--- In [email protected], Alan Martin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hi Alan M > > I guess that means they are not needed in PowerPro's own default.icl. > Therefore, in the thread "Re: association for saved clip files", > I suggested to Bruce to use a smaller default.icl which does not > include the extra icons for dialog plugin.
Yup, seems unnecessary to have them both places when dialog.dll is just as easy to get at. > Do feel free to comment in that thread if I have misunderstood > and you do want icons for dialog.dll to be in default.icl. > In that case, Bruce could distribute my default45c.icl > instead of the default45b.icl which I recommended to him. Sounds good to me. > I'm willing, if other icons will be useful. > > I don't know what specific icons would actually be wanted by users, > because I don't use those plugins myself. > > So it's easier for me if I get _specific_ requests, with a brief > description of where/how this particular icon will be used, > and preferably also suggesting what symbol(s) or images would make > a strong mental association with this particular feature or dialog or plugin. > Because icons are all about instant recognition, it's best to use > the most commonly used symbols for the subject, instead of being original. Yup. > So I guess pop3 and smtp should use an image of an envelope. > Some users might want a different icon for each. > Pop3.dll is about fetching and smtp.dll is about sending > so I guess pop3 could have an envelope with arrow pointing left > and smtp could have an envelope with arrow pointing right. > Or maybe it's a down arrow for pop3 and an up arrow for smtp send. Sounds fine. > And what for crypto? A padlock maybe? Jail? > I'll upload some draft designs for a few of the dlls you mention... I've downloaded, will look them over later this evening? > but I never use sql or odbc and have no mental image for a database symbol. > The sqlite home page has an ugly icon which is just the characters > SQL-ite crammed into a 16x16 square. > Is there a most popular symbol for databases? Can you point me to > a web page which shows one? I think someone else chipped in on this one. > _________________________________________________________________ > > > As a separate issue, you'd need to consider the best place to store > such icons. > > Icons are used in three kinds of places: > > [A] on a bar button or menu item, created by the user. > The user specifies the icon in pproconf's item editing dialog > or with a cl.seticon() command. > > [B] to represent a window (such as a dialog window) on the TaskBar, > active bars, task lists, etc. This also appears in the window's own > caption (aka title bar) if it has one. > The dll which makes the dialog must be programmed to tell the OS > which icon to use for this window. > > [C] embedded in the body of the dialog window (not in its caption bar). > This is usually larger than 16x16. > > For example if you specify an icon for miscplugin.messagebox() > it shows the 16x16 of that in the TaskBar and in the message box's > caption -- and also displays the 32x32 in the message box's body. > > On the other hand, with msgbox.dll plugin, if you specify an icon > it is embedded in the dialog body but not used in the caption > nor in the taskbar. > > In case A, if any plugin's dll contains icon(s), users can set it > for a bar button as "c:\pathto\plugin.dll",3. > Or they can use any other icon, such as from an icl or ico file. > > If you wish, the plugin writer can include optional user icons, > as you have done in dialog.dll. > Even if they are not used by the dll itself for uses B and C, > they can be provided for use A. > > > In cases B and C, it seems to me that it's best for the dll > which actually creates the window to include at least a default > icon in that .dll file itself. > The dll should tell the OS to use its included default for any > dialogs or other windows it creates, if the user does not specify one. > That stops non-specific generic icons being used on the Taskbar etc. > > > Anyway, I wrote all the above to set the ground for this question: > > If I make an icon for each of "pop3, smtp, crypto" which you mentioned, > should they go into pop3.dll, smtp.dll and crypto.dll respectively, > or should they all go into dialog.dll ? At the moment I'm only concerned with icons available for users to make the dialog icon (usage B, when they create a dialog using dialog plugin) or when they want an icon to show up as an image within the dialog (usage C). > I guess they might be used for A (the user's own bar buttons) > and their main purpose is for B (the Taskbar etc) if chosen > by the user as allowed by dialog.dll. Yeah, if icons are there users can make them the icons for bar buttons if they want. > I think the answer is: if a plugin such as pop3, smtp, crypto > makes its own windows (not made by dialog.dll) then it needs to > contain its own default icon for use B (the Taskbar etc). None of my plugins make any windows except dialog.dll. I think. > On the other hand, if smtp.dll never makes its own windows, > but you are thinking of situations where the user has asked > dialog.dll to create a dialog window which happens to be > about smtp, then the icon we provide for the user to optionally > specify for his "dialog about smtp" belongs in dialog.dll > rather than smtp.dll. > It will be easier for the user to select an icon > if all the optional icons for dialog.dll are in one place. Hmm. I kind go for putting icons that relate to a subject matter with the plugin that relates to that service. If I was looking for an icon about mail, seems to me a sensible place to look for it is in pop3.dll or smtp.dll. > > Anyway, where to store them is your decision. > I'll just paint whatever specific icons you, or users, ask for. Many thanks. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! 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