Curtains - Beta 4 issue report thread (closed)

from Stardock Forums

With the beta 4 release of Stardock's newest app, Curtains, we are creating this thread so that users can report any observed issues.  

Obtaining the Curtains beta:

Object Desktop members can get the Curtains beta from within Object Desktop Manager with 'show beta downloads' enabled:

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Individual purchases (as well as Object Desktop Members) can also be obtained from your an account page:

https://store.stardock.com/myaccount/products

For guest check-out purchase (no account), from this link:

http://www.stardock.com/support/productkeyretrieval

Reporting an issue:

Please include the following for anything found:

  • Exact Windows version \ build (winver.exe)
  • Detailed steps to recreate the issue seen
  • Screenshots and videos are very helpful.  Videos can be uploaded to a cloud drive services (GoogleDrive, DropBox, OneDrive, YouTube) and links included in your post.  Images can be directly added.
  • If there are specific apps that Curtains does not work (well) with, please note what apps and their exact versions.  If any app is not common, a link to a trial version would be appreciated.

Thank you all for your interest in Curtains and for helping us make it even better.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

curtains support
69,912 views 43 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Changelog for Beta 4

  • XP Luna style added
  • Fixes an issue with a crash if you had OpenShell installed and the timing was just wrong when things started up
  • Should fix a crash when using Button.Background section and the other newer sections added in beta 3
  • Adds in the system tray icon option. This will only show if Curtains is applying a style or has been at some point, otherwise, it will not show as curtains will not be running the code required for this
  • Fixed things so you can now make custom shadows or apply custom text settings without needing to define a titlebar image
  • Defaults to no shadow on titlebar text for new styles now
  • Online tab adds 'Most recent' option under the filter
  • Fixed an issue with start10 text colors only applying if you defined an image for a given section
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Known issues:

For any issues that are reported, and that can be reproduced \ verified, they will be listed as 'known issues' and itemized here.

  • While Curtains mentions Groupy - and has Groupy sections for styles - it will not apply to Groupy 1.32 .  A future update to Groupy will add support
  • UWP apps (Settings UI in Windows 10 for example) are not currently supported but we are investigating extending support to those in future betas.
  • If you also have Windowblinds installed, and when a Curtains skin is applied, the Start10 start button control by Windowblinds is not released. You can't go into Start10 and change the start button - one needs to go into Windowblinds and un-tick "Always use the OS start button rather than the style one". 
Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

With the release of beta 5:

https://forums.stardock.com/500226

Closing this thread.

Thanks to all that tested and posted their feedback.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

I'm seeing some odd behavior with recoloring.  As a test, I have a solid-white window titlebar image, and set it to "recolor using the selected secondary color (forced)", which I believe should result in the titlebar becoming the user-selected color.  However, red isn't always being applied correctly.  Greys become greenish, and red tones become grayish.  Solid red becomes full black:

User Color Titlebar Color
0,0,0 0,0,0
128,128,128 64,128,128
192,192,192 144,192,192
255,255,255 255,255,255
255,0,0 0,0,0
192,128,128 96,128,128
255,128,128 128,128,128

It's as if the green and blue values are affecting how much red is being applied.

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

Gradients and custom start icon is not appearing on Surface Pro X. (Windows on Arm). This is a capture of Cairo Dark

 

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting scott52, reply 5

Gradients and custom start icon is not appearing on Surface Pro X. (Windows on Arm). This is a capture of Cairo Dark

 

Reduced 39%
Original 2104 x 184


Unfortunately you are using an ARM based system which Curtains does not support at this time.

Standard Intel/AMD Windows 10 64 bit systems only.

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting dnelson_1901, reply 4

I'm seeing some odd behavior with recoloring.  As a test, I have a solid-white window titlebar image, and set it to "recolor using the selected secondary color (forced)", which I believe should result in the titlebar becoming the user-selected color.  However, red isn't always being applied correctly.  Greys become greenish, and red tones become grayish.  Solid red becomes full black:

User Color Titlebar Color
0,0,0 0,0,0
128,128,128 64,128,128
192,192,192 144,192,192
255,255,255 255,255,255
255,0,0 0,0,0
192,128,128 96,128,128
255,128,128 128,128,128


It's as if the green and blue values are affecting how much red is being applied.

Thanks for the report, we will investigate whats going on there.

Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Nevermind. It was me.

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello Jim,

If you are referring to Dani's Persona Screenshot in Wincustomize. You need to set Start10 to use "Modern Style" to see it.

Thank you,

Basj
Stardock Community Assistant.

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Jaz, I see it now with Start10 using the Windows 7 style.  

Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top

I thought you wanted to see the all black Startpanel as shown in his screenshot. Instead the half white half black one. Now I am wondering, what you saw in your initial post.

Thank you,

Basj
Stardock Community Assistant.

Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Was seeing this because I had chosen Rounded Windows 7 style in Start10.

 

Now seeing this when choosing Default Theme under windows 7 style in Start10.

