Skinning for WindowBlinds

From WinCustomize Wiki

Creating a skin for WindowBlinds can be a complex and time-consuming process, so it is very important to go into the project with as much information as possible. This article will cover several aspects of creating skins for WindowBlinds, including a discussion of the UIS1 and UIS2 scripting languages, as well as the use of SkinStudio to visually build a skin. However, the creation of visual elements using third party graphics programs will not be directly covered. Tutorials for creating elements in programs like Photoshop will be linked at the end of the article.

Contents 1 Getting Started 2 Tutorials 3 For The Code Monkeys - A UIS Discussion 3.1 UIS1 vs. UIS2 3.2 UIS1 Strengths 3.3 UIS2 strengths 3.4 UIS1 Weaknesses 3.5 UIS2 Weaknesses 4 Notes & References

[edit] Getting Started

Ok, you've used WindowBlinds, you've downloaded your fair share of skins and now you want to break out the digital paintbrush and try your own hand at it. Great! It's always good to see new faces in the community giving skin making a go. To get started, you're going to need the following:

• WindowBlinds installed and running on your system
• A graphics tool such as PaintShop Pro, Adobe Photoshop etc. It doesn't matter which you use, just so long as you're familiar with how to use it.
• SkinStudio and/or a text editor for building the skin itself.
• And of course, a great concept for a skin you want to make.

[edit] Tutorials

Many users have written tutorials on how to create your first WindowBlinds skin and more.

• Stardock Skinning Windows guide This tutorial by Stardock is somewhat outdated, but covers a lot.
• Po' Smedley's Anti-tutorial tutorial Po' Smedley wrote a series of tutorials on WindowBlinds.
• Visit this page at Skinning.net for a wide selection of tutorials.

^[1]

[edit] For The Code Monkeys - A UIS Discussion

This is a more advanced topic, if you're just getting started and don't want to muck around with any sort of code, please head to the section of this article on using SkinStudio to visually build a WindowBlinds skin.

[edit] UIS1 vs. UIS2

Why two skin languages? Because each has their own strengths and weaknesses that you as a skin author will have to weigh. Let's look at the pros of each:

[edit] UIS1 Strengths

• Very very fast (twice as fast as Microsoft's own Windows XP visual style on a similar skin)
• Works with virtually every program (almost nothing needs to be excluded)
• Uses fewer resources on Windows 98/ME
• Window size/position is same as a standard window

[edit] UIS2 strengths

• Supports animation in title bars
• Each side of a window can be its own size and shape
• Buttons can be placed on any side of a window (even the bottom)
• More straight forward to skin (since there's no limitations on sizes and positions of things)

[edit] UIS1 Weaknesses

• Borders must be a set size of 4 pixels
• Skin authors must specify the height of their title bar
• Buttons must be on the title bar.
• Limited number of effects allowed.

[edit] UIS2 Weaknesses

• Windows aren't actually the size they think they are (because borders can all be independently sized, this sometimes creates "strange" behavior where the Windows thinks the window is 20 pixels higher than it is).
• Slower than UIS1 since it has to handle much more complex regions
• Compatibility issues with programs that don't follow GUI coding guidelines.

Most (nearly all) skins are made with UIS2. But that's not because UIS2 is better, it simply reflects the priorities that most people who customize their system. Sometimes users on the Internet will criticize WindowBlinds saying it's "buggy" or "slow". Odds are they used a UIS2 skin and had some problem. Ultimately, as a skin author, you are probably making the skin for your own enjoyment. And so the skin represents what you consider to be a priority. Since UIS2 skins work fine for nearly everyone, most skin authors, giving their work away for free, aren't terribly concerned if some guy somewhere is having problems with some strange application. As time goes on, Stardock will probably include more and more UIS1 skins to cut down on support even at the expense of the skins not being quite as fancy. Which one you use is up to you. If your skin design can be done with UIS1, then by all means, use that. But you should probably let the vision of what kind of skin you want to make guide you, not the skin language. ^[2]

[edit] Notes & References

1. ↑ Skinning.net: WindowBlinds Tutorials, 2007 by Skinning.net [1]
2. ↑ Choosing how to skin Windows - Skin Formats, 2002 by Stardock [2]