Archive: modern.exe and more...
modern.exe and more...
After reading the post from Dark Boy according the checkbox-issue (for license page), I saw this picture of the installer. This one looks really not too bad! Is there a way to implement some kind of skinnig to NSIS-MUI, or is the MUI the central feature?
Cheers
Chris
P.S.: this is no critic on MUI !!!!
I love this one
:cool:
AFAIK that's a Windows theme and has nothing to do with the installer. To be sure you should ask Doca Cola.
yep, its the Watercolor Theme for windows xp. it is not in the installer
OK folks -
BUT as I tested InstallShield (before I decideed NOT to use it and switched to NSIS) I saw a similar feature. Their Installer IS "skinnable" (or call it what you want) Perhaps I will reinstall it and post some screenshots!
Nevertheless, is something like that possible or not?
Chris
--[updated]--
InstallShield Developer 8
Not currently. Just to be sure, you are talking about the title bar right?
i never saw a skinned installshield yet
You never saw that, ok meantime I installed it and grepped some screens:
Startscreen
http://localfoo.net/downlads/is_01.png
DirectoryPage
http://localfoo.net/downloads/is_02.png
Cheers Chris
And some more are available....
http://localfoo.net/downloads/is11.png
and
http://localfoo.net/downloads/is_12.png
Chris
In the latset CVS version you can change the background color of dialogs too so creating a UI such as this shouldn't be too difficult... But weren't you talking about the title bar?
The buttons can't be created yet.
You cannot customize the buttons (it uses the Windows skin), but images, colors etc. can all be changed.
hmm, are transparent labels now possible?
Nope, not yet... So the gradient isn't possible either, right.
Back from work now.... :-)
So Kichik -
No I haven't meant the title bar, I was talking about the complete outfit.
Is the change of buttons planned? Or are we talking about never-be-features?
So if this could be possible (sometimes) the pictures shown above are not too far from being possible.
I don't believe these kind of buttons will ever be implemented directly into NSIS but a plug-in should be possible.
I don't mean the buttons-images above, I was talking about the skin-pic...
:D
But plugin sounds cool!
It won't be added anytime soon. Other things (uninstaller component page, LZMA compression etc.) are more important.
IMHO the current Modern UI interface with a header bitmap looks nice and is useful. An interface with a standard modern wizard design is easy to use, users are familiar with it.
These non-standard skins won't look nice with custom Windows skins and don't make things easier for the user.
What skin image? Can you please point out exactly what you're talking about, I still don't understand.
Hey! InstallShield has the Bitmaps that once share with you
:D
I think you all misunderstand...
I won't use InstallShield because of its ability to "skin" an installer. IS is quite a good programm, but take a closer look at the price...
So I prefer having a car, than a piece of software :D
Kichik -
I meant the global design (in its terms of optic) of the installer itself, call it theme, skin, else, doesn't matter. The IS should only show an example, like round or polygon buttons, the positioning of elements, or else.
(Probablly this is already possible, but be patient, I don't know its *hidden* features yet)
Joost -
I agree with you that there're more important things to do...
(What about some kind of web-installation? I think I know your answer: This is already possible, with... ;) )
This should not critizes your hard work on NSIS (never).
--> Dude rules :up:
Don't take this for personal. I love NSIS, and as mentioned above won't switch to another...
Cheers
Chris
For a web installer, use the NSISdl and Dialer plugins (included in the release).
NSIS uses standard Windows Forms, so it will use the buttons of the Windows theme. To customize buttons etc., you would need completely custom UI code. That will add a lot of size, and it won't fit the theme of the user.
Oh,
as I said I haven't dived into the depth of NSIS, yet.
But I will...(sometimes)
Thx for discussion....
An idea:
- The header bitmap can be changed, right?
- And the bitmap on the left can be changed, right?
Why don't you set the background of the installer to blue, set the left bitmap to that computer image Chris posted and make the header background color bark blue.
That should look very similar to Chris' screenshots, except the buttons. But it'll look very nice, I think.
You can't change the text color.
But if that would be possible, one could create it, right?
Yep. To change text color or use transparent labels, you have to reply to a message. That is not currently possible.
Then we have to wait until real customizing can begin :)
I'm waiting for Nsis "recive" messages.
I asked for the feature to change the white color from
the textbox where the Installation dir. is.
AS I read all these and other recent post, I think that skinning and making an installer look good is more important at the moment than making it work.
Not at all virtlink.... (this would give it some kind of MS-flavour...)
But be serious, it already reached a very stable state, and works really cool (at least for me)
;)
chris
Originally posted by MosestycoonYou're right. Microsoft has the annoying ambition to make everything look cool and great, but it doesn't work and crashes most of the time. They say that Windows XP is stable, but it has crashed already many times at my PC. As Microsoft would say: "It's your own fault."
Not at all virtlink.... (this would give it some kind of MS-flavour...)
Also originally posted by MosestycoonYou are definitely right. It looks and feels much better than NSIS 1.98 and it has many more options and a better documentation (altough it still could be better, in XML format for example :D ;)).
But be serious, it already reached a very stable state, and works really cool (at least for me)
Originally posted by Dark BoyAlready possible.
I asked for the feature to change the white color from
the textbox where the Installation dir. is.
Daniel -
I agree with you (not only with the MS problem ;) )
But be patient, NSIS is for free and therefore it is really really the great it could be. I had some experiences with WISE and InstallShield and what I can tell is:
1. It is really difficult to get it do what you want (wizard or not!)
2. In comparison to NSIS, 0 ¤ sounds really better than 1200-2500 ¤. For this feature I really can abandon some skinning...
3. Last not least, sometimes there will be place for optical features, I am sure.
So all you developer-guys go on with your great, great and great work:
"When times are coming, take a look back to that thread and make us non-developer happy, with some skinny features"
:D
There is only one thing that Microsoft can do as the best: Making something hard to use with a high price. It's only the fact that so many people use Windows and have never seen Linux, Unix, BeOS or whatever, that they just buy Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP and Longhorn. If more and more people would believe in Linux, for example, no-one would ever want to buy an operation system for such a high price, while it doesn't operate, but crashes.
You NSIS folks are doing great!
- Daniël
Perhaps the problem is, that NSIS is only running on Windows...
:D :D :D
yep, i don't think you need an installer of that type for linux...not now :D
Coke Doca Cola: I wonder where you got that Watercolor theme from. I'd like to have it on my WinXP too. ;)
Originally posted by virtlinkTake a look here
Coke Doca Cola: I wonder where you got that Watercolor theme from. I'd like to have it on my WinXP too. ;)
Very smooth...
This discussion runs out of NSIS-discussion but are ther more such themes and skins DOCA?
take a look in the neowin forum, there are the best skins released
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?s=&act=SF&f=36
"I like skinning. Do you like skinning too?"
This is great stuff! ;)