[APP][01-26-09][*VGA+]SplashScreenRandomizer 1.4.0 All form factors & image formats!

[werD]

Splash Screen Randomizer 1.4.0 Swap for a random splash screen at startup. Supports all major form factors and image formats!

AppToDate should be working for all versions

Updated to 1.4.0 on 01-26-09
Notable Changes

• Major form factor support added(QVGA,VGA,WVGA[testers needed]). Screen layout and image importing is now dynamic
• IO Mode switches on automaticaly on first run if your phone is windows mobile 6.0 or below (i.e < 5.2.19000)
• OpenFile 2.0 included (my extended Mobile Practices codebase)
• File attributes on default splash are adjusted to work better with IO Mode
• Better error handling added
• lots of backend improvements and UI Tweaks
• Richer UI coming soon

Intro

Splash Screen Randomizer is comprised of two applications. The first is a very small application[SplScrnRnd] that runs at startup and either replaces your splash screen file or changes the associated registry setting to a random file from a folder of your choice. This gives you a new splash screen each time you boot! The second app[SplScrnRnd Settings], as it's name would suggest is a tool to adjust SplScrnRnd's settings and customize the splash screens that you load. By default you'll be greeted with a random image each time you boot, but you can choose to use a specific screen you like or import your own images and randomize those!


How To Use

When you install Splash Screen Randomizer It will create a folder in \My Documents\Splashes (You can change this folder after install if you want) Depending on which version you download you may have 2 splash screens or 13 in your splashes folder. The normal version only includes the splash screen by black_shadow69 splash.black. While the other has one of nuthin's splash screens, some of mine, and a whole bunch of black_shadow69's.

You can change the Splashes directory, import files, or adjust settings by launching "SplScrnRndStg" From Start --> Programs.

Note to Cooks: At any point, you can change the settings manually by editing the .xml file in the same directory as SplScrnRnd.exe and Randomizer.dll. You can cook SplScrnRnd.exe into your roms without even including SplScrnRndStg.exe or OpenFile.dll

As always you can drag .png or .bmp images into your splashes folder to add them into the loop.
To use an image that is not .bmp or .png:
Method 1

• Choose 'Import/Multi...' from the main settings screen
• Choose 'Import File' or 'Import Folder' (whichever is appropriate).
• SSR will scan the folder or file and will attempt to scale the image appropriately(if you don't like the way it's scaled copy it manually as a .png or .bmp into your Splashes folder).

Method 2
You can also check "Use Specific Screen" to always use a specific splash. This will scale the image and save it to your splashes directory with a .png extension(if it's not already in your splash directory).


Quirks or Issues[01-26-09]

• The default version of SSR comes with a splash screen in 320x240(96dpi) and 640x480(192dpi). you can delete one or both if they dont fit your screen. or move it and import it
  • Note1 you can download splashes.zip and import the entire folder to automatically scale them appropriately for your phone.
  • Note2 In the next build Ill prompt to automatically resize the default splashes for the current screen on first run.
• Multi Mode is not supported in IO Mode

Future Thoughts(Feel Free to add your own)[01-26-09]

• Only two versions will be out next. SSR will offer to reformat the splashes for your screen on first start for next build(sound good?)
• The interface should scale appropriately now for all form factors, but Ill be creating more custom layouts for each format soon
• Rich UI with suport for current WM theme? or would you guys rather have full control of the layout ie. template for controls and images(seems a bit much)?

Credits

• Black_Shadow69 Nearly all of the splash screens included in the larger version come from this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=382745
• nuthin The larger version also includes a Merlin splash screen I did a while back with a backdrop that was done by nuthin and released with the core kitchen
• José Salazar of mobile practices for speeding things up with the base code for the open file control in SSR
  http://www.mobilepractices.com/2008/...mentation.html
• Les Smith of KnowDotNet for speeding things up with the base code for the persistent settings
  http://www.knowdotnet.com/articles/cfcsetting.html
• l3v5y Registry Tip: See Here

Older Changes

Updated to 1.3.0 on 07-27-08

• Added IO Mode - IO mode is for backwards compatibility, it will replace your default screen when the app is run instead of changing the registry setting. If you had problems with the more recent releases of SSR this should smooth things out for you [*See "Quirks Or Issues" for more info*]
  
• Added Support for AppToDate an excellent app to keep your programs up to date.
  
