Post new topic   Reply to topic    Valorous Forum Index -> General Discussions
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Hubbelana

user avatar

Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Posts:

Send private message
Reply with quote

re: cHubbz' desktop / UI modding guide

0
Forum Image

A while back I made a simple guide on how to modify the look of your computer's desktop/user interface for my old guild. Thought I'd post it here too for any interested.

For those worried this will pull a large chunk of your computer's resources - all the active programs I use that are related to my UI modding are pulling a combined 11.5k, so you shouldn't be too worried!

Modding your computer's user interface is very similar to modding your user interface in WoW.

RainMeter and custom skins

You start out with downloading Rainmeter. This program is the platform upon which you will build your new desktop.

After you've downloaded and installed rainmeter, you can start downloading skins. These are like addons in WoW. These skins can be found all over the web, but I've found that Deviantart is a pretty good place to find components. They currently have a virus issue, but files tend to be safe as long as comments are not disabled.

The skins I am using are:
Enigma
Circle

Customizing Enigma

Enigma provides a nice sidebar and taskbar, along with a plethora of gadgets such as rss feeds, music plugins, launchers, weather plugins etc. Enigma is also the easiest skin to configure. When Enigma has been downloaded and installed, the start menu will appear. Navigate to the second tab, and click the options button.

Forum Image

The Enigma options screen is where you configure most of the plugins. It is divided into six tabs - General, Layout, Apps, Feeds, Notes and World. I won't go into specifics for all the tabs and plugins, as the layout is pretty user friendly, but let's start out with having a look at the Layout tab.

Forum Image

Here you can customize the size of the taskbar and sidebar, along with font size and style. The taskbar height option seems to be bugged, but this can be changed manually by going to C:\Users\Your Username\My Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\Enigma\Resources\Styles\Enigma Dark/White\ , provided you have used the standard installation path, opening Enigma Dark/White.inc in notepad and changing the line "TaskbarHeight=XXX". After you've saved the document, just middle-click the taskbar twice and it will refresh with your new height.

When you're pleased with the size of your sidebar and taskbar, you can simply left-click and drag the bars around. By right-clicking the bars and going into settings, you can change the behaviour of the bars/plugins, such as dragging it off-screen, disabling snapping, locking it in place etc. This goes for all plugins and skins.

When you have them positioned nicely, you can get into adding gadgets and plugins. I won't go into them specifically, but this is generally done by going into the enigma options screen which, if you have closed it, can be accessed by right-clicking anything rainmeter-related, going into Enigma > Resources > Options.ini.

After you've set up the gadgets you want, memorize their titles and types, as you'll need them to activate the gadgets. Right-click anything Rainmeter-related and going into Enigma > Sidebar / Taskbar > Type > Title, for example Enigma > Taskbar > Launcher > Launcher 1 > Launcher1.ini. When you activate the gadget, it will appear in the top-leftmost corner of your screen. Left-click and drag it to wherever you want it on the screen (doesn't have to be on the taskbar / sidebar), and lock it in place when you're satisfied. This, too, applies to most skins. Gadgets adjust to the size of the bar they are filed under. For example, the facebook feed is as wide as you've set the sidebar.

There! We are now done with enigma. Let's move on to Circle, and other skins in general, as they are generally slightly less user-friendly than Enigma.

Customizing skins in general

First off, most other mods need to be loaded. This is done by right-clicking anything Rainmeter-related, and going into Rainmeter Menu > Configs > Manage Skins... Navigate to the tab "browse", click the skin you wish to load, and then click "load skin".

Forum Image

After you've loaded the skin, refresh Rainmeter by going into Rainmeter Menu > Refresh all. The skin will now show up in Rainmeter Menu > Configs. This is where you load gadgets for other skins. If you want to change the appearence or behaviour of these gadgets, you'll have to manually alter them by right-clicking them, and selecting Edit Skin... This will bring their options textfile. These textfiles often have guides on how to change settings, so once again I won't elaborate.

When you're done with your new awesome UI, you can lock every object related to Rainmeter by left-clicking it, going into Rainmeter Menu > Configs and clicking disble dragging. I prefer to lock objects individually, as you can make small adjustments to individual objects without accidentally moving other stuff.

Congratulations! You're now a basic Rainmeter user. This is all you need to know to get customizing. Rainmeter is pretty user-friendly over all, so it won't take long for you to learn.

We're not quite done yet though. Let's get started on themes and icons!

Customizing Icons

Much like the Rainmeter skins, custom icon packs can be found all over the web.
I am currently using Brsev's Token icon pack. Simply extract the files and run the installers. Backing up some files is recommended, but this is all explained in the README.

For icon packs without installers, and replacing individual icons, simply access the properties of the icon you wish to change, click "change icon" and browse to the icon file of your choice.

Custom Themes

Custom themes, like skins and icons, can be found ready-made on the internetz. The theme I currently use is Morpheusns's Dark Pearl V1.1. He is also the one whose UI mine is based on.

The odds are, though, that you won't be quite satisfied with the way the explorer looks. You can alter this by right-clicking your desktop, and choosing "Personalize". Click "Window Color" in the lower part of the window that now appears. Here you will be able to change how your start menu, taskbar and window borders appear by choosing color and transparency.

When you're done with aero's appearance, click "Advanced appearence settings..." In the next menu, you will be able to fully customize how your explorer looks, from border sizes to background colors. When you're pleased with how everything looks, save your new custom theme and enjoy it!

Miscellaneous doodads

Now we're getting into the really small and specific things like start menu icons, forwards/backwards buttons in explorer etcetera. They may seem silly, but to a perfectionist with a massive OCD like me, they add up.

Custom start menu button

There's an absolutely massive selection from which to choose your start button - there are even entire sites devoted to them. The one I have is included in Dark Pearl, and is installed by replacing your explorer.exe. Needless to say, messing with system files is quite hazardous, so make sure you backup the system files you replace. Other installation methods include programs which replaces the button for you, but as they are quite easy to find I won't link any here.

Customizing your taskbar

There are two ways to go about customizing the way your taskbar looks and behaves. The first one is by adding an empty taskbar which you strip of all labels, which allows you to move the original taskbar freely. Simple as this method may be, the taskbar won't stay centered as more icons appear. This can be solved by installing TaskDock. This miniscule and hidden program centers your icons, and keeps them centered as more are added.


_____________________________________________________________________

Get creative and post the fruits of your labor! You can do a shitton with this, so don't be afraid to experiment! Get out there, find interesting skins and then post them here for everyone else to enjoy!

_____________________________________________________________________

My current UIs:

Desktop
Forum Image

Laptop
Forum Image


_________________


Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw - "...but you know how it is. Cows go "moo", dogs go "woof", MMO players go "The PvP is unbalanced"
Posts from:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Valorous Forum Index -> General Discussions All times are GMT - 6 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum