Poker Shortcuts: Theme Information

This page contains information that is usually NOT needed by the average user of Poker Shortcuts. This information is intended for companies that are making custom table layouts for Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker to allow them to make configuration files that will work with Poker Shortcuts. Windy Hill Technology LLC does NOT provide technical support to users for creating or modifying theme configuration files for use with Poker Shortcuts.

Poker Shortcuts is supplied with folders and files that contain settings and images that allow Poker Shortcuts to work with different table and lobby themes that are available on Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker. It is possible to create new folders and files for Poker Shortcuts that will allow Shortcuts to work with other themes. Unfortunately, it is technically difficult to do this and is not intended for the casual user of Shortcuts. This information is intended for companies that develop customized tables for Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker.

We recommend that you do not modify the contents of the files that are provided with Poker Shortcuts. Instead, create a new theme, new theme folder, and new theme configuration files for the theme you are creating. Copy the files that come with Poker Shortcuts, and use them as a template for creating your own theme configuration files.
When new versions of Poker Shortcuts are installed, the installation program will replace all of the theme files that come with the original Poker Shortcuts. This is done because it is possible that changes will be made to the theme files to support new features in Shortcuts. If changes are made to the standard/stock theme files, you may need to make changes to the theme files that you create, so that any new features in Shortcuts would be usable with the themes that you create. Each theme file has a version number in it, and a version history is located at the bottom of this page.
All XY position values in these files refer to the client area of a default size table (the client area is the area that excludes the title bar at the top and the three other borders around the table window. You can download WinInfo.exe utility program from Windy Hill, which shows the client area XY positions on a table. Be sure that you take client area positions when the table is sized to the default table size (set to default using the layout button on the poker table).

Support for Custom Table Themes

Poker Shortcuts has been designed so that it can be made to work with most table themes. The settings in the Table Configurations File (discussed below) can be modified to work with different colors on the table and different positions for items on the table. See the information below and the links listed below to the documentation on the configuration files.

There are two things on the table that can not be changed: The font used for the stack size and the font used for the pot size. It is not possible to make Shortcuts work with different fonts for these two items. However, you can change the color of these fonts and the color of the background (behind the fonts), by making the appropriate changes to the table theme configuration files.

It is possible to make Poker Shortcuts work with different buttons on the table (e.g. fold, call, raise, etc.) but it is a rather tedious task to do this. You will need to capture images for some of the button used on the table at each table size that where the button changes. Also, the digits on the call button also need to be captured as the software does image recognition to determine the call amount. Capturing the all of the images that are needed for a new button will take 6+ hours of work (unless you are really fast). See the information below and take a look at the images that are saved in the theme folders.

Theme Files and Folders

In the Poker Shortcuts main folder is the "Themes" folder. This folder contains the following items:

Lobby Configuration Files (Full Tilt and Poker Stars)

Lobby configuration files contain settings for the lobby themes that are supported in Poker Shortcuts. If you want to support a new lobby theme, you can create a new file (by copying and modifying an existing file) and give it a name that denotes the new lobby theme that is being supported.

Full Tilt Lobby configuration file names must be in the form:
FTLobbyAaaaa.ini

Poker Stars Lobby configuration file names must be in the form:
PSLobbyAaaaa.ini

where Aaaaa is the new theme being supported.

Information about contents of Poker Stars lobby configuration files and Full Tilt lobby configuration files is available.

Note: All lobby configuration files that come with Poker Shortcuts are over-written when a new version of Poker Shortcuts is installed. It is recommended that you do not make changes to these files/folders, but instead create new themes and make changes to the new theme files.

Lobby Theme Folders (Poker Stars ONLY)

All Poker Stars lobby themes must have a folder with the same name as the lobby configuration file (for example: PSLobbyClassic). This folder contains one folder (SngImages) which contains images (in .bmp format) that match the Hold'em SnGs in listed in the SnG lobby on Poker Stars. Poker Shortcuts uses these images to open SnGs using image recognition of the text in the PS lobby. (Note that the images are of a line of text in the lobby, when that line is highlighted).

If you create a new lobby theme, then create a folder for that theme and give it the same name as the lobby configuration file (without the .ini). If your new lobby theme has the same colors as used in one of the SnG lobbies of an existing theme, then just copy the SnG images from that theme into your new folder. If your new theme has different colors for these SnGs (different from those supplied with Poker Shortcuts), then you will need to capture new images from the lobby for each possible SnG.

Note: All lobby theme folder files that come with Poker Shortcuts are over-written when a new version of Poker Shortcuts is installed. It is recommended that you do not make changes to these files/folders, but instead create new themes and make changes to the new theme files.

