I've just set a new skin from a template (I remove the System Button from all my skins) to try this and double click does close the window. The issue therefore is with the skin and not WindowBlinds.

You can change the System Button in SkinStudio > Window Borders > Titlebar Buttons > System Button, then 'Actions' in the Attribute window.

Apologies to those offended regarding the harsh tone of my initial posting.

Maybe I simply had too high hopes after waiting for over a year for WB to mature, and then let down because small things have not been taken care of.

I don't think you understood my post. This is not a flaw, bug, failure, call it what you will on the part of WindowBlinds, if a skin has been set up correctly the double click close works fine.

If people choose not to include this feature in a skin that isn't WindowBlinds breaking something   
I personally prefer not to have the Sytem Button (icon on the left) and replace it with a roll-up button. That doesn't mean WindowBlinds has broken the feature, it means I've chosen not to include it...

If it's a bug, then it should be fixed. I would never use that option to close a window either. But a bug is just that...a bug. And an attempt should be made to repair it by the software developer. Just telling a user to forget about it and do something different is bad business and poor customer service and certainly NOT typical of Stardock. I assure you, if he does it that way, others do too.

On the other hand...if Fuzzy is right and it is a preference set by the skinner, then move on htalvitie and make skins that include it.

Now...if I could just learn to spell certainley, certainely, certaineley? How about definitely!

Also, in WindowBlinds Configuration > Overide Default Settings, you can set 'Titlebar settings' 'Action to take when double clicking on a titlebar' to 'Close Window'   

Currently running a Windowblind called Murishani by Jonep and it works with this blind.

Good call Fuzzy...works everytime... now u dont even have to travel all the way to the left of titlebar either Harri   

Alternatively Alt + F4 which can be customized by any number of small apps to something conventient.

ToeJo...this..certainly WWW Link stays permenantly in my links bar. I was a little prideful to use it at first but..that soon goes away when you see how often it can be helpful in a pinch.

To follow-up on Fuzzy's comments:

As he said, the action on double-click for the System Button can be set to "close" in the skin - Windows' inherent functionality isn't "broken" at all, just amplified.

In addition, you can set a skin-specific double-click action for the Titlebar itself to "close" as well, so double-clicking anywhere on the Titlebar (other than on control buttons) will close the window, as shown in this SkinStudio snapshot:



And you have a global override to make double-clicking the Titlebar "always" close the window. So you have 3 options that ought to satisfy your need.

Thanks for the link vStyler.   

Ok, let's wrap this up:


Yes, one could fix or modify the skin - with proper tools etc. But in my mind there's a better and simpler solution (see below).


But wouldn’t this conflict with the existing standard action Maximize/Restore window in place?

Doesn't seem logical nor practical, since I (like most?) have to work between different computers, and functional consistency is nice.

Maybe it's the developer in me who likes solving stuff and making things better, but when I see a bug (or "a missing feature causing problems" -- call it what you want), my mind tries to come up with a way to make it just work.

And this shouldn't be so difficult, after all.

Just in case, here's the summary of WB behavior as far as I have observed and interpreted - and please let me know if it contains any errors:

Three separate and closely related GUI actions can by modified by the WindowBlinds skin author. However, only two of them can be overridden by the user:

1. Double-clicking the title bar (Restore/Maximize window)
2. Right-clicking the title bar (Open the system menu)
3. Double-clicking on the program icon on the left side of title bar area (Close window)

Please let me know if I'm missing something (maybe a hidden option added to 5.51 or something similar), but if not, then how about a simple solution:

All we need is a third check-box to the settings, so the user could override the skin-supplied behavior of the program icon!

Or not?

Rgds,
Harri

---

PS. Photoshop compatibility in WinXP x64 isn't a "pet peeve from customers".

Also, I don't understand how your comment is related to this topic.

Microsoft released Windows XP Pro x64 in April 2005 shortly after Adobe released Adobe Creative Suite 2. All CS2's are 32-bit programs, so they have to run on x64 with the help from heavy WOW64 "middleware" plumbing etc.

FYI, Adobe has not certified any of their CS2 products to run on WinXP x86.

(My theory your menu corruption might be related to video drivers.. but then again.. just a theory.. and also getting *really off topic* ...)

No. The standard control buttons still work normally. The point is you can choose how windows respond to titlebar double-clicks to suit yourself. But that assumes you want to. The "proper tools" are simple enough even for this non-developer so I suspect even you could easily use them. In the time you've devoted to posting, you could have fixed this 10 times over.

Remember....skins are designed the way the skinner himself wants them.....unless they are a commissioned work.  If one or other of them doesn't look or function the way you would like there are only two options....find another that does, or, failing that....make [or adapt] your own.

Many skinners started out in exactly that way....

I've always thought WindowBlinds is the right tool for making run-time selections like these - not SkinStudio.

SkinStudio is the tool with which one creates a WindowBlinds skin and determines the properties/actions of various GUI elements that are customizable using WB. SkinStudio is to a skin what the Toyota factory is to a Celica. You want the steering wheel on the right instead of the left? Gotta order it that way. Does that help?

A skin is fully changeable by the end-user - you can modify a skin to your heart's delight using SkinStudio.

No, it doesn't.

According to the product description, WindowBlinds by itself should "give the user freedom to completely change all aspects of the GUI of WindowsXP." I'm not feeling the freedom here.

I'm simply asking for the manufacturer to stop interfering (randomly, as shown in my screencast) with my existing "steering wheel" by not causing breaks or loosing coordination.

Why should I accept all this silly reasoning trying to convince me to "shut up, buy something extra (and I already have the full Object Desktop), fix it yourself" when there's a clear defect in the product?

Yes, WindowBlinds is broken and no, the skin author isn't the one in the driver's seat telling where to turn when the system menu receives a double-click.


I'm sorry, I don't find any logic in what you're saying.

If anything, the Model T comes to my mind: "Choose any color, so long as it's black."