Shoutbox

The past hours I've been editting the VISTA Ultimate skin in such way, I changed like all pictures in it (except the pictograms, wich I can't seem to open?).

The skin has an option to hide the search bar, though it doesn't seem to work for me. I'm not sure if I changed the text file 923 before, like weeks ago.

My main 2 issues,

-I'd like the ad at the bottom of the contact list to dissappear, preferably also removing the text on the left: 'Advertisement'

-I'd like to have the search bar at the contact list to be dead. killed. not there. D:

Also, I got a somewhat smaller issue, sometimes I get an information bar near (under) the search bar, containing useless text like "You can now communicate with your contacts while you're appearing offline".
(roughly translated from dutch to english)
So if there is a way to remove that bar too, please tell me if you know

Thanks in advance!

Yes Dennis It is possible to remove all those things.

They all require that you edit (or add) layoutpos=top/bottom to be layoutpos=none

The search bar with the information bar you refer to is called the 'word wheel' it searches your contact list only. It is possible to remove that information bar also. To do so edit 1001 definition here's the example from 8.5

code:

---

    <Element LayoutPos=Client Layout=BorderLayout() Padding=rect(0,0,0,0) ID=Atom(ai558)>
        <Element LayoutPos=Top Layout=BorderLayout()>
            <*PlusSkin Conditions(HideInfoA = true) *><element layoutpos=none></*PlusSkin*>
            <InfoBar id=atom(maininfobar) LayoutPos=None Layout=FillLayout() accessible=false padding=rect(0,0,0,0)>
                <Element id=atom(maininfobarholder) Layout=BorderLayout()>
                    <Element LayoutPos=Left Layout=FlowLayout(0,0,0,0) Padding=Rect(1,1,3,0)>
                        <ImageList id=atom(infobaricon) ImageListId=0 Width=16 Height=16/>
                    </Element>
                    <HtmlView LayoutPos=Client id=atom(infobartext) label=atom(infobaricon) maxvisiblelines=2 active=mouseandkeyboard|nosyncfocus/>
                </Element>
            </InfoBar>
            <*PlusSkin Conditions(HideInfoA = true) *></element></*PlusSkin*>
        </Element>

---

This as you can see from the PlusSkin references, adds an element around the infobar that is then told to not have any position

(new conditional element)
     (infobar)
(/new conditional element)

this is a way to hide some more stubborn buttons/elements, and also replace some.

The search bar I have a tutorial for removing it found http://www.msgpluslive.net/skins/resources/tut-Hi...ptions-definitions

Ah, thanks! Soon reply btw


- Edit : I can't get any further with this. none of the definition files seem to contain these lines of code. I tried adding your lines of code to 1001.txt, it appeared green in my text edittor though. as if they are comments? -

I just stumbled upon a slight other problem.
At the chatwindow, there is a bar in the middle, with the emoticons emoticon, buzzer emoticon, and some other small pictures. That bar shows up black to me.
Is that because of a definition file 'telling' it to be black, or is it because of my fooling with the pictures, and if so, what picture is it asociated with?

yet again, thanks in advance ;D

Sounds like an image problem, and it depends on your windows and messenger version whether it loads a different image on not.

eg. Windows Vista has it's own different resource loaded
Try looking into your extracted resourced, consolidated windows folder for 920 to see which one it was you replaced

Well, I'm using windows xp sp 2, I seriously doubt it has something to do with that. I editted some pictures to be completely transparent, actually containing no actual pixels so to speak. I'll try making them red one by one, to figure wich one is screwing with me

I editted my 2nd post in this thread, it seems like your first reply didnt help me D:

If the image is transparent, I remember I also had problems with this. Try changing the image to see if it will be black or if it will work properly.

Well, I tried using information obtained in this thread, but I just can't manage to pull it of. Or they are just pesky D:

I am using the original definitions now. Can someone hax them in such way, that the things marked with red circles, arrows, in the attachment will be removed?

I don't want to sound demanding in any way, it's just that.. well. I just don't understand how to do it D:

*Definitions are the originals from VISTA Ultimate, downloaded from this link: http://www.msgpluslive.net/skins/view/29-VISTA-Ultimate/ *
*I didn't mean my operating system in the title, I meand the Skin itself*

I'll be able to do it for you but will not be allowed to supply the definitions to you in public, please email me your 923 and 1001 definitions thank you.

quote:

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Originally posted by DennisMartijn
....information bar near (under) the search bar, containing useless text like....

---

Note that the information bar can give quite usefull information also. For example showing if you got any alerts which you might have missed, or indicating that there might be connection  or server problems, etc....

The useless info like "you can now chat while you're offline" is normally only showed once. And if nothing needs to be shown (eg: you've got no alerts, and the connection is ok) the bar will not be shown either.

So, personally, I would find a way to incoorporate it in the skin instead of just simply removing it... (especially if you're going to release the skin in public).

The same goes for the Word wheel. For example, I use that all the time since it vastly speeds up searching for contacts in large contact lists.

quote:

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
Word wheel. For example, I use that all the time since it vastly speeds up searching for contacts in large contact lists

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I love that best feature of WLM along with Subscribe to Contact Details (sadly contacts don't always keep details up to date or correct)