Minimum size for ALL menus
Published on February 26, 2008 By Snowman In OS Customization

Heya guys and gals

I was just wondering if any of you RightClick users/skinners have found a way to set some kind of minimum size for all menus?

Guided by Lantec, I've managed to keep the 'main' menu at a minimum size by manually setting a value for TightItemWidthBuffer in the .menuskin, but the submenus doesn't obey these values.

Example:



Comments
on Feb 26, 2008
First off, credit where credit's due....I got the Tightitemwidthbuffer= from Fairyy~ & Buzz58

I've been poking around and I'm thinking about playing with the settings in the submenu (.obbar) files in C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\RightClick\Bars. Problem is they only effect submenus not Folder Menus.

On IRC I mentioned grabbing the edge like a window......there's 2 settings in them called "FreeResizing=0" & "FreeResizing2=0".....I wonder if they'll work in the .menuskin file.......oh well, I'll play when I've got some time at home and see if I can make any headway.

By the way.....the Tightitemwidthbuffer= is in the .obbar files too......
on Feb 27, 2008
It should have fixed the sub-menus too.

I usually keep increasing the tightItemWidthBuffer until the submenus stop distorting any of the graphics. Usually I open the ini pad in skin studio, then set the margins around the parts of RC that I do not want to stretch. Then I go and change the tightItemWidthBuffer in increments of 10. Unload RC program and reload.

Sometimes it just wont be perfect for everyone thats why I include text note about adding a few more letters to any entry on a submenu until their own personal menu looks correct for them. I'll check with buzzh58 when I speak to him if I'm missing anything...he is the one that would know more about this than me.
on Feb 27, 2008

By the way.....the Tightitemwidthbuffer= is in the .obbar files too......

As I mentioned on IRC, editing the .obbar file doesn't work, as RightClick writes to that file on exit, resetting any changes to 'default' values even if you make changes to it with RightClick unloaded. 

Either way, editing the .obbar would (in my case) only be used as a 'last resort', since changes in this files affects all skins.

adding a few more letters to any entry on a submenu until their own personal menu looks correct for them

Yes, that is 'a solution', but not an optimum solution. It'd be a bitch having to manually edit numerous entries everytime a skin requires it
It *should* be auto-adjusted by the program....

on Feb 27, 2008
Hope you get it worked out Snowman. Love RC, but it's a shame that there's talk of dropping it.  
on Feb 27, 2008

it's a shame that there's talk of dropping it

Say WHAT?!
Where'd you hear/read about that, Phoon??

on Feb 27, 2008
Yes, that is 'a solution', but not an optimum solution. It'd be a bitch having to manually edit numerous entries everytime a skin requires it
It *should* be auto-adjusted by the program....


True...I forget that my RC menu is set up to stretch most menus - I suppose the original RC program was only meant to be used with the imported skins so it wasn't a priority...those menus were pretty plain.

It would be a shame if they drop this program. Most of the problems occurred because the program has no " save configuration " so whenever a menu was lost most just didn't bother setting up again....and updates never state to leave program running while you update.
If you close it while updating you found yourself with a new download and a blank menu.

on Feb 27, 2008
I'll look around for it, but I recall a thread in which Brad was bitching about what a horrendous job it is trying to get this stuff to work in Vista and made a remark that ObjectBar ain't gonna happen. I can't find that post, but I thought that he referred to RightClick as well.
Here's the closest thing I can find right now though..

Reply #38 from https://forums.wincustomize.com/post.aspx?postid=177007&p=2


I can easily see a day where WindowBlinds 7 is a $39.95 product but it comes with a dozen high quality skins plus a year subscription to Stardock Design where they get new skins as they're made for free. And only the really popular programs continue being developed with Object Desktop being $69.95 where it comes with just a few key components but lots of content.

I'm not saying that's what will happen. But looking at how I see things going from here to 2010 that's the direction I see things taking. So there wouldn't be updates to ObjectBar or RightClick or the other programs that just aren't as popular as the core parts. Maybe freeware developers would pick it up or some competitor might come and pick it up.



on Feb 28, 2008

If you close it while updating you found yourself with a new download and a blank menu.

Hehe... been there, done that
But I've noticed that the .obbar file keeps info on how you've set up your menus, shortcuts etc etc.
So I simply make a backup of it whenever I've added/changed anything.

Phoon

Thanks, mate.   
I'll see if I can dig up some more info on this 'issue'!

on Feb 28, 2008
ControlCenter, ObjectBar, RightClick are all the same code base (I think).  I'd imagine that if one goes  .. they will all go.
Maybe they'll be replaced with something better.

Me, I'll miss it.  I have said it before and I'll say it here again.  I think that OB (and it's spawn) are the most powerful tools in the SD arsenal.  If anything, I like to see it rebranded and moved over to the ThinkDesk suite as a tool (opposed to part of the ODNT skinning suite).

[It's funny how Stardock went form the desktop tool world of OS/2 to the skinning world of Windows and back to the tools with ThinkDesk.    - sorry for going SO off-topic ]
on Feb 28, 2008

Thanks for that info, Aaron.   

Just because SD stops dev on those apps ain't making'em go away
I know for sure, I'll keep on using AND skinning RC.
I've received a "carte blanche" permission from a good friend of mine (and an awesome gfx artist), for usage of any of his graphics.
So expect to see 'a few' more skins for RC from me, in the future

on Feb 28, 2008
Just because SD stops dev on those apps ain't making'em go away
I know for sure, I'll keep on using AND skinning RC.
I've received a "carte blanche" permission from a good friend of mine (and an awesome gfx artist), for usage of any of his graphics.
So expect to see 'a few' more skins for RC from me, in the future


I intend to do the same.

RightClick was never given the attention it deserved.
OB has barely any Skins in that Library but RC is full of great skins.

Some of the Rightclicks can take hours to make depending on how involved you want to get.
Working with just bmps has always been a challenge but Ive seen some Rightclicks that were able to over come that obstacle.

Such is life ...