I thought it might be good to start a thread for brainstorming ideas on features wanted in WindowBlinds to give the developers some idea of what users want. Whether it is possible to implement is another story, but this is brainstorming after all.

I would love to see a pop-up dialog under "User Overrides" for working with the fonts to allow control over font size (either in actual points, or by adding percent smaller), and for color, bold, and italics.

What would you want?

For those of you who want to play around with the 3D scene rendering program known as "Bryce", it is available for a short time as a free download from Download.com. Use the link below.

I recommend this for anyone who wants to see what the 3D rendering softwares are like. It is a very fun program to play around with.

Note - there is quite a bit of information and tutorials available for this version at the DAZ site WWW Link

DAZ has also indicated that the new Bryce 6 will only be available to owners of Bryce 5 and 5.5, so this would seem to be a great opportunity for those interested.

Have fun!   

T-MAN,

Sorry, I posted this in the "forums.stardock.com" thread which I realized was incorrect after reading "AndrewBigStuff's" comments.

This thread is regarding "WinCustomize.com" forums.

For the past week, I have not been able to use the smiley button to successfully assign a smiley in comments.

I can access the list when clicking on the button, but clicking a smiley results in a slight drop of the whole page (sort of like hitting "Enter" button at the bottom of a text box) - but no smiley symbol appears.

I can assign a smiley by typing the symbols.

Running IE6 (6.0.2900.2180_xpsp_sp2) on XP Pro w/SP2 and all MS security updates.

Note - this happens only in the "Forums" page, not on the Home or Articles pages. I have not attempted to add smiley's under any other tab.

Sorry for the misunderstanding of posting in wrong thread.

This smiley is posted using the keyboard symbols:

I do not know if this has been posted yet or not, but it would seem that Microsoft has discovered the need to rethink the current display driver model that is due to ship with Vista, which may require users to invest in a new graphics card in the near future.

As one who owns a notebook and who knows the lag time between release to manufacturers and public availability of a notebook graphics card (if available in the correct form factor at all), I find myself wondering about the viability of the currently manufactured "mainstream" notebooks. :p

 

I thought I would start the April post, since Jafo is at the races for a few days.

If a Super-Wizop, or Admin could pin this one, it would be great.

Simple modified Aurora wall and some dock interface links. ;)

This is just a polite request for an update on any information on what the future for Apogee may be.

I reported one small issue I noticed in my package, where the "Network Connections" folder icon is missing from the main "Apogee" folder, and the "Administrative Tools" folder icon is being applied instead.

The preview image on the Stardock site (when clicked on to see the larger view, has the "Network Connections" folder shown, so it should be there).

It does exist in the color folders, but not in the main folder.

So my question is:

1 - Does anyone else see this issue?

2 - Does Mormegil, or anyone else who works for Stardock, have any light to shed on the update?

Note - please be nice in posting here, so we can have a productive thread to find some useful information. I also feel the frustration of waiting, so I don't feel we need to feed that fire any more. Just a simple statement of found issues, some positive enthusiasm for the update, and perhaps some official update information would be great.

Peace. ;)

Well, I threatened to add more mini tutorials.........just kidding. ;)

I hope these additions will help some folks in need.

ObjectDock Plus - Creating Non-Tabbed Docks 101 http://corkyo.wincustomize.com/Articles.aspx?AID=98639

ObjectDock Plus – Create Tabbed Dock 101 http://corkyo.wincustomize.com/Articles.aspx?AID=98641

ObjectDock Plus – Editing Non-Tabbed Docks 102 http://corkyo.wincustomize.com/Articles.aspx?AID=98644

ObjectDock Plus – Editing Tabbed Docks 102 http://corkyo.wincustomize.com/Articles.aspx?AID=98646

ObjectDock Plus – Create A System Tray Dock 101 http://corkyo.wincustomize.com/Articles.aspx?AID=98648

Restore Windows XP Default Theme 101 http://corkyo.wincustomize.com/Articles.aspx?AID=98650

These are created in the same "mini tutorial" format. Due to the amount of information I wanted to try and cover, these are a bit longer than normal (around 14 images each for the OD+ lessons). :)

Restore Windows XP Default Theme 101

 

This mini tutorial is designed to help beginners restore Windows XP to the default theme. This procedure should also be used prior to uninstalling Stardock customization programs to prevent any issues.

 

This mini tutorial has been created using Windows XP with the default settings.

 

STEP #1 – Deselect any option to "Run at startup" or similar language in all programs that offer this option, by opening the configuration dialog of the relevant program and clearing the check mark as illustrated by the images below:

 

ObjectDock Properties

Widget Properties

STEP #2 – Unload any Stardock customization programs using either the program configuration panel, or by using the system tray icon function which is illustrated in the image below:

STEP #3 – If you have an icon package applied, restore all icons by starting Icon Packager > clicking the Tools menu > selecting the Restore All Icons as shown in the image below. Note – after making this selection, click Yes in the confirmation dialog that pops-up, and then click the OK button at the bottom of the Icon Packager window.

