Welcome to Desktop Architect


Overview

Welcome and thank you for trying Desktop Architect, the best theme management program for Windows 95/98/NT/2000. Desktop Architect makes using, creating, and distributing themes easy! Through its intuitive interface and wide range of support, Desktop Architect lets you personalize your desktop in no time.

Desktop Architect features include:

•	Full support for Windows themes: Desktop Architect reads and writes themes in Windows 95/98/NT/2000 formats. It also provides expanded support for additional theme items.

•	Full preview of every theme element: You can preview all theme elements in Desktop Architect, including wallpaper, icons, cursors, sounds, animated logo previews, web view items, and screen savers.

•	Support for additional icons: This feature allows you to change most Windows system icons, including folders, devices, printers, file associations, and much more. Desktop Architect even imports popular 3rd party icon theme formats.

•	Integrated Theme Scheduler: The Theme Scheduler allows you to set up desktop theme and wallpaper changes automatically whenever you want.

•	Additional interface enhancements: Desktop Architect adds many user-interface enhancements, including transparent desktop icons, a quick theme tab in the Display Properties, and a tray icon.

•	Theme Package Wizard: The Theme Package Wizard lets you distribute your themes as a self-installing packages or as zip files.

•	Theme Install Wizard: The Theme Install Wizard makes it easy to install themes you downloaded from the Internet. It automatically finds the theme files and installs them to the right locations on your system.

•	And the list goes on…


Copyright

Desktop Architect

Copyright (c) 1999-2000 Ken A. Foster

E-mail: ken@desktoparchitect.com

Website: www.desktoparchitect.com

License

Throughout the license THE SOFTWARE refers to Desktop Architect, THE AUTHOR refers to Ken Foster.

The software is provided as is, free of charge. You may distribute this software under the following conditions: All of the original files are shipped together, no modifications are made to any of the files, and absolutely no money is exchanged in distribution without prior written consent from the author.

By installing and/or using the software, you indicate your acceptance of this license agreement. If you do not agree to the terms of this agreement, promptly delete the software from your computer and stop using it.

Disclaimer of Warranty

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the author disclaims all warranties express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and noninfringement. The author is not liable for any damages whatsoever, including direct, indirect, lost profits or information, business interruption, or other pecuniary loss, even if the author has been advised of the possibility of such damages.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why do my tray icons become distorted after applying a theme?

A. The tray is based upon the window title bar height. When the height is changed, Windows resizes the images.

Q. When I try to play a sound, I get an error message about MPEG Layer 3?

A. MPEG Layer 3(MP3) is a compression format that reduces the size of a sound file. To play sounds compressed with MP3, you need a CODEC(coder/decoder). You can find out more about MP3 for themes at www.themedoctor.com.

Q. Why don't I see gradient title bars under Windows 95/NT?

A. Gradient title bars are natively supported under Windows 98 or higher and Windows 2000. Windows 95 and Windows NT do not provide support for it. Some users have installed a program called Windows Administrator. This program takes a system file from Windows 98 and installs it under Windows 95.

Q. How do I add an additional font to a theme package?

A. By default, Windows displays the Fonts folder differently than a normal file folder. This prevents you from selecting a font using the File>Open dialog. You can get around this by navigating to the Fonts folder and changing the view to Details. Type the filename of the font file in the File name field and click Open.

Q. I added an item to the schedule. Now, when I am playing play a game, the computer slows down while it applies the item. Is there a way around this?

A. Currently Desktop Architect cannot tell if you are running a game. You can temporarily disable the scheduler while you are playing a game by right-clicking Desktop Architect in the system tray and selecting Scheduler>Disable. It will be disabled and the icon is dimmed in the tray.

Q. Why do I still see the Windows 98 logos in the preview even though I am running Windows NT/2000?

A. Even though Windows NT/2000 does not support startup/wait/shutdown screens theme, authors who run Windows NT still include them for 95/98 users.

Q. On the Appearance tab, when I click some text in the preview window, why don’t I see the current font selected?

A. Many themes are created using custom fonts. This occurs when a theme author uses a specific font in their theme, but does not include it. Windows uses the closest available font.

Q. How do I prevent Desktop Architect from showing up in the system tray?

A. Desktop Architect uses the system tray applet for a wide variety of items. To prevent Desktop Architect from running in the system tray, you must disable the following items in the Options dialog.

