============================================= XTheme Manager v1.0 by Kuan-Ta Chen (Xshadow) ============================================= A Theme is a collection of sounds, icons, cursors, along with wallpaper, colors, font settings, window metrics and a screen saver. In fact, it's all the things you can configure through the Control Panel, but now it brought together into one package. Now there are thousands of themes available on the internet, and we usually install the Plus! pack just to use the 'themes.exe' within it. Without a practical theme manager, you must install all the components manually, a difficult and time-consuming, head-ache process. In additional, if you are using Windows NT, you must get the 'themes.exe' of Plus! from NT Resource Kit, so inconvenience. XTheme Manager is a replacement for the 'themes.exe' from the Plus! pack, if offers all the same functionality and MUCH MORE ADDITIONAL FEATURES. If you have already have the Plus! pack, you can try XTheme Manager as an enhancement; if you don't have Plus!, you must try XTheme Manager now. About Themes ============== A Theme is described by a .theme file, which is basically a .INI file containing all the information for that particular desktop setting. You can find thousands of themes on the net. Some good places to start looking are: Windows95.com http://www.windows95.com/apps/desktop.html Dale's Windows95 Themes Page http://www.bitshop.com/~dale/ Gionet's Win95 Plus Themes http://www.95themes.com/ Spike's Windows 95 Themes Page http://www.algonet.se/~spike/ Requirements ============ This software requires Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 or later to run. Files & Installation ==================== To use 'XTheme Manager', just unzip 'XTM10.ZIP' and execute the 'setup.exe'. After installation, you will find the following files in the directory : XTM.EXE - The main executable of XTheme Manager ABOUT.DLL - DLL which XTM.EXE needs, without it anything won't run. IMW32D20.DLL - DLL which XTM.EXE Manager needs, without it anything won't run. FILE_ID.DIZ - Simple Description of XTheme Manager README.TXT - XTheme Manager's documentation (English) READMEBG.TXT - XTheme Manager's documentation (BIG-5, Traditional Chinese) HISTORY.TXT - History of XTheme Manager (English) HISTORBG.TXT - History of XTheme Manager (BIG-5, Traditional Chinese) You can drag the 'XTheme Manager' icon into the Startup folder so that XTheme Manager can automatically loaded whenever system starts. Uninstallation ============== To uninstall XTheme Manager, simply use the Add & Remove Programs in control panel. Command line ============ XTheme Manager supports some command line switches. In practice you will never need to use these, but they are listed here for reference. - Load the given theme /s - Apply the given theme For example, xtm.exe "h:\themes\snoopy.theme" will open XTheme Manager and load snoopy.theme xtm.exe /s "h:\themes\snoopy.theme" will install the snoopy.theme immediately. Features ======== ** Perfect preview of theme. Include backgound, icons, colors and window metrics. * Convenient user interface. Break the used user-interface that many theme-managers use, the UI of XTM is directory-oriented. It's more quick especially if you have hundreds of themes. ** Preview of colors, icons, cursors, sounds, fonts, desktop, wallpaper, screensaver, even logos. In the other hand, you can preview everything in the theme file before install it. ** Install theme at its own directory, you don't need to copy all the themes files into the Plus! theme directory which already has hundreds of files, so stupid. ** Fully customized installion !! you can choose every seperate color, cursor, sound and font, icon, logo to install. For instance, If you want always obtain only the 'My Computer' icon and the background color, XTheme Manager takes it. ** Support auto searching logo and custom font. The Plus! pack did't support win95 startup/wait/shutdown logos, and XTM add three entries to support them. ex: [Logos] Startup=Windows\logo.sys Wait=Windows\logow.sys Shutdown=Windows\logos.sys Of course, if your theme file doesn't have the new logo entries yet, XTM can automaticlly locate them and install. So does custom fonts (.fon, .fnt, .ttf). ** Editing and Modifying every theme. you can modify every setting when previewing a theme file, then save it, it's your own theme now. ** Auto-change feature. Like some background(wallpaper) manager(eg.XDesktop..:p), XTheme Manager can automatically change your desktop setting by apply themes. Simply maintain a change-list, you'll have XTM auto change themes for you. ** Support six desktop-setting that the Plus! pack have, such as 'Anti alias font', 'Show window contents while dragging', 'Use large icons', 'Make wallpaper fit to screen', etc. * Explorer enhancements. After install XTheme Manager, you can right-click a theme file, and choose 'Open' for launching XTheme Manager to preview; 'Install' for immediately install this theme. * Change sequence can be sequential/shuffle/random. * Automatic change interval time can vary from '60 sec' to '23 hr 59 min 59 sec', fit everyone's habit. * XTheme Manager can minimized as a trayicon, not take the space of taskbar. * Support English and Traditional Chinese. * If you think there are some idea XTheme Manager should have, please let me know. Known Bugs ========== 1. Sometimes, if the desktop icons looks still the same after apply new desktop icons, just click on the desktop area, then press F5. It will force the system re-read desktop icons setting to reflect changes. 2. There are seems some bugs with SetSystemCursor under Windows95 when handling animated cursors, so XTM doesn't "immediately" change animated cursors (.ani) if your system is Windows95. Don't worry, I mean "immediately", the changed animated cursors will be appear at the next time system re-start. Contacting the Author ===================== If you have any questions or comments, or just find the software useful, feel free to contact me. Send e-mail to Kuan-Ta Chen (Xshadow@cs.nthu.edu.tw) or visit my web pages 'Undocumented Xshadow' at http://www.cs.nthu.edu.tw/~br831529 LIMITED WARRANTY ================ THE PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT WILL THE AUTHOR or AUTHORS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE PROGRAM, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS LICENSE, UNDERSTAND IT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ITS TERMS AS THE COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN US, SUPERSEDING ANY PROPOSAL OR PRIOR AGREEMENT, ORAL OR WRITTEN, AND ANY OTHER COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN US RELATING TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS LICENSE. License ======= XTheme Manager is a shareware program and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. The purpose of shareware software is to provide personal computer users with quality software on a "try before you buy" basis, however payment is still required for continued use of the product. If you find this program useful and continue to use it after a few days, you must make a registration payment (see the registration instructions for details). This registration fee will license one user to use one copy of XTheme Manager on any one computer at any one time. All users will receive a copy of the latest release when they register, or it will be made available for downloading, and free technical support. Anyone distributing this product for any kind of remuneration must first contact the author (Kuan-Ta Chen) for authorization. You may distribute this software to friends and colleagues but you must include all files in the original distribution. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they make use of it. Registration ============ If you find it useful you may send $15 to the address below. This money will encourage me to continue developing my software. If you don't register, I can't produce any more software because I can't afford it I'm only a poor student. I appreciate all the support I can get so go on! ;-) Just pop $15 note in the post and mail it to: Kuan-Ta Chen No.1, Lane 334, Section 3, Changho Road, Homei Chen. Changhua Hsien, Taiwan, R.O.C. After you registered, I will always notice you every message about XTheme Manager and my other softwares via e-mail. And if you have any problem, I will help you with fully support. This software and all related files is COPYRIGHT(C) 1997 Kuan-Ta Chen at NTHU, Taiwan. 09/14/1997