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Description
a.k.a. Aperture Laboratories Test Chamber Signage for Real Life Use

DOWNLOAD THE THEME AT THIS LINK: wistfulwriter.com/2010/02/week…

PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS ENTIRE README FOR INSTRUCTIONS. ALSO, MANY OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE RAINMETER RELATED. PLEASE JUST LEARN HOW TO USE RAINMETER, IT IS RELATIVELY EASY TO LEARN. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but many answers to your questions can be found in this readme, thus saving you the time you wait for my reply! You may be missing out on key points by not reading If you don't see the instructions here, check the instructions for that particular config. You can do this the pretty way (by using RainBrowser, which COMES WITH RAINMETER) or the easy way (by editing the config file and reading the instructions in Notepad).

ABOUT THE PORTAL 2 DESKTOP THEME
Also known as the Aperture Laboratories Test Chamber Signage Theme, this is a Rainmeter (rainmeter.net/RainCMS/) desktop theme based on the video screens and test chamber signs for the Portal 2 video game.

This is the most authentic Portal 2 theme out there: I tried my best to keep everything aesthetically and stylistically in line with the original artistic vision of the game. This was designed with a 1920x1200 desktop in mind. Using the included background, the signs are made to scale.

Included are three separate displays--

1) Test Chamber Sign
- Displays month/date/day. This was originally just the test chamber level number, now displaying the date.

- THE PROGRESS INDICATOR CAN BE SWITCHED TO DISPLAY OTHER THINGS. Check the variants: there are many different ones that show different system stats (CPU usage, HDD space free, RAM, a BATTERY METER by request!!!).

- Program Dock
Check the instructions (via RainBrowser or editing the config) for how to customize your own shortcuts on the dock. By default, they should point to the Windows 7 libraries (Documents, Downloads, Videos, etc.) and other common shortcuts. If they do not work for you, you need to customize them yourself.

2) Elevator Video Screen - Weather Display
- You must configure your weather code (US users: 5-digit ZIP Code) by editing the LocationCode variable.
- Displays the current time
- Displays the current temperature
- Displays a (hopefully) funny weather status icon

3) Elevator Video Screen - RSS Feed
- Displays RSS Feed items (configurable RSS feed URL)

4) Wallpapers
- There are several variants of the wallpapers included. It's in this skin's folder under the Wallpaper directory. A total of four wallpapers are included. You can also find the wallpapers on my DeviantArt gallery.

Many of the materials used to make this theme come from the texture files from the game itself. I did, however, create some of my own artwork using Photoshop:
- Dock icons (same as the old Portal theme)
- The brand new weather icons!
- The illustration for the Propaganda Induction Tool (RSS Feed)
- The background images of the video screens (Climate Hazard Indicator/Propaganda Induction Tool/etc.).

Some serious attention to detail went into the making of this theme. I hope you enjoy it!

NOTE: The preview is just to show you all of what's available: you can pick and choose what you want to use, and there are white and blue-green variants for the video screens.

HOW TO INSTALL
This is a Rainmeter Skin/Theme. You must have Rainmeter installed for this to install.

Download Rainmeter: rainmeter.net/

Then download my theme and run it.

HOW TO USE
Upon the installation of the theme, all of those screens will pop up and your wallpaper will be changed as well. Simply close the ones you do not want to use, and go about trying out the different variants of the configs.

YOU MUST ENTER YOUR LOCATION CODE FOR THE WEATHER TO WORK. This is done by right-clicking on the weather skin and clicking Edit Skin. Scroll down to the Variables section and you should see 'LocationCode='. Plug in your location code (find your location here, use the newer Yahoo Weather instructions listed under Note: rainmeter.net/cms/Tips-Weather… . Change the units from Fahrenheit to Celsius if need be (use F or C; if it doesn't work, just try lowercase).

For instructions on how to customize this theme, please look inside the config files. You can also use RainBrowser! This is installed with Rainmeter most of the time (look in your Start Menu), it makes sense of all the plaintext nonsense inside the INI files that's too hard to read.