1.	Uncheck Show Desktop Architect in the system tray.

2.	Uncheck Hide desktop icons.

3.	Uncheck all checkboxes on the Advanced tab for icons, except Show icons using all possible colors.

4.	Remove scheduled items on the Scheduler tab.


Technical Support

Visit www.desktoparchitect.com for the latest product information and releases.

When you report a problem, please include as much information as possible. See the following example:

Version: 	Desktop Architect 2.0 (available in the About box)

Operating System: 	Windows 98

Video: 	1024x768 16-bit

RAM: 	64MB

Description:	Provide a complete description of the problem.

Send all technical support questions to ken@desktoparchitect.com

For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions


Command Line Support

The main executable for Desktop Architect, DA.EXE, supports the following command line parameters for common tasks:

 -a	Apply a theme using the current settings

Example:

da.exe –a mytheme.theme

Applies the theme ‘mytheme.theme’.

-s	Specify the settings flags from the following list

Colors	1

Font styles	2

Window sizes	4

Sound events	8

Wallpaper	16

Icons	32

Cursors	64

Screen saver	128

Logos	256

Web view	512

Additional Icons	1024

Example:

da.exe –a –s:7 mytheme.theme

Applies the theme ‘mytheme.theme’. Changes the colors, font styles, and window sizes.

-I	Install a theme

Example:

da.exe –i mytheme.theme

-u	Uninstall a theme

Example:

da.exe –u mytheme.theme

-k	Package a theme

Example:

da.exe –k mytheme.theme


How Do I


Autochanging themes and theme elements

1.	Click Tools.

2.	Click Scheduler.

3.	Click Add.

4.	Enter a name for the theme or element in the Name field.

5.	Specify a change interval in the Schedule Item field:

•	Daily

•	Weekly

•	Monthly

•	System Startup


Creating a background pattern

1.	Click the Desktop tab.

2.	Click the arrow in the Display field.

3.	Select Center.

4.	Click Pattern.

5.	Select the pattern you want to use in the Pattern window.

6.	If you want to use this pattern as is, click OK.

7.	If you want to modify the pattern, click Edit Pattern.

8.	Specify a name in the Name field.

9.	Left-click in the Pattern window.

10.	Drag the mouse to create the new pattern.

11.	Apply changes as follows:

•	Click Change if you modified an existing pattern.

•	Click Add if you specified a new name in the Name field.

•	Click Remove if you have not modified the text in the Name field.

12.	Click Done.


Creating a daily schedule

1.	Specify the time of day for the change in the Start Time field.

2.	Specify the number of days between changes in the Schedule Item Daily field.

3.	If you want the change to repeat or start on a specific date, click Advanced Options.

a.	Specify the date you want the change to begin in the Start Date field.

b.	Click the Repeat Item checkbox if you want to schedule the change to occur again.

c.	Specify the frequency and duration for the change.


Creating a monthly schedule

1.	Specify the time of day for the change in the Start Time field.

2.	If you want the change to occur on a specific day of the month, click the Day radio button and specify the day in the of the month(s) field.

3.	If you want the change to occur on a specific week of the month, click the The radio button and specify the week of the month and the weekday in the of the month(s) fields.

4.	If you want to change on specific months, click Select Months.

5.	Click the months you want the change to occur.

6.	Click OK.

7.	If you want the change to repeat or start on a specific date, click Advanced Options.

a.	Specify the date you want the change to begin in the Start Date field.

b.	Click the Repeat Item checkbox if you want to schedule the change to occur again.

c.	Specify the frequency and duration for the change.


Creating a weekly schedule

1.	Specify the time of day for the change in the Start Time field.

2.	Specify the number of weeks between changes in the Schedule Item Weekly field.

3.	Click the days of the week you want the change to occur.

4.	If you want the change to repeat or start on a specific date, click Advanced Options.

a.	Specify the date you want the change to begin in the Start Date field.

b.	Click the Repeat Item checkbox if you want to schedule the change to occur again.

c.	Specify the frequency and duration for the change.


Creating a system-startup schedule

Click this option if you want the theme or element to change each time your system starts.


