Is 30 pixels tall as large as i can make a start button? If so, i think that it would really be worthwhile to find a way to allow skinners to make larger start buttons.

The size of the Start Button is not limited to 30 pixels, but there is one thing you have to keep in mind: the NextSTART Startbar will ALWAYS automatically make itself tall enough in order to fit the largest element in it. The unit in which it grows are tasklist 'rows'.

What this means is that if your Start Button bitmap is higher than the bitmap for task buttons, then your taskbar will always be at least two rows high.

So, the largest size you can use for the Start Button without forcing the startbar to be at least 2 rows high, really depends on many factors, including the icon size the user has set for task buttons (which is 16x16 by default).

O.K. I understand that. However, if for example you take the aero skin, and make the quick launch icons 32 X 32 , the start button which is 30 pixels high seems to have a lot of wasted space beneath it as it is aligned near the top of the startbar. (I am not sure what size the startbar is at this point. It may be 32 or 48 px. I believe it is the latter.) If i try to increase the size of the start button image, to occupy that space, then the startbar increases again in height. I guess then what i would like to do at this point is find a way to keep that original start button either centered in that space or occupy it completely. If i try to make the startbutton any larger, say 32 px, the startbar grows again....to like 64 px high. Does that make sense?

I got this figured out. I can adjust the button metrics for the tasklist buttons and that takes care of it. However, if i reload the theme, my button metrics don't seem to be saved. I have to reset them. Is there somewhere else i need to save the button metrics for the tasklist as set under tasklist skinning preferences?

Never mind....i found it in the .wst file.....

You don't need to change settings in .wst files - just re-save the theme in the Theme Manager tab.