[spmwinkel]

Hi all

This post contains boring text at the beginning. However, it needs to be said! The actual instructions are just a little more down, so if you think "sigh, this isn't going to be fun", just realise that you only need to read the info below, it doesn't require direct action from your part.
The actual instructions will contain screenshots to make it look better and easier to understand.
You should read the info below first, but you can also scroll down. This post has sections on the Today theme (.tsk file), PocketBreeze, PocketWeather, and 4 sections on iLauncher.

At the SBSH forums, a question that gets asked a lot is: "How do I get this skin to show on my Today screen?" or a variation on that.
It requires some time to explain all that, and even though quite some people on the forums know the answer - it's just not a lot of fun to type the exact same story all over again every once in a while.
So I'm trying to explain a little bit about that in this topic, to help people get started with using skins.

Make sure that you download QVGA graphics for 240x320 screen resolution devices, and VGA graphics for 480x640 screen resolution devices.
Most likely the site where you downloaded the images will tell you if it is for VGA or QVGA.

First, three bits of information that needs to be explained before moving on to the actual instructions.

1. This guide is written on January 31, 2007. If any developer of any software mentioned here decides to change the way their software is skinned, the info in this post could be outdated. This guide is written with SBSH PocketBreeze 5.2 (Public beta 4), PocketWeather 1.3.5 and iLauncher 3.0.01.

2. These are the SBSH forums. SBSH software include PocketBreeze, PocketWeather, iLauncher, SBSH Clock and other software, but NOT Wisbar Advance 2, Wisbar Advance Desktop, Resco Keyboard Pro, psShutXP, etcetera. So even though a considerable amount of people here use these software, officialy we don't support that software so it would be best to get your question answered in the corresponding developers support system.
However some quick help:
* For Wisbar Advance 2 - put your skin folder in <installation folder>\Themes\ and choose it in the WA2 settings. If you install WA2 on a Storage Card, the folder is \Storage Card\Program Files\Lakeridge\Wisbar Advance\Themes\, but installation of WA2 to the device is recommended, so then the folder would be \Program Files\Lakeridge\Wisbar Advance\Themes\.
* Wisbar Advance Desktop - read some info about this here. Basically, WAD skins mostly contains images and you need to build the layout yourself, using those images. Yes, it is indeed pretty hard . StuartM provided some additional information a little down in this topic here.
* Resco Keyboard Pro has installers on their site which you can run. If you find a topic that just provides images, you should put them in \Program Files\Resco\KeybSkins\Default\ if you want white letters on your keyboard, or \Program Files\Resco\KeybSkins\Simple\ if you want black keyboard letters. Just overwrite the original files, but make sure to backup the original images so you can restore them if you want them back!
* psShutXP skin images are just copied into the installation folder - \Program Files\psShutXP\. Again, remember to backup the default images.

Again, please don't expect help on these software here. A considerable amount of people here may use this software and are able to help, but we are still the SBSH community, for SBSH related things. Many people here are very helpful and will be able to guide you, but it would be the most logical thing to get support on software A from developer A, not from developer X, right?
I don't mean to sound unfriendly but I'm afraid that if I don't say this, this topic will be a place where users from all kinds of software come to ask "Hey, how about this software?". Let's just focus on SBSH software here.

3. We will need to put skin folders or individual (groups of) images on the device. To do this, use the "Explore" button on Active Sync and copy the files from your PC to the relevant location on the Pocket PC.

 ActiveSync.PNG (31.01K)
Number of downloads: 85


Ok, enough chat. Let's get going.

Today theme (.tsk file).
The background of your Today screen, as well as the basic colour scheme of your device, is controlled by the Today theme. A Today theme is a .tsk file which you can place in the \My Documents\ folder on your device. You can also place it on the root folder of your Storage Card (\Storage Card\). Just copy the .tsk file from your computer to this folder on your device.

