Legacy Skin Guide (Mini, Small, Medium)

Following is a brief description of how to build Executor skin files for the legacy types: mini, small, and medium.

NOTE: This guide only applies to the skin types mini, small, and medium. If you want to make a scale or alpha skin, please see those guides instead.

The best way to learn is probably to modify the existing skins located in the skins folder within the main Executor directory. The .skn files are simple text files.

Some example photoshop files used for older skins, showing separated layers (input, background, icon), might be useful: Download Photoshop Skin Examples.

Property Description

textcolor
Color of the input text (Hex color code).
textbackcolor
Background color of the text input (Hex color code).
windowcolor
Color of the window border (Hex color code).
buttonarrowcolor
Color of the small arrow in the list button (Hex color code).
buttonoutlinecolor
Border color of the list button (Hex color code).
buttonfillcolor
Fill color (background) of the list button (Hex color code).
skintype
Skintype. Can be mini, small, or medium. Medium is preferred.
transactive
Transparency level when Executor window has focus. 0 (fully transparent) to 255 (opaque).
transinactive
Transparency level when Executor window does not have focus. 0 (fully transparent) to 255 (opaque).
showwindow
Show a default Windows tool-window frame with caption. 0 = false, 1 = true.
showicon
Show the icon of the current input/selection. 0 = false, 1 = true.
showcombo
Show the list button. 0 = false, 1 = true.
skinpicture
Image file path for the skin (.bmp, .jpg or .png). If no path is specified, the image must be in the same directory as the skin file.
transparentcontrols
If enabled (1), the background of the input and list button (if visible) will be transparent, showing the skin behind it. 0 = false, 1 = true (default=0).
editheight
Height (in pixels) of the text edit box drawn on the skin (default is 14).
editwidth
Width (in pixels) of the text input edit field. Also see "Width Calculation" below.
editwidthnoicon
Width (in pixels) of the text input edit field when showicon is disabled (0).
iconpixelsoffset
Determines the icon's horizontal position on the skin (pixels between the edit field and the icon). Only applies to skintype=medium. Use this to draw the icon further right without affecting overall skin width.
editleft
Starting horizontal position of the input field from the left edge. See "Width Calculation" below.
paddingright
Adds extra space to the right of the icon. See "Width Calculation" below.
paddingtop
Adds extra space above the edit/icon elements. See "Height Calculation" below.
paddingbottom
Adds extra space below the edit/icon elements. See "Height Calculation" below.
fontname
Name of the font (e.g., Arial).
fontsize
Font size (default is 8).
fontbold
Font bold style. 0 = false, 1 = true (default=0).
listpicture
Image file path (.bmp, .jpg or .png) for the list background.
listfillmode
Specifies how listpicture is drawn. Can be tile or stretch.
listitems
Specify the number of visible list items if using a complex listpicture not suitable for tiling/stretching. Each item height is 17 pixels by default.
listtextcolor
Color of the text in the list (defaults to textcolor if not specified). (Delphi TColor integer value).
listfocustextcolor
Text color of the selected item in the list (Hex color code).
listfocusbgcolor
Background color of the selected item in the list (Hex color code).
listtitlecolor
Color of the optional title (description) text in the list (Hex color code).
listlargeiconpaddingleft
Optional padding (pixels) to the left of large icons in the list. Only applies if large icons are enabled.
listlargeiconpaddingright
Optional padding (pixels) to the right of large icons in the list. Only applies if large icons are enabled.
failcolor
Color of the text if input failed to launch (Hex color code).
titleenabled
If enabled (1), the title (hint) shows within the skin instead of above/below the window. 0 = false, 1 = true (default=0).
titleleft
X location (pixels) of the title area.
titletop
Y location (pixels) of the title area.
titletextcolor
Text color of the title (Hex color code).
titlewidth
Maximum width (pixels) of the title area (to prevent overlap).
titlefontsize
Size of the title font.
titleprefix
This text (if any) will be prefixed to the title.

Notes on Properties

If you leave out a property in the skin file, Executor will use the user's current setting for that property. For example, omitting fontname, fontsize, transactive, or transinactive means the skin will use the font and transparency settings currently configured by the user.

Height Calculation

The default skin image height is 36 pixels. To increase the height, use paddingtop and/or paddingbottom.

  • paddingtop (default 0) adds space above the edit/icon area. It's added to Executor's fixed internal top padding of 2 pixels.
  • paddingbottom (default 0) adds space below these elements. It's added to Executor's fixed internal bottom padding of 2 pixels.

Summary: Total Image Height = 36 + paddingtop + paddingbottom

Width Calculation

The base width of the skin image depends on the edit field width (editwidth) plus a fixed width for standard elements (list button, padding, icon), which is 49 pixels.

  • editleft (default 4) determines the starting position of the input field from the left edge and is added to the total width.
  • paddingright (default 0) adds space to the right of the icon and is added to the total width. It's added to Executor's fixed internal right padding of 2 pixels.

Summary: Total Image Width = editwidth + 49 + editleft + paddingright

General Notes

Some skin properties are only loaded once when the skin is initially selected via the "Browse" button. This allows users to later customize colors or settings they dislike. When testing your skin modifications, either press CTRL+F5 in Executor to reload the entire skin, or re-select the skin via the "Browse" button in Settings to ensure all properties are reloaded.

If you have questions or find this guide incomplete, please use the community discussions.

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