Creating a theme

1.	In Windows Explorer, create a folder to store the theme elements.

2.	Copy and paste the files you want for the following elements into the folder:

•	Fonts

•	Icons

•	Pointers

•	Screen saver

•	Sounds

•	Startup/shutdown/wait screens

•	Web view items

3.	In Desktop Architect, select the settings you want to include in the theme:

•	Screen saver

•	Desktop wallpaper

•	Mouse pointers

•	Desktop icons

•	Additional icons

•	Sound events

•	Colors

•	Font names and styles

•	Startup/wait/shutdown logos

•	Web view items

4.	If you want to include a theme preview window, create a thumbnail view.

5.	Save the theme to the folder you created.

6.	If you want to distribute the theme, create a theme package.


Creating a thumbnail

1.	Click File.

2.	Click Save As Thumbnail.

3.	Navigate to the file you want to use.

4.	Specify a name for the new file in the File name field.

5.	Click the arrow in the Save as type field.

6.	Select a format for the thumbnail.

7.	If you want to use the same the width-to-height ratio, check Maintain aspect ratio.

8.	Specify a value for the width in the Width field

9.	If you want to change the width-to-height ratio, specify a value for the height in the   field.

10.	If you want to the thumbnail to display the same items as the current preview, check Use current settings for thumbnail.

11.	Click Save.


Installing a theme

Note: Most themes are packaged in zipped or compressed format. After you download a theme, double-click the icon and follow the instructions to unzip the theme files.

1.	Click the Tools menu

2.	Click Install.

3.	Click Browse.

4.	Navigate to the folder where the theme files are located.

5.	Click the theme icon.

6.	Click Open.

7.	Click Next.

8.	Make sure that the name of the folder where you want to install the theme is specified.

9.	Make sure that the options you want for installing fonts and screen saver are checked.

10.	Click Next.

11.	Click Next.

12.	Click Finish.


Packaging a theme

1.	Click Tools.

2.	Click Package.

3.	Click Browse.

4.	Navigate to the folder where the theme files are located.

5.	Click the theme icon.

6.	Click Open.

7.	Click Next.

8.	Click the radio button for the type of file you want to create.

9.	Select the checkboxes for the package options you want.

10.	Click Next.

11.	If you selected the Include a custom message checkbox, complete the following:

a.	Enter the text for your custom message.

b.	Click Next.

12.	If you want to add items to your theme, click Add.

a.	Navigate to the files you want to include.

b.	Click Open.

13.	If you want to remove files from the theme:

a.	Navigate to the files you want to remove

b.	Click Remove.

14.	If you want to specify a new location for your theme, click Save As.

a.	Navigate to the location you want.

b.	Type the name for the packaged file in the File name field.

c.	Click Save.

15.	If you want to use the default location for your theme, click Next.

16.	Click Save.

17.	Click Next.

18.	Click Next.

19.	Click Finish.


Saving a theme

1.	Select the theme you want to save.

2.	Click File.

3.	If you want to save the theme to its previous folder using the same theme name, click Save.

4.	If you want to save the theme to a new folder or specify a new theme name:

a.	Navigate to the folder you want to use.

b.	Specify the new name in the File name field.

c.	Click the arrow in the Save as type field.

d.	Select the theme type you want.

e.	Click Save.