• Recommended Install Method if you use AppToDate to minimize download size
  • Download Splash Screen Randomizer Without Splashes OR view the attached .txt file and save it in "\Application Data\AppToDate\SplashScreenRandomizerA2D.xml" on your device(The icon will come with the installer after you update)
  • Download Splashes.Zip and extract them into your splashes folder(default is "\My Documents\Splashes"
  • Run AppToDate and SSR as usual

Updated From 1.0 to version 1.2.5 on 4-13-08

Changes From 1.0 to 1.2.5

• Now use ANY of the major image formats(.bmp,.gif,.jpg,.jpeg,png,.tif) as your splash screen(the image is scaled and saved as a .png in your splashes folder)
• The settings screen is now drawn dynamically(i.e. no scrollbars should be displayed when in portrait or landscape mode)
• .bmp and .png files will be displayed/randomized if they are in your splashes folder
• option added to replace your default splash(original splash is saved to your splashes folder)
• Optimized code in several places and reduced overall size
• Due to it's size, the default splash included with the smaller version is black_shadow69's black version below

If you had 0.7.5 you should uninstall it first and delete the directory called "SplashScreenRandomizerSetup" in your program files(you don't have to do that from 1.0 on)

Changes From 0.7.5 to 1.0

• You can now preview the next boot splash or randomize a new one from settings
• You can pick an individual splash screen to use(this will remove the randomizer link from startup until the "single file" option is unchecked)
• You can now reset the picture back to the original setting by pressing the "Reset"
• The splash are no longer copied from the splash folder to the windows folder. The registry values that point to the file in the windows folder are now changed to point to the file in the splash folder. This does improve startup speed because less io traffic is happening Credit for reg links:l3v5y
• The OpenFile dialog has been slimmed down and tweaked a bit to allow context sensitive clicking(i.e. "right click" gives "Enter Folder, Select Folder, and Select File “respectively)

Attachments

• SplashScreenRandomizerA2D.xml.txt: This is the AppToDate file i used to test AppToDate support in the version without splashes. You can save it in "\Application Data\AppToDate\SplashScreenRandomizerA2D.xml" and run apptodate to get the newest version that way
• SplashScreenRandomizerSetup.1.4.0.New.Updated.1.26 .09.CAB is the newest install file for SSR. It includes two splash screens (320x240.splash.black.png and 640x480.splash.black.png) these can be discarded or reimported if they dont fit your screen.
• SplashScreenRandomizerSetup.1.4.0.WithSplashes(VGA ).New.Updated.1.26.09.CAB is the newest full install file for SSR. It includes 13 splash screens for 640x480(192dpi)
• Splashes.zip: Zip of the extra splashes included in the "WithSplashes" versions of SSR 1 is 320x240 96 dpi the other is 640x480 192 dpi (you can import the folder to scale them to your screen)

Enjoy

[black_shadow69]

Nice...werD...Thank you have enclosed me...
I will try the tool...
Thanks again werD.....

[lepsyfou]

very nice idée thank you very much

[juiceppc]

Pretty cool.

[jakkrith]

Thank you very much for sharing.

[black_shadow69]

awsome....Now, my prophet have use this apps....
Thanks again werD....

