• About Extended Themes
• Frequently Asked Questions
• How to Create an Extended Theme
• Download Extended Themes

How to Create an Extended Theme

Being a Pocket PC theme, an extended theme changes what a standard theme should change (background, system colors, etc). However, it additionally changes the design of Pocket Plus indicators, taskbar battery indicator, and Close button task manager. Moreover, extended themes include native support for landscape mode.

Spb Extended Theme Generator is the only tool so far that allows creating Pocket PC themes compatible with WM2003SE (landscape and VGA support)

Table of Contents

Installing the Extended Theme Generator
Creating a New Theme
Uploading Your Extended Theme to the Web
Today and Start Menu Images
Today Indicators
Taskbar Battery Indicator
Support/Contact Us

Installing the Extended Theme Generator

1. Download Microsoft Theme Generator
2. Install Microsoft Theme Generator
3. Download Spb Extended Theme Generator add-on
4. Install Spb Extended Theme Generator

Creating a New Theme

1. Create Today and Start Menu images (read Today and Start Menu Images to learn more about how to do this)
2. Create Today indicator skin files [optional, you can use one of the predefined skins] (read Today Indicators to learn more)
3. Create Taskbar battery indicator skin files [optional, you can use one of the predefined skins] (read Taskbar Battery Indicator to learn more)
4. Create a new folder and put all these files in one folder. Please note that each file should have unique name.
   
   
   
   These files should be named as follows:
   
   • tdywater.gif
   • stwater.gif
   • pls_backlight.gif
   • pls_backlight_auto.gif
   • pls_backupbattery.gif
   • pls_battery.gif
   • pls_battery_charging.gif
   • pls_battery_empty.gif
   • pls_storage.gif
   • pls_storagecard.gif
   • pls_storagecard2.gif
   • pls_storagecard3.gif
   • plbwater2.gif
   • plbwater3.gif
5. Run Microsoft Theme Generator (Start->Programs->Theme Generator).
6. Choose "Create a new theme".
   
   
   
   
7. Select your Today screen image (tdywater.gif) from the folder you created. Press Next.
8. Select your Start menu image (stwater.gif) from the folder you created. Press Next.
9. Choose the colors for your theme. Press Next.
10. Enter a name for your theme. Make sure it ends with "Ext" to indicate that it is an extended theme. VGA themes should end with "Ext VGA".
    
    
    
    
11. Select the option that indicates you want to create an extended theme.
    
    
    
    
12. If you are creating VGA theme, check the "VGA compatible" checkbox.
13. Select the folder where you saved all your Today and Start Menu pictures. You must choose this folder location again even if you entered the path to these pictures on the previous steps (this is because the Microsoft Theme Generator crops your pictures to 240x294)
    
    
    
    
14. Select the folder where you put Today indicator skins or choose one of predefined skin sets
    
    
    
    
15. Select the folder where you put Taskbar battery indicator skins or choose one of predefined skin sets
    
    
    
    
16. Press "Generate".

Your extended theme is ready!

Uploading Your Extended Theme to the Web

After you have created an extended theme you may want to upload it to the Web so that other Pocket PC users can download and use it.

The following websites have special section for Extended Pocket PC Themes:
Pocket PC Themes
Pocket Themes
PDA Gold

The following websites have special section for Extended VGA Themes:
PDA Gold

Today and Start Menu Images

Normal (Non-VGA) Themes

The Today image should be 320x294 in size and have "tdywater.gif" as the file name. It can be a JPEG file but it must have ".gif" extension. The following diagram shows the today screen picture layout:

The Start menu image should be 240x320 in size and have "stwater.gif" as the file name. It can be a JPEG file but it must have ".gif" extension. Usually the Start menu background picture is created from the Today screen background image using brightness or contrast effects.

VGA Themes

The Today image should be 640x588 in size and have "tdywater.gif" as the file name. It can be a JPEG file but it must have ".gif" extension. The following diagram shows the today screen picture layout for VGA themes:

The Start menu image should be 480x640 in size and have "stwater.gif" as the file name. It can be a JPEG file but it must have ".gif" extension. Usually the Start menu background picture is done from the Today screen background picture using brightness or contrast effects.

Today Indicators

Spb Pocket Plus 2 has a Today Plug-in that contains shortcuts to programs, actions and indicators. Each extended theme should contain skins for these indicators. There should be 10 skin image files. These files should have the following names:

• pls_backlight.gif
• pls_backlight_auto.gif
• pls_backupbattery.gif
• pls_battery.gif
• pls_battery_charging.gif
• pls_battery_empty.gif
• pls_storage.gif
• pls_storagecard.gif
• pls_storagecard2.gif
• pls_storagecard3.gif

Samples

You can use one of 20 predefined skin sets. We also recommend that you look at the predefined skin files as samples that show how to create Today indicator skin files. You can find these samples in:
Program Files\Theme Generator\predefined\Today

Today Layout and Indicator Size

First of all your should choose the size of your indicators. The following picture will explain how Spb Pocket Plus Today plug-in renders indicators and how to choose right size:

Indicator Skin File Format

Each of the 10 skin image files have the following format (except pls_backlight.gif and pls_backlight_auto.gif that have 3 states instead of 2):

(R, G, H) - description
(255, 0, 0) - horizontal panel
(128, 0, 0) - horizontal panel with slider (for backlight)
(0, 255, 0) - vertical panel
(0, 128, 0) - vertical panel with slider (for backlight)
(0, 0, 255) - text
(255, 0, 255) - clickable part

Alpha channel is used in the skin to implement transparency and semitransparency. All colors in the alpha channel should be grayscale (R, G and B components should be the same). The black color corresponds to a completely transparent point. The white color corresponds to a point that will be shown as is. Other gray colors correspond to more or less transparent points.

