List all XP themes (Unresolved but given up)

[Andrew G]

Hello

I've searched the forums, microsoft and google but i haven't found a thing. I need to list all the available XP themes, and if possible to set one. Thanks

[bushmobile]

Maybe some of the API's here will be useful.

[Andrew G]

Thanks, but i still don't understand much of it . I'm trying to mess around with it but i don't know the API calls so its a bit hard.

[Andrew G]

Ok does anyone have the api calls in visual basic. Thanks

[bushmobile]

just search for them in google 'vb FunctionName':

here's three for starters

Private Declare Function OpenThemeData Lib "uxtheme.dll" _
   (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal pszClassList As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function CloseThemeData Lib "uxtheme.dll" _
   (ByVal hTheme As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetCurrentThemeName Lib "uxtheme.dll" ( _
    ByVal pszThemeFileName As Long, _
    ByVal dwMaxNameChars As Long, _
    ByVal pszColorBuff As Long, _
    ByVal cchMaxColorChars As Long, _
    ByVal pszSizeBuff As Long, _
    ByVal cchMaxSizeChars As Long _
   ) As Long

[iPrank]

Just found this thread in C# forum. The conversion may not me very hard.

[bushmobile]

here's some pscode for getting the current style: http://www.planetsourcecode.com/vb/s...53379&lngWId=1

[Andrew G]

Thanks i'll check them out.

[Andrew G]

I found this as well but it doesn't return all the available themes, and sadly the the two links above are very similar. The closest thing i have found is to use the folder 'C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes' and just get the themes from that. Anyway thanks everyone for the help.

[bushmobile]

you could launch the Display Properties dialog box hidden, and then pull the information from the comboboxes with API:

Call Shell("rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,5", vbHide)

that launches it with the Themes tab on top.

http://vbnet.mvps.org/index.html?cod...ontrolpnl5.htm

[bushmobile]

Hi there, check out the attachment, it might do what you wanted.

The only problem is that no matter what state you put in the shell call it still loads up vbNormalFocus, stupid thing.

I've stuck in a

ShowWindow lDisplayhWnd, 0&

to hide it, but you still get a brief flash.

Aside from that it seems to work fine. You'd have to develop it to be able to change the colour of the XP theme (it's a different tab), but it shouldn't be too difficult.

Now if it would only launch hidden!

[RobDog888]

My codeBank thread on detecting XP themes should help.

http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=378272

[Andrew G]

bushmobile: Thanks its great, but unfortunetly i can't use this as i am trying to make a copy of the display properties, and where i need to use it, they probably have disabled it.

RobDog: Thanks but it only gets the current theme.

I suppose currently there is not way so i'll leave it till later.


Thanks everyone

[RobDog888]

The MS themes are located in the Resources folder under the Windows directory.

[bushmobile]

The closest thing i have found is to use the folder 'C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes' and just get the themes from that

Keep up RobDog

[RobDog888]

Do custom third party themes also install to the same location? I dont want to install any but if anyone knows...

[iPrank]

@RobDog888,
To apply 3rd party themes, first you'll need to patch uxtheme.dll

Do custom third party themes also install to the same location? I dont want to install any but if anyone knows...

Don't worry. I'm here to help you.
I've tried at least 50 3rd party theme. It actually depends on the theme.

If the theme uses default XP elements - like start button, images - then probably it woun't need any other files except the .theme file.
XP doesn't copy the theme file in your profile by default. You have to manually copy them.

But if the theme is more advanced - i.e. it replaces your start button/taskbar/window styles - then it will need a dll (?) to provide those resources. Most of the time, these themes comes with an installer, they take care of everything.

[Andrew G]

Here is a quote from a book "Hacking Windows® XP" it explains about how to enable your own visual styles.

Windows XP includes a new skinning engine built into the operating system, which it uses to display its own skin format, known as visual styles. Visual styles are responsible for transforming the boring old Windows classic look into the colorful and visually pleasing Windows XP look. Unfortunately, Microsoft has decided to keep the format of visual styles secret and built the skinning engine to only accept Visual styles that are digitally signed by Microsoft. This decision puts a big roadblock in the path of creating your own visual styles. On top of that, Microsoft decided that they were not going to release any more visual styles, so we are all stuck with the default Windows XP look.

