Simple Button Maker

[axel_ef]

Last OSX Update 6.December 2013

A little app for simple Buttons with text and images

new Version
save horiz.

save vert.


ButtonMaker OSX

ButtonMaker WIN

ButtonMaker LINUX 32

ButtonMaker LINUX 64

Video made by SG Deluxe





26. April 2014
Light Version OSX

ReaButton Download 10.7 -> 10.9



Gradient
Download OSX


Tipp for for OSX 10.9

cursor on a textfield
if you press CTRL + CMD + SPACE you get a Popup Window with symbols.

[semiquaver]

Thank you!!! That's what I love about this place...

[Pinknoise]

Really cool !!
I tried it and it gives me a button that's twice as big as my regular buttons.
Its nice to have big buttons also but how do we get the regular buttons ?

I tried it on OSX.

[axel_ef]

Originally Posted by Pinknoise

Its nice to have big buttons also but how do we get the regular buttons ?

go to Prefs

[Pinknoise]

Nice work!! thanks for the tip! ;-)

[semiquaver]

this should be built into REAPER !

[dea-man]

I'm going to make a button called: Grammy Award.

[semiquaver]

three states: underground, grammy winner! , has been

[semiquaver]

these are still twice the size of my buttons sadly even with the prefs as above

[semiquaver]

thx!!

[adaragray]

very cool, thank you axel.

[hopi]

Now that is becoming VERY neat!

so I wonder if you can make the 'next' version that lets you adjust or choose the pixel size for the buttons?

I mention this because reaper will allow the use of dbl long buttons and even half length buttons.

Half long buttons are very useful in many ways: for example, I have a toolbar that sets 16 colors for both tracks and for items... so that is 32 buttons, plus 4 more for black or white... you see?

Double wide buttons can be very kewl also... for 'stories' that are long...

below are visual examples of each.
dbl wide:
[IMG]http://img59.**************/img59/9496/dbwidetb.gif[/IMG]

half wide:

[IMG]http://img441.**************/img441/203/tbcolors.png[/IMG]

OK... one other thought... it could be nice to be able to set up the desired colors for all three buttons and save that as a 'preset'... so you could just change the text but have the same matching set of colors.

Of course it would be best to be able to save various color 'presets'... right?

Thanks your great work on this!

[Spacemen Tree]

Very cool! Wish something like this was doable for Walter itself...

Gonna test drive it asap.
Thanks!
This forum is really cool!

[mikeroephonics]

Great work here! An excellent tool for making REAPER buttons for custom Actions!

I recommend updating the top post with the newest version.
Some people don't always scroll through these types of threads.
They assume the top is the newest.

This place rules!

[axel_ef]

Originally Posted by mikeroephonics

I recommend updating the top post with the newest version.
Some people don't always scroll through these types of threads.
They assume the top is the newest.

Good idea, I did it.

[Susan G]

Originally Posted by axel_ef

Good idea, I did it.

Hi axel_ef-

Thank you so much! I've been hoping to have small (vertically) buttons like those in gpunk_w's Cook Book videos, and I think this might get me there!

Haven't tried it yet, but--

Thanks again so much for your work on this!

-Susan

[axel_ef]

I have compiled a version for Linux.

Maybe someone can try if it works.

ButtonMaker LINUX

[sinkmusic]

Thank you Very much

[hopi]

thanks so much axel! This is becoming really wonderful!!!

PS... OK... not sure what is possible, but I'll ask anyway and learn:

1- when I make changes to the pixel size of the buttons, is is possible to actually see that new size represented in the three panels?
[if it is already included, I must have missed something]

I mention this because if I'm intending to make half wide or dbl wide buttons, I do need to see exactly what I'm working on for text and image placement... right?

2- I know I asked about this before, but here goes:
Imagine I want to make a set of buttons, all the same size, and all using the same set of colors, but with different text on each. Say for a set of just numbers, 1 through 16.
So I'd have to keep changing the text for each new button of course but want to keep the colors all the same.

