Thanks Brad from stardocks.
DirectSkin Helps Developers create "skinnable" software
Stardock releases DirectSkin 3.0
Canton, MI (May 21, 2002) - Stardock has released DirectSkin 3.0 today, a program that allows software developers to make their applications fully skinnable and Windows XP theme aware. DirectSkin is based on the same WindowBlinds technology that has been used by millions of PC-users world-wide. DirectSkin Version 3 offers improved compatibility for applications written in Visual Basic, C++ and Delphi languages. DirectSkin also supports the custom controls or SmartButtons that are in the latest build of WindowBlinds.
DirectSkin is an OCX that developers include in their project file. Once added, developers can apply visual styles based on Stardock WindowBlinds UIS skin language. Developers can create their own custom visual styles (e.g. "skins") or can use some of the thousands of visual styles that have already been created.
In the recent years, Microsoft, Netscape, AOL and countless other companies have developed software that can be skinned. However, writing the interface can be difficult and time consuming, and getting users to support whatever skin format or language your application uses can also be difficult, even for large companies. With DirectSkin, a developer can make their application skinnable in a matter of minutes and can take advantage of the thousands of skins already available along with the existing tools to create skins in the standard WindowBlinds visual style format.
"More and more applications are becoming skinnable," said Kris Kwilas, Project Manager at Stardock. "There is an increasing divide between applications which have flexible customizable user interfaces and legacy applications that have the plain Windows Classic look. DirectSkin makes it easy to give your application a totally new look and can let your users apply new visual styles as well."
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