Variants--
You can right click on the skin that you want to change and there will be a Variant menu. You can choose either a blue/green or a white screen. Additionally, the white RSS screen (Propaganda Induction Tool) has a single-screen variant in both white and blue.

Further Customization--
You can go into the config file and adjust the sizes as necessary by adjusting the ThisWidth variable in the [Variables] section. However, I haven't tested this functionality extensively, so some manual adjustment may be needed. The Test Chamber Sign can comfortably get larger, but when making it smaller you may run into some issues.

AUTHOR'S NOTES
I spent forever trying to come up with the weather icons. I gave up after a while, and decided to just finish the theme with what I've got. I will likely release a few updates to this.

Update Goals--
1) Weather Icons--Not all icons are drawn using the isometric paper doll style. Some are still in the simple stick figure signage style. I'm hoping to create standardized icons.
2) Weather Indicator--Thanks to death-au death-au.deviantart.com/ for the idea to incorporate the weather indicator into the test chamber sign. Basically, the idea is to replace one of the icons in the program dock on the Test Chamber Sign with a weather icon. This is way more compact than having that big weather video screen.
3) Better Propaganda Induction Tool diagram for the blue-green video screen.

Any and all suggestions for improvement (please be detailed!!!) are more than welcome.

If you would like to see a smaller scale version of this skin designed for smaller resolutions, please comment with your desired resolution. If there are enough people who want this made smaller, I'll work on it.

21 APR 2012--I've been busy, but I'll probably have time over the summer to mess around with this some more. I lost a lot of the source work because of a computer crash, so I can't guarantee that I'll work on anything. With that said, I do intend to create a smaller scale version.

10 AUG 2011--I hit 1000 downloads! A small number, to be sure, but a tiny victory nonetheless. That's about a hundred downloads a day, and one out of six people who view this download it.

Using Artwork From This Theme
Regarding use of my artwork or any other piece of this theme: you have my permission to use anything you want (except for commercial use). The only thing I ask is for an attribution link somewhere and for you to comment or message me to show me what you've done: I love to see what people make!

Description
a.k.a. Aperture Laboratories Test Chamber Signage for Real Life Use

DOWNLOAD THE THEME AT THIS LINK: wistfulwriter.com/2010/02/week…

PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS ENTIRE README FOR INSTRUCTIONS. ALSO, MANY OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE RAINMETER RELATED. PLEASE JUST LEARN HOW TO USE RAINMETER, IT IS RELATIVELY EASY TO LEARN. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but many answers to your questions can be found in this readme, thus saving you the time you wait for my reply! You may be missing out on key points by not reading If you don't see the instructions here, check the instructions for that particular config. You can do this the pretty way (by using RainBrowser, which COMES WITH RAINMETER) or the easy way (by editing the config file and reading the instructions in Notepad).

ABOUT THE PORTAL 2 DESKTOP THEME
Also known as the Aperture Laboratories Test Chamber Signage Theme, this is a Rainmeter (rainmeter.net/RainCMS/) desktop theme based on the video screens and test chamber signs for the Portal 2 video game.

This is the most authentic Portal 2 theme out there: I tried my best to keep everything aesthetically and stylistically in line with the original artistic vision of the game. This was designed with a 1920x1200 desktop in mind. Using the included background, the signs are made to scale.

Included are three separate displays--

1) Test Chamber Sign
- Displays month/date/day. This was originally just the test chamber level number, now displaying the date.

- THE PROGRESS INDICATOR CAN BE SWITCHED TO DISPLAY OTHER THINGS. Check the variants: there are many different ones that show different system stats (CPU usage, HDD space free, RAM, a BATTERY METER by request!!!).

- Program Dock
Check the instructions (via RainBrowser or editing the config) for how to customize your own shortcuts on the dock. By default, they should point to the Windows 7 libraries (Documents, Downloads, Videos, etc.) and other common shortcuts. If they do not work for you, you need to customize them yourself.

