Icons & Cursors: Package Builder

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Package Builder allows you to create a new icon package theme including just the icons you change.  Normally, in IconPackager when you change icons on the tabs and save the icon package, it will include all of the icons.  There are a number of options in Package Builder, including Sub Packages, viewing select Groups, and other features from the tabs.  Maximizing the window will allow you to see a lot more icons & groups at the same time. In Package Builder there is a menu running across the top, with the icons below it sorted by group like on the tabs.  Each icon displays a large desktop version & a small one (16x16 pixels) seen in Windows Explorer.  The status bar at the bottom left displays the full file path where the icon you're changing is stored on your hard-drive.  It will also tell you "Windows Default Icon" when you click on an icon that comes with Windows.

When you first open Package Builder, it has the standard Windows icons loaded.  You can either change and save those icons or (load) an existing icon package and modify that set.  If you modify an existing package, click (Save As) under a new filename or you will overwrite the original package icon(s).   You change an icon by right-clicking on it, selecting "Change Icon" and selecting the new one.  Repeat for all the icons you want to change, save the new package, close Package Builder by clicking and you will be returned to IconPackager.  Click on the Look & Feel tab, click on "Icon Package Options", select Refresh (so your new package gets added to the list), click on it, click on "Apply Icon Package" and your computer icons will change to the new package you just created.  If you created a Sub Package, select that from the menu & apply changes.   Menu Bar The menu bar across the top includes the following options: New, Open, Recent, Save, Save As, Sub Packages, Windows Explorer, Groups, Sort By, Windows View and Custom View. The first menu item (far left) is which restores all of the icons back to the Windows Default icons.  If you changed any icons & didn't save before clicking , it will ask if you want to save changes first.  Clicking will open the "Save Icon Package" window you have seen before, so you can name & your icon package.  (Click to lose the changes & reset the icons.  Click or to abort.) The next item is which allows you to open an existing icon package.  You could open a package you created, one that came with IconPackager or one you downloaded.   If you changed any icons & didn't save before clicking , it will ask if you want to save changes first.  Clicking will open the "Save Icon Package" window, so you can name & your icon package.  (Click to lose the changes & load the new icons.  Click or to abort.)  Then you will see the "Open Package" explorer type window to locate the new package.  When it first opens, it may show the IconPackager folder with sub-folders for each theme (icon package).  Double-click the desired folder and select the icon package (i.e. .ICONPACKAGE, .IPTHEME, .IP, .THEME) and click .  (Click or to abort.)  The icons will load in & replace the previous ones.  Most packages don't include replacement icons for everything, so for those you will see the Windows default icons or a generic icon like the ones below:

This will display recently viewed packages in the pull-down menu, giving you easy access to select & load one.  Like the other options, if you didn't save first, it will ask if you want too. After making changes to the icons, click to those changes.  Keep in mind:

If you haven't saved to a new filename, then Package Builder will ask you for a filename to it as.  (Click or to abort.) If you have already saved it under a different filename, it will re-save the icons to that package. Finally, if you loaded an existing package (i.e. LocalFlavor Vista), changed some icons & clicked , it will overwrite the original icons in that package.  There won't be any confirmation, so the best way is to click the "Save As" icon & save under a new package name.  Then any further changes will be saved to your newly created package filename.

(Save As) Clicking the "Save As" icon will open the "Save Icon Package" window.  Type in the new filename, and click .  (Click or to abort saving.)  The "Package Info" box will open asking you for details about the package you're creating: Author, E-Mail, Web site, Category, Comments and if it's for "Windows XP or above package".  (This Info box will appear regardless if you have unchecked the option "Show Package Info dialog on saving a package" in IconPackager under .)  Click to save.  (Click or to abort.  This will only skip the Package Info, but your icon package will still be saved.)

Sub Packages are a way to change selected icons for a given Parent (or base) icon package.  When you add a sub package(s) to a base package, it will be listed in a pull-down menu on the Look & Feel tab under the preview area (right side).  This allows you to in effect, modify the icons of an existing icon package.  So the icons you select in your sub package replace the base package.

For example to see how this works, click , change some of the Windows Default Desktop Icons (i.e. Computer, Network). Then you (Save AS) under a new filename (i.e. My Icons) & fill in the Package Info. box and click .  (Click or to abort.) You a package (i.e. Slicer Vista), then click . A dialog box opens asking for the sub package, you click and to the "My Icons.iconpackage" file and click .  (Click or to abort.)

