Well if the ProgramsList is the only thing you changed then the mistake has to be in there somewhere.

Go back and check everything.

Turn each change back to default and see if the msstyle will save until you find the change you made that's bad.

So it tests but won't save?

You made a mistake and now the file won't compile.

I can't tell what you did wrong unless I know everything you've been doing since the last time you tested/saved successfully. In detail.

Go to Google Images and search honeycomb backgrounds or surfaces. Or make your own in an image editor.

If it has image properties then yes. If it has like a fillcolor property or something that's not an image then no.

You just import an image with the import button to replace the old one and then adjust your image oriented properties if you need to.

If you cant do something as simple as copy/paste the Aero folder in Resources/Themes to your desktop and rename the parts like I told you then you're in the wrong place.

Do yourself a favor and download a theme and edit that in WSB and don't worry about anything else.

I already answered that here https://www.vistastylebuilder.com/forum/index.php?topic=2586.msg14749#msg14749

Are you going to be using StartIsBack and OldNewExplorer? Then the easiest way is to download something already themed for them and edit that in WSB. Way easier than adding that stuff yourself especially if you are just starting out and don't know anything about stylehacks and special shellstyles.

Otherwise just make a copy of the Aero folder, change the names and start from scratch

1) You can put WSB anywhere you want.
2) You don't need to install it. Just click on the exe.
3) Use the one attached here: https://www.vistastylebuilder.com/forum/index.php?topic=2535.0 I'm using it in 11

4) Never work on the default Aero theme. Make a copy of the Aero folder and change all the aero names to your theme names (folder, your name.msstyles and your name.msstyles.mui in en-US)
5) To actually apply a theme, you need to make a copy of aero.theme file. Open it in notebook and change the Display and msstyle names to your theme name and put this and your theme folder in Windows/Resources/Themes

6) Make sure your theme files are patched or WSB won't test and themes won't apply

7) Here's a video I made back in 2010 showing some really basic stuff. It's still kinda relevant:

https://www.vistastylebuilder.com/forum/index.php?topic=1268.0

Hope this helps you get started

Maybe this:

https://www.vistastylebuilder.com/forum/index.php?topic=2240.0

or one of these:

https://virtualcustoms.net/showthread.php/70828-Custom-Class-Maps-and-Import-Scripts-for-Windows-10-TH2-RS1?highlight=stylescript

I don't use SIB/SAB so I don't know what you can change in the Taskbar with the program currently.

Chunk doesn't show in the Control Preview "Bars & Sliders" or, I think, in Windows at all.

The examples I show in the map section I found in apps like CCleaner & Gimp

1) Download a free image editor like Gimp or Paint.Net & learn how to recolor an image.

2) Or just replace the image by exporting the one at Buttons, Boxes, & Controls > Progress Bars > Normal > MoveOverlay and importing it to Buttons, Boxes, & Controls >

Progress Bars > Normal > MoveOverlayVertical. That would be easiest.

3) If you didn't want the effect at all you could replace it with a transparent image.

4) Or you could attach your msstyle in a zipfile and I'll fix it for you. It would only take a couple of minutes.

5) You'll find examples of chunk here:

https://www.vistastylebuilder.com/forum/index.php?topic=1487.0

Buttons, Boxes, & Controls > Progress Bars > Normal > MoveOverlayVertical

Use the one attached to the above post and you'll be ok

Lists, Menus, & Tabs > Context Menu > PopUpSeparator, Borders, etc.

Lists, Menus, & Tabs > Immersive Context Menu > PopUpSeparator, Borders etc.

Address, Breadcrumb, & Search > Search > SearchBox > Basic > Normal > Active > Background

4 images:

Default is inactive
Focused is active
Hover & Disabled are self-explanatory

The arrows are Taskbar & SystemTray > Taskbar > Aero > Rebar > Chevron > Glyph Image DPI 96

I'm not sure about that separator.

The whole top frame is compressed when maximized. I don't know why.

Nice find. Works great. Here I changed it to red:

Probably a hardcoded system color but I have no idea where it is located.

