Win10Tile - native, custom Windows 10 tiles with jump list and context menu

[francibon93]

Transparent Background

Hi!

Have you figured it out how to make the background transparent?

 

[Flinston_Ger]

Hi BK,

the software is completely file-based. It does not have a database or anything to remember the colors. This means that once the visualelements.xml is changed, there is no way for the software to remember the old color.

Effectively, there exists a simple workaround: Simply backup your visualelementsmanifest.xml files (to some folder) for the adobe applications and copy them back everytime you do an update. Afterwards, simply use my software to make a refresh of the tile.

BR
Flinston

I love this app! One question: is there any way to get the program to remember the tile background color for each app so I don't have to re-enter it each time I change the tile? I am currently using this to create custom tiles for the adobe suite which I have to re-apply after each update and this would help make the whole process a lot faster

Thanks!
BK

 

[Flinston_Ger]

AFAIK transparent background is not supported, but it depends on the definition:

1) Transparent to desktop, i.e., underlying windows, etc.: Not supported.

2) Transparent to tile-background-color: Supported. An icon with transparent background lets the selected background-color shine through.

Hi!

Have you figured it out how to make the background transparent?

 

[Flinston_Ger]

I will try it with firefox myself. Maybe Mozilla did some weird stuff.

Edit: I tried it with Mozilla Firefox.
Firefox, by default, uses a custom tile. It uses the same technology as MyTile, i.e., a visualelementsmanifest.xml. I simply selected it from the list and it loads the default settings (medium tile image filename: browser\VisualElements\VisualElements_150.png) I simply replaced the icon (via select image and save), and it worked.
Can you maybe try to use the original filename/original visualelementsmanifest (or try on a new installation) and tell me if the problem persists? (Attached are two screenshots)

Regarding Office: Changing office icons via MyTile/Win10Tile (I should have chosen a consistent name for this software...) is not possible. Please see the first post regarding a workaround. You need to change the icons in the office folder and leave the original visualelementsmanifest.xml from Office applications untouched. If you have already changed them, I can send them you to (I am not sure If I can publically provide them here...)

Hi! Tried this, but doesn't work for me. Created shortcut, pinned to start menu. At MyTile, it still points to the original exe file and it doesn't change the tile image.
Also struggling with Office tiles. Have Office 365 Home version. Could not located any MSOffice.lnk in MyTile to refresh it. For any reason, without doing anything with it, Excel tile has changed somehow.
Thanks. Otherwise: AT LEAST, thanks for the app!

 

[iqbiqb]

I wish we could do large or wide tiles. update please

 

[y.bandur]

Hi. Has anyone tried to change the tiles for viber desktop. Tell me how???

 

[vatz]

I didn't notice that I removed de "#" from the color code, the image tile wasn't applied and it took me a while figuring out why because there wasn't any error message. A simple message or even better, the program could apply it automatically transparently to the user.

Any way the app is amazing, exactly what I wanted. Thanks!

 

[krissasaur]

I can't get the image to change. Only the text and background. Any ideas?

 

[JohnnyGui]

Update 19.08.16: New design and a lot of refactoring. You can search now! Tiles are now saved with a filename-specific name. This means that tiles for applications in a common folder can be created! Added solution to MS Office applications (see below).
Update 18.11.15: Separate images for small tiles supported (just don't select one if you want to use the same.) Deleting a custom tile is now possible (just click delete )
Update 16.11.15: Startmenu items are not listed recursively, i.e., also startmenu subfolders are supported.

Dear all,

since Th2, Windows 10 allows for custom tiles via a visualmanifest.xml again. I created a small application that allows you to create custom tiles for any item in your startmenu. As this is completely native, jump lists and context menus are fully working and no other services are needed.

The app is extremely simple. It lists all your (root) shortcuts of your startmenu. Simply select one item (application target is then the location where the shortcut points to) and select an image. Hit save and you are done. Pin the shortcut as usual to your startscreen. The image is copied to the application directory.

If you intend to create tiles for apps like calculator, please consider the excellent tutorial given here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64055883&postcount=53

The app requires administrator privelegs to modify the creation time of the shortcut (otherwise the tile won't be refreshed).

Download: http://www.motzek.org/MyTile-20160819.rar (Disclaimer: You are on your own. I take no responsibility for whatsoever. App requests highest available rights.)

Source: http://www.motzek.org/MyTile-Source-2060819.rar I am releasing this source under CC BY-NC-SA: "This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms." I.e. modify it, publish it with source for free and give me credit. Program is written in c# (2013). The rar includes the complete Visual Studio solution.

Solution to MS Office applications:
It is not possible to create custom tiles for MS Office applications such as MS Word, Excel, etc. using this application. Somehow a custom tileimage in the corresponding visualelementsmanifest is ignored. However, it is easy to change the tile-images!
1) Navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\LogoImages
2) Replace the respective tileimages. You only need to replace the -100.png images for a medium tile! For example, simply change the WinWordLogo.scale-100.png with a custom MS Word medium tile.
3) Startmenu entry must be refreshed. Select the MSOffice.lnk in MyTile (it will point to something xlicons.exe). Click on refresh.
Note: The original visualelementsmanifest.xml must remain. If you change them via this app, the above workaround does not work anymore. Get them from some other office installation and copy them over. You can manually edit them (via, e.g., Notepadd++) to change the color or hide the name. Afterwards refresh (see 3).