[l3v5y]

Just an idea... Could you set it to change a registry entry to change the image that is loaded rather than changing the actual image?
This would also allow two different images to be loaded. This would remove the need for swapping files and should in theory be faster, although the code may be slightly more complicated.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Splash Screen]
"MSBitmap"="\\windows\\welcomehead.96.png"
"MSTimeout"=dword:00007530
"CarrierBitmap"="\\windows\\welcomehead.96.png"
"CarrierTimeout"=dword:00007530

EDIT: I've just written a simple app that should change "MSBitmap" and "CarrierBitmap" values.

[werD]

Originally Posted by l3v5y Just an idea... Could you set it to change a registry entry to change the image that is loaded rather than changing the actual image? This would also allow two different images to be loaded. This would remove the need for swapping files and should in theory be faster, although the code may be slightly more complicated.

Thanks Good call, i didn't realize it was a reg setting as well

Next version is going great thus far. I came here to release it, but i'm going to wait and do some registry hacking now instead

[werD]

Splash Screen Randomizer 1.0. Swap for a random splash screen at startup
Updated From 0.7.5 to version 1.0 on 4-11-08


If you had 0.7.5 you should uninstall it first and delete the directory called "SplashScreenRandomizerSetup" in your program files(you don't have to do that from 1.0 on)

Changes From 0.7.5 to 1.0

• You can now preview the next boot splash or randomize a new one from settings
• You can pick an individual splash screen to use(this will remove the randomizer link from startup until the "single file" option is unchecked)
• You can now reset the picture back to the original setting by pressing the "Reset"
• The splash are no longer copied from the splash folder to the windows folder. The registry values that point to the file in the windows folder are now changed. This does improve speed a bit Credit:l3v5y
• The OpenFile dialog has been slimmed down and tweaked a bit to allow context sensitive clicking(i.e. "right click" gives "Enter Folder, Select Folder, and Select File"respectively)

Quirks or Issues

• The current Welcome splash screen is replaced(instead of backed up) when the program first runs Resolved in 1.0(splash files are no longer copied or replaced)
• The assembly incorrectly show 1.0 actual version is 0.7.5 Resolved in v 1.0

Future Thoughts(Feel Free to add your own)
1.0 is here: Depending on the feedback is where I take this one. We may get a bit more dynamic with them or provide static watermarks or we may be done that's really up to you guys

Credits

• Black_Shadow69 Nearly all of the splash screens included in the larger version come from this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=382745
• nuthin The larger version also includes a Merlin splash screen I did a while back with a backdrop that was done by nuthin and released with the core kitchen
• José Salazar of mobile practices for speeding things up with the base code for the open file control in SSR
  http://www.mobilepractices.com/2008/...mentation.html
• Les Smith of KnowDotNet for speeding things up with the base code for the persistent settings
  http://www.knowdotnet.com/articles/cfcsetting.html
• l3v5y Registry Tip: See Here
• OpenNetCf I used their Registry library and got 1.0 converted from IO to Registry in no time http://www.opennetcf.com/

You can download the updates and read the rest of the story here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...46#post2101246

[l3v5y]

I've used the .NET CF 2.0 registry functionality which is built into most ROMs and so needs no extra files at all.
The problem with the registry is that I haven't yet found out why it won't read the timeout values. By default they are set so high that only the MSBitmap can be shown.
I have one point to make though, BMP files can be used as well as pngs! They can be anywhere, and can be any size (although a 10MB file might take too much RAM) but only the top left area is shown with one pixel of the file being one pixel of the screen. Undersized images are placed in the top left of the screen.

The load order for the two files is:

• MSBITMAP is loaded and displayed
• Waits for time set by MStimeout
• CarrierBitmap is loaded and displayed'
• Waits for time set by Carriertimeout
• Overlays MSBITMAP on top of CarrierBitmap (only observed if msBitmap is smaller than carrierBitmap)
• Today Screen loads

Changing the timeouts/both registry keys could allow for greater variation in the splash screens.

I'll try and work out why I can't get the reg keys for timeout to work, and I shall also see if transparency in the *.pngs has any effect when the two splash sreens are overlayed.