Classic Shell: Forum

My "Programs" menu has two two columns that extend from top to bottom of my screen.

Is there a way to set a max height of this menu so that it stops at a certain height and starts a new column right next to it?

So instead of 2 columns that extend the entire screen, have 4 columns that extend halfway up the screen.

This is not possible as of Classic Shell 4.2.5 if you want the menu to be closable by clicking in the region where it doesn't show.

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I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

That's not exactly true Guarav.. if you put enough padding on the the submenu skin texture

Sure if Mazuo was looking for a way to only split it into more columns but I think by splitting it into more columns, he also wants to save some space above and below the submenu where he can click to close it? The added transparent submenu padding would do it but the submenu still renders invisibly.

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Links to some general topics:

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I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

transoarent 'padding' added to the bitmap should be un-clickable right?

Can you show me how it's done? I don't have much experience with skin editing.

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I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

Sure, but since its 'hardcoded' If op would post which skin he is using. I can modify that skin to save time

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Jcee - I am using the Classic Menu with the "Smoked Glass" skin

Ok I'm having issues saving the alpha channel (transparency) for a bitmap image in GIMP.... So I need someone to format the attached .png as a 24 bit bitmap with no color space information to finish up

Attached is a 'proof of concept' for guarav with everything but the transparency... until I can figure out an alternative to get the image formatted. If you want you can check it out too, and see if the distance is about right, or if I should tweak it a little

Thanks just what I needed. and here is the working skin (Uncheck 'reduce Glass color' for best results, duno why its buggin there but whatever)

The menu cannot be closed by clicking in the white region (marked in the attached image). While you can split it that way into multiple columns using transparent padding, the only benefit is that you get to see what's behind it. The menu still occupies the area of the screen marked by the white region but you are only hiding it by making it transparent. This is different from actually making the menu not take up that space at all. That's what I meant by "not possible". Technically, you can create a 1 row submenu too with the rest of the area transparent.

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I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

Did you try the clear one? the clear one is 100% click through...

I tried Smoked Glass2a.skin. It is see-though but the submenu doesn't close for me in the area which I pointed out in Region.png above. How can it? It can't because it's transparent, it's not like you modified the Start Menu code to not render it in that area.

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Links to some general topics:

● Compare Start Menus

● Read the Search box usage guide.

I am a Windows enthusiast and helped a little with Classic Shell's testing and usability/UX feedback.

Well it does close for me....? (I did it while posting just to be sure)
I expected that was default behavior.. and discovered it when making my aero glass skin years ago (the top 100~ pixels are transparent)
I'm pretty sure it did back on windows 7 too? but I cant/wont confirm...

Im just curious; does right clicking a fully transparent part of your start button, yield the win+x menu? (assuming right click isnt set to-to so) For me it does
Left click used to aswell, but I remember IVO explicitly fixing that for usability sake... (and I agree with that decision)

Exactly what I was looking for!

Thanks so much