If you want to start with the base package (i.e. nicon Vista package), check the box for "Load parent package" and click . (Click or to abort.)  (Note: At this point, you could add additional sub packages and use the or buttons to position them on the pull-down menu that will appear on the tab.  This has no bearing on which package is loaded first, it simply lists them in the menu in the order you prefer.)  If you want to edit any of the sub packages, simply select the package and click .  The "Edit Sub Package" dialog box will open and you can make the desired changes. Next, on the "Sub Packages" dialog box click to save changes. (Click or to abort.)  Click on to return to IconPackager.

 

Now click on the Look & Feel tab, click on "Icon Package Options" and select "Refresh" to have your new package added to the list.  Click on the base icon package (i.e. nicon Vista package), then click on "Apply Icon Package".  Now, to see the sub package icons, click on the pull-down menu under the preview & select "My Favorite Icons" and "Apply Icon Package".  You will see the base package icons replaced by the ones you picked.

The Sub Package menu located under the preview area, on the lower right side.

 

Before - Slicer Vista parent package applied.

After - My Icons sub package applied. Only these three icons were changed, the rest of the icons remain Slicer Vista.

If you need to view/change files on your drive(s), click the button to open Windows Explorer.  You can use Explorer while Package Builder is running, and minimize, restore & close as needed. Clicking on will open a listing of the same tabs under .  You can check (view) & uncheck (hide) the groups of icons you want to view in Package Builder.

(Sort By) Clicking on the Sort By icon will open a small menu with options to sort the list of icons by: Default, Name or Set Icons. (Windows View, default mode) Clicking the Windows View icon will change the view of icons back from the Custom View .  The Windows View is the default view when you first start Package Builder.  It displays pictures of the icons arranged by group. (Custom View) When you first open Package Builder, if you click the Custom View icon nothing will happen.  You must first either change an icon(s) or load a package, before the pull-down menu next to the icon will be populated with icon sizes (i.e. 32 x 32 pixels) & colors (i.e. 256 colors).  Select one from the list and the view of icons will change to show just those icons in the current package.  If no icons are displayed, it means the package doesn't support that size & number of colors.

Size of Icons The sizes of icons have increased over the years from one version of Windows to the next.  The maximum size Vista supports is 256x256 pixels and XP 128x128 pixels.  Plus, there are various smaller sizes of icons (i.e. 16x16, 24x24, 32x32, 48x48).  The number of colors can vary between sizes & version of Windows.  Additional information regarding Vista icons can be found at the following web sites.  This may help if you decide to create your own icons. Microsoft MSDN - Vista Icons: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa511296.aspx http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa511280.aspx Microsoft MSDN - XP Icons: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms997636.aspx WinCustomize.com - Vista Icons: http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=149216 Icon Options When you click on an icon, a box will appear around it & the name of the icon will be highlighted.   You will notice that each icon has a smaller version of itself next to it (lower, right).  The smaller icon (16x16 pixels) is used in Windows Explorer.

Right-clicking on an icon will display a menu of choices that is similar to the one on the  tabs.  Not all of the options will be available all of the time, it depends on what you're doing.  If unavailable, the option will be grayed out.

Icon Options Quick Reference

Action	What it does
Change Icon	It will open the "Change Icon" window to locate & select a different icon to replace the selected one.  (See Icons & Cursors: Overview - Changing This Icon.)
Set Default Icon	Changes the selected icon back to the icon from the current icon package (i.e. Windows Default Icons).
Set Path...	Allows you to change the file path of the selected icon.  Type in the new path, then click to save.  (Click or to abort.)
Export Image...	Opens an Explorer window to save the current icon as a Bitmap (.BMP) type graphic file to the desired folder.  Click to store it.  (Click or to abort.)
Copy Image	Copies the selected icon to the Windows Clipboard to be pasted into another program (i.e. graphics program, PhotoShop, PaintShop Pro, ...) for editing, etc..
Edit using IconDeveloper...	If installed, launches IconDeveloper to edit the selected icon.  If not installed, you will be asked if you want to download & install it.
View Icon...	Launches IconPackager Explorer and displays the selected icon.
Add Format...	(Only available for "File Icons".) Allows you to add a file type (extension) not currently listed so you can change it's icon.  Clicking this will open a dialog box to locate it or create a new one, if desired.  (See the Icons & Cursors: Files, Drives & Cursors - Files section for more information.)
Remove Format...	(Only available for "File Icons".) If you don't want an icon for a particular file type anymore, right-click on it and select "Remove Format" and it will be deleted from the preview area.  There is no confirmation screen, once you select Remove, it's gone!  (This won't delete it from Windows, it will just disassociate the icon with that file type in IconPackager.)
Properties...	Displays the standard Windows Properties of the selected icon file.