Copyright: CreateHelp! {Unregisterd} ® Nic Barnes 1993


Contents

What is the Stock Bitmap Editor?

Quickie Tutorial

What all the controls do

Menu Options

Registration


What All the Controls Do

(click on the graphic below for control-specific help)


What is the Windows Stock Bitmap editor?
What is the Stock Bitmap editor?

The Windows Stock bitmap editor lets you edit all those little doodads at the corner of all Microsoft Windows applications.  These bitmaps are a part of Windows itself, and are constant to all Windows apps.  With the Windows Stock Bitmap Editor, you can customize these little graphics.


Quickie Tutorial

There are 21 "stock" Windows bitmaps you can edit.  Choose a bitmap with either the listbox or the bitmap ribbon (below the listbox).  Select colors for both the left and right mouse buttons by clicking on the sixteen color boxes.  The current colors are displayed as the leftmost two boxes.  Draw into the large picture using either the paint or fill tool.  You can save a set of bitmaps and load them later using the "Load" and "Save" menu options.  When your bitmaps are the way you want them, click the Load button.  This will copy the new bitmaps into memory, and Windows will start using them to draw Windows from now on.

To set up the program to run automatically every time you start Windows,  first create a set of alternate bitmaps and then save them in a .BAR file using the "Save" menu option.  Then select the "Setup AutoLoad" menu option.  You will be prompted for the .BAR file you created.  Your new stock bitmaps will load with Windows from now on.


Menu Options

Load Bitmap Bar:  This will load a .BAR file that you have previously saved.

Save Bitmap Bar:  This will save the current set of stock bitmaps in a .BAR file

NOTE:  It is NOT RECOMMENDED transferring .BAR files from computer to computer!  The reason for this is that Windows Stock Bitmaps can vary in size from computer to computer, depending on the video driver being used.  Different graphics drivers will have different stock bitmaps.  Unpredictable results will occur if you try to transfer the wrong size bitmap bar into Windows memory!  (The above is  pretty technical stuff, if it is a bit over your head, that's ok, just remember that if you want to use the Stock Bitmap editor on more than one computer, create a unique set of stock bitmaps for each computer).

Setup AutoLoad:  This will prepare Windows to load your alternate set of stock bitmaps every time Windows starts up.  To do this, you need first create a set of bitmaps and save it using the "Save Bitmap Bar" option above.  When you choose the Setup Autoload option, you will be prompted for the .BAR file you created.  After choosing the file, your new stock bitmaps will load every time you start Windows!

(Possible Techie Stuff Ahead):  The method used for AutoLoad is placing STOCKBMP.EXE in the Windows StartUp group, with a "/A" command line option for AutoLoad.  To disable the Stock Bitmap Autoload, remove the STOCKBMP autoload icon from the Startup Group.

Exit: Leaves the Stock Bitmap Editor.  Make sure you save any changes you want in a .BAR file before you leave.

Revert:  Reverts the current bitmap back to the one residing in Windows memory.  This is a way to undo any changes you have made since the last time you hit the "Load" button.

Load Windows Original:  This reaches deep into the bowels of Windows and restores the current bitmap back to the way it was before you started messing with it with this program!

Help:  Shows this Help File

About:  Shows the super-slick 256 color fully rendered About Box.


Registration

To Register, send $15.00 to:

Stock Bitmap Editor Registration

Stage Research

4416 Brooklyn Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44109


List Box - This is a list of the 21 Stock Bitmaps you can edit.  The names are the actual internal names each picture is known by, and their code number.  Select the bitmap you wish to edit using this list box.


Large Picture - This is the bitmap that you will actually draw into using the current paint tool.  As you edit the bitmap,  you will see the changes in both the small picture directly above this one, and the bitmap ribbon.


Small Picture - This is an actual size version of the current selected bitmap.  It will change as you paint in the large bitmap box.


Bitmap Ribbon - This is a ribbon of all 21 bitmaps available for editing.  You can select a bitmap to edit by either clicking on the list box, or clicking directly on the bitmap in this ribbon.


Current Colors - The top box displays the current left mouse button paint color.  The bottom displays the current right mouse button paint color.


Color Boxes - These are the 16 colors available for painting.  Select the color for either the left or right mouse button by clicking on the appropriate box with that button.


Tools - The top tool is the regualr drawing tool.  The bottom is the fill tool.


Load Button - This button will copy the current bitmap bar into Windows memory, making the current set of Windows stock bitmaps the bitmaps displayed in the Bitmap ribbon.  These bitmaps will remain the Windows bitmaps until you leave Windows, or until you replace them again.


Stock Bitmaps- These stock bitmaps have already been modified by the stock bitmap editor.