Table Configuration Files (Full Tilt and Poker Stars)

Table configuration files contain settings for the table themes that are supported in Poker Shortcuts. If you want to support a new table theme, you can create a new file (by copying and modifying an existing file) and give it a name that denotes the new table theme that is being supported.
Full Tilt table theme names MUST be in the form:
FTTableAaaaa.ini
Poker Stars Table theme names MUST be in the form:
PSTableAaaaa.ini
where Aaaaa is the new theme being supported.
Information about Poker Stars table configuration files and Full Tilt table configuration files is available.

Note: All table configuration files that come with Poker Shortcuts are over-written when a new version of Poker Shortcuts is installed. It is recommended that you do not make changes to these files/folders, but instead create new themes and make changes to the new theme files.

Table Theme Folders (Full Tilt and Poker Stars)

All table themes must have a folder with the same name as the table configuration file (for example: PSTableClassic). This folder contains a calibration file (Calibration.ini) and a ButtonImages folder.

Note: All table theme files that come with Poker Shortcuts are over-written when a new version of Poker Shortcuts is installed (with the exception of the Calibration.ini file, as noted below). It is recommended that you do not make changes to these files/folders, but instead create new themes and make changes to the new theme files.

Calibration.ini file

The Calibration.ini file contains calibration data that the software collects and stores in the files inside the table theme folder. The table felt colors and the empty seat colors (Full Tilt Only) are saved in this file when the user does the calibration procedures on the Calib tab. If you are creating a new table theme, just copy any existing Calibration.ini file into your new table theme folder, and then run Poker Shortcuts and perform the calibration procedure on the Calib tab. The software will store the color settings in this file if you have the new theme selected in the software. Information about the Calibration.ini files is available.

Note: This file is not over-written when new versions of Poker Shortcuts is installed. The color information contained in this file needs to be preserved.

ButtonImages folder

The ButtonImages folder contains images of buttons that the software needs to detect when these buttons are visible. Additionally, an image of each digit from the call button is saved in this folder so the software can read the call amount. Furthermore, there must be images for every table size that a user might be using (up to a maximum supported table size). The number in the file name refers to the maximum table size (table width, client area, in pixels) that the image is for. For example the image 867-ButtonCall.bmp is for tables whose width is a maximum of 867, and whose width is one more than the next lower table size (check the next smaller number for files in this folder + 1). In a Poker Stars Button Images folder, the next lower table size is 728, to this 867-ButtonCall.bmp file would apply to table widths that are in the range of 729 - 867.

If you are creating a new table theme, with different looking buttons from those currently supported in Poker Shortcuts, you will need to capture each one of these images and save them in your new theme folder. It's quite a large job to capture all of these images, so you may want to just create themes using the existing button images supplied with Poker Shortcuts.

Documentation for Theme Configuration Files

The following documentation pages provide detailed information about the contents of theme configuration files used with Poker Shortcuts:

Creating a new Table Theme

Follow these steps to create a new theme in Poker Shortcuts to work with a new table theme that works on Poker Stars or Full Tilt Poker:

  1. Copy an existing theme configuration file (e.g. FTTableClassic.ini) that is similar to the them that you are creating. Give it a new name (e.g. FTTableMYTHEME.ini).
  2. Create a new folder matching the new theme name (e.g. FTTableMYTHEME)
  3. Copy the contents of an existing theme folder to the new theme folder.
  4. If the buttons are different on your new themed table, you will need to capture new images for each of the buttons images in this folder. It's a big job if you want to do it for all of the table sizes.
  5. In your new theme configuration file (e.g. FTTableMYTHEME.ini) you will need to modify all the settings that are different on your new table compared to the one that the original theme file was made for. This might include changing the location of the player box X,Y values, various colors used on the table (stack digits colors, etc.), and much more. Information about Poker Stars table configuration files and Full Tilt table configuration files is available.

Versions

New versions of the configuration files and folders may become necessary as new features are added to Poker Shortcuts. The changes to these files and folders will be documented here.

Lobby Configuration files

Version 1.00: Initial Release
Version 1.01: Changed the ListMainLobbySngTablesColorTolerance values

Lobby Theme Folders

Version 1.00: Initial Release

Table Configuration Files

Version 1.00: Initial Release

Table Theme Files

Version 1.04

Version 1.03:

Version 1.02: Changed the Color Tolerance values on all button paramters from 40 to 80.

Version 1.01: Added variables (ButtonInfoControlName, ButtonInfoX, ButtonInfoY, ButtonRefreshControlName, ButtonRefreshX, ButtonRefreshY)

Version 1.00: Initial Release