Color settings get shared in multi-user environment

from Stardock Forums

Forgive me if using WB8 in a multi-user environment is against the EULA, but I've found the color settings get shared among my two administrator accounts on Windows 8.  (I know that this isn't best security practice.)

To replicate:

  • Log into one user account
  • Select skin and recolor (purple (row 1, column 5) on account 1)
  • Log out
  • Log into other user account
  • Select skin and recolor (green (row 3, column 3) on account 2, skin doesn't matter)
  • Log out
  • Log back into account 1
  • Skin is now green

I've used the following skin combos:

  • Win8 purple/Win8 green
  • Win8 purple/Diamond green
Info below:

Windows 8 Pro (9200.win8_gdr.130410-1505)
WindowBlinds 8.0 (017 - Windows 8 Edition) - 64 bit OS

Wblind.dll 2013/06/18 08:17:ll
Wblind64.dll 2013/06/18 08:17:39
Wbsrv.dll 2013/06/18 07:44:40
WB8Config.exe 2013/06/18 07:44:29
Wbload.dll 2013/06/17 08:03:35
Screen.exe 2013/06/06 07:52:23

 

Did I leave anything out?

windowblinds
23,539 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Hello Hiedran,

 

That's probably because the skins and its settings are located and saved in the "Public Documents" folder,

not in user specific ones. Like this: "C:\Users\Public\Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds"

And all users have access to the Public Documents.

 

Regards,

 

Dani

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting danioc, reply 1
That's probably because the skins and its settings are located and saved in the "Public Documents" folder,

not in user specific ones. Like this: "C:\Users\Public\Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds"

And all users have access to the Public Documents.
End of danioc's quote

Yes, all users do have access to public docs.  

I don't think that explains my second scenario, where I recolored a different blind (Diamond) and my first user ID's blind (Win8) was now green.

Groupy 2 - Organize multiple applications into grouped tabs on your Windows desktop
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Hiedran, reply 2
I don't think that explains my second scenario, where I recolored a different blind (Diamond) and my first user ID's blind (Win8) was now green.
End of Hiedran's quote

Now that I actually look at the folder and see some .ini files there, maybe it does explain though I can't see a skin color setting right now.  Perhaps a feature request to save color settings in the user's AppData folder?

Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Hiedran,


When I said that the skins and its settings are save din the Public Documents,

its settings include the color and transparency settings too.

When you add a custom color, transparency or texture setting, they will be saved

in the skin folder with the extension .WBO7

 

If the presets bother you when they appear in another account, you can just save this

preset as a skin substyle so when you open the skin in another account, it ail load it's

default substyle, with no custom settings, just make sure you turn off any custom setting

after you save your custom substyle.

+1 Loading…
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

I did understand what you were saying.  Evidently the issue was with how I tested.

There seems to be a little "memory" of what the color settings were on a per-account basis.  When I logged into my domain account this morning, it was a hideous green (at least for the background) that was set for my local account.  When I opened WB, the configuration screen showed that it should have been purple.

The issue with my testing seems to deal with the exact procedure I followed yesterday.

  1. Set Win8 skin to purple on domain account
  2. Set Win8 skin to green on local account
  3. See Win8 skin is green on domain account
  4. Reset Win8 skin to purple on domain account
  5. See Win8 skin is purple on local account

I think there were some residual settings that affected my testing, kind of like a race condition.  I'm pretty sure I set the local account to default skin before testing Diamond with green.  Then I logged into the domain account to find out it was green again.

With my frustration, I simply set the local account to the default Win8 skin this morning.

Just now, I wanted to re-verify my test case, so I set my local account to Diamond/green.  I then quickly switched (log out/log in) over to the domain account to find out its Win8/purple settings are still intact.

End result, no issue.  (Other than me.)

I may play with your substyle suggestion to see if I can have Win8 styles on different accounts with different color schemes, but I'm currently satisfied with the Diamond/green and Win8/purple styles on my local/domain account.

Thank you for your help, danioc, and keep skinning.