Taskbar looks

A look is one *.taskbar.json file of at most 16 KB: the program's own dock, its own taskbar built from islands of modules, and Windows' own settings for the bar. Every field is one of the program's own words or a number in its range, so a look can name no registry key, file, program or colour of its own.

The simplest way to make one is on the Taskbar page: Build a taskbar starts from a layout, and the look editor shapes every number with the bar trying it as you go. Your look then has Publish and Save as a file.

A look, and what it does

{
  "$schema": "https://stillwarddisplay.com/schema/taskbar.json",
  "version": 5,
  "name": "Clean taskbar",
  "about": "Start and your programs sit in the middle. The tray, network, volume, clock and notifications are on the right, on a rounded island of their own.",
  "bar": {
    "main": {
      "isles": [
        {
          "at": "center",
          "modules": [
            { "kind": "start" },
            { "kind": "apps" }
          ]
        },
        {
          "at": "end",
          "modules": [
            { "kind": "tray" },
            { "kind": "language" },
            { "kind": "network" },
            { "kind": "volume" },
            { "kind": "clock", "date": true },
            { "kind": "notifications" },
            { "kind": "desktop" }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "size": 24,
      "ground": 82,
      "tint": "dark",
      "radius": 12,
      "float": 4,
      "pad": 6,
      "spacing": 70,
      "magnify": 100,
      "bounce": true
    }
  },
  "knobs": "… 3 settings people can turn"
}

knobs are the settings an author lets people turn on the look's card, each with its range and a label in every language; the rest of the look stays as the author made it.

The file

A field left out leaves that setting as it is, so a look of three fields changes three things. A word the program does not know reads as left out, and a look that sets nothing is refused. A look is written as the oldest version that carries everything in it, 7 at most now. Nothing in a look dresses Windows' own taskbar: what is seen is the program's dock and bar.

The dock

A dock of the program's own, the person's programs along one edge, shown with the look. A field left out takes its default. Version 3.

The taskbar of islands

The program's own taskbar, built from islands of modules, on every monitor, Windows' bars hidden while it is up: its tray, clock and the rest are modules of its own. Version 4. main is the bar on the main monitor and others the one on every other; each is laid out the same way.

Islands and modules

A bar of islands: at most 5 of them, 12 modules in one and 24 in all. A module this version does not know is left out. Each island is at (start, center, end), an optional tint, and its modules.

A module is {"kind": …}, one of: start, apps, clock, media, volume, desks, preset, folder, separator, space, tray, network, battery, notifications, desktop, language, power, island, awake, sound, control.

Windows' own settings

Windows' own settings for the bar, written as Settings would write them and put back when the look is undone. The first value of each is kept, so As it was on the Taskbar page and uninstalling the program put back what a look changed.

Checking a look

stillward-display.exe --check look.taskbar.json prints whether a look is taken and which of its fields were read as left out or brought into range. Nothing else of the program starts.