This was posted under "Weather Watcher Skins"



I've also wished that WW could somehow inherit my WindowBlinds Skin. Can you give us an option for a "skinless" interface with basic buttons for Current, Hourly, Daily, Detailed, Maps, Alerts, and Update?

Well, Windowblinds automatically skins the standard Window's borders of any program if it's using the same [system default]. The inside panel display remains the same or can use different displays provided by the Weather Watcher application. The "default" or "no skin" option would set the application's windows to the typical Microsoft Windows display standard for quick skinning with Windowblinds. This way, you don't have to "make" special skins for Weather Watcher and you can avoid the issue about providing hundreds of url's. Let Windowblinds take care of that.

That sounds great, in theory. Windowblinds does not understand how to position the Weather Watcher interface buttons, so that idea won't work quite like you have in mind. You would have to mix a Weather Watcher skin with a Windowblinds skin, which means we'd have to create a separate set of Weather Watcher skins to be used only with Windowblinds skins.

I understand, without the skin Weather Watcher wouldn't have any buttons.

The only solution I can think of would be to have the "skinless" interface provide those buttons in the way that most applications have the standard "File Edit View..." menu bar. In Weather Watcher's case it would be "Current Hourly Daily Detailed Maps Alerts Update" or something like that. Can that be done?

Sure... I would also have to hard-code the position of the embedded IE control too. Considering that most people do not use Windowblinds, it really doesn't make sense to go through all of the trouble to make that possible.

This is only a suggestion...
If it's not possible, fine.
If it's possible, it would be interesting.
But the idea is NOT to create weather watcher skins. The weather watcher panel would remain as is, windowblinds is not skinning the inside panel. Windowblinds skins Window's windows...
I don't really understand why some programmers make programs that manifest a unique interface design and don't use the typical windows interface. What's the point...? Why not follow the common groove...?

On the other hand, developers are setting limits with this approach. The windowblinds user database is ever-growing and there are thousands of users. And so, when your whole computer interface design is set up, then you're stuck with an excellant program that has limited interface options and doesn't fit in with the rest of your visual concept. And again, what's the point...?

So far, for me, Weather Watcher is the only program I've encountered with this rather "imposed" limit. I haven't yet come up with a program that is not skinnable...

Ofcourse, it's easy for us to discuss or argue the point but we are not programmers and so we don't know what's really involved when changes are proposed. That's when the developer steps in and says "yes" or "no".

That settles it...!
But kindly, I don't agree with this developer's approach...

It is quite possible.


Weather Watcher uses Windows windows. Windowblinds is skinning Windows window borders -- which is what the main Weather Watcher window lacks.


I guess they are trying to be different. After all, who wants to be exactly like all of the other guys?


I see it the other way around. Adding a border sets limits to what the main Weather Watcher window can look like. It also requires you to have an additional program (Windowblinds) installed to modify the window border. Now you're using two programs to duplicate what one program was already doing for you.


I think that is the best part of software. None of it looks the same, functions the same, etc. Take a look inside of your window borders... differences galore!


Here is a random list that I quickly found installed on my computer:

Winamp (http://www.winamp.com)
KlipFolio (http://www.klipfolio.com)
iTunes (http://www.itunes.com)
QuickTime (http://www.quicktime.com)
Desktop Weather (http://www.weather.com)

I don't think any of the above programs can be skinned with Windowblinds.


It would be very easy to unhide the Weather Watcher window border. You wouldn't like the result though... and would have to create a custom Weather Watcher skin to make up for the bad combination of the existing Weather Watcher skins and the Windows window border.


I don't either. I'm not sure where that guy learned how to program

Since a picture is worth a thousand words... here is a screenshot of the main Weather Watcher window with the window border visible:

Mike, I certainly disagree with the way doublewitt is approaching this, but I believe I can make that work. Can you let me have an option to show the border like that?

I'll add an option to enable the window border in the "skin.ini" interface skin file. I should have time to make that change later tonight (EST). Check back here for a download link.

Hunz, I'm going to have to work on this idea some more before I turn the idea over to you. I added the "Skin.ini" setting, but more work needs to be done in order to be able to use the standard Windows window "X" button, resize the window, etc.

Disappointment

But I'll get over it. Thanks so much for looking into this new feature.



I have an accompanying interface skin in the works but waiting for the new feature to make the final tweaks.

Anything new on this front? Just checking.

Nothing yet. This idea has moved to the back burner for now.

Checking... Is this item still on the list? I've since moved on to Vista and no longer use WindowBlinds, but it might be interesting to see WW with the Aero interface.