Selecting a theme

1.	Click the arrow at the right of the theme display field.

2.	Select the theme you want to use.

3.	If you want the theme to replace your current desktop, click Apply.


Specifying a theme background

1.	Select the theme you want to use.

2.	Click the Desktop tab.

3.	Specify the background or wallpaper you want in the Background field.

4.	If you want to use a different wallpaper or background, click Browse and navigate to the file.

5.	If you want to use a pattern, click Pattern.

6.	Click the arrow in the Display field.

7.	Select Center, Stretch, or Tile.


Specifying a theme folder

1.	Click Tools.

2.	Click Options.

3.	Specify the path to your theme folder in the Default folder field.

4.	Click OK.


Specifying a theme screen saver

1.	Select the theme you want to use.

2.	Click the Desktop tab.

3.	Click the arrow at the right of the Screen Saver field.

4.	Specify the screen saver you want

5.	Click File.

6.	Click Save.


Specifying theme icons

1.	Select the theme you want to use.

2.	Click the Icons tab.

3.	Click the icon you want.

4.	Click Browse.

5.	Navigate to the icon file you want.

6.	Click OK

7.	Click File.

8.	Click Save.


Specifying startup/shutdown screens

1.	Select the theme you want to use.

2.	Click the arrow to the right of the Item field.

3.	Specify whether you want a Startup, Shutdown, or Wait screen.

4.	Click Browse.

5.	Navigate to the file you want.

6.	Click File.

7.	Click Save.


Specifying theme pointers

1.	Select the theme you want to use.

2.	Click the Pointers tab.

3.	Click the pointer you want.

4.	Click Browse.

5.	Navigate to the pointer file you want.

6.	Click OK.

7.	Click File.

8.	Click Save.


Specifying theme settings

1.	Select the theme you want to use.

2.	Click the Settings tab.

3.	Make sure the checkboxes for the items you want to apply are checked.

4.	Click File.

5.	Click Save.


Specifying theme sounds

1.	Select the theme you want to use.

2.	Click the Sounds tab.

3.	Click the sound event you want in the Event field.

4.	Specify the sound file you want in the Name field.

5.	If you want to listen to the sound, click the Preview arrow.

6.	Click File.

7.	Click Save.


Specifying theme text properties, colors, and 3D effects

1.	Select the theme you want to use.

2.	Click the Appearance tab.

3.	If you want to use a predefined scheme, specify the color/text scheme you want in the Scheme field.

4.	If you want to modify the scheme, click the item you want to modify in the Item field. Desktop Architect displays the available options for that item.

5.	If you want to modify the size of the item, specify a value in the Size field.

6.	If you want to modify the foreground or background colors, click the arrow at the right of the Color fields and specify the colors you want.

7.	If you want to modify the text properties, click the arrow at the right of the Font field.

8.	Specify the font you want.

9.	Specify the text size in the Size field.

10.	Specify the text color in the Color field.

11.	If you want the text face to be bold, click B.

12.	If you want the text face to be italic. click I.

13.	Specify the amount of graphic relief for theme elements with the 3D Objects slider.

14.	If you want to rename the scheme, specify a new name in the Scheme field.

15.	Click Save As.


Specifying theme web items

1.	Select the theme you want to use.

2.	Click the arrow to the right of the Item field.

3.	Specify whether you want a Left, Line, or Logo web item..

4.	Click Browse.

5.	Navigate to the file you want.

6.	Click File.

7.	Click Save.


Uninstalling a theme

1.	Click the arrow in the theme name field.

2.	Select the theme you want to uninstall.

3.	Click Tools.

4.	Click Uninstall.

5.	Click Yes.


Desktop Architect Windows


Add File Extension

Allows you to enter an extension to add to the icon group, such as bmp, wav, mp3, etc.


Advanced Schedule Options

Start Date

Select the date the scheduled item should begin on. By default it uses the current system date.

Repeat Item

Click the repeat item to have the scheduled item repeat after it starts. The repeat item allows you to set am additional interval between the scheduled items runs.


Edit Icon Group

Allows you add and remove file extensions associated with the current icon group.

Click Add to add an additional extension for the current icon group.

Click Remove to delete the currently selected extension for the current icon group.


Item Schedule–Item

Name

Allows you to enter a name to identify the scheduled item.

Scheduled Item

Allows you to specify whether you want changes to occur at daily, weekly, or monthly intervals, or each time your system starts.


Item Schedule–Files

Type

Allows you to specify whether you want to schedule a change to theme or wallpaper files.

Order

Allows you to specify whether the change randomly selects a file in the designated folder or displays each file sequentially.


Item Schedule–Settings

Allows you to specify whether you want to use default or custom settings for the scheduled item.


Options–Advanced

Visual Effects

Show icons using all possible colors enables Windows to display icons in more than 16 colors when running in color modes greater than 256.

Make desktop icon text background transparent allows your desktop wallpaper to show behind the icon text. If you do not check this option, the icon background is opaque.

Draw desktop icon text with allows you to specify the source for the color of the icon text.

Outline desktop icon text with allows you to specify the source for the outline color of the icon text.

Default Icon Groups

Allows you to modify the icons and file associations Desktop Architect uses when applying changes to the system icon groups.

Click Browse to change the default icon associated with a group.

Click Extensions to modify the file types associated with the group.

Click Use Current to default the specified icons to the current association.

For more information, see

•	Specifying a theme directory

•	Specifying theme icons


Options–Disabled

Allows you to prevent Desktop Architect from applying changes to specific desktop elements including icons, additional icons, and sounds.


Options–General

Startup

•	Ensure Desktop Architect is your default theme manager allows Desktop Architect to open theme files during system startup. This option also allows Desktop Architect to open theme files when you double click them from Windows Explorer.

•	Show Desktop Architect in the system tray displays the Desktop Architect icon in the tray for quick access.

•	Open the last applied theme at startup applies the theme that was active when your system was last shut down.

Themes

Default folder displays the name of the folder for Desktop Architect themes. This folder is where the Theme Installer stores themes.