Is it possible to save a 'preset' for file that I can later load to continue with the same size and colors?

3- I think there is a problem.. or maybe it is just me doing something wrong...
Please look back at those half wide buttons for the color swatches I posted in the toolbar.
They are 15 px wide and 30 px tall [for each panel of the button]
If I try to reproduce those with Button Maker, I only get the number text in the first [left] panel.

Am I missing some setting????

[axel_ef]

Right now you have to press return after changing size value,
I will change it to apply on typing.

I work on Save. Give me a few days.

[adaragray]

Hammer axel! tausendmal danke!

[Spacemen Tree]

Wow! Coming along nicely! Thanks!

[hopi]

axel... thanks for the additions and changes! you da man!

so yes, it works nicely in Windows 7 here...

I hope I'm not being a pest with my suggestions?

It's all working so nicely now, yet one thing remains that I wonder about ... that is borders.

When I normally make pngs, I do them in Photoshop where clearly I have almost total control of everything and anything...

As that applies to borders, I think it might be good to be able to specify, 'no borders', and also maybe border size in pixels.

Again, ...I only say this from my own experiences of making pngs in Photoshop where those can be controlled and can be important as to how the button actually displays in reaper.

Perhaps it's not possible with Button Maker or perhaps it's too much trouble... so please understand I'm just discussing it and not at all complaining.

You have created a great and VERY useful tool for the whole reaper community and I for one THANK YOU greatly!

[axel_ef]

The border slider goes from 0 to 10 in steps of one pixel.
Holding ALT and change border "1" changes all borders

Or you want to enter the numbers directly?
similar to "Size" - I can do that.

I will also add buttons to remove the images.

You can not compare this little program with Photoshop.
That's a different world....

[semiquaver]

but for those of us who do not want to deal will photoshop for this simple task this little tool is a godsend! and thanks again!

[hopi]

axel... sure, I did not at all mean to compare it to photoshop.. and certainly do not expect that from it.

I did not realize I can set the borders from 0 to 10 that should do it fine.

Now since you mention being able to enter a number value, I for one would like to see that all the way around...
Sliders are nice but I often prefer to just type in a simple definite number.

But again, you have done so much and been soooo responsive to requests, I really don't want to be a PITA.

I thank you again for what you have created!

[Spacemen Tree]

Great stuff!

took me 2 minutes to design one toolbar button all to my liking.

Very useful tool. Perhaps you should ask the mods for a sticky? Well deserved IMO.

[serenityjazz]

thanks a lot Axel_ef it will be very useful for themers! (I can imagine that you could choose in the future the "radius" corners and "vista gloss gradient" effect for buttons!)

[krahosk]

Thank you Axel F!

[hopi]

beautiful axel!

so one more question... do you think it would be worth your trouble to allow for different border colors for each of the three panels?

also, thanks for the numeric entry for border pixel size... would something similar be possible for the other values like font size and maybe even for the positions?
I'm not at all saying to abandon the sliders, but maybe something like an Alt Clk to bring up a numeric entry field?

None of these thoughts are biggies, ... Button Maker certainly is good enough as it is now, so I'm just kicking around the 'extra' little ideas.

Many, many thanks... when the community at large discovers this wonderful tool, they will be overjoyed!

[Susan G]

Hi-

Shoot! I thought for sure I'd be able to use this very handy app (thanks again axel_ef!) to make some vertically slim buttons and put text on them like the ones in gpunk_w's excellent "Cook Book" tutorials (see http://forum.cockos.com/showpost.php...99&postcount=1), for example, but so far I've failed miserably. Has anyone created similar buttons yet, and if so, care to share your secrets to success? I can get the vertically slim part, but I've tried a number of fonts & font sizes and they're nearly illegible once I try to use them in REAPER.

Thanks!

-Susan

[hopi]

hi ya Susan... the only hope might be to use a condensed font....

what you have noticed is going to be a limitation of axel's fine work... and it's in no way his fault.

