A mini tutorial for beginners
Working with ObjectDock 101
This mini tutorial will look at downloading, installing, and backing up ObjectDock files. This is meant to be an additional tool to compliment any instructions already published on this site, or included in the read-me file located in the ObjectDock sub-directory.
I have created this tutorial using Windows XP and the default installation of ObjectDock, so if you are using Windows 2000, the file locations should be the same even though the graphic images differ.
First we will look at the location of the folders that hold the various files used by the ObjectDock program. If you would like a bit more information on basic file structures for some of the Stardock products, please see the mini tutorial on backing-up skins and themes. Link
STEP #1 – Click Start > click My Computer > open Local Disk (C:) > open Program Files > open Stardock folder > open ObjectDock folder to view the contents as shown in the image below.
The four folders in the image above that we will work with are:
1 – Backgrounds folder – contains all your dock background folders.
2 – Docklets folder – contains all your docklet folders
3 – Themes folder – contains all your theme “.ini” files
4 – Images folder – contains image “.png” files for use dock entry images (icons)
Note – you can also create new folders to hold downloaded image “.png” files in the same ObjectDock folder to help organize your images more efficiently.
The image below shows a few folders created to hold images (Office, Adobe, Games, Corel), along with the original Images folder. Please note that these are all inside the ObjectDock program folder, reflected in the address as indicated by the cursor pointer – this is referred to being at the “same level” as the folders listed above (Backgrounds, Docklets, etc.).
Note - the remaining steps will be working with downloaded content.
STEP #2 – After downloading the “.zip” file(s) containing your ObjectDock content, Right-click the file > select “Extract all …” > click the “Next” button > click the “Next” button again > click the “Finish” button > you should now be viewing the extracted contents of the “.zip” file > select the folders or images you want to install > click the “Copy this file”, or “Copy selected items” if more than one as indicated in the images below.
BACKGROUND FOLDER SELECTED – (Example of a single file selected)
PNG IMAGES SELECTED – (Example of multiple files selected)
STEP #3 – Navigate to the appropriate folder in the ObjectDock program folder, and copy the files to that location as shown in the image below.
Docklets – generally, docklets will consist of a folder that is placed in the Docklets folder of ObjectDock, though it is recommended to look for any read-me file in the extracted contents for specific instructions.
Themes – a theme usually consists of the following: (1) a background, (2) a set of Images for the dock entries, and (3) the theme “.ini” file. Some themes may also include docklets. The image below illustrates the extracted content of a typical theme “.zip” file. Note – in this situation, you would simply copy the background folder to the “ObjectDock\Background” folder, then copy the folder containing the images directly to the “ObjectDock” program folder, and finally copy the theme “.ini” file to the “ObjectDock\Themes” folder (the theme “.ini” file may be inside a theme folder here, instead of visible).
After copying all the files to their proper locations, you can burn the original extracted files to a CD to keep as backup (or you can burn the “.zip” file to CD – your choice). For more information on using the built in CD writing capabilities of Windows XP, you can see my mini tutorial here Link
Now you can start ObjectDock and have fun customizing your new desktop elements.
Final note – these are general guidelines, and you may see some differences in the docklets and themes offered by various authors, so I would recommend always looking for a “read-me” file to see if there are any specific instructions that need to be followed.
I hope you found this mini tutorial useful. Until next time, have fun and “Keep On Customizing”. 