Always save themes relative to default folder allows Desktop Architect to use paths that are relative to the default theme folder. If you do not check this option, Desktop Architect uses the location of the theme file to determine the paths of the theme elements.

Never save Additional Icon settings to theme files prevents Desktop Architect from saving the Additional Icon settings the theme file.

Miscellaneous

Always reduce wallpaper to 16-bit color for better performance reduces the size of the current wallpaper image to increase performance on systems with less memory.

Double-click sound event plays sound allows you to play a sound from the Sounds tab. If you do not check this option, a double-click browses for the sound file.

Hide desktop icons displays your desktop without icons.

Hide shortcut overlays removes the arrow overlay icon from your shortcuts.

Turn Active Desktop off when not using html wallpaper allows Desktop Architect to turn off the Active Desktop when not needed. This improves performance on slower systems and allows the icon transparency effects to work correctly.

For more information, see

•	Installing a theme

•	Saving a theme


Options–Scheduler

Allows you to add, edit, or delete scheduled items. Scheduled items let you set up timed changes to your desktop.

For more information, see

Autochanging themes and theme elements


Pattern Editor

Allows you to edit existing patterns or create new patterns from existing ones.

For more information, see

Creating a background pattern


Save Scheme

Allows you to save the current appearance scheme under a name you specify. This adds the scheme to the drop-down list in the Scheme field and to the Appearance tab of the Windows Display Properties dialog box.

For more information, see:

Specifying theme text properties, colors, and 3D effects


Select a Pattern

Allows you to select a geometric design to use as a background for your desktop. Patterns always apply the current desktop background and window text colors. You can use patterns to create a border for your desktop wallpaper. If you stretch the wallpaper, it covers the pattern completely.

For more information, see

Creating a background pattern


Schedule–Select Months

Allows you to specify the months you want a scheduled change to occur.


Changes the current screen saver


Changes the current desktop wallpaper


Changes the current mouse pointers


Changes the current desktop icons


Changes the current additional system icons


Changes the current associated sound events


Changes the current system colors


Changes the current font styles


Changes the current windows and font sizes


Changes the current start up and shut down screens Note: Only available under Windows 95/98


Changes the current web view items


Displays a list of the current screen savers installed


Allows you to launch a full preview of the current selected theme


Displays the current list of available images for your desktop


Click this to browse for an image to use as your wallpaper


Click this to select a pattern for your desktop


This determines how the wallpaper is displayed on your desktop


This displays a list of currently available schemes


Toggles the bold state of the current font


Toggles the italic state of the current font


This saves the current appearance as a scheme


This deletes the current scheme


Displays a list of appearance elements to change


Changes the size of the currently selected item


Changes the color of the currently selected item


Lists the currently available fonts


Changes the currently selected fonts


Changes the color of the currently selected font


This allows you to change the highlight and shadows of 3d edges


Displays a list of sound events that can be changed


Displays the current sound file for the current event


This plays the currently selected sound


Displays a dialog to change the currently selected event


Displays the file dialog for the current sound


Displays a list of the current icons


Displays a list to change the currently selected icon


Changes the currently selected icon to the system default


Displays a list of the current mouse cursors


Displays a preview of the currently selected mouse cursor


Displays a list to change the currently selected mouse cursor


Changes the currently selected mouse cursor to the system default


Displays a preview of the currently selected screen


Turns the animation on and off for the current preview


Displays a list of the different screens that can be changed


Displays a dialog to change the currently selected screen


Changes the currently selected screen to the system default


Displays a preview of the currently selected item


Displays a list of the different web view items that can be changed


Displays a dialog to change the currently selected items


Changes the currently selected item to the system default if available


Lists the currently available themes for use


Displays a preview of the current theme settings as they would appear on your computer


Places an icon in the system tray on the task bar


Ensures that Desktop Architect is your system default theme manager


Location where your themes are stored


This allows you to choose the default location of your themes


This opens the random settings dialog


Makes your current logo the default


Makes your logo default empty


Makes your current web view items the default


Makes your web default empty


Allows you to use all available themes to randomly display on your desktop


Allows you to use only the selected themes to randomly display on your desktop


Displays a list of all of the available themes in your default theme directory


Allows you to specify the elements to apply for the randomly selected theme


Shows a preview of what the current theme looks like


Allows you to specify the amount of time between changing themes


Do not use random themes


Use random themes


Closes the dialog box and saves any changes you have made


Closes the dialog box without saving any of the changes you have made