TPD4 "custom frame" Border Style

VLCNCRZR

Does anyone know what the capabilities are of this particular
border in TPD4?

Obviously, being called "custom frame", I am inclined to think
that I can somehow modify it from its default appearance.

I have searched all through TPD4 and the help menus, and I am not
able to find any reference to this at all.

Has anyone utilized this border in a design?

What is the purpose of this border if it cannot be modified.

Thanks.

[Deleted User]

Borders

I created all the borders, so I guess it falls to me to explain. The short answer is it does nothing special, I just gave it a confusing name. I named it that because it was actually a frame my wife liked (and purchased) so I found an image of it and ended up making a border out of it.

While on the subject of borders are there some borders that you would like to see in future releases? Are there some you would like to see variations of?

VLCNCRZR

The biggest issue that I run across, is the lack of ability for customization.
Many times I have had to create graphic images for the buttons, because the exact features that I need, just arent available.

I would like to see some of the existing styles (NEON, FUZZY, ELITE, GLOW,) available in a round shape along with the standard rectangular shape.

Also, the ability to set the border color to TRANSPARENT, and select a border thickness. This would allow the button border to be any graphical background color or image that I want.

I suppose the ultimate border would be a user adjustable shape with drag points to set the parameters.

Thanks.

jjames

Following suggestion should be used with extreme caution.

Just like anything else, TPD4 can also be "hacked" (used very loosely.) You could customize this "custom" frame option by swapping out the system file for it. I've done this swapping with custom sounds for a "Beep" and "Double Beep". You just need to go to:

Program Files/Common Files/AMXShare/G4SupportFiles/__system/graphics/border/ and replace CustomFrame_(b,bl,br,t,tl,tr,l,r).png (bottom, bottom left, bottom right, top, top right, top left, left and right respectively).

Of course, after replacing these files, you will need to do a full panel transfer. I'm not sure if you have to follow the same size (14x14), perhaps joeyjoejo can shed some light on whether or not we have to.

mediapilotinc

I have had several customers request buttons in the New Jersey "Shaded" style...

Chip Moody

mediapilotinc wrote:

the New Jersey "Shaded" style...

Dare I ask?

- Chip (from Jersey)

mediapilotinc

You may ask

Chip Moody wrote:

Dare I ask?

- Chip (from Jersey)

Meant the button style (it really goes beyond the border), did not intend to insult anybody in NJ (my excuses if I did).

[Deleted User]

Could you possibly post an image or images of the desired NJ style?

Chip Moody

mediapilotinc wrote:

Meant the button style (it really goes beyond the border), did not intend to insult anybody in NJ (my excuses if I did).

No insult inferred - I'm just curious what a "Jersey" border is supposed to look like!

mediapilotinc

Shaded NJ sampler

A sample page should be attached showing a few samples - Besides the Face and Text colors, You can adjust the Contrast (darkness of the shading) as well as the Depth (area affected by the rounding affect). In addition you can add or remove a frame (simple line around the button) in different colors and a range of widths.

DHawthorne

I am just catching on that the "Jersey" reference is due to a competitive manufacturer that happenes to be based in Jersey, that happens to use that style button...

In any case, that's really a common style for web pages as well, but it does go well beyond the actual border. As TPD4 is now, you need to do that type of button with images. I have always used one of the ubiquitous and plentiful button design programs that are out there for such things. Perhaps AMX would consider releasing there own.

jjames

Just as I thought . . .

I tried out my theory with replacing the graphics on the system folder. It works great. You still have to define the border color though, so I just made my match the background. Also, I used a 14x14 chop of each of the corner, and edges. So just to tell everyone, you can "hack" (again, used loosely) the system and use different graphics. However, you can only use 1 custom frame at this point in time. If anyone has any question - feel free to e-mail me, or post. I can post screenshots if anyone would like.

VLCNCRZR

Please post a screenshot of a sample border you are describing.

Thanks.

jjames

Unfortunately, my screen shots do not show my mouse. Anyways, the screen shots go in order showing me resizing the box. All of the box sizes were randomly made. Screenshots are in GIF format to compress the size of the images.

Chip Moody

Jeremiah, that border looks really cool.

Still not getting the Jersey reference though. If that's supposed to be a common border in C-tron's TP design software, I'd like to know which one it is...

- Chip

jjames

Thanks. Basically what I would use the custom frame is exactly what I have shown, and not as a button. I guess to achieve the Jersey style border for a button would be to only create a set of buttons in Photoshop, or Fireworks (my preferred choice), because you would need an ON and an OFF state.

I guess what I posted earlier is as far as we can get in making sizeable custom borders.

mediapilotinc

Chip Moody wrote:

Still not getting the Jersey reference though. If that's supposed to be a common border in C-tron's TP design software, I'd like to know which one it is...

Chip, attached is a screen shot of a C-tron TPS-5000's button properties in VT-Pro-e showing options for the "New Jersey Shaded Style". Hope this clarifies things.

*Very* cool border indeed Jeremiah; wish AMX would add more borders like that (as well as those other buttons you show on your panel) for most of us that are not graphics artists. It would be really nice about having these types of graphics available as border so they can easily be re-sized, etc.
One question though - when you later open a saved touchpanel file on a different PC that does not contain the same modification of the "CustomFrame_(b,bl,br,t,tl,tr,l,r).png" file, will the border still look the same or does it revert back to the default "customframe" graphic?

jjames

Good question. I would place my money on that the software goes off of what is loaded in the directory. The moment I replaced the PNGs in the said directory above, the changes were made in software immediately. So I would bed your assumption is correct that if I were to send you my panel with the custom border I made, it would show up as that (forgive me) ugly custom border. ***Remember, you have to do a full system transfer on a panel before the the custom frames will work.***

And even more, if you change those png files again for a different project, and then go to open the older project using the customframe, the newest one will be what is being viewed in TPD4. Basically, what I'm going to do from now on, knowing that this works, is have a directory with several folders containing only my custom frames, then swap the default out when needed. This may seem like a pain in the butt, however think of how much time you will save. Instead of having to go into Fireworks every time you need a new sized "border", you can just swap the files. Of course, you'll have to take the time once to make the slices.

One last thing, if anyone has snooped around in the nearby directories, you'll notice that there's a sound directory. Several weeks ago when I was in Programmer 2 in Tampa, I had Dave switch out the default sounds. A double beep became a ringing phone. Instead of using the panel's sound command and load the custom sound, you can just switch out the actual sound file (DoubleBeep.wav) in the system folder and it'll become the "default" sound. So as we're learning quickly, we can change our defaults in one file overwrite, which is very nice in my opinion.

Anway, I think it's just a matter of time before AMX realizes how much of a time saver all this "hacking" can be, and just throw in these features in the next release of TPD4.

VLCNCRZR

One of my favorite features in C******* touch panel software
is the ability to size the graphic image to the button.

Also the shading capabilities are awesome.

I dont mind creating custom graphics for a project, but I
dont like to constantly be changing the size because the
panel software cant do it.