2) Elevator Video Screen - Weather Display
- You must configure your weather code (US users: 5-digit ZIP Code) by editing the LocationCode variable.
- Displays the current time
- Displays the current temperature
- Displays a (hopefully) funny weather status icon

3) Elevator Video Screen - RSS Feed
- Displays RSS Feed items (configurable RSS feed URL)

4) Wallpapers
- There are several variants of the wallpapers included. It's in this skin's folder under the Wallpaper directory. A total of four wallpapers are included. You can also find the wallpapers on my DeviantArt gallery.

Many of the materials used to make this theme come from the texture files from the game itself. I did, however, create some of my own artwork using Photoshop:
- Dock icons (same as the old Portal theme)
- The brand new weather icons!
- The illustration for the Propaganda Induction Tool (RSS Feed)
- The background images of the video screens (Climate Hazard Indicator/Propaganda Induction Tool/etc.).

Some serious attention to detail went into the making of this theme. I hope you enjoy it!

NOTE: The preview is just to show you all of what's available: you can pick and choose what you want to use, and there are white and blue-green variants for the video screens.

HOW TO INSTALL
This is a Rainmeter Skin/Theme. You must have Rainmeter installed for this to install.

Download Rainmeter: rainmeter.net/

Then download my theme and run it.

HOW TO USE
Upon the installation of the theme, all of those screens will pop up and your wallpaper will be changed as well. Simply close the ones you do not want to use, and go about trying out the different variants of the configs.

YOU MUST ENTER YOUR LOCATION CODE FOR THE WEATHER TO WORK. This is done by right-clicking on the weather skin and clicking Edit Skin. Scroll down to the Variables section and you should see 'LocationCode='. Plug in your location code (find your location here, use the newer Yahoo Weather instructions listed under Note: rainmeter.net/cms/Tips-Weather… . Change the units from Fahrenheit to Celsius if need be (use F or C; if it doesn't work, just try lowercase).

For instructions on how to customize this theme, please look inside the config files. You can also use RainBrowser! This is installed with Rainmeter most of the time (look in your Start Menu), it makes sense of all the plaintext nonsense inside the INI files that's too hard to read.

Variants--
You can right click on the skin that you want to change and there will be a Variant menu. You can choose either a blue/green or a white screen. Additionally, the white RSS screen (Propaganda Induction Tool) has a single-screen variant in both white and blue.

Further Customization--
You can go into the config file and adjust the sizes as necessary by adjusting the ThisWidth variable in the [Variables] section. However, I haven't tested this functionality extensively, so some manual adjustment may be needed. The Test Chamber Sign can comfortably get larger, but when making it smaller you may run into some issues.

AUTHOR'S NOTES
I spent forever trying to come up with the weather icons. I gave up after a while, and decided to just finish the theme with what I've got. I will likely release a few updates to this.

Update Goals--
1) Weather Icons--Not all icons are drawn using the isometric paper doll style. Some are still in the simple stick figure signage style. I'm hoping to create standardized icons.
2) Weather Indicator--Thanks to death-au death-au.deviantart.com/ for the idea to incorporate the weather indicator into the test chamber sign. Basically, the idea is to replace one of the icons in the program dock on the Test Chamber Sign with a weather icon. This is way more compact than having that big weather video screen.
3) Better Propaganda Induction Tool diagram for the blue-green video screen.

Any and all suggestions for improvement (please be detailed!!!) are more than welcome.

If you would like to see a smaller scale version of this skin designed for smaller resolutions, please comment with your desired resolution. If there are enough people who want this made smaller, I'll work on it.

21 APR 2012--I've been busy, but I'll probably have time over the summer to mess around with this some more. I lost a lot of the source work because of a computer crash, so I can't guarantee that I'll work on anything. With that said, I do intend to create a smaller scale version.

10 AUG 2011--I hit 1000 downloads! A small number, to be sure, but a tiny victory nonetheless. That's about a hundred downloads a day, and one out of six people who view this download it.

Using Artwork From This Theme
Regarding use of my artwork or any other piece of this theme: you have my permission to use anything you want (except for commercial use). The only thing I ask is for an attribution link somewhere and for you to comment or message me to show me what you've done: I love to see what people make!