Warn:
An existing visualelementsanifest.xml in the target application root will be overwritten. An existing *filename*-mytile.png in the target application root will be overwritten.

Will there be support for wide tiles as well?

 

[Flinston_Ger]

Which app are you trying to tile? For MS Office apps please see the start post

BR
Dr. Flinston

 

[Flinston_Ger]

Currently, MS Windows 10 does not support live tiles via visualmanifest.xml. If this will change, I will update the app immediately.

BR

Will there be support for wide tiles as well?

 

[JohnnyGui]

Which app are you trying to tile? For MS Office apps please see the start post

BR
Dr. Flinston

They are deskop apps, other than MS Office. I take it that it's not possible to have wide tiles for other desktop apps?

Currently, MS Windows 10 does not support live tiles via visualmanifest.xml. If this will change, I will update the app immediately.

BR

Great. Not sure if this has been changed in the upcoming Creators Update which will be officialy released on the 11th of April.

 

[Flinston_Ger]

As of Build 15063.0 (Version 1703), I can not spot any support for wide tiles yet, sadly.

//edit: obviously, there is support for wide tiles, but solely for modern apps. You can get wide tiles for native apps by using some proxy app such as tilecreator (see here on xda), but you'd lose any jump-list and context-menu support.

Great. Not sure if this has been changed in the upcoming Creators Update which will be officialy released on the 11th of April.

 

[JohnnyGui]

As of Build 15063.0 (Version 1703), I can not spot any support for wide tiles yet, sadly.

//edit: obviously, there is support for wide tiles, but solely for modern apps. You can get wide tiles for native apps by using some proxy app such as tilecreator (see here on xda), but you'd lose any jump-list and context-menu support.

Yeah, I noticed these editing apps. The biggest downside that I don't like is that these editing apps always have to pop up every time I launch an app that I have edited its icon. Hence me asking about wide tiles here.

 

[razmth]

Solution to MS Office applications:
It is not possible to create custom tiles for MS Office applications such as MS Word, Excel, etc. using this application. Somehow a custom tileimage in the corresponding visualelementsmanifest is ignored. However, it is easy to change the tile-images!
1) Navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\LogoImages
2) Replace the respective tileimages. You only need to replace the -100.png images for a medium tile! For example, simply change the WinWordLogo.scale-100.png with a custom MS Word medium tile.
3) Startmenu entry must be refreshed. Select the MSOffice.lnk in MyTile (it will point to something xlicons.exe). Click on refresh.
Note: The original visualelementsmanifest.xml must remain. If you change them via this app, the above workaround does not work anymore. Get them from some other office installation and copy them over. You can manually edit them (via, e.g., Notepadd++) to change the color or hide the name. Afterwards refresh (see 3).

Regarding these steps, for Office 2016 there are some changes:

[1] C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\LogoImages
[3] I can't find this entry MSOffice.Ink, is it different?

Congratulations for the app, it's awesome! Hope that M$ could facilitate such customizations soon.

 

[Flinston_Ger]

@ [1] Thanks! I'll put that in the description
@ [3] MsOffice.lnk refers to <PutNameOfOfficeApplicationHere>.lnk, e.g., "Excel 2013.lnk"

Regarding these steps, for Office 2016 there are some changes:

[1] C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\LogoImages
[3] I can't find this entry MSOffice.Ink, is it different?

Congratulations for the app, it's awesome! Hope that M$ could facilitate such customizations soon.

 

[razmth]

@ [1] Thanks! I'll put that in the description
@ [3] MsOffice.lnk refers to <PutNameOfOfficeApplicationHere>.lnk, e.g., "Excel 2013.lnk"

Thanks, Flinston!

I've noticed I was replacing the small version of the -100 icon.

Is there a similar option to do the same for Paint, and other native apps?

 

[Nate T]

Every patch Tuesday all the tiles I've created this way revert to either the default Chrome icon (they're various Chrome shortcuts with different url parameters passed), or to a solid black tile. Is there any way to avoid having to re-do everything every time a Windows update is released? Apologies if this is already addressed earlier in the thread.

 

[davidjones7546]

Office 2016 Icons

I am unable to get this working with office 2016 apps. I followed the instructions at start of post, replace size 100 icon with a custom icon for onenote, refreshed the .INK in mytile (which didn't have any icon selected in it) but the icon on my startmenu didn't change. When i selected the custom icon in mytile, the onenote icon on the start menu went black.

Am i doing something wrong?

I didn't understand what this meant :

"Note: The original visualelementsmanifest.xml must remain. If you change them via this app, the above workaround does not work anymore. Get them from some other office installation and copy them over"

Does that mean if i have set custom icons for other icons using mytile the workaround for office icons doesn't work?

 

[m500sesp]

Persist through Sysprep

Utilizing the copy profile in sysprep and audit mode. Is there a way to make the icons persist?
Thanks,