Changing background and tile images

[Matt Droz]

Used to be, I changed the bitmaps for background and mainwindow, it would change the backgrounds for my authoring kit. But since a recent update came down, the only way to change the backgrounds is changing the main images in the Program Files. Is there code I can put in my authoring data files that will update the backgrounds?

 

[TCArknight]

If I recall, it’s a matter of changing some definitions in the UI components.

Here's an example:
File: styles_ui.aug

  <!-- bitmap for use as the background of label portals designated as a "title" -->
  <resource
    id="titleback"
    isbuiltin="yes">
    <bitmap
      bitmap="mainwindow.bmp">
      </bitmap>
    </resource>

With it being builtin="yes", that has the program looking at the /builtin folder under the Hero Lab folder (mine is C:\Program Files (x86)\Hero Lab\product\builtin )

Changing the above code to:

  <resource
    id="titleback"
    issystem="no"
    isbuiltin="no">
    <bitmap
      bitmap="panel_title.bmp">
      </bitmap>
    </resource>

put the panel_title.bmp in the dataset folder. This is the folder that is checked for the bmp file when the issystem="no" and the builtin="no" entries

next time you restart the titles of your panels will now be purple.

when saving the bmp files, make sure to not save color space information with it.

 

[Matt Droz]

I'll try that when I get home. I simply removed the issystem and isbuiltin definitions, leaving the mainwindow.bmp, since I had a mainwindow.bmp in the dataset folder.

 

[TCArknight]

They default to N if they aren’t present so that should be the same.

I’m trying to change the mainwindow.bmp for the overall default backgrounds, etc. but no change seems to take effect. I think am going to have to keep playing around with it...

 

[Matt Droz]

Yeah, that's what I'm running into. The only way I've been able to change the main backgrounds is by altering the background and region bitmaps in the C:\Program Files (x86)\Hero Lab\product\texture24 folder.

 

[Matt Droz]

Thing is, I remember changing it by just changing the bmp files in dataset earlier this year.

 

[TCArknight]

Try this:

issystem (Optional) Boolean – Indicates whether the resource is intended to replace a "system" resource utilized by HL. When you want to completely change the visual look of your data files and have that new look integrated into HL's own forms, you will need to specify system resources. Only specific resource ids can be replaced as system resources. Default: "no".

It looks like if it is a "system" resource, then you have to set the element to issystem="yes" I tried this by copying mainwindow.bmp to mainwindow_black.bmp and using GIMP in my case to fill the entire image with a solid black.

  <resource
    id="mainwindow"
    issystem="yes"
    isbuiltin="no">
    <bitmap
      bitmap="mainwindow_black.bmp">
      </bitmap>
    </resource>

I did that to anywhere I found background.bmp, did some name changes to the bmp files:

  <!-- tile bitmap used in interior background regions -->
  <resource
    id="background"
    issystem="yes"
    isbuiltin="no">
    <bitmap
      bitmap="background_main.bmp">
      </bitmap>
    </resource>

  <!-- tile bitmap used as background within summary panels -->
  <resource
    id="sumbackgrd"
    issystem="yes"
    isbuiltin="no">
    <bitmap
      bitmap="background_summ.bmp">
      </bitmap>
    </resource>

  <!-- bitmaps used for the background region of tabs shown at the top
        -one bitmap is one for a selected tab and the other for an unselected tab
  -->
  <resource
    id="tabunsel"
    issystem="yes"
    isbuiltin="no">
    <bitmap
      bitmap="background_tabunsel.bmp">
      </bitmap>
    </resource>
  <resource
    id="tabsel"
    issystem="yes"
    isbuiltin="no">
    <bitmap
      bitmap="background_tabsel.bmp">
      </bitmap>
    </resource>

  <!-- tile bitmap used within the "static" panel across the top -->
  <resource
    id="staticpan"
    issystem="yes"
    isbuiltin="no">
    <bitmap
      bitmap="static.bmp">
      </bitmap>
    </resource>

and the result is this:

Let me know how it works for you.

 

[Matt Droz]

That did it! Thank so much!