Q: Transparent Theme Button & Theme Highlight?

[rn5a]

When the icons in the Application Launcher in A1200 is tapped or when the user moves from one icon to another using the joystick, each icon is divided into 2 rectangles - a broader top rectangle that encapsulates the icon & a narrower bottom rectangle which encapsulates the name of the icon. The color of the broader top rectangle can be changed by opening the associated PSKN file in Notes & then editing the value of Theme Button & that of the narrower bottom rectangle can be changed by editing the value of Theme Highlight.

What I would like to know is can the 2 rectangles be made transparent? How about not assigning any value to Theme Button & Theme Highlight i.e. leaving these 2 values blank?

Note that in case of the in-built icons, the top rectangle appears for a second (which can be made out especially by using the joystick to navigate from one icon to another since tapping the stylus opens the application immediately) & then disappears where as in case of the icons associated with the apps installed explicitly by the user, the top rectangle doesn't disappear.

Thanks,

Ron

[msandiej]

Interesting question...Here are my thoughts...

First, let me make sure I know what you are asking. You would like the "active state" of the icons to be transparent? So, that when you click the icon, the highlight is not there?

If thats the case, I can foresee one reason why that wouldnt work. If you leave an RGB "blank," it will normally default to black. It assumes zeros...

Like this:
Say the RGB is: 255 255 255
If you enter nothing, it will default itself to 0 0 0. Which is, as we know, black.

In RGB, there is no "transparent" color.

Now...what would make it APPEAR transparent would be matching the RGB to the themes BG color. So, say your wallpaper has an RGB of 255 255 255 (white). If you make the highlight also white, it will not show up on the bg. In fact, that is how mine is setup. I have the RGB of ThemeHighlight set to the same RGB as my wallpaper. So, when I click an icon in app launcher, that top highlighted area does not actually change/show.

Am I understanding this correctly?

[rn5a]

Yup....you have understood it very much correctly. Leaving RGB blank defaults to black; then how about completely removing the Theme Button & Theme Highlight entries from the PSKN file? Will that serve the purpose?

Actually when I was an utter A1200 newbie, I had messed up my phone after making changes in a theme file (I had to flash my phone ultimately which during those days was a big proposition for me); that's the reason why I am asking. I don't want to fiddle with my phone & see it crashing again!

Yeah setting the Theme Button & Theme Highlight color in the PSKN to the same color as the wallpaper will definitely serve the purpose BUT only if the wallpaper has a single color & my wallpaper is an amalgamation of colors.

BTW, why doesn't the color of the top rectangle of the icon (which encompasses only the icon & not the app's name) doesn't disappear if the icon belongs to an app that has been explicitly installed by the user? For e.g. if the Theme Button color is, say, red & the Calendar icon is highlighted, then the red rectangle will disappear after a second or two but if, say, the BusyBox app is highlighted, then the top rectangle will forever remain red as long as it is highlighted.

Ron

[msandiej]

I personally would not take out the theme info from the pskn file...Who knows what would happen...

Best case scenario...it would just default. Worst case...lock up the phone trying to find the info in the file.

As far as that seemingly non-disappearance of the icon background color...its not so much that it doesnt go away like the regular stuff...Its because the phone is loading the app. And while its loading, its just like a computer...sorta has to think for a second.

**EDIT** I see what you mean with the icon for installed apps...This is for two reasons...one, as I mentioned previously, the installed apps require a little more mem and time to load, and two, because the icons for the apps are stored locally with the app, and the phone needs to think that much harder with what to do with the icon...as its going outside of its own directories.

I could've made that clearer...sorry!

[rn5a]

I personally would not take out the theme info from the pskn file...Who knows what would happen...

Oh! Come on mate, try it out once....be a sport! I am there with you. I thought you are a brave girl My phone is still in its nascent stage......his milk teeth haven't come out yet. I know even you would feel very bad if I subject the tiny tot to such torturous & arduous tasks, won't you? Otherwise I would have given it a try on my phone....

Worst case...lock up the phone trying to find the info in the file

I never knew that the phone can be forced not to search for any info while it's booting or have I misinterpreted your question? If not, then how do you do that?

As far as that seemingly non-disappearance of the icon background color...its not so much that it doesnt go away like the regular stuff...Its because the phone is loading the app. And while its loading, its just like a computer...sorta has to think for a second

For e.g. using the joystick, I navigated to the eKonsole icon which changed the background color to red. I waited for 2-3 minutes but the background color remained red. I tapped it to start. When I came back to Application Launcher after about 5 minutes, the background color was still red. Maybe you are using a different version of A1200; I am using A1200 & A1200 only.

[msandiej]

Oh! Come on mate, try it out once....be a sport! I am there with you. I thought you are a brave girl My phone is still in its nascent stage......his milk teeth haven't come out yet. I know even you would feel very bad if I subject the tiny tot to such torturous & arduous tasks, won't you? Otherwise I would have given it a try on my phone....

Hahah...you're so charming. I won't do it...and the reason is because taking that info out might corrupt the pskn file. And what does a corrupt file do to our precious Mingys? Locks em up.

I never knew that the phone can be forced not to search for any info while it's booting or have I misinterpreted your question? If not, then how do you do that?

Yeah...thats not what I mean...When the phone looks to the pskn file, its in the same folder as the iconres.ezx that the default icons are found...so when its performing those actions, ie; calling the "themehighlight" function, its very easy because the icon is right there for it to back reference.

For e.g. using the joystick, I navigated to the eKonsole icon which changed the background color to red. I waited for 2-3 minutes but the background color remained red. I tapped it to start. When I came back to Application Launcher after about 5 minutes, the background color was still red. Maybe you are using a different version of A1200; I am using A1200 & A1200 only.

Got what ya mean now...again, same reason as above. The icon for the app is outside of the theme's folder, so it basically cannot perform the same action on it. It has to go outside the default theme folder and find the icon in the apps folder...whereas, some abilities are lost. Those icons that go with the theme work with the theme...where those with the apps have their own special functionality. I have both an A1200R and an A1200...its the same on both for me. You'll notice that the theme based icons have several versions...active, normal states, for instance...as well as dedicated locations for them...so in an iconres file, there are about 5 or 6 icons that look exactly the same, but are actually doing something different. With apps, there is usually only ONE icon...so it does not have active/normal states.

How discombobulated this all sounds!

[rn5a]

Got what ya mean now...again, same reason as above. The icon for the app is outside of the theme's folder, so it basically cannot perform the same action on it. It has to go outside the default theme folder and find the icon in the apps folder...whereas, some abilities are lost. Those icons that go with the theme work with the theme...where those with the apps have their own special functionality. I have both an A1200R and an A1200...its the same on both for me. You'll notice that the theme based icons have several versions...active, normal states, for instance...as well as dedicated locations for them...so in an iconres file, there are about 5 or 6 icons that look exactly the same, but are actually doing something different. With apps, there is usually only ONE icon...so it does not have active/normal states

That's indeed a great answer....really.....I mean it.....

[msandiej]

Im glad you think so...I felt like I was rambling a bit. But, I couldn't figure out a better way to word it.

[rn5a]

Now how about answering this post of mine at http://www.motorolafans.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=14602

I will shower more accolades on you if you can help me resolve the issue & that too free of charge....I swear....& believe me....you don't get many freebies in today's world....so don't lose out the golden opportunity to get something FREE....don't miss the bus!

[msandiej]

Ah crap! Telnetting ain't my bag...I only do it when I have too. (You know...like when I corrupt some file and lock up my phone!)

Ill look at the post and answer there if I can.