What is the current release?

[Randy]

I just bought this and the download I was given yields 1.5.0.0.  In the forum here I see references to much later versions such as 1.5.2.2 (in the changelog shown for the 1.5.3.x Alpha Test Build).  If 1.5.2.2 is current, where do I get it?

[Panda X]

1.5 is the current stable (It's technically 1.5.0.3 it just reports it wrong in the about box), 1.5.3.2 is a current unstable, though it seems pretty bug free compared to 1.5.

http://vistastylebuilder.com/forum/index.php?topic=1737.0

[Randy]

I ask because I bought and downloaded the program a few days ago and am having very great poblems getting it to work.  This causes me to wonder if what I downloaded is current (but the download link in the purchase email was a link to a specific zip file).  Certainly it is more than possible that I am the cause of the problems, but I am not closer to a solution after several days, and many hours, of puzzlement.  Among the problems:

  -- If I attempt to edit a msstyles file in the standard Windows\Resources\Themes folder, I cannot save it at all.

  -- If I copy an existing msstyles file (and its containing folder) to a different disk, VSB when asked to save it says there is an error that makes compilation impossible, and says that the error likely is in the msstyles file.  Among the files I have tried is the plain unmodified Aero file.  This very file, sent to a different expert user, compiles fine on his system.

  -- If I run VSB as administrator, and edit an msstyles file in the standard Windows\Resources\Themes folder (a copy of a theme I got elsewhare for example), then sometimes I can save it and it will compile, but if I try to save it again, even on a subsequent reboot, it often will refuse to compile again.

  -- Many times when I have done an edit and click save, nothing at all happens.  When I then click exit, VSB asks if I want to save my work; I answer yes to this dialog and nothing happens.  I remain in this loop until I exit without saving, and therefore I have lost all of my work.  (I tried Export of an image I had been editing in this situation, and nothing happened with Export either.)

  -- Finally, if I test a theme, and then stop testing, changes made by the test mode persisit, even after I exit VSB -- the frames for example of windows are drawn with the change that exists only in the file I am editing, and which I did not save.

The upshot of all of this is that I cannot do a simple load, edit, and save cycle reliably, and I have no idea why, and no idea what to try to make this cycle reliable.  The product looks great, by the way, and I am eager for it to work for me, because it does offer exactly the help and support I am looking for in fiddling a couple of themes.  What is a reasonable step for me to take?

[Panda X]

In order to work and save in the Resources/Themes folder WSB has to be ran as Administrator. This is because of UAC and all.

What you might be experiencing here is a bug in the way resources are handled in Windows. WSB often fails to compile on first try but will work fine if you try again. In WSB 1.5.2.2 I added a bit of code to where if it failed on first compile, it would compile it again which makes it work as intended.

I personally don't use WSB as administrator and don't save to the themes folder to bypass UAC. Usually I work from a folder on the desktop and when I'm finished move it.

This is a common bug, some people get it, some don't. The reason hasn't been found but if you don't want to lose your work, click test and go into %temp% and sort by date modified, copy the first ave####.tmp back to your theme folder and rename it theme.msstyles. In a later version I or Ave one will be adding a fallback method to take the hassle out. The current beta build has a notification telling you what happened:



I've heard of this only once, though never experienced it myself. I'll look into why WSB isn't properly loading a previous theme. Though if you applied a theme before testing it because the theme WSB falls back to.

[Randy]

I have lessened the problem somewhat by copying my working folder to my user desktop on the system disk (C:\ for me) and working on it there.  About half of the time I can save the theme file there, and sometimes I will get long streaks when everything works.  But then, suddenly, VSB will not save, and I have to log off and log on.  Even on fresh logons, though, there is no guarantee that VSB will work.

I have also found that I have to preload a windows Aero theme (using "Personalization") in order to get VSB to load my theme and test it.  Still, once in a while, VSB will not display half of my frame edge images on a particular reboot, and I will go through the loop again, preloading various versions of Aero, and suddenly VSB will display the frame edge images.  It is very very strange.

What worries me most, though, is that after I do successfully save a msstyles file, and alter a theme file to point to that msstyles file, and place all of this in the Windows\Resources\Themes folder, the theme will not load successfully on a fresh logon using the Windows Classic theme -- the VSB theme gets loaded but get dropped into basic mode.  If I then load a vanilla aero with Personalize, and then load the VSB-built theme using personalize, it works.

Something is shaky, but I've not a clue.

[Panda X]

I have lessened the problem somewhat by copying my working folder to my user desktop on the system disk (C:\ for me) and working on it there.  About half of the time I can save the theme file there, and sometimes I will get long streaks when everything works.  But then, suddenly, VSB will not save, and I have to log off and log on.  Even on fresh logons, though, there is no guarantee that VSB will work.

I have also found that I have to preload a windows Aero theme (using "Personalization") in order to get VSB to load my theme and test it.  Still, once in a while, VSB will not display half of my frame edge images on a particular reboot, and I will go through the loop again, preloading various versions of Aero, and suddenly VSB will display the frame edge images.  It is very very strange.

What worries me most, though, is that after I do successfully save a msstyles file, and alter a theme file to point to that msstyles file, and place all of this in the Windows\Resources\Themes folder, the theme will not load successfully on a fresh logon using the Windows Classic theme -- the VSB theme gets loaded but get dropped into basic mode.  If I then load a vanilla aero with Personalize, and then load the VSB-built theme using personalize, it works.

Something is shaky, but I've not a clue.

I think 3am had the same issue where a theme wouldn't apply when he logged on, that's the only other time I've heard of that issue though. What UxTheme patch are you using?

[3am]

Yeah I had that problem. Don't count on having it stick at reboot just through saving in WSB. Install it using a .theme file.

[Panda X]

It works for me and others, no idea why it doesn't work for you guys.

[Randy]

When I try to install the style via a theme file, it does not work at all -- no style gets loaded and whatever I was using before remains active.

I do not know about UxTheme patches; I am using the UxStyle_Core_Jul13 service suggested as an alternative.

But I am just about ready to junk this entire thing.  Again I spent about 5 or 6 hours redoing my work, and managed to get the theme loaded and working.  Log off, log on, and the same theme file now only shows half the images.  Frame top and bottom have disappeared from the display.  The images are in the file -- I can edit them -- but they are never actually used in displaying during test or when trying to load the theme.  The unreliability, unrepeatability, unpredictability of operations I am seeing here with this program make frustration and anger intense.  I am remain grateful to you for your interest and suggestions, but I've lost a week, now, trying do do something very very very simple:  remove reflections, remove shadows, and get distinguishable borders for active an inactive panes.  I've been working only in frames and borders, and can not get just this to work repeatably. 

I will download the beta and give it a try.