Repeat the procedure above for the "Rebuild Icon Cache" command also listed in the Tools menu, as well as the "Restore all Cursors" if you have changed those.

 

STEP #4 – Click the Start button > click Control Panel > click Appearance and Themes > click the Display link indicated in the image below:

STEP #5 – Click the Themes tab > select the Windows XP listing in the Theme drop-down list > click the Apply button as shown in the image below:

After a few seconds, you should see the familiar green Start button, blue Taskbar, and Bliss wallpaper.

 

I hope you found this mini tutorial useful. Until next time, have fun and "Keep On Customizing".

ObjectDock Plus – Create A System Tray Dock 101

 

This mini tutorial is designed for beginners who want to understand the basic steps involved in creating a system tray dock using ObjectDock Plus.

 

An assumption has been made that users have already installed ObjectDock Plus, so please do so before using the procedures in this tutorial (note – make sure that any free version of ObjectDock has been uninstalled previous to installing ObjectDock Plus). If you have any content files that you have downloaded for use with the free version, it is recommended that you copy these files to a temporary folder on your computer before uninstalling the free version of ObjectDock.

 

This mini tutorial has been created using the default Windows XP installation and settings, and illustrates procedures using the main ObjectDock Plus dialog boxes.

 

ADDING "SDMCP.EXE" TO THE STARTUP FOLDER

 

1 – Click Start > My Computer > open (double-click) the "C:" drive > open the "Documents and Settings" folder > open your account folder (the folder with your user name on it) > open the Start Menu folder > open the Programs folder > open the Startup folder > right-click inside this folder, and mouse-over the "New" option, and then select "Shortcut" – as shown in the image below:

 

 

2 - Use the browse button to navigate to the "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Stardock" folder, and then select the "sdmcp" file. When completed, your dialog box should look like the image shown below:

 

 

3 – Click "Next", and then "Finish", which should leave you with a new shortcut to the "sdmcp.exe" file as shown in the image below:

 

 

Note – if you have Stardock Central installed, you can alternatively start that program > go to Tools menu > Settings > select "Enable MCP notification area support" > click "OK". This will provide the same support required to load the notification area (AKA the System Tray) icons onto a dock.

 

4 – Restart your computer to load the "sdmcp" executable.

 

CREATE A SYSTEM TRAY DOCK

 

1 – Right-click the ObjectDock icon in the notification area, and select "My Docks" as shown in the image below:

 

 

2 - The "My Docks" dialog that pops up will show any current docks that are loaded. For this exercise, I will use a "blank canvas", and therefore will remove any other docks by selecting them and clicking the "Remove this dock" button as shown below:

 

 

3 – With all docks removed, click the "Create new dock" button as shown below:

 

 

This will place a new default dock on the desktop as shown in the image below:

 

 

Note – I have deselect the "Magnification" option (found in the Appearance category) to make working with the dock entries easier.

 

4 – Click the "Dock Contents" category in the left-hand list of the ObjectDock Properties to display the Dock Contents options, and then select the "Show system tray icons on the dock" option as shown in the image below:

 

 

As you can see in the image above, this will load the System Tray icons onto the dock.

 

5 – If you wish to hide the Windows taskbar, you can select this option in the General category as shown in the image below:

 

 

6 – Let’s remove the other "non-system" tray entries, by right-clicking the entries and selecting the "Remove Entry" option in the context menu as shown in the image below:

 

 

Repeat this until you only have the system tray icons displayed on the dock. I am setting this dock up as a separate dock, which tends to prevent any possible conflicts in a theme. The image below shows the result:

 

 

7 – Now click the "Positioning" category in the left-hand list of the ObjectDock Properties to display the Positioning options as shown in the image below:

 

 

Note – I have selected the "Align Right" in the Alignment drop-down list, and "Always-On-Bottom" in the Z-Ordering drop-down list.

 

8 – To change the image for a system tray icon, press the "Ctrl" key while left-clicking on the system tray icon to invoke the "Dock Entry Properties" as shown in the image below:

 

 

Click the "Change Image for this Tray Icon" button as shown in the image below:

 

 

Use the "Choose Image" dialog to navigate to, and select the icon or ".png" file you want for your image, and then click OK as shown in the image below:

 

 

Repeat as needed to change your system tray icons.

 

The image below shows the completed system tray dock:

 

 

I hope you found this mini tutorial useful. Until next time, have fun and "Keep On Customizing".

ObjectDock Plus – Editing Tabbed Docks 102

 

This mini tutorial is designed for beginners who want to understand the steps involved in adding entries to tabbed docks using ObjectDock Plus, as well as a few additional features available via the tabbed dock context menu.