It's a typical HTML unvisited hyperlink blue color. I looked in mmc.exe for it but could find no way to change it.

Don't know. Sorry.

I don't have IDM so I don't know.

Show me pictures from Event Viewer. Maybe I can find the answers there.

Everything except File Name is:

Styles > TextStyle > BodyText

I can't find any way to change File Name except through

Fonts, Colors, & System Metrics > Fonts & System Metrics > MENUFONT

which unfortunately is used in a lot of other places you probably don't want changed

1) You can make the caption buttons look like anything you want by manipulating the images. As far as I know you can't change the size of the area devoted to them though.
   
2) For the NavBar: Change the images at:

Toolbars, Headers, & Rebar > Rebar > NavBar > Basic > Normal > Active > Background
Toolbars, Headers, & Rebar > Rebar > NavBar > Basic > Normal > Inactive > Background
Toolbars, Headers, & Rebar > Rebar > NavBar > Basic > Max > Active > Background
Toolbars, Headers, & Rebar > Rebar > NavBar > Basic > Max > Inactive > Background

And delete BGTYPE:ENUM = NONE from:

Toolbars, Headers, & Rebar > Rebar > NavBar > Aero > Normal > Active > Background
Toolbars, Headers, & Rebar > Rebar > NavBar > Aero > Normal > Inactive > Background
Toolbars, Headers, & Rebar > Rebar > NavBar > Aero > Max > Active > Background
Toolbars, Headers, & Rebar > Rebar > NavBar > Aero > Max > Inactive > Background

As for transparency you could try images that aren't a solid color.

It's been a long time since I had to go into WinSxS to find something. Those bitmaps must be ancient.

If you still care in Windows 10 there are just 2 relevant files:

Windows\WinSxS\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.19041.1110_none_a8625c1886757984_comctl32.dll_9c499789

Windows\WinSxS\amd64_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.19041.1110_none_60b5254171f9507e_comctl32.dll_9c499789

and one relevant bitmap 124:

The good news is that they are bitmaps 124 and 130 in comctl32.dll.

The bad news is that they are in comctl32s located in a number of files inside the winsxs folder instead of the ones in System32 and SYSWOW64.

The really bad news is that I'm not sure which of these files is actually being used to generate the bitmaps so you'd have to change them in every file.

No idea.

I recommend doing a color search for 109,109,109 and then change the color of each result and test until you find the one that works

It's not in the msstyle and I have no idea where else it might be. Sorry

Search Classes, Parts & States for groupheaderline:



It's probably the one in Start Menu menus listview. I don't use classic shell so I can't check myself.

Where is this even used?

Explorer & Shell > Explorer > Items View > ListView > GroupHeaderLine

Or

Windows 10 Dark Mode > Explorer & Shell > Explorer > Items View > ListView > GroupHeaderLine

Do you mean this?

https://virtualcustoms.net/showthread.php/70881-Sleep-Mode-change-colors?p=311124&viewfull=1#post311124

I don't know why that old stuff is still in that msstyle on left or if it even does anything.

I don't know how to add it. Sorry.

What do you mean?

It was in your WSB and mine that you requested.

Are you expecting images for the button and separator? There haven't been any images there since Windows 7

Also adding images doesn't work

All you have now is height and width for the button and content margins for the separator. That's it.

Taskbar & System Tray > TaskBar > Aero > Taskbar Show Desktop

The one I use is attached here:

https://www.vistastylebuilder.com/forum/index.php?topic=2554.msg14570#msg14570

Sounds like you should reinstall your theme patcher because you also can't apply themes

Your WSB tests fine for me. There's nothing wrong with it.

I guess you can run custom themes so it's not your theme patcher that's bad.

Go into Windows/ProgramData/Windows Style Builder and delete anything in the folders.

Otherwise I have no idea what you are doing wrong.

It won't test anything even default aero?

What error messages do you get?

You could attach your WSB in a zipfile and I could try it I guess.

Otherwise I don't know.

Nope. All out of ideas. Sorry.