Seems like just the other day TWiS was posted, but hey, it’s a new month so lets start it off right.  I have to say the Desktop galleries have really been taking off lately.  With sViz’s new feature and the new DX gadget gallery, maybe DX is making a big comeback!

I have also been grabbing some really sweet wallpapers from the gallery as well.  All these new skins are just making it difficult to get a new desktop together, just too many choices!

Now for this weeks picks!

	Intoxica by Vampothika Oh the animations, oh the design, just do me a favor and check it out.
	Fools Gold by CarGuy1 I really liked the wallpaper, and the animations that CarGuy1 put to this was fantastic.
	Copper Carbon Fibre by bk13GarbageMan Carbon Fibre is an awesome DX theme, and so is this matching RightClick skin.
	StealthOS (TM Suite) by Philly0381 StealthOS is one of my all time favorite skins, so I was glad to see a complete Theme Manager suite for it.
	Red Box bird by ahabkaba I can always expect some creative wallpapers from ahabkaba, and this one is right on.

If you have been waiting anxiously for the next Weekend Impulse Buy, then wait no further as it’s time!  We once again have a great roundup of games starting at $3.99.  Check below for the full list!

This is the latest weekend sale, but there is much more content available on Impulse.  Head over to www.impulsedriven.com for more, and while you are there be sure to grab your download of the Impulse client.

A new WinCustomize is coming and it’s a reunion of much of the original 2001 WinCustomize team with Johanne (Alexandrie) leading the UI design and Pat (T-Man) re-architecting the backend.  This time, we have a crack team led by Matt (Orcnbeans) helping create a new way for the site to function that should make it lighting fast.

Much of the site will be XML based which also means that the site will be able to be displayed in lots of different ways (which obviously makes it skinnable).

One of the areas we’re going to increase WinCustomize’s focus on is that it we’re going to expand beyond just talking about how to customize the aesthetics of Windows but also the functionality of it.  As Windows has evolved since 2001, so has customization. 

Moreover, web technology has evolved substantially since 2001. In the age of Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks, we want to begin to let users make use of those technologies in interesting ways. We’ll talk more about that as we get further alone.

The new site design is a lot cleaner with an emphasis on fewer page loads.

The galleries are much more straight forward and focused on that gallery. This way, we can add features that are specific to a given gallery. A wallpaper gallery, for instance, will eventually support specific wallpaper sizes, color searches, etc.

The rating system, as previously mentioned, is gone, replaced by the Love/Like system to let people know which skins people love/like the most and letting us filter skins based on that metric.

Navigating galleries will be done through a drop down menu with each section being explained to users.

The Community features will get a  major bump and more software will be made available to make it ever easier to interact with other users, find what you’re looking for, and more.

Stay tuned. We hope to launch the new WinCustomize.com later this month (fingers crossed).

If you’ve been following Impulse (or Stardock for that matter) for any length of time, you know one of the things that sets us apart and makes us unique is how accessible we are, and how easy it is to get in contact with us, be it via the forums, IRC, e-mail or instant messenger.  We know that a lot of our success comes from our outstanding community of gamers, and we are always looking for new ways to get news out there, and talk talk directly to gamers.

Now, some of you may already know this, but over the last few months we’ve started posting to Twitter.

Twitter, for those of you who haven’t heard of it, is a micro-blogging service….

Here’s the official description:

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages.  People write short updates, often called "tweets"  of 140 characters or fewer.  These messages are posted to your profile or your blog, sent to your followers, and are searchable on Twitter search.

It’s free, and doesn’t require any special software (though there are some excellent twitter apps out there.  I use TweetDeck myself).  It’s also incredibly easy to use.

We use our various Twitter accounts to announce releases, interesting news bits, and even a few giveaways.  Not to mention we just like chatting with other users on the service.

If you’re on Twitter, you can follow us and keep up on what’s happening with Impulse:

• @Stardock – The Official Stardock Twitter Feed
• @ImpulseDriven – The Official Impulse Twitter Feed
• @IslandDog – Spencer Scott, Stardock’s Technology Evangelist
• @mittense – Trent Polack , Game Developer
• @Zoomba – My Feed!  Mike Crassweller, the guy who brings you weekly updates and more

Follow us and keep up to date on what’s happening.