Now depending on what you want made, I might be able to help you with some photoshop work. It allows for quite a bit of control of fonts that Button Maker cannot be expected to do.

sooo... if you wish... post somewhere with examples of what you want to create. If you do that plz tell the size of the button panels in pixels... colors if you can but not critical for now... and some idea of what text you want on the panels.

[hopi]

axel... you keep going above and beyond! Thanks so much for the newest changes.

[Susan G]

Originally Posted by hopi

hi ya Susan... the only hope might be to use a condensed font....

what you have noticed is going to be a limitation of axel's fine work... and it's in no way his fault.

Now depending on what you want made, I might be able to help you with some photoshop work. It allows for quite a bit of control of fonts that Button Maker cannot be expected to do.

sooo... if you wish... post somewhere with examples of what you want to create. If you do that plz tell the size of the button panels in pixels... colors if you can but not critical for now... and some idea of what text you want on the panels.

Hi hopi-

Thanks so much for your kind offer, but I don't want to put you through the trouble. I thought maybe there was something simple I was missing in Button Maker, like choosing the wrong font as you suggested (and I certainly agree that axel's made a huge contribution here!)

The buttons I was thinking of were in one of gpunk_w's videos (you can find it here: http://forum.cockos.com/showpost.php...99&postcount=1,) but I don't have a ready example and I'm not sure how to capture one from the video. They're I think about half the "normal" height and more than the normal width and I had the impression from the video that he was able to add text to them at will rather than making separate images for each, but I might be wrong.

At any rate, thanks very much again, but not to bother . If it's more complicated than being able to use a long slim button for a text-only icon then it'll be beyond me at some early point anyway !

Thanks!

-Susan

P.S. I'll add "graphically-challenged" to my signature one of these days.

[hopi]

Susan... that video is hard for me to watch, but... in the early part he says he has reaper set to NOT control the image sizes of icons... and just lets the png file determine the size...

this is not something that I would consider doing.

I have made toolbar icons that are only half as wide as normal and also ones that are twice as wide... they could be 3 times as wide easily... but if they are going to all live together on a toolbar, it's a good idea to keep them in multiples of each other's widths. Like 15, or 30 or 45 or 60 px wide per panel.

So I take it you don't have a copy of Photoshop around, eh?

I still would be happy to help... and hey, IF I think it is too much hassle, I'd just say so.

[Susan G]

Hi hopi-

No, I don't have Photoshop. I used to have Gimp installed but I have absolutely no head for graphics and got nowhere with it. The buttons in gpunk's theme would be nice to have because they take up less vertical space and they're easy to read, but I don't want to derail this thread any more than I already have.

Thanks again-

-Susan

[hopi]

ok well then pm me if you want some help.

[hopi]

many thanks... another nice addition, and hey, prettier sliders too!

PS: had an afterthought... what IF, to center text, you did a Control Clk on the slider... both for vertical AND horizontal? That would eliminate the need for the 'center' button and also add the vertical centering.

PSS: little bit of a niggle axel... try it [I am on a pc btw].. Make a single character font... say about half the size of the whole panel.. center it horiz. and vert., ..OK, now go make some borders and make them about 10 px wide...

what I see happen is that while doing the borders, the font vanishes until I clk something related to the text controls... like bold or whatever.

I can certainly live with it, knowing this, but thought you'd like to know about it. To me, it would be best if I can see everything while making changes to anything...

Oh.. I just learned what the SAVE png vert. does... that's kewl... I can see some creative uses for that!

[daveyajd]

Wow! This is really fun to play with. I made some very satisfying buttons rather quickly. Very nice to have for those custom actions. Thanks! But I am having troubles with getting pictures on them. What am I missing? Tried dragging and dropping with no luck. I am on OSX.

[axel_ef]

Originally Posted by daveyajd

I am having troubles with getting pictures on them. What am I missing? Tried dragging and dropping with no luck. I am on OSX.

Drop a PNG Image to 1 and it applies to 1-2-3
Then you can drop a different PNG Image to 2 and 3.

I will add GIF and JPG soon.