Process for creating ACT Icons in 2024R1

Nick Ramseyer

Hello!

I am looking for guidance on creating ACT toolbar and Tree icons. Previously I was able to create PNG or BMP files for toolbar icons and BMP files for 16x16 tree icons, however it seems that no matter what I try I cannot get my icons to work starting in 2024R1 where the new Dark/Light Themes have been released.

From looking at the bolt extension it appears my icons should be working by simply have 4 BMP icons (each for 16x16, 24x24, 32x32, and 48x48 using 24 bit colors. However any custom Icon I make does not appear in the toolbar and my tree icons do not have transparency in the dark mode.

Any guidance would be helpful, The ACT Class has a "guide" but I'm wondering if its outdated.

Here is what the ACT Class has:

`An icon that is to be shown on the toolbar must have those areas which are to be
transparent colored to RGB hexrgb=c0c0c0 or decimal r=192 g=192 b=192.

The tree (i.e. CodeJock control) will use the lower left pixel to determine the
transparent color, but if also to show on the toolbar then must use #c0c0c0.

So for a 16x16 pixel icon:

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• • This pixel is the transparent color

The icon must be an indexed bmp file so the process used w.r.t. GIMP is to
create a PNG icon without a transparent alpha channel and a solid background
which provides correct coloring.

1. Exported to a png file and then opened with GIMP (just for a backup).

2. In the transparent pixel make it a color not being used by the icon currently (green screen).

3. Remove the transparent alpha channel, if present, Layer->Transparency->Remove Alpha Channel

4. Convert to an indexed image, Image->Mode->Indexed... then Convert

5. Open the colormap dialog, Windows->Dockable Dialogs->Colormap. Find the
   "green screen" color and choose to edit and change the entry for HTML notation
   to c0c0c0 and OK. Click on the color index (should show c0c0c0) to change
   active color to the "transparent" color. Now choose to bucket fill (e.g. Shift+B) and fill all the
   pixels that are to be transparent.

6. File->Export As... and enter {icon_name}.bmp to export

7. Select "Do not write color space information" and then Export
   `

Nick Ramseyer

I think I figured it out. In my project I had renamed my icon folder to something that was not "images". Even though my xml was pointing to the other folders name it doesn't appear that it was gathering the files. Once I changed the name back to "images" for the folder the icons started showing up again.

Strangely the 16x16 icons showed up regardless of what the folders name was... but this is a word of caution to anyone who names their icon folder something besides "images"

Pernelle Marone-Hitz

Hi @Nick Ramseyer This is a long shot, but .... have you installed the Service Pack that was released for 2024R1? If fixes some display issues related to ACT, maybe it would resolve the issue ? Please let me know if the issue persists after this.

Nick Ramseyer

I gave the service pack a go and it doesn't appear to have fixed the issue. My BMP images are essentially identical to some of the examples in the bolt tools extension, so I'm still not sure why they aren't able to show up in the toolbar.

Pernelle Marone-Hitz

@Nick Ramseyer Sorry it didn't work. I believe you have access to official technical support. Would you mind opening a case there and sharing a dummy extension and your screenshot? I'm not supposed to download anything from the forum so going the official support route would be better. Thanks.

Pernelle Marone-Hitz

Thanks for the update @Nick Ramseyer ! Very useful information.