OD background tutorial?

Haven't seen any good tutorials on how to make them...I'm working on one now. If you have any questions fire away!

Actually, you're the master! Should you feel the wild desire I'd request a tabbed dock to match the Windows "standard" look, and maybe an XP blue version as well.

Windowblinds always bores me, so I find myself going back to standard often!
I just think that there are WAY too many docks designed to match blinds, but they are only useful until you change WB...

If your up to it and have time, these would be GREATLY appreciated...but if not, I will certainly keep an eye out for your tutorial...I don't know of a more talented person to learn from!

Windowblinds always bores me, so I find myself going back to standard often!

To each his own I guess.

That or you just caved into the insanity of the luna!

Give me a day or 2 and I'll have the dock for you. And if you decide you wanna take a crack at making a blind your more than welcome to ask any questions you want.

Oh no! Not Luna (ugh - looks like my five year old designed it!)...I meant literally the old school style...ie 98 style...I know, I know...but it works for me, and never does "weird" things! I'd be lost w/o my ObjectDock+, though! I haven't seen my taskbar or start menu in years. A shame that tab launchpad(or whatever it was called) has suffered a sad death! Doesn't even show up in SDCentral anymore...and ObjectBar has simply NEVER worked right. I use OD+, IP & DX exclusively!

I believe Tab Launchpad was integrated into Object Dock Plus...hence the tabbed docks. I've never used it, though so...

Sorry for the delay in your docks...have some real life issues to deal with at the moment. Soon...

Haven't seen any good tutorials on how to make them...I'm working on one now. If you have any questions fire away!

First let me say i appreciate all your works, they make my desktop much more enjoyable.
Ive been looking around for some tutorials, haven't ever found any, OD+ ‘help’ doesn't give to much detail. The zooming docks (tiles) seem so easy, but i haven't really figured out the background docks. There are designs I conceptualize, but can’t get anything close to the results!

I’ve opened up a couple backgrounds in photoshop to get ideas, but can’t quite understand the following concepts.
1. How does objectdock stretch the png file (looks wise, not the mathematics).
2. How actually do the "heights & borders" (per dockside) work in the .ini file
3. How is the background png effected when the dock zooms.
I’m about to post my first couple backgrounds they look pretty good but I basically stumbled over it.
I know this is a late reply, Hopefully you’ll see this post, any help at all is appreciated.

1) The dock is stretched out based on the icon added within the dock itself.
2) The Borders...Height&Width...Left/Right/Top/Bottom locks in the graphics so that when the dock is stretched out it doesn't distort.
3) The dock itself only stretches out Top & Bottom when the zooming effect is used.

Send me what your working on at mynick@msn.com and I'll take a look at it before you post it and see what if any corrections need to be made and I'll explain why.

cool, thanks.
i did read 'skinning the dock' in OD+ folder in C: drive but its a bit vague, almost as if a programmer wrote it, though its defiantly helpful.
If you don,t mind could you go a lil more into detail on Question2, here is what the 'skinning the dock' supplies:


OutsideBorderTop = 2 ; Adds onto TopHeight, BottomHeight, etc respectively.
OutsideBorderBottom = 10 ; Designates part of image to be as a "shadow" and draw
OutsideBorderLeft = 2 ; outside the confines of where it would normally . draw, like a
OutsideBorderRight = 8 ; shadow would.
; There are independent tags for each edge.
; The default for all is 0, so don't use if not
. needed

The Borders...Height&Width...Left/Right/Top/Bottom locks in the graphics so that when the dock is stretched out it doesn't distort.

i must mot be locking it in correctly, mosttimes it only uses a portion of the png. how do you lock it in correctly. i would guess its based on the size/shape of the png? & theres almost alway this 1/4" section at the end thats looks like its getting cropped in.

also in Q3

The dock itself only stretches out Top & Bottom when the zooming effect is used.

its clear to me that the dock background stretches out just own way; vert. or horz. based on were the dock positioned. but its still a lil unclear which part of the png it chooses to stretch out.
hope this isn't to many Q's.

also re: Q2 this is what i have for my option foe a bottom dock

[BackgroundBottom]
Image = vv4.png
LeftWidth = 4
TopHeight = 3
RightWidth = 16
BottomHeight = 4
OutsideBorderTop = 2
OutsideBorderBottom = 10
OutsideBorderLeft = 2
OutsideBorderRight = 8
ContentBufferTop = 6

hopefully others can read this if they like me cant figure it out.

Sorry Jimmyyy...gonna have to explain this after I get back from work. Be back in the morning!

how do you lock it in correctly. i would guess its based on the size/shape of the png

Correct....You have to know the actual width or height of the outside borders in the graphic your using and use that amount as your starting point. Nothing is "precise" in regards to the amounts either. You would think that it would be but its not...you will always have to make adjustments. This is something you'll discover as you go, by trial end error...adjusting and re-adjusting. Every dock is different...I can't really give you a definite formula. And it also depends on what type of graphics are in the dock. Just plain colored gradient docks are easy....graphics intensive docks take a bit more manipulating.

its still a lil unclear which part of the png it chooses to stretch out

Generally its the very top & bottom part of the dock where it starts to redraw the graphics. In a plain colored dock you won't even see this happening other than the dock getting bigger with the zoom effect. But with something that has a lot of graphics you will. Try loading the HollyDay zoomers and watch the top part of the dock while using the zoom effect....you should see what I'm talking about in that one.

Another problem you will encounter is if you use transparency in the side zoomer dock. If you don't have the height & width amounts right it will redraw over the dock background producing a shading effect running up and down the dock. With a solid background you won't see this even if your amounts are off a bit.

First thing, is the default name for the bottom dock is just [Background]...you don't have to define that.

Second thing, is that your left and right width amounts should be the same, but since I can't see what your working on you might have a reason for doing that. The top and bottom in many case will be different...but again it depends on the graphic your using.

Third thing, OutsideBorderBottom on a bottom or top dock is not needed...but since you have it in there I'm pretty sure your burying the bottom part of your dock below the taskbar. OutsideBorderTop can be used when you want your tabs or text to be placed on the graphic itself...otherwise you wouldn't use that either on a bottom or top dock. Those tags would be used for the sides...determining the distance of your icons from the sides of the dock. ContentBuffer top and bottom would be used to determine the distance of your icons from the top and bottom. On side docks this is reversed


[BackgroundBottom]
Image = vv4.png
LeftWidth = 4
TopHeight = 3
RightWidth = 16
BottomHeight = 4
OutsideBorderTop = 2
OutsideBorderBottom = 10
OutsideBorderLeft = 2
OutsideBorderRight = 8
ContentBufferTop = 6

thanks for All the general info, strange that theres no tut on the detail of streaching out the png file. it seems similar to pottery or play-dough. thanks for offering to send it to ya if i get stuck.
Well i finished a few docks, not nearly as user-friendly as tiles. I don't know if ill ever make another one! But they look good.