I'd really love to see you finish the builder / designer.
You said not to edit the various files, but the facility to save a new creative idea with or without existing Themes is no longer there and it's all manual if you are serious.
It is feasible as I created an "Orchestra" Xtreme which I cannot export to the packed format anymore.

ALL manual edits of config files and exact pixel placements etc etc..
NOT recommended. The builder will make it soooo much easier.
I would redo this with a better tool and make everything cleaner... que sera sera..
That's my only wish
A

Very nice! Would love to have this.

I am happy to give it to you but unfortunately, because there is no builder, I cannot tidy up the timber and other things without manually doing config file edits [which I did] and to say it is painless, would be a lie.
MOST importantly, without the themebuilder, I cannot compact into a *.xtreme file.


Here are a couple of others... The Wine and Fruit turned out nicely but again I cannot compact

As you can see what i have had to do with the others, I am yet to fix the Assassin's Creed one. I also need to clean the graphics up... early days.. The tool would make it so much easier.
I could then simply let you download the *.xtreme files..
Sorry - Please remind Jorge to finish it... I think he must have been so pestered by wannabe artists like myself he has stopped answering haha

After editing the files here is AC fixed. Theme builder needed
As I mentioned a heck of a lot more fun if there is a dedicated editor
I could say after top-down processes of one-at-a-a-time testing, what each stat does in every file by trial and error from justification to pixel positions and more, but I do not think the author wants it done that way.
[I'd rather not do it that way to be honest, way too time consuming].
Cheers

Jorge, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a *.xtreme file just a renamed *.zip file? I know it used to be.

Sorry, only noticed this now.

In theory, yes it is, but in practice it isn't.

The .xtreme format has to change a single byte in the zip file header to prevent browsers and web servers from recognizing the MIME format as a renamed zip file and automatically changing the extension to .zip when you download the .xtreme file (which would prevent it from being automatically recognized by Xtreme).

HOWEVER...

If Winstep Xtreme is installed in your system, you can simply right click a zip file in Explorer and you should find a 'Convert to .Xtreme' option in the context menu that pops up. No need for the Theme Builder.

Likewise, right clicking a .Xtreme file in Explorer should give you a 'Convert to .zip' option.

If you don't see those options when you right click a .zip or .xtreme file, open WorkShelf Preferences, go to the Advanced tab, click the Troubleshooting button and then the 'Restore File Associations' button.

Ok, I have to admit I like your themes...

...and that is making me want to finish the Theme Builder. It will, however, take some time to do it properly.

So, here are a few tricks for you to play in the mean time:


1. Old theme builder.

The last time there was a GUI for making themes, it was integrated in the UI of v9.5. One thing you can do for the time being is run v9.5 when you want to make a theme.

You cannot, however, run it at the same time as the latest version. You must either run one or the other.

Furthermore, there is no telling if running v9.5 at this point is going to screw anything with your current configuration. Winstep applications are backwards compatible (was always careful with that) but they are obviously not *forward* compatible. So, making changes to docks, etc, while running v9.5 can potentially break your configuration in v16.6.

As such, I advise you to backup both NextSTART and WorkShelf settings before even attempting to run v9.5. If anything goes wrong when you go back to v16.6, you can always restore those settings.

You can download the old v9.5 version from HERE.

Extract the contents of the zip file into your C:\Program Files (x86)\Winstep\ folder. The application filenames are different and will therefore not overwrite the current versions.

When you want to work on a theme for WorkShelf, exit the v16.6 version of WorkShelf and then launch the workshelf2.exe file in the Winstep folder. That's the v9.5 version of WorkShelf. NextStart2.exe will be the v9.5 version of NextSTART. Exit NextSTART v16.6, launch nextstart2.exe.


2. Themes Tutorial

Older versions (9.5 included) used to have a User Guide, and a quite complete one at that. Each User Guide has a section dedicated to creating themes, explaining what each skinning setting in the v9.5 UI does.

You can find the links to these User Guides in this post HERE.

Thanks for your kind words.
I just love Winstep so when we enjoy something, we tend to put a little extra into it.
Thanks for the links. I have another computer. messy but better than corrupting the version 16.
Is there a temporary license I can get for 9.5? It saves the popups after time saying I need to register it. It might not, but better safe than sorry. You have my email I think as I am a purchased owner,,, PM me and I will send it as I imagine I am one of very many, if that works.

There is no "Save as" function that there was on earlier functions so it is all a manual copy. perhaps bringing that back in with the themes may also not be a bad idea? Just a suggestion, nothing more.
or perhaps a selector that says "Developer" that only enables it whe then?
whatever works for you.

Again, thank you very much !!

By the way this did not wwork for me

Agreed!



Have you tried using your v16.6 license key already? It should work.



Can you please post a screenshot of the context menu you get in Windows Explorer when you right click a zip file?

Oh. I had not thought about that. I'll have to wait until I can scrape together some money to renew. Hopefully soon, it looks like my wife might have a new job that will give her more hours than her old one did.

Context menu.
I am just wondering because I do not use Winzip and use Winrar instead if its defaults have done something? It shuldn't , but anything is possible.
ALSO - 9.5 would not install. 64bit Win 8.1 on both computers. It does not like the older VB runtime., so it won't even install [yes I installed the older one].

Also edited your Atmospheria. The title is pretty self evident... I will probably have more creative ownership by changing the modules at a later date, but it was so clean it was actually a pleasure to work with in the file edits.
Thanks. Such a great desktop program. I am almost used to manual edits.. probably a bad habit.

Probably is, those options are added to the 'CompressedFolder' class in the Registry, which is used when zip files are handled natively by the OS.

Personally I do not have zip files associated with WinRAR, letting Windows handle them instead.



Ah, you're putting them on another computer!!!

Ok, you need to install v16.6 FIRST on the other computer. Only then can you copy the files to the Winstep folder in C:\Program Files (x86)\

That makes sense on both counts
I will try that later today and get back to you [with screenshots]. I will uninstall Winrar on the other one. I use it because it has a better compression algorithm and handles sunbstantially more compressed file types... actually, most of the ones out there with little exception. I can put it back later after it is working in the context menu [if it does - I trust your judgement] - Then see if it takes it away... always better to know the cause rather than a bandaid.

Meantime here are 2 more.. will get to you after weekend
The Black Silk looks so simple and is far from finished and is the hardest to date... getting the same texture on everything is impossible without the builder due to menu sizing etc... So that one will wait and be WIp for some time yet...