 

Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top

Ah, ok got it. :thumbsup:  

Thanks

Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top

I think some of the Advanced settings are not getting applied, or else I'm misunderstanding how they work.  None of the following settings seem to make any effect on button appearance:

Button.ActiveMinimizeBackgroundBlock, Button.ActiveRestoreBackgroundBlock, Button.InactiveBackground, Button.InactiveCloseBackground, Button.InactiveMinimizeBackgroundBlockColoured, Button.InactiveRestoreBackgroundBlockColoured

Are some of these just casualties of a half-finished renaming pass?  It seems that the "*Background", "*BackgroundBlock", and "*BackgroundBlockColoured" settings should just be collapsed into "*Background".  And if not, what's the difference between the three categories?

Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Not sure this is buggy behavior but when Curtains is loaded, when I have to shut down Avast, The product freezes its shield deactivation process and I have to reboot. Did not have this issue when Curtains was not loaded. Wondering if its trying to skin the app.

Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting LittleBearJason, reply 16

Not sure this is buggy behavior but when Curtains is loaded, when I have to shut down Avast, The product freezes its shield deactivation process and I have to reboot. Did not have this issue when Curtains was not loaded. Wondering if its trying to skin the app.

Unlikely, Curtains doesn't work on a per process way like WB does.

It may be an update to Avast causing issues.

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Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Neil, reply 17


Quoting LittleBearJason,
reply 16

Not sure this is buggy behavior but when Curtains is loaded, when I have to shut down Avast, The product freezes its shield deactivation process and I have to reboot. Did not have this issue when Curtains was not loaded. Wondering if its trying to skin the app.



Unlikely, Curtains doesn't work on a per process way like WB does.

It may be an update to Avast causing issues.

You're exactly right Neil , I use Avast and I did have this glitch which coincidentally occurred when Avast had just done a major update. I was suspicious that this was the reason for the glitch so I completely uninstalled curtains then re-installed. That fixed it and haven't had any issues since.

-- Ace --

P.S - It might be worthy to note that I did get a pop-up alert from my Avast when I was re-installing Curtains. The notification stated that the program installation file was not recognized and it was sending a copy to the Avast Lab to be checked and determine if it was safe. It took a little less than a minute for a new popup to notify me that the file was determined to be safe , which of course, I already knew. Interesting development nonetheless.

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Reply #19 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting AceMatrix, reply 18

P.S - It might be worthy to note that I did get a pop-up alert from my Avast when I was re-installing Curtains. The notification stated that the program installation file was not recognized and it was sending a copy to the Avast Lab to be checked and determine if it was safe. It took a little less than a minute for a new popup to notify me that the file was determined to be safe , which of course, I already knew. Interesting development nonetheless.

This is actually welcome news - that they are being more verbose and diligent and not just flatly saying 'this app bad' as has been the case for all such AV apps in the past.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

Reply #20 from Stardock Forums Top

I'll add a few things, don't know if it will help or not. I'm a long time user of Stardock software and just downloaded Curtains after some hesitation before the big win 10 update. So far, so good. Actually I am pleasantly surprised at how good it is. A couple of issues I'm having though. One is that the laptop I'm using now is an 11 inch HP convertible, and I can't get the Curtains control screen window size to fit within my display and can't seem to find a way to scroll down, so I can only the see the tops of some skins. The other issue has to do with flashing within the application when changing skins. It could be just an issue with my particular system or some setting I need to change, but just wanted to add this here.

Thanks again for everything. I'm not great at tech but your software works great for me. It sure can be hard using Windows without Stardock:)

Just one question. Is this meant to replace Windowblinds?

Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting glassylook, reply 20

Just one question. Is this meant to replace Windowblinds?
Covered in a former thread, but, no. Not to replace WindowBlinds.  (Thank G#D)

 

Reply #22 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting glassylook, reply 20

One is that the laptop I'm using now is an 11 inch HP convertible, and I can't get the Curtains control screen window size to fit within my display and can't seem to find a way to scroll down, so I can only the see the tops of some skins. The other issue has to do with flashing within the application when changing skins. It could be just an issue with my particular system or some setting I need to change, but just wanted to add this here.

1) What resolution you have on that 11inch ?

2) Does the flashing continue or stops after several seconds? Any theme applied or only on some of the themes?

Thank you,

Basj
Stardock Community Assistant.

Reply #23 from Stardock Forums Top

Hi 

I'm pretty happy to use this beta at such stage 4 , but have a request / question :

Is it possible to set shadows for context menus ( desktop menus )  too or is is something that will be implemented in future ? 

It would be great , I haven't saw yet anything doing that till now ,  current context menus OS native shadows are very discreet  

 

Reply #24 from Stardock Forums Top

I am on a different laptop now. This one is 17.3 with resolution at 1600 x 900 and noticed some flashing in the control window as well. It only lasts a second or two when starting or changing themes.

Reply #25 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting glassylook, reply 24

I am on a different laptop now. This one is 17.3 with resolution at 1600 x 900 and noticed some flashing in the control window as well. It only lasts a second or two when starting or changing themes.

Great, thanks for the feedback. BTW the Curtains is scrolling horizontally and about the flashing, it is normal since it is going through the style changing steps.

Thank you,

Basj
Stardock Community Assistant.