Nightlife 1.5 documentation
Overview
Nighlife is a Freeware application launcher for the Windows platform. Instead of adding applications the same way most other program launchers do, you have total control over the apearence, including the actual icons!
The beginning
It was a dark and stormy night, I had recently finished a custom Litestep theme for my desktop computer. I was browsing around on various download sites looking for a flexible program launcher. Specifically one with a skinnable interface. I found several but most of them lacked in flexibility. So I asked myself why I shouldn't make my own! I had a bit of VB programming experience under my wing so I decided to take the challenge.Instead of having the user browse for an application and then the launcher decides where and how to add it, I liked the idea of the user being able to decide where the icons should go. First I though that the user could import a background image and then be able to drag and scale the icons all around the background image. But then thought better of it. Then the concept of image-maps came into mind!
As a web-designer, I often create image-maps. If you know what an image-map is then creating skins is going to be very easy, if not, read on!
The image-map concept
When I create images for the web, I often want the image to have different clickable areas. So using HTML code, I define which areas on a large image are clickable, and what file they point to when clicked on. I will use the example skin included with Nightlife to illustrate what I mean. These techniques are the same for Nightlife using it's skin editor. (included)You start by drawing an interface. You can use any paint program you can find, including the one that comes with windows. The sample below I have created using Photoshop. And I used the Freeware program IrfranView to extract the icons from the applications. Once created, I saved it as 24-bit BMP and I opened the skin editor included with Nightlife. I imported the skin and gave it hotspots. You can do so by simply clicking on the skin, creating a hotspot. And dragging to change it's position and using the arrow keys on the keyboard to change it's size. Right-click to specify an application, URL, or DUN conenction it launches.
Once you've finished defining the hotspots save the skin in the exact same directory as Nightlife in your Program Files directory. The skin BMP must be in the same directory as well. Now launch Nightlife and right-click to open it's options.
Nightlife options
When you right-click anywhere on Nightlife, you have several choices. As well as the choice to launch the skin editor directly. Open the options.
Use the ... button to find your skin (.NS file) which should be in the same directory as Nightlife, as well as the skin image itself. And tweak the Lip, Position and Delay settings if needed. Click on Save Settings to load your skin and/or change settings if a new skin isn't desired. Nightlife slides out from the edge of the screen when you move your mouse near where it's hiding. Moving your mouse off Nightlife or launching an application will immidiatelly slide Nightlife back in hiding. You can left-click on any neutral part of the skin to drag the launcher vertically on the screen.
FAQ
Q. Can I link the hotspots to documents instead of applications?A. As of version 1.5, yes you can! Just link a document just like you would for an application.
Q. Can I launch websites from a hotspot?
A. Absolutelly! Just right-click on a hotspot in the editor and select launch URL from the menu. Then type the address where you would normally enter the application's path.
Q. How do I make a hotspot open a Dial-Up Network Connection?
A. Create a hotspot, right-click and select Launch DUN. Next open up your Dial-Up Networking folder in your My Computer directory. And choose a connection. Copy and paste the name of this connection in the editor's DUN connection box of your selected hotspot. Done! :)
Q. I've installed Nightlife in a working directory, the NS file is not corrupt and neither is the BMP. Everything seems to be as it should. But either the launcher or the editor crash as soon as I launch them. What's wrong?
A. You most likely need to install the most recent VB5 runtime files. You can find them here! Note that there is one bug which I think is associated with this. I have only heard of one case of this. The skin editor refuses to launch no matter how recent and functional your computer is. I have no idea what causes this, I can only hope this bug will eb gone after I do a complete re-write.
Q. Since this program is Freeware, can I have the source? Or can I help with it's developpement?
A. I don't think I want to release the source just yet, and I think I'll do fine developping it on my own. However if you have any bug-reports or suggestions to improve Nightlife I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to Email me!
Q. Is it possible to open multiple instances of nightlife?
A. Not yet. I'm looking that code up. Once I do a bit of testing I'll include it in a new build.
Q. What's the exact colour that should be used for transparent areas for a skin?
A. RGB 255, 0, 255. Specifically 255 parts red, 0 parts green and 255 parts blue. For a groovy 70s pink colour. ;)
Q. There's this funky pink halo around my skin when I load it in Nightlife.
A. You must remember to turn off antialiasing when 'painting' your skin. Or you can wait till it's finished and fix the antialiasing so that it's 'aliased'. What is antialiasing you ask? Here's an example:
 (antialiasing around the image) |
 (no antialiasing around the image) |
Online
nearworlds.cjb.net/nightlife - Nightlife homepage.Nightlife Support Forum - Post comemnts, complaints, bug-reports or anything at all here. At the time I wrote this documentation it was still empty. ;) But dont worry, I will be checking it a few times every day.
eblythe@mochamail.com - My email. :)
Thank you for your interest in Nightlife!
-Etienne