If you’re on Twitter already, post your Twitter name in the comments below.  I’ll check on this thread every now and then and update this post with a directory of all of the Impulse community members and their Twitter links.

Impulse Twitter Directory…

I suck at introductions. Let's get on with the show!

Outstanding General Info

Daybreak Widget Pack by Fairyy~

It’s a widget pack from Fairyy~. Need I say more? She has a knack for creating stylish, usable widgets that just look good on the desktop. I really like the soothing color combination on this one and the very simple layout. And they’re not huge, which is always a plus for me.

The widget pack includes 3 weather widgets, 2 calendar widgets, and a clock widget, each in different styles so you can pick which color style suits you or, like me, you can mix and match.

With the official start of spring just 20 days away (woot!), these really put me in a cheerful mood.

Most Creative/Original

Lightning Ball Version 2 by zigboom

Behold! Harness the power of nature on your desktop! This one just tickled my fancy, and isn’t that what being creative is all about?

Yes, it’s eye candy. Eye candy is good. I love eye candy. Everyone needs a little eye candy in their desktop diet.

I’m really glad zigboom made a second version because the first was a little big (and y’all know how I prize my desktop real estate.) This second version also changes color, which looks really nice. Works best with dark walls.

I’ve never seen a lightning ball before, so it definitely qualifies as creative and original.

Most Innovative/Resourceful

Standalone Animator Script Component by Littleboy

This one’s for DX Builders and is a really cool object to have. It will, in essence, allow you to add neat fading, moving, rotating, resizing and frame animation effects to whatever you’re building.

And when I say neat effects I mean REALLY neat effects, like elastic moving where the object slides, overshoots, and yo-yos until settling into position. I’ve always wondered how that was done. Now I can just add this component to my object, make a few script adjustments and voila! I now have professional effects.

If you’re not used to scripting it won’t be quite as easy as I make it sound. But included in the zip is an example widget, the script component, and instructions. Using those, and after about an hour or so, I finally put the right pieces of code together. Overall, the relevant code was only some 26 lines at maximum, and it worked great!

What would’ve really taken the cake? If the sample widget actually generated the necessary script to paste in your object, much like Skarn’s DX Form Generator. As it is, though, it’s most definitely innovative. So, big thanks to Littleboy for kindly sharing this!

(Note: Do read & observe the copyright rules if you’re going to use this in your skin. And if you need a little help getting it to work, just ask.)

DX Theme of the Month

MRX V Black by Murex

Murex had created MRX V, the original, and I absolutely loved it. Then, he made one in black. *drools*

All the standard features are included: clock, startmenu, shortcuts, weather, media, calendar, system info, cursor—the works.

And all of that can be completely hidden. In-depth information slides in and out, and the menus themselves can be toggled on or off.

What I like most about the theme is the unique design; it’s intricately detailed, but on the whole it remains very lightweight. There’s a lot of artwork to look at and admire, but it’s not at all busy.

There are subtle animations sprinkled throughout the theme (the color/opacity fade on the startmenu text, the flashing gizmo on the center menu), which add to the overall feel that the author spent a good amount of time and energy getting it right, pondering what would make this theme original.

It is amazingly well-balanced between function and design, pizzazz and usability. This is no small feat. My hats off to the author.

Go download this theme!

Renaming a Shortcut Label

(or whatever your text object is supposed to be)

Got a request for this during the month and thought I’d share it here.

What the script does:

- Allows end-user to rename/edit text without having to switch to DXBuilder

- Truncates text to a specified length

- Shows full text in tool tip

This can be useful for many things, not just the aforementioned shortcut label.

First we need to set up two objects.

1. “parent”

2. “shortcut1”, text object, parent = “parent”, child = “yes”

You should have this:

Next, open the properties of the “parent” object. Create a new script. Copy and paste this script into the “parent” object.

