Theme Manager & Visual Styles

Take a close look..

from JoeUser Forums

If you have Object Desktop, you have access to Theme Manager.  Theme Manager doesn't get talked about on-line nearly as much as it should. It's one of the most powerful Windows customization programs out there. But it is also incredibly easy to use. 

In my opinion, Theme Manager represents the best of Windows customization software -- it does a ton of things but it does it incredibly easily.

So what does Theme Manager do? Just what the name implies, it lets you manage all your themes. Not just themes though, your skins, icon packages, visual styles and more.  If you have SkinStudio installed, Theme Manager will even let you apply msstyles seamlessly.  If I click on the visual style item, it will display visual styles of all formats. It doesn't care about the format. The one in the screenshot is an msstyle.  Theme Manager is the only program that exists that can actually preview msstyles without having to hack your system DLL (uxtheme.dll).  And it will apply the msstyle quite seamlessly.

Just by pressing the apply button it takes care of things. And it does this without messing around with your system files.  That's because, under the covers, Theme Manager uses WindowBlinds and SkinStudio (both parts of Object Desktop).  But the person using Theme Manager won't even know that. It's all done as part of Theme Manager. This is where the object-oriented ness of Object Desktop's components come into play. 

Theme Manager doesn't stop there though. It does this for pretty much all the popular programs out there. Want a different CursorXP cursor? No problem.  Want to change your logon screen? No sweat. Want a different boot screen? Easy.  Theme Manager doesn't do these things itself, it works through other programs under the covers.  What if you don't have one of those programs? No problem, it'll go and download and install it for you.

So if you've got Object Desktop, download the latest version (2.19a as of the time of this writing). If you don't have Object Desktop, get it now at www.objectdesktop.com. Remember, with Object Desktop you get not only everything that it already has but everything that gets added and improved for a year afterwards.

25,543 views 24 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I always overlook this feature. I will definitely try it out.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
in the preview the beatnik and sysmetrix disapear on the new version ???
oh no !!!
Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
the beatnik and sysmetrix not in the new version ???
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hah! A friend of mine bought OD a couple weeks ago, and just last night I said "Hey, have you used Theme Manager?", and he repled "No, whats that?".. Anyway, I showed him, and he was like "This is the coolest thing i've seen in a long time.".

Kinda funny, it was one of the first things I played with, and I use it all of the time.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
They're still in there. They just don't show up unless you have those programs installed.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
ok !!! thanks Frogboy !!! Merry Christmas !!!
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I love the Theme Manager however, I'm having some problems loading skins and desktop screen shots and other things . I'm new to this and I would not be surprised if my lack of understanding might have something to do with it if anyone reads this please let me know if I'm making a simple mistake or if I need to upgrade over the 49.99 version to get things to work properly, thakns.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I guess I just got lucky being new to the game. That was the 1st thing I latched on to...and been riding it since. It is indeed a powerful little hub of activity that completes it's tasks seemlessly!!!
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I've only been in about 2 months, and have had a few bumps here and there, but overall....awesome. The only things I've added (so far) are CursorXP +. I think if you go to the site you get a discount because you already own OB DESKTOP. I think it was only $10.00...and worth every dime!!!!

I also bought the OB DOCK +. I'm still trying to nurse myself off of this damn Windows taskbar and start menu. I'm just now getting it rolled out(had it a week). You also get a discount on this item...I think it was $14.95. MAKE SURE YOU GO TO THE OBJECT DESKTOP site and I think you want to view "ALL PRODUCTS." I almost checked out at the higher prices...so pay attention. There will be 2 buttons that say "BUY"...and the less exspensive 1 is for you. Both CXP+ and OBD+ are worth the
extra $$$ !!!!!
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Kind of on topic, but not, anyway, @Frogboy - will the automated drag in of msstyles (which is very good as of now) be slightly improved to remove the horrible magic pink that msstyles use to do slim caption bars? I know it would involve more image/colour detection, but would save some of us doing the usual after import tweaks with SS.

Just curious, and Merry Christmas to you
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If you can point me to a skin that has magic pink showing up we can do something with it.  I haven't seen that before myself.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Just the usual magic pink across the top of the toolbars. I didn't post clearly in what I meant as the pink isn't visible in window blinds applied skins, but when you open them in SS.

The main prob they can cause is shadows by WinFX apply its effect to the magic pink. Or maximising a window while having the toolbar at the top of the screen can leave a gap between said window and the startbar.

For example a few of KoL's skins do this. Nothing major as I said, more just curious as I know it usually keeps the pink and applies a screen edge clip which isn't always correct.

Also congrats on getting the import to the point it is at.
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
hello there i was downloading a theme but it is not showing in my theme manger but i fix it now it is not downloading from the web-site. can you help me please thank you so much.
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Big - you really need to talk to support or go onto the help area on WC for something like that.  You're not providing nearly enough information for us to be able to help you.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I really believe that Theme Manager represents the best of Windows customization software!

There is one minus though,
for been able to use it,
you need ObjectDesktop,
which means many other applications installed in your computer!

It could be great to have it independent, as stand alone software,
with limited options,
the majority of the people doesn't need all those options of WB or IP etc
and also doesn't need all the parts of ObjectDeskttop, for example SkinStudio !

I guess then Theme Manager will have great success! It is just an idea

Happy Holidays!
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Seems okay, except it butchered the OpusOS MSStyle - the taskbar/start menu anyway.

Cheers,
J
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm still not impressed with the workings of Theme Manager. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of WB but I hate how Theme Manager it's self works.

Here's the biggest draw back. If your using VS and you want to save a Theme you click "Save As", you name the theme whatever you choose amd save it to the Resources folder. The link ends of being 1k to 7k. In Theme Manager you tell it which WB, Wallpaper, Icon Package, etc and it save it as a complete package but it's a whopping 17 megs of better. So, saving 5 or more Themes can cost up upwards of 100 additional megs. Why can't you make to just save a link like VS at about 7k's?
Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Does anybody know where I could find a good tutorial for DesktopX? One that tells me how to create themes and all of the things related to that (creating tabs and stuff). Preferably easy to understand because I know very little about any kind of programming.
Thanks


By the way Theme Manager ROX
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top
Theme Manager is the only one I use from the Object Desktop suite. It takes too much mucking around to go to the seperate programs and set things up, so having one program that does all of it is convenient.
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
How exactly does one use theme manager to apply a msstyle? I have a msstyle I wish to apply but can't seem to get it into theme manager, which section should it appear under, suites? visual styles?. Have even tried right clicking on the msstyle and choosing "open with theme manager" but I still don't see how to apply it.
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Tweaker...isn't that what the setting in Theme Manager/Tools/Settings does...gives you a choice of moving the entire theme or just copying it for use??? I've never checked, but assumed it was meant for that purpose...."Move theme files or just copy them...I thought copying them just left the link in Theme Manager to the components if you didn't chose "move"...then after using the copy they were discarded to temp files. ????????? If it isn't....it should be. I'll have to check.
Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Any idea when Theme Manager will actually work again? I install .suite files but they never download the files. This is extremely annoying and downgrades the value of Theme Manager.
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
When I download anything from the Gallery, it has a zip extension. How do I (using WinRar) extract any of these skins to Theme Manager or should I just rename the file?