Then, on your device, go to Start - Settings - Today. Here you will see a list of the currently 'installed' Today themes, and you can just pick one. Then just tap OK to apply it, and return to the Today screen. Enjoy your new Today theme! Below is a screenshot of the Start - Settings - Today settings screen.

 Todaytheme.png (12.18K)
Number of downloads: 122


PocketBreeze skinning.
PocketBreeze skins come in folders. A PocketBreeze skin folder mostly contains many .tga images and some files with another format.
You first need to get this skin folder on your device, It doesn't matter where you put the skin folder. It can be on the device if you experience trouble with loading, or on your Storage Card to save valuable storage space.
Just create a place that is useful for you, for example \Storage Card\Skins\SBSH PocketBreeze\ and put your folder in there.
In this example, it will look like \Storage Card\Skins\SBSH PocketBreeze\Name of your skin\ and the image files are in here.
See the screenshot below, taken from my Desktop PC.

 PBlocation.PNG (46.28K)
Number of downloads: 173

Then, go to Start > Programs > PBreeze Settings. Tap the General icon, and select Skin. Then tap Browse, browse to your folder, and press Select.
Tap OK to apply changes and get out of the settings again. You will now see your new PocketBreeze skin!
See the screenshots below for screens in PBreeze Settings.

 PBSettings_.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 121  PBSettings.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 100


PocketWeather skinning.
PocketWeather skins come in folders. A PocketWeather skin folder contains many .tga and .bmp images.
(in fact, most PocketWeather "skins" that you download here contain only a "weather icon set", which skins the weather icons, but not all of the "system icon resources" such as tab images, arrows, etc.)
You first need to get this skin folder on your device, It needs to be in the Program Files\SBSH\PocketWeather\BMP\. If you installed PocketWeather on your Storage Card instead of on your device, the folder should be placed in \Storage Card\Program Files\SBSH\PocketWeather\BMP\.
See the screenshot below, taken from my Desktop PC.

 PWlocation.PNG (28.44K)
Number of downloads: 62

Then, go to Start > Programs > SBSH Mobile Software > PocketWeather Setup.
You need to select your skin from two places: the WeatherConsole tab (for the images inside WeatherConsole) and the Icons tab (for images on your Today screen).
Tap OK to apply changes and get out of the settings again. You will now see your new PocketWeather skin!
See the screenshots below for screens in PocketWeather Setup.

 PW_WeatherConsole.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 47  PW_Icons.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 38


iLauncher skinning.
iLauncher has various parts that can be skinned.
Let me discuss the following:

 iLauncherToday.png (225.05K)
Number of downloads: 131

1 - Today Screen Meter Bar
2 - Tab Icon
3 - Meter
4 - Shortcut image

Except for the Today Screen Meter Bar, your icons can be stored anywhere. They can be on the device if you experience trouble with loading delay, or on your Storage Card to save valuable storage space.
Just create places that are useful for you.
I have seperate folders:
\Storage Card\Skins\SBSH iLauncher\Tabicons\ for Tab Icons (section 2 below)
\Storage Card\Skins\SBSH iLauncher\Meters\ for Meters (section 3 below)
\Storage Card\Skins\SBSH iLauncher\Icons\ for Shortcut images (section 4 below)

Do note that you put the proper icons in the correct folders. You can't just use tab icons as shortcut icons, because they have different dimensions (height/width in pixels).

1 - Today Screen Meter Bar
I wrote a little guide about the Today Screen Meter Bar a while ago already, you can find it here.

