VistaStyleBuilder

No need to change system files  on your disk anymore...  8)

Payware?

It looks interesting.  Are you planning on releasing more details?

Maybe you can update AveStyler to support this type of replacement. ;)
Right now, AveStyler can only load themes -- which is great!  But now on Windows 7, Start Button is in Explorer.exe...

So for instance, have "Resources" folder inside of C:\Windows\Theme\Squaero

Example:

I have 'explorer.exe' in C:\Windows\Theme\Squaero\Resources
AveStyler reads "Resources" folder and sees 'explorer.exe', 'shell32.dll', 'explorerframe.dll'.

AveStyler then applies the explorer, shell32, and explorerframe .dll's without touching system files.

That's a great idea. Not sure if it's possible but I sure hope it is.

It should be possible if I understood ave right with "No need to change system files  on your disk anymore..."

Whether or not he would implement that into AveStyler is another thing :P

Way to much information for me to digest in one read  wtf ?

I found it the opposite.  Not sure if you were being sarcastic or if that screenshot with all the resource listing overwhelmed you :P

Another tantalizing tidbit like the start orb app with which this is likely associated. A name but no new icon. Who knows how far along this is in development. I'd guess not far.

K-Johnson's idea is excellent. But if they've already got the app up + running I doubt they'll incorporate it into AveStyler. Twice as much work with half as much return.

I wonder how long it will be before we are told more details?

You don't like the WTL icon? :(

Some more details

What is it?
Right now, this is a tool to analyze and replace system resources you would normally replace using ResHacker, without actually modifying the files on disk.

When?
No idea yet, it's very much a research project right now. I'm looking into a way to make it easier to use to end-users as well as power-users.

I already told you, now again: This is Awesome!

This sounds like a great project! If you need anyone to help with testing or such give me a shout!

Does this not work with bitmaps anymore?

PNG named to .bin - Doesn't work.
BMP named to .bin - Doesn't work.
BMP converted to binary - Doesn't work.
PNG converted to binary - Doesn't work.

If you could modify the files to fit your theme, then package the resources, and a "definition" file exported from the paid for "Windows Resource Replacer" app, into some kind of zip file, to be included with a theme, you could then install a free "Resource Applyer" to modify the UI when you install a theme created with Windows Style Builder.

As for the app itself. A list of changable resources, grouped by format/type (ie DUI, PNG, ICO etc) or by where it is applied (ie Windows Explorer, Taskbar, Control Panel) where the user chooses how to display this list.

Options to export existing resources into a folder with subfolders. This way power users can edit all of the files in their own way, and then Import this folder back into the App.