Replacing or adding menu icons

[OldRadioGuy]

I have successfully added new icons to replace the generic X for two operations in my PL 16 layout -- Text to Picture and create desktop wallpaper from current open image -- without damaging the configuration of the other icons. I was able to do this with much appreciation to Burkhard for the information he supplied in the UI thread.

So, if you've been wanting to do something like this, I'll share my experience with this task.

1. Each PL operation is assigned a unique number.

2. These numbers are in the files "MenuStructure.txt" or "Strings.str" found in Program Files>hlp>English (Windows) or (In the Mac version, select PL in the Finder, then choose "Show Package contents" from the context menu. Open Contents, then Resources to find MenuStructure.txt. Strings.str is in the English.lproj subfolder.).

3. The icons used in PL are assigned to layers in a file called pictures.pld (found in the hlp folder). The layers use the unique numbers as a name. If no operation has an icon assigned, then the generic X icon appears for that function.

4. The layer sizes are extremely small, 19x18 pix usually, but there appears to be some variation.

5. The pictures.pld file contains both vector and raster layers.

I designed my two icons as vectors in Xara Xtreme, exported as 30x30 transparent PNG files, dropped the files into pictures.pld, and changed the layer names to the unique numbers assigned to the two functions. Burkhard has suggested sticking to the 19x18 size, but the slightly larger size seems to have made no difference.

Bob

[bkh]

I designed my two icons as vectors in Xara Xtreme, exported as 30x30 transparent PNG files, dropped the files into pictures.pld, and changed the layer names to the unique numbers assigned to the two functions. Burkhard has suggested sticking to the 19x18 size, but the slightly larger size seems to have made no difference.

Just wondering why you converted your vector icons into bitmaps – since PL icons can now be used at different sizes, vector versions seem to be preferable. In any case, it is good to know that PL automatically handles larger icons.

Cheers,

Burkhard.

P.S. Don't forget to share your new icons or icon ideas with others - if you like. I guess that in most cases, icons in PL are missing just because it is hard to find a good representation.

[OldRadioGuy]

Just wondering why you converted your vector icons into bitmaps – since PL icons can now be used at different sizes, vector versions seem to be preferable. In any case, it is good to know that PL automatically handles larger icons.

It was really a choice based on time. I have used various versions of Xara for years to create illustrations for classroom and web graphics. It is extremely fast and efficient, producing vector to raster exports that look great in representations on the computer screen. PL was unable to read vector exports from Xara, thus I exported to PNG. (A few of the icons PL uses are bitmaps.) There was little difference in readability at Small, Middle and Large PL customization settings.

Perhaps, the next time I experiment with the icons, I'll try using the PL vector tools.

P.S. Don't forget to share your new icons or icon ideas with others - if you like. I guess that in most cases, icons in PL are missing just because it is hard to find a good representation.

If anyone is interested, I uploaded links to the two icons I designed in the Clipart Gallery of this board.