Hi everybody!
I'm using a dark theme for windows, and MSN Messenger uses the black background for the contact list and the convo window text areas, so text is unreadable totally...
Would it be possible to change the background colour to white with a script? And if so, could anybody start me in the right direction to make a script for it? (I'm okay at JavaScript, but I don't know much about WinAPI)

Try Background Changer 1.0, if you want a fully white background you can make yourself a fully white image

Edit: for background ideas have a look on http://www.grsites.com/textures (posibillities are endless with the background changer script).

Thanks, but the bigger problem still exists - I can't see the conversations

Well if it is your windows theme that is causing the problem no amount of scripts will change the backround... For your text maybe you could make it a colour that stands out in your font options, and you could maybe set a background images in the conversation windows.

Cloudy

Why of course it's changable! The convo windows are but simple windows forms as well, so the background of the text areas inside are changable, unfortunately I don't know how
And what I can't do is change the blahblah is writing: text's colour... It's pretty annoying that way. Also, the normal backgrounds of MSN will only work on the main form's canvas, not on the text areas, so it's about useless for me

Well yea backgrounds are there to adjust the background of conversation windows (simply drag and drop a picture in the main field where the conversation gathers) and now with the script you can do the same for the contactlist. Adjusting the font used by/inside the program is something else.

A solution for that: exclude Windows Live Messenger from the theme. I mean you can adjust WLM to fit your theming in colours from itself already.

Nope, can't do, at least to my best knowledge. I'm using a shell skinner named WindowBlinds, and I can exclude a program from the skin, but not from the colour sheme. Tho, if there's a way to tell windows to skin a proggy with xyz theme, then please tell me where!

There have been problems reported with WindowBlinds before (tabbed chats getting smaller etc.) so i advice to exlude WLM from it anyway.

Have you tried to change the colours of WLM itself already (see picture)?

-_- Yes I have

quote:

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Originally posted by Speeder
-_- Yes I have

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If I remember correctly if you set a dynamic background, the background of the incoming text will change aswell? Your typing area wont change, so just change the colour of the text you use...

Less than an ideal solution, but is the best that can be done without hooking messenger and changing the form colour.

It would be possible to skin WLM to have a different colour, but that is more trouble than it is worth.

Cloudy

And so, here is the screenshot:

ah, the dynamic background idea does work... And that dark colour is about 50% transparent, so my text is pretty okay if I have a bright dynamic background on, thanks cloudhunter!

Still this is goddamned ugly, so if anyone has an idea how to change the background of the controls, or knows how to script it or whatever, please tell

Do this and you should beable to see your text better in the convo window.

First open windowblinds and add WLM like this:



Then open wlm contact window and do this:




If it is still hard to read you can always download skinstudio and edit the windowblinds skin yourself. It's really easy to do (minor modifications like this) and if you want to take that route, let me know and I will tell you what to edit to change just the background color so its lighter (or another color all together).

EDIT:

Come to think of it... I think you can edit the text color also (in skinstudio) but it would be system wide...

Tools > My Backgrounds > Choose the one with a Circle and a Line through it (like the screenshot).



And click on Set Default

oh, man!

Firstly, I've MADE this WB skin. And it's perfect too xept in a few programs made by moneyleecher idiots for programing. Also, I know how to ignore apps, but as I've already said that doesn't change the colour sheme...
And I've just written that the dynamic background worked, you need not tell me how to set one when I've already done so.
Thanks for trying to help, but please read what I've said previously, this is like I was some total idiot.

Matty: that's just like the way it was crappy, indeed

Well if you are satisfied with what you have now then fine, but if not you can reshack the "msgres.dll". I'll post brief instructions.

First, close WLM.

Open Resource Hacker (http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker/)

Open msgres.dll in the messenger directory (usually "C:\Program Files\MSN Messnger\")

In resource section 4005, resource 920, language 1033, find around line 329:

code:

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element[id=atom(inputareacont)][class="DefaultWallpaper"]
{
background:rcclr(1415);
}

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code:

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background:rcclr(1415);

---

code:

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background:argb(255,255,255,255);

---

code:

---

convhistory[class="DefaultWallpaper"]
{
background:rcclr(1415);
}

---

code:

---

background:rcclr(1415);

---

code:

---

background:argb(255,255,255,255);

---

Wooohhoooo! Thanks, that's precisely what I needed! And now I know where to look to tinker this or that too

I apologize for sounding harsh, but I thought I talked about WB's ignore app part, so that was pretty strange...

You're welcome, took me a while of fiddling and experimenting myself My advice if someone gives you advice you have already done, just say "I've already tried that" Requires less effort, and you look better in the eyes of other people

Cloudy

hehe, well... I'll remember that