2 - Tab Icon
If you have your icons transferred to your device into a folder of your choice, do the following.
Go to Start > Programs > iLauncher Utilities > iLauncher Options and tap the Tabs tab.
Select the tab of which you want to change the Tab Icon, and tap the [Icon] button.
In the next screen, choose one of the default tab images, or tap the [...] button and select "Browse for Folder" from the popup menu. Then browse to the folder where you save your icons and press Select. The "Browse for Folder" screen will look empty, this is okay! The icons will appear when you press Select and move from the third screenshot below to the fourth.<BR>Select the icon and press OK a couple of times to save and return to the Today screen.
See the screenshots below for screens in iLauncher Options.

 iLOptions_Tab_tab.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 97  iLauncher_Tab_icons.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 73  iLauncher_Tab_Browse.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 54  iLauncher_Tab_Icons2.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 53

3 - Meter
Amitregev wrote great information about installing new meters in this topic. However, in the meantime we where given more freedom. You can still put meters in the folder Amit mentions, but you can also create your own Meter folder.
You can read back Amit's topic and follow his steps that are still accurate, or follow mine here.

First, you need to get your meter folders on the device. iLauncher meters consist of images that are placed in folders. Every meter has it's own folder, and all folders of a set of meters need to be copied to the device.
An example is shown below, in a screenshot taken from my desktop pc.

 iLauncherMetersLocation.PNG (28.79K)
Number of downloads: 72

If all meters are in place, go into Start > Programs > iLauncher Utilities > iLauncher Options. On the Options tab, select "Meter Settings" from the drop down menu, and in the Additional Meter Path, browse to the folder where you put your meter folders in. For example, \Storage Card\Skins\SBSH iLauncher\Meters\ .
You might need to save your settings (leave the Options), and return into the options again to make iLauncher recignize this new folder. I'm not sure if this is necessary though.
Now, if you tap the Shortcuts tab, select in the drop down menu on which tab you want the meter.
Then, tap [Add...] and tap the Meters tab in the bottom. In this screen, choose your meter, and tap Select. Press OK in order to leave the Options and enjoy your meters.
Screenshots below show some of the screens in iLauncher Options.

 iLauncher_MeterPath.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 52  iLauncher_Meter_1.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 41  iLauncher_Meter_2.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 34


4 - Shortcut image

You can place your 64x64 .tga images anywhere on your device. QVGA users can also use 64x64 icons, iLauncher will automatically make them fit.

Go into Start > Programs > iLauncher Utilities > iLauncher Options. Tap the Shortcuts tab. Select the shortcut you want to change the image for, and tap [Image].
(If your shortcut is on the today screen, you can also tap-and-hold on the icon and select "Modify Image").
Tap the [...] box and browse to the folder that contains your icon(s). The folder will LOOK empty, this is ok. As soon as you tap Select, the icon(s) should appear. Now you can just select your icon, and press Select. Tap OK to leave the iLauncher Options and enjoy your skinned shortcut.
Screenshots below show some of the screens in iLauncher Options.

 iLauncher_Shortcut_tab.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 33  iLauncher_Options_Shortcut_Icons.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 28  iLauncher_Shortcuts_Browse.png (150.06K)
Number of downloads: 23


Ok, that's it! Enjoy your new Today Screen!

p.s. This is not "My topic" or something like that. I felt the need to write this post, but PLEASE everyone, just help each other if you can.
Just like on any other topic.

[sfrrr]

Stefan--this is fantastic and you did a great job. A real contribution to all SBSH users. I salute you. (And printed out the pages because I'm about to spend a long time waiting around.)

Thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks.

[spmwinkel]

Many thanks for your reply Sandra

I'm glad you say I did a good job, I was worried that maybe it was too much or too difficult to understand.

[tarheel810]

Excellent post Stefan! Hopefully this will provide guidance for many to follow.

[hezahonker]

Excellent post Stefan! Hopefully this will provide guidance for many to follow.

Thanks for doing this Stefan, it is a huge help!

[SinisterJunkie]

Very nicely done!

[mickesjo]

Amazing, Stefan!! Thank you!!!

[StuartM]

* For Wisbar Advance 2 - put your skin folder in \Program Files\Lakeridge\Wisbar Advance\Themes\ and choose it in the WA2 settings.

