for people to try
Post by: Saijin_Naib on 2008.06.09, 21:26:20
Nice job on de-ugifying the WPS dave :) You give me hope that soon I will be able to hop into the fray as well and start skinning. Well, once the WPS can be "skinned", not just colorized.