'==============================

' INSTRUCTIONS

'

' This script goes in the parent object of the shortcuts

'--Add more cases for more shortcuts

'--Change maxW variable to your maximum allowed width

'==============================

'Called when L-click on object or its children

Function Object_OnLButtonUpEx(obj, x, y, dragged)

            If dragged Then Exit Function

            Select Case obj.name

                        Case "shortcut1" '---replace with the name of shortcut

                                    iBox(obj.name)

                        Case "shortcut2"

                                    iBox(obj.name)

                        'Add more cases for more shortcuts

                        'Case "another shortcut"

                                    'iBox(obj.name)

            End Select      

End Function

'--- Input Box ---

Function iBox(obj)

            Dim Input

            Input = InputBox("Enter Text", "Change Shortcut Text",DesktopX.Object(obj).tooltiptext)

            If strCheck(Input) = "t" Then

                        DesktopX.Object(obj).text = Input

                        DesktopX.Object(obj).tooltiptext = Input

                        truncateTxt(obj)

            End If

End Function

'--Check if input is not blank (or spaces) ---

Function strCheck(strg)

            Dim abet, nums

            abet = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"

            nums = "0123456789"

            chk = "f"

            strg2 = LCase(strg)

            For x = 1 To len(abet)

                        g = Mid(abet,x,1)

                        If  Instr(strg2,g) > 0 Then       chk = "t"

            Next

            If chk = "f" Then

                        For y = 1 To len(nums)

                                    g =Mid(nums,y,1)

                                    If Instr(strg2,g) > 0 Then chk = "t"

                        Next

            End If

            strCheck = chk

End Function

'--- Truncate Text to a minimum length--

Function truncateTxt(obj)

            maxW = 200 '--change the value to max allowed width

            If DesktopX.Object(obj).width > maxW Then

                        While DesktopX.Object(obj).width > maxW

                                    DesktopX.Object(obj).text = Mid(desktopX.Object(obj).text,1,len(DesktopX.Object(obj).text) - 4) & "..."

                        Wend

            End If

End Function

The script works in four parts:

-OnLButtonUpEx, we check which shortcut has been clicked and then open the input box. (This could just as well be OnRButtonUpEx, by the way.)

-Function iBox, we display the input box, get user input, and call the other function to check if the input contains actual text. If everything checks out, it sets the new tooltip, text, and calls the function to truncate the object.

-Function strCheck, we check the user’s input for letters or numbers. If none are found, the input is blank and is not accepted.

-Function truncateTxt, we run a loop that continuously shortens the length of the text until it reaches the maximum allowed width. Then, we add ellipses to show there is more text than what appears.

That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!

Resources:

DX Scripting - DesktopX User's Guide

VBScript Functions - W3Schools.com

Goings-on in the Community

Over the last month, I’ve seen more people checking out RomanDA’s step-by-step tutorials. I’ve seen more posts asking for help in figuring out one DX issue or the other. I’ve seen more activity in the DX themes gallery. I’ve seen more activity in the DX object gallery. And I’ve gotten a noticeable amount of emails/PMs asking for specific DX help.

I could very well be imagining things, but, is DesktopX making a comeback? I’ve always believed that DesktopX has great potential waiting to be transformed into kinetic creativity.

Case in point:

This is OCCAM, a WIP DesktopX theme by PoSmedley. You may have read his post about it here.

It's a brilliant concept and I think it’ll be a smash hit once completed. It’s been interesting to read Po's progress on the theme as well.

It’s this kind of visible activity that sparks interest about the program, feeds creativity, fuels excitement, and cultivates can-do-too-ness. I’d like to see more of it.

So, if you’ve got a DX work in progress, or even a concept in progress, tell us about it below. (Don't leave me hangin' people!)

Huh? What? What have I been up to?

Well, I’ve spent the entire last month collaborating on a gadget with a friend for a gaming website. We’ve disagreed, agreed, butt heads, put our heads together, and the thing is almost ready for beta testing (I wonder if there are any Street Fighter Online players on WC.)

I’m pretty much a loner when it comes to creating widgets/gadgets so this was a new experience for me. He really helped push me to strive for excellence. Sure, I’d wince, groan, dread the amount of time and coding it would take, and pull my hair out over stupid errors, but when all was said and done I’d be pretty darn proud of what we accomplished. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve improved a lot. Such is the joy of DXing!

So, fellow DXers, what’ve you been up to? Share your pics or concepts below.

Huh? What? Where’s my pic? Okay, here: LINK

February blew by real fast, so it’s hard to believe just one more day left until March.  With just a couple of months into the year, the skin submissions have been showing some really great numbers.  Many of the galleries are getting increased downloads from old and new members alike.  Lets try to keep this momentum going!

Now for this weeks picks!

