like it!

Whoah!! I love it!

Whatever Icons that are currently on your Programs/Places list will come up.

If you use small icons on the left (in programs list)....you'd have to have a way to hide part of the text (example: white text on white background and you'd have to create a Mouseover Image that also hides the text). With large icons on the left it's easy, because all you do is tweak the margins. You have to have a wide enough StartMenu to accommodate the

(LogOff Button) "Log Off" text (ShutDown Button)

The problem you run into, is that no matter what you do the 'Log Off' is always going to be there inbetween the LogOff button and the ShutDown button. So the minimum overall width you can have is from adding the following:

For a Small Icon Menu (100 to 110 pixels wide...guestimate since I haven't done this one yet)...

(Left Frame) + (LogOff Button) + "Log Off" text + (ShutDown Button) + (Right Frame)

For a Large Icon Menu (107 minimum to 110 pixels wide)...

(Left Frame) + (Program Icon) + (Center of Menu) + (Places Icon) + (Right Frame)

The key is...the smaller your LogOff/ShutDown buttons...the narrower your start menu.

The Hidden "Logoff" and "ShutDown" text....
This tweak is all SZ71's creation. Because the Text centers itself vertical on the button image, you have to create a button that is tall enough to "push" the text below the BottomBar. In SZ71's skin his "Buttons" are 9 pixels tall and he added another 21 pixels below the buttons, in the LogOffButtons Image to force the LogOff text to center itself below the buttons. Using the original XP buttons 21 pixels tall, I had to add 40 pixels to the bottom of the buttons. Then it's just a matter of adjusting the top/bottom content margins until you have the buttons centered so that the text doesn't show. Pretty neat trick he came up with

The Hidden "All Programs" text....
This tweak is inspired by SZ71's hidden LogOff/ShutDown text...it's almost the same as above except you add the addition space to the left of the MorePrograms button, but the space has to be a copy of the graphics to the left of the All Programs Button and magic pink and tga transparency doesn't work here or the mouseover color will show.

Anyway for those like me that are verbally impaired and learn better from using, I am uploading a SkinStudio Widget called CapGun of the CompactStartMenu...nothing fancy...just a template starting point

Yes pretty cool. Upload the widget please if you haven't already done so.

In my opinion this start menu shouldn't be the 'star' menu or the default menu but a sub menu available for the user.

Although if it become popular then I guess it could be the default.

Anyway, I think this makes a great article... or a sub article (that is what I originally had panned).

Thanks everyone for responding, I might be emailing you guys for using your posts here in the article.

Tried wicked hard to get it uploaded....guess I'm gonna have to wait until after Easter....

Since it'll be a widget you'll be able to import it as either the default skin startmenu or create a subskin, import it there and transfer over your graphics....believe me when I say that it is really just a basic, basic design to give someone a set of image sizes and margins to work with. Most of you guys have been doing this a lot longer than I have and once you get the general idea, you won't even need the widget.

As for me...whatever style of menu I create for a WBskin...is all I do. Download counts not matter as much to me as making sure the skin works right . I'm still learning the nuances of SkinStudio, though much better at it now. It's the graphic design aspect that I feel that I am seriously lacking....can you say 3-year old with box of crayola's and a colorbook
So you won't have to worry about getting an AquaLungHorn XPMac skin from me for a few years