This presented a problem to the Windows XP tweaking community. Everyone wanted to take advantage of the new visual styles engine that was built into Windows XP and create his or her own visual styles. When I first started to use Windows XP, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to create my own visual styles. I tried using Resource Hacker on the visual style file that came with Windows XP to replace the bitmaps inside the file. I was sure that this attempt would work, but when I tried to view the visual style in Display Properties, the rendering was very strange in the Preview window, and when I tried to apply it, the computer would revert to the classic Windows interface. After spending some time browsing the Web and reading forums, I found out that the reason why my new visual style was not working was because the file was not digitally signed by Microsoft. Apparently, even if you modify a file that was signed by Microsoft, the signature is broken because the checksum of the file changed when you replaced the bitmaps.

What would be the next step? Well there were two options: either try to fake a digital signature on the theme file or just remove the digital signature requirement from the visual style engine. Faking a digital signature is very difficult, if not impossible, so removing the digital signature requirement was the only plausible choice.

A company called TGT Soft (www.tgtsoft.com) released a program called Style XP, as well as a free patch that you could use. All you would have to do is run the patcher on your computer and let it go loose on your uxtheme.dll file, which is the heart of the visual style engine, and it would remove the digital signature requirement. You’ll soon learn how to use the Style XP shareware for making lots of interesting changes, in the section entitled Installing New Visual Styles.

The development of Style XP and its run around of the Windows XP signatures created shockwaves in the skinning community. It would now be possible to use different visual styles to take advantage of the new skinning engine. Sites such as ThemeXP.org sprung up, offering hundreds of visual styles that XP users all over the world made. Everyone was happy, except for Microsoft.

Eventually, TGT Soft found itself in a little trouble when Microsoft found out that they released a program that bypassed the requirement. Microsoft could have blown this company out of the water, but they were very generous and allowed TGT Soft to continue to develop its product and helped them write a service that ran in the background so that they would no longer have to hack the system file.

Nowadays things have changed a little bit. TGT Soft still offers its Style XP application that can be used to unsign visual styles, but it is still shareware. Thankfully, there is an application called the UXTheme Multi-Patcher, which will patch the skinning engine just like the old TGT Soft patch.

[Louix]

Somewhere on the Windows MarketPlace website, I found that the UXTheme Patch was also on there for a weird reason.
I'll send a link soon.
PS.Is Windows MP a universal download site,because that's the only reason i think the UXT patch is on there.

[ididntdoit]

I know this is old, but maybe it'll help someone. I'm not sure if ALL themes fit this or not (I think they do) but most are in the c:\windows\resources\themes directory. some simple code could get a list of all theme files in that directory. again not sure, but I think all themes must b in this folder to be used. hope it helps!

[bushmobile]

post #9 - 11 months ago

I found this as well but it doesn't return all the available themes, and sadly the the two links above are very similar. The closest thing i have found is to use the folder 'C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes' and just get the themes from that. Anyway thanks everyone for the help.

[rory]

LOL ..

and changing the theme ..
http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.p...62#post2738462

[Andrew G]

lol, i've completely forgotten about this

Rory.. thanks, i've tried the example in the link you posted, but it still uses the properties box, and on the computer i'm going to be using it will have it disabled. I've given up on the idea, and since Vista is out, even if i do make the program, it probably won't work once they update the system. So thanks anyway

[rory]

lol, i've completely forgotten about this

Rory.. thanks, i've tried the example in the link you posted, but it still uses the properties box, and on the computer i'm going to be using it will have it disabled. I've given up on the idea, and since Vista is out, even if i do make the program, it probably won't work once they update the system. So thanks anyway

well i only use that so it changes it on the fly ..
you can still change it in the registry then restart the PC for the changes to take effect ,,

PS. why is the display properties disabled?
PSS. Tell them stay far far away from Vista
PSSS. You could probably use WMI to list all the themes also ..
or just do what one poster said .. use the themes folder ..
actually its in the registry also ..

[Andrew G]

I basically wrote a program before that would change the system colours on the computer at school and to change the resolution (some one kept leaving them on 640x480 ). But i lost the code, so I've decided to rewrite it, but wanted to include extra features such as changing theme, screen saver etc. But I'm now at uni, and they've disabled all programs from running (except a select few) so I'm not gonna bother with trying to bypass it, just to create a program that would apply the gray theme instead of the blue

[rory]

well here is the screen resolution ..
http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.p...60#post2652660

[Andrew G]

I've already done most of the program including the resolution, system colours, background. the only missing things where the screensaver (which i had decided was going to be useless anyway since I would hardly see it) and the themes.