	CCF FX by PuterDudeJim This is a matching cursor for his Copper Carbon Fibre skins, and it’s a sleek addition.
	Bronze Planet by DEVJIT This is a subtle .dream, but the wallpaper is great and a bit of motion really enhances it.
	Sifourd by PiscDong This was an entry in the 2008 GUI Champs, and this Icon Pack has a simple design that works well with many themes.
	Tigris dock by Tiggz The Tigris Master skin is very popular, and these dock backgrounds are the perfect addition.
	Siroco by Xiandi I have been using RightClick more and more lately, and I was happy to see a bunch of new themes.  This one by Xiandi definitely needs to be downloaded.
	Initial. by Skinhit This design just caught my eye, and it’s great for a more minimalist desktop
	Fools Gold (Vista/XP) by 2of3 The color contrast of this skin is what really attracted me to it.  I love the dark skin, with the bright accents, it’s just about perfect.  Great job.

DeskScapes 2.5 has been released today by Stardock.  DeskScapes is an application which lets you run animated wallpapers, also called .dreams, on your Windows desktop.  It used to be that only Windows Vista Ultimate users could take advantage of a feature like this, but DeskScapes opens this up to users of all versions of Windows Vista, and Windows XP!

DeskScapes also goes beyond just playing videos as wallpapers, as it can also display dynamically generated content, .dreams activated by triggers such as time of day,  and more. 

The DeskScapes 2.5 update brings:

• Improved XP compatibility
• Stand-alone installation

DeskScapes is part of the Object Desktop suite of desktop enhancements.  A free version is available which is limited to the bundled .dreams and will also play any Dynamic Master Dream purchased from WinCustomize.com .  The full version will play any .dream file and is available here .

For more information, visit https://www.stardock.com/products/deskscapes/

Neowin has an article up detailing some of the changes going into the RC of Windows 7 that have been made since the beta was released.  This is just a small sampling, but Microsoft emphasized this was a result of user feedback during the beta process.

Link: http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/02/25/feedback-and-engineering-windows-7.aspx

In the first few weeks of the Windows 7 beta we had over one million people install and use Windows 7.  That's an astounding number for any beta test and while we know it has been fun for many folks, it has been a lot of work for us--but work that helps to raise the quality of Windows 7.  When you use the beta you are automatically enrolled in our Customer Experience Improvement Program (anonymous feedback and telemetry, which is voluntary and opt-in in the RTM release).  Just by using Windows 7 as a beta tester you are helping to improve the product--you are providing feedback that we are acting on in a systematic manner. 

Head over to Neowin to see more details of some of the changes in Windows 7.

Link:  Windows 7: Changes since beta for the RC

Once of the coolest features of DeskScapes, is unfortunately one that .dream creators don’t use too much.  That is the ability to create triggered .dreams.  One of the best examples is the Blissful Sunset .dream that will change from day to night based on the time of day.  There are a few other .dreams like that out there, but I would love to see more.

Another example is the Night & Day .dream by Stardock Design.

No worries though, today we will take a look at how to actually create triggered .dreams.

Obviously, you need to have a couple of videos that are ready to be turned into .dreams, and how you want to create the triggered content is completely up to you.  Once your content is ready, open DreamMaker, and select the ‘Dream Contents’ tab.

Now select ‘Add Trigger’, and a new option box pops up.

Here you can set the time for the video to be triggered, and just repeat for the other videos making sure to check the times the triggers are set for.

That’s pretty much it. Just finish creating the .dream with the other info, and then be sure to upload it to WinCustomize.com. 

Stardock is excited to announce the release of IconPackager 4.2 today.  IconPackager is an application that lets Windows users change the default icons to the thousands available for download.  IconPackager does this by applying “sets” of icon packs that can contain up to hundreds of icons.  IP also integrates into the Windows shell letting a user change specific icons by selecting the option through the right-click menu.

IconPackager on Windows Vista also takes advantage of the Live Folders feature, and can even apply a specific Live Folder icon set from the chosen icon pack.  Other features include the ability to recolor icon sets on the fly, and automatically upscale to larger size icons (Vista).

This update brings several updates and fixes, including:

• Fix for x64 shell extension icon issue.
• Live folder icons will prompt to restart explorer so they apply correctly.
• Apply time should be quicker.
• Language fixes for x64.

IconPackager is part of the Object Desktop suite of desktop enhancement, or available as a stand-alone application for Windows XP and Vista. 

For more information, visit https://www.stardock.com/products/iconpackager/