Backlight

File name - pls_backlight.gif.

The backlight panel shows the current backlight level and allows the user to change it. Your Pocket PC contains a backlight applet in Start -> Settings -> System -> Backlight that displays the same information. Here is its icon:

The Today backlight panel shows a slider that allows user to set the backlight level. Here is the standard backlight panel that comes with Spb Pocket Plus by default:

Backlight (With Auto Backlight)

File name - pls_backlight_auto.gif .

Some Pocket PC devices (like iPAQ) have an "Auto Backlight" feature. These Pocket PC devices have a photoelectric detectors. If a user chooses "auto backlight" then the backlight level is set automatically according to current illumination.

The last 20% of the backlight panel area should correspond to the "auto backlight" state. Look at this sample:

The backlight panel with auto backlight support is used on Pocket PC devices that have an "auto backlight" feature.

Memory

File name - pls_storage.gif.

This panel is used to indicate the amount of free memory. It should:

• Demonstrate that it is a memory panel
• Visually show which part of memory is free
• Show with text the amount of free memory (up to 5 characters). Examples: "48%", "100%", "4.34m", "65.3m"

The Pocket PC has a memory applet in Start -> Settings -> System -> Memory that displays the same information as the Memory panel on the Today screen. It is recommended that the memory icon on the today memory panel looks similar to the memory icon under Pocket PC control panel. This is how the memory icon in Pocket PC control panel looks like:

Storage Card #1

File name - pls_storagecard.gif.

This panel indicates free or used space on the SD card. It should:

• Demonstrate that it is an SD card indicator
• Visually show the amount of used SD card space
• Show with thext the amount of free space on the storage card (up to 6 characters). Examples: "16.5m", "78%", "287m", "n/c"

Here are some photos of different SD cards:

Storage Card #2

File name - pls_storagecard2.gif.

This panel shows free or used space on the CF card. It should:

• Demonstrate that it is an CF card indicator
• Visually show the amount of used CF card space
• Show with thext the amount of free space on the storage card (up to 6 characters). Examples: "16.5m", "78%", "287m", "n/c"

Here are some photos of different CF cards:

Storage card #3

File name - pls_storagecard3.gif.

This panel shows free or used space on the built-in flash storage. It should:

• Demonstrate that it is a built-in storage indicator
• Visually show the amount of used storage space
• Show with thext the amount of free space in the built-in storage (up to 6 characters). Examples: "16.5m", "78%", "287m", "n/c"

Here are some photos that give good visual perception of built-in storage:

Battery. "Normal" State

File name - pls_battery.gif.

This panel is used to show the battery charge level. It should:

• Demonstrate that it is a battery indicator
• Visually show the battery charge level
• Show with text the battery charging state (up to 5 characters). Examples: "48%", "100%", "charg", "8:32"

Battery. "Charging" State

File name - pls_battery_charging.gif.

This panel is used to show the battery charge level when the battery is charging. It should:

• Demonstrate that the battery is being charged at the moment
• Visually show the battery charge level
• Show with text the battery charging state (up to 5 characters). Examples: "48%", "100%", "charg", "8:32"

Battery. "Empty" State

File name - pls_battery_empty.gif.

This panel is used to show the battery charge level when it is critically low. It should:

• Demonstrate that it is a battery indicator and that charge level is critically low
• Visually show the battery charge level
• Show with text the battery charging state (up to 5 characters). Samples: "48%", "100%", "charg", "8:32"

Backup Battery

File name - pls_backupbattery.gif.

Some Pocket PC devices have an additional backup battery. It can be either replacable or built-in without possibility to change it.

The backup battery panel should show the current level of the backup battery. It should:

• Demonstrate that it is a backup battery level indicator
• Visually show the backup battery charge level
• Show with text the battery charging percentage. Examples: "3%", "80%", "100%"

Here are some photos of the Pocket PC backup batteries:

Taskbar Battery Indicator

Spb Pocket Plus can show a battery level indicator in the Taskbar. Here is a screenshot that shows how this battery indicator looks like by default:

This battery indicator is skinnable. Here are some examples of other designs:

All these samples have 2 pixels height. The taskbar battery indicator can be 2 or 3 pixels high and the user can select one of the 2 sizes in Spb Pocket Plus options dialog:

So each taskbar battery indicator skin should have 2 pictures. One (plbwater2.gif) will be used when the user chooses "Small indicator" and another (plbwater3.gif) when the user chooses "Large indicator".

The plbwater2.gif picture should have 640 pixels width and 9 pixels height. Here is a diagram that explains how to make plbwater2.gif skin picture:

The plbwater3.gif picture should be 640 pixels wide and 13 pixels high. It has the same structure as plbwater2.gif picture but height of each stripe is 3 pixels instead of 2.

Support/Contact Us

If you have any questions about creating extended themes do not hesitate to contact us:
Spb Extended Theme Generator Support