That's only true if WA2 was installed to the device, if it was installed to storage card the path will need to be adjusted to suit. On WM5 machines it would be \Storage Card\Program Files\Lakeridge\Wisbar Advance\Themes\.

[hezahonker]

That's only true if WA2 was installed to the device, if it was installed to storage card the path will need to be adjusted to suit. On WM5 machines it would be \Storage Card\Program Files\Lakeridge\Wisbar Advance\Themes\.

It is my understanding that Chris intends for WA to be installed to main memory. I believe he even created the executables to install to main memory at some point so that the program would have to be in main memory because of the many different problems that can occur when it is installed to storage cards. Has this changed?

[StuartM]

A bit more info on WAD.

Firstly, I'm no expert on this, I only installed WAD this week to use with Mickesjo's fantastic Whatsta skin (Tack så mycket) so this is just what I've picked up in the process.

A WAD skin consists of a directory under \Themes\Desktop (by default, YMMV).

This directory contains a file called skin_name.skin, for each Today plugin that is used in the skin the directory will contain a file called plugin_name.plugin and for each virtual page in the skin there will be a subdirectory.

The only thing of interest in skin_name.skin is a line which will probably say "First Page=Desktop", this tells WAD the name of the subdirectory which contains the details of how the first page is laid out.

The .plugin files contain information about where the plugin should be placed on the page.

In our example where "First Page=Desktop" the skin directory will have a subdirectory called Desktop, this contains a file called page.theme which specifies the location of the file to be used as wallpaper for that page and also lists the objects that make up the elements of the page, the shortcuts, buttons, meters etc.

Each object listed in page.theme will have a corresponding file in the subdirectory which contains configuration details for that item eg. for a button, the path to the image which will be displayed to represent the button, where the button is to be placed on the page and the path to the application that will be launched when the button is clicked.

All the files are simple text files that can be edited either through WAD itself or by a text editor.

This is far from being an exhaustive explanation of WAD skins but hopefully it should give some clues to help people understand them a little better.

[StuartM]

It is my understanding that Chris intends for WA to be installed to main memory. I believe he even created the executables to install to main memory at some point so that the program would have to be in main memory because of the many different problems that can occur when it is installed to storage cards. Has this changed?

I can only quote from my own experience which was that when I installed WA2 I was offered the choice of main memory or storage card. I chose to install to storage card so my themes are in \Storage Card\Program Files\Lakeridge\Wisbar Advance\Themes\.

[spmwinkel]

I agree on the \Storage Card\ thing being added to the WA2 section, even though I also remembered that WA2 was meant to be installed on the main device, like Hezahonker says.
Anyway, since the user has the freedom to install to Storage Card, I'll change it in the first post.
(I'm not intending to keep this topic up to date at all time with all changes, but a mistake like this in the original post should be fixed of course. )

Many thanks for your information about WAD! I used it a little while last summer but it was too buggy and used too much resources so I removed it again. I see a lot in the skin structure has changed, if I remember correctly.
I'll link to your post from the first post.

Thanks for the kind words all!

[mickesjo]

It is my understanding that Chris intends for WA to be installed to main memory. I believe he even created the executables to install to main memory at some point so that the program would have to be in main memory because of the many different problems that can occur when it is installed to storage cards. Has this changed?

True - but for the users who are running e.g. WM2003SE with some kind of "File Store" built in storage feature the software can be installed there without any loss of performance while still preserving some precious RAM With this is mind I would still like the instruction to say "<WA2 installation folder>\themes\" instead

Anyone using WM5 should always install WA2 to "device"

[spmwinkel]

I changed the WA2 part again, maybe this is clearer?
If not, please make a suggestion as to how I should change the text, i.e. how it should be.

[mickesjo]

I changed the WA2 part again, maybe this is clearer?
If not, please make a suggestion as to how I should change the text, i.e. how it should be.

I think it's fine just like that