 

An assumption has been made that users have already installed ObjectDock Plus, so please do so before using the procedures in this tutorial (note – make sure that any free version of ObjectDock has been uninstalled previous to installing ObjectDock Plus). If you have any content files that you have downloaded for use with the free version, it is recommended that you copy these files to a temporary folder on your computer before uninstalling the free version of ObjectDock.

 

If you have not already done so, please create a tabbed dock to work with. For a mini tutorial on creating a tabbed dock, you can go here http://corkyo.wincustomize.com/Articles.aspx?AID=98641

 

This mini tutorial has been created using the default Windows XP installation and settings.

 

ADDING AN ENTRY TO A TABBED DOCK

 

You can create a new dock entry (icon) using either the context (right-click) menu, or using the "drag-n-drop" method. Both of which are illustrated below.

 

Context Menu Method

 

1 - Right-click on a tab > mouse-over the "Add Entry" option > select a new entry type to add to dock (in this case, a "New Shortcut") as shown in the image below:

 

 

Please notice that the context menu is divided into groups, with new links and system related entries in the top group, with Docklets in the lower section, and at the bottom you will see the "My Docks" option (which invokes the current dock listing dialog).

 

This will place a purple ‘question mark’ icon on the dock, and invoke the Dock Entry Properties dialog as shown in the image below:

 

 

2 - The "Title" text box at the top of the dialog contains the text that will display on mouse-over of the dock entry (the "Title" text can be set to different behaviors as follows: (1) Show no labels, (2) Show on mouse-over, and (3) Show below each entry). Note - to assign the text behavior, you must go to the Dock Settings dialog > Size & Appearance category > select a behavior from the "Entry Names" drop-down list.

 

3 – Assign a link for the new dock entry (if you did not drag-n-drop the entry to the dock) by using one of the following methods: (1) use the preset drop-down list, (2) use the Browse button to locate an "executable" file, or (3) type or paste the address to a folder or file in the "Link" text box. In this case, we will select "My Documents" from the preset drop-down list as shown in the image below:

 

Note - the "Arguments" text box is for command specific actions, and is beyond the scope of this mini tutorial.

 

4 – Select an image for your entry by clicking the "Change Image" button as shown in the image below:

 

 

This will invoke the Choose Image dialog, which is a basic explorer window allowing you to select a folder in the left pane, and then an image from the selected folder in the main pane as shown below:

 

 

Alternatively, you can use the "Browse" button to navigate to any ".ico" or ".png" file. Note – for editing and designing a theme which you intend to distribute, it is recommended that you keep all files in the ObjectDock sub-directory. This will make your theme more likely to be compatible with another users’ computer.

 

DRAG-N-DROP METHOD

 

On your keyboard, hold down the "Windows" key (key with flying window symbol), and immediately press the "E" key – to invoke "Explorer". Alternatively, you can open "My Computer" and click the "Folders" button on the toolbar. You can then drag-n-drop any icon from either the left pane, or main pane onto the dock – as illustrated by the result of dragging the "My Computer" icon onto the dock, in the image below:

 

 

1 – Right-click the dock entry and then select "Dock Entry Properties" to invoke the properties dialog, as shown in the image below:

 

 

Note – use the Dock Entry Properties dialog to change the text and image the same way indicated for the context menu method.

 

DOCKLETS

 

You can also add a docklet to the dock by right-clicking the dock tab > selecting "Add Entry" > clicking on Weather Docklet in the list as show in the image below:

 

 

To set the weather location to be displayed, simply click the weather docklet to invoke the update dialog – and then enter a zip code (if in the USA), or a country code, as shown in the image below:

 

 

Note – to find the country code, you can go to http://www.weather.com and fill in the city and country information to display the weather for the selected location. Once the correct weather is displayed in your browser, copy and paste the "Alpha-Numeric" characters at, or near the end of the site address (this is the country code). Example – Hamburg, Germany code = GMXX0049

 

VIEW OPTIONS

 

Icon sizes can be quickly changed to one of four presets: Small Icons [32 pixels], Icons [48 pixels], Large Icons [96 pixels], and Names. The image below shows the "Large Icons" being selected:

 

 

And the result:

 

To move the dock, you can simply click on a tab, and drag the dock to the desired location, as shown in the image below:

LOCKING FEATURES

 

There are two lock features: Lock Icon Dragging (prevents any dragging of icons, on or off of the dock), and Lock Dock Position (locks the dock in place either on the desktop, or can be used to hold the dock alignment on an edge – yet still allow "drawer" action). These options are toggled on or off via the "Context menu > View > ‘Lock option’ selected" as shown in the image below:

Note – lock dock position feature must be deselected to drag the dock.

 

Okay, one last helpful hint.

 

Using any web browser that displays a small icon in the address field to the left of the site address, go to a site you frequent and simply drag the icon to the dock as shown in the image below:

Note – the icon to drag is indicated by the "finger" cursor in the image.

 

Well, that is all for this lesson, which is a bit longer than normal for me.

 

I hope you found this mini tutorial useful. Until next time, have fun and "Keep On Customizing".