Logoff Buttons on Start Menu

Published on February 19, 2006 By jazzymjr In WindowBlinds

I am trying to make my first transparent Start Panel. All has gone well up to this point. I decided I didn't want the buttons on there, just a button for the text (Logoff/Turn off Computer, etc.). Well I made a "dummy" transparent image to use as the buttons. However, the transparent image comes up as a black square where the button should be. So then I made an image the same color as the bottom bar, but when I make it transparent, it comes up black as well. If I don't make it transparent, it comes up as the color of the bottom bar before the transparency was applied, so you can see the "square" a little, and, needless to say it is not transparent. Is there anyway to do this in WB5?

Thanks in advancy for any help.
MJ

Comments (Page 1)

NightTrainthedark

on Feb 19, 2006

Do you have the proper settings checked for transparency and translucency?

The buttons, whether transparent or not will still be part of the button background. Make your logoff/shutdown button images 1 pixel wide each. This way your background image will only be the size of the text.

Feel free to send me the skin if you can't find the solution.

jazzymjr

on Feb 19, 2006

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try that...about the 1 pixel images. I'll post back and let you know if I was successful. About the transparency thing, I think I did have the settings right. Part of my problem is that the whole start panel is an image that is muted shades of a color, not one solid color. If I can't figure it out, I will send you the skin. I appreciate your help.

jazzymjr

on Feb 20, 2006

The buttons, whether transparent or not will still be part of the button background. Make your logoff/shutdown button images 1 pixel wide each. This way your background image will only be the size of the text.

Thanks so much, Craig! That did the trick...yea!!!!

jazzymjr

on Feb 20, 2006

Are you saying the logoff button images should be tiles of 1px by 1px each in a color that matches? I think I understand what jazzymjr is doing with the logoff background to effectively create a 'button' for the text, but the actual logoff button image part is confusing.

What I did was make the shutdown/logoff buttons tiles of 1px wide by 24px long for each, so that my final image for them was 9px wide by 24 px long. I made them a color to match my bottom bar as much as I could. Then I made my buttons (called buttons background in the tree on the left). You cannot just remove the attribute for the logoff buttons...if you do that, you will wind up with the default microsoft logoff images. Yes, my text buttons do have mouseovers.

I hope I didn't confuse you even more!

Daiwa

on Feb 20, 2006

NT -

I'm having some difficulty picturing this in my mind (nothing strange, there).

Are you saying the logoff button images should be tiles of 1px by 1px each in a color that matches? I think I understand what jazzymjr is doing with the logoff background to effectively create a 'button' for the text, but the actual logoff button image part is confusing.

If you do it that way, will the 'buttons' have 'states' - will mouseovers, etc., work for the 'buttons'?

Thanks

NightTrainthedark

on Feb 20, 2006

Are you saying the logoff button images should be tiles of 1px by 1px each in a color that matches?

1 pixel wide ..height depends. The background images play off of the button image sizes when they stretch. Thats why these are tricky. Using 1 pixel wide images leaves the text clear and aligned on the buttons but the backgrounds still stretch vertically. I can never really get it 100% figured out so everytime I do the buttons I tweak the images accordingly to get the look I want. I am sure there is an easier way, I just haven't fumbled upon it yet.
You can make the images .png with full tranparency execpt for the upper left pixel. Make that 1% transparent and it will blend with anything.

If you do it that way, will the 'buttons' have 'states' - will mouseovers, etc., work for the 'buttons'?

No. If you use a background image for the text, the button states will not work. You need to create the mouseover with the background images. You can combine the 2 for a desired effect as well but thats a little trickier. Best I can say is take a look at the way different people have done their buttons. It an area where you can be a little creative as well. The skin I am working on, I got the buttons to have a mouseover state and the backgrounds to have a state. I am so proud. It looks so cool.

Daiwa

on Feb 20, 2006

The lingo gets a little confusing when "button" means two different things.

I think I understand, except that I was actually asking whether the background can have "states" - effectively mimicking a "real" button. Sounds like, if you figure out how to do it right & using .png images, you can get both to have states, then?

You can make the images .png with full tranparency execpt for the upper left pixel. Make that 1% transparent and it will blend with anything.

You mean the "button" images or the "background" images?

jazzymjr

on Feb 21, 2006

You can make the images .png with full tranparency execpt for the upper left pixel. Make that 1% transparent and it will blend with anything

Now, I am confused...lol. Are you talking about the button images or the background images?

The skin I am working on, I got the buttons to have a mouseover state and the backgrounds to have a state. I am so proud. It looks so cool.

What is a "state"? This is a new one for me... My background "buttons" images have mouseovers.

jazzymjr

on Feb 21, 2006

You can make the images .png with full tranparency execpt for the upper left pixel. Make that 1% transparent and it will blend with anything

Now, I am confused...lol. Are you talking about the button images or the background images?

The skin I am working on, I got the buttons to have a mouseover state and the backgrounds to have a state. I am so proud. It looks so cool.

What is a "state"? This is a new one for me... My background "buttons" images have mouseovers.

NightTrainthedark

on Feb 21, 2006

Now, I am confused...lol. Are you talking about the button images or the background images?

actually both. They both support transparency but I was talking about the buttons themselves. Making it transparent, you don't have to worry about matching color.

What is a "state"? This is a new one for me... My background "buttons" images have mouseovers.

Normal state, disabled state, mouseover state, etc

Daiwa

on Apr 29, 2006

Night Train -

Can you point me to a skin or two which have managed to get a mouseover to work for the button images? Or share the "trick"?

I've been able to get the background mouseover to work using .tga's & using the "transparent button image" suggestion you made above, but I'm looking to do just the opposite - get the button image mouseover to work (with or without a background).

Thanks,
Daiwa

thebleedingedge

on Apr 29, 2006

this is an easy fix; done this many times. go into skinstudio and make an image for the logoff buttons that is transparent. next go into logoff buttons background and again make a transparent image. next in logoff buttons background glyph is where you will put your shutdown buttons. play with the alignments a little and the buttons actually will show in normal and mouseover. any ? contact me.

Daiwa

on Apr 29, 2006

Thanks.

Your should consider changing that handle to "sharp" razr.

'Preciate it.

Daiwa

on Apr 29, 2006

Well, I've got a completely transparent LogoffButton image (.tga), and a completely transparent LogoffButton Background image. So far, so good.

If I put the glyph image in the Button section, the correct buttons (ShutDown, Logoff, etc.) are displayed in the correct locations but there is no mouseover state. If I put the glyph in the Background section, the mouseover effect works but there are 3 "buttons" for each button & they appear beneath the text.

I'm sure it's something simple I'm doing wrong - any ideas?

Thanks!

Daiwa

on Apr 29, 2006

I guess part of the reason you can't use the button glyphs in the background section is that there are only 3 background tiles vs. 9 tiles for the buttons themselves, so the "states" can't jive.

Again, it's the 9-tile button image that I want to get working with a mouseover.

Thanks.

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