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i just start messing with litestep and now want to build my own theme. need help in doing this step by step. plus i already started but keep getting an error message that says that i have an uninitialized variable: rcstep in the line: $dirtheme$$steprc$

means one of your variables isn't setup before you tried to use it.

The best way is to either start with a blank textfile, then cut&paste stuff from other peoples themes while making notes about what the options actually do. The other way is to start modifying an existing theme and gradually changing everything, so that in the end only your own stuff remains.
You don't really have to worry about knowing how to do something, browse the themes, look at screenshots and try to figure out if some of them already has what you're trying to do. It should take aeons for you to even think of stuff you cannot learn from examples this way, and when you do, you're probably already mastered the art of learning itself.

And... Without experience there is little hope in getting stuff right the first time you try. So, for a base, get a random theme without VWM and without scripting, for they are much more failure-resistant. Build on that.

Warma thanks for the great advice...will do. I started to do exactly that-copy and paste from peoples work but im still getting the same errow message i was before. currently im using litestep theme maker v1.5. Could this be why im still getting that same error? Should i just start using blank text files? Another question...step.rc file is basically the only file i need to make on my own right?

LOL! DeViLbOi, said exactly what is wrong. Use the error messages to find what you need to change. If for instance, your error message is directed at a ".dll" file, look in the step for that file, find it and make sure it "points" to where the file is located...start in the load modules section of the step. Make sure when you copy and paste lines from different themes, that you edit the modules location to match your computer. Like if you keep your litestep folder in D:\ rather than C:\ you have to change everything that points to C:\ to D:\...etc.

As to your last question, start with the step and when you get the hang of it, look into config and the others. Have fun....

I'm going to guess and say the error is because of two $ signs. Or maybe its because you forgot the period in step.rc. Or maybe you misspelled something when you defined exactly where $dirtheme$$steprc$ was.

And shouldn't it be $ThemeDir$?

it should only be $ThemeDir$ if that's the way it's set up. dirTheme is an LSD specification, if i'm not mistaken.

m, LSD (LS .24.4) was good. LSDistro was $dirTheme$. LSD/LSDistro, same diff. ;p

Actually $dirTheme$ is used by LSTS in $LitestepDir$step.rc. But everywhere else OTS uses $ThemeDir$.

The thing is that im not using those variables or the line $dirtheme$$rcstep$. those lines dont appear at all in my code. so thats why im so confused on why im getting error.

Check your step.rc file in the litestep directory. It should look like this...

rcStep "step.rc";
dirTheme "$LitestepDir$themes\eyedrop\";
include "$dirTheme$$rcStep$";

instead of "eyedrop" in the dirTheme you should have the name of the folder your theme is in.

When you switch themes this file should automatically be changed to load that theme.

What if it is not changing it automatically? I changed it manually in the step.rc file located in the litestep directory but i still got the error message?!

then you may be using the variable at some point before it is being defined. check all of your included files.

where should the included files go?

These values shouldn't be used by a theme should it? I thought they existed just for litestep to know what theme to load. So if oats is getting this error then it seems to me that there must be a problem LS not the theme. This is what I would assume but I may be way off.

So then what i should do is try to load it(the theme) on another computer with litestep installed?

this error sounds to me like you didn't change the themename or left it blank. the thm file is used for finding the step.rc in your themefolder. if the themename and foldername aren't the same, he couldn't find it. the best and easiest way is, to name the theme as the themefolder, or change it in LSTS, mark your theme and edit the theme settings. they will be saved in the THM file.

WindowsDir "c:\WINNT"
StartMenuDir "$WindowsDir$start menu"
LSDir "c:\Litestep"
rcstep "step.rc";

personaldir "$LSDir$personal"
dirTheme "$LSDir$themes\RBS";
ThemeDir "$dirTheme$"
ModDir "$ThemeDir$modules"
LSImageFolder "$ThemeDir$images"
ShortcutsDir "$LSDir$shortcuts"
configdir "$Themedir$config"

First, you said that you're using our LSTM, so THIS code is realy not from LSTM ;)

The first 4 lines are not needet, else the lines:

ThemeDir "$dirTheme$"
ModDir "$ThemeDir$modules"

I dont know why you change the ThemeDir into dirTheme, if you further using ThemeDir???? ok, not important.....
BUT, I'm missing one of the most imortant lines....
These:

ThemeName "Your Themename"
ThemeAuthor "Your Nickname"

In theme name you have to write your Folder/Themename and author is your nickname (THESE LINES ARE FOR THE THM FILE)
Put them on top of the rc file and watch ;), perhaps that's all ;)

WindowsDir "c:\WINNT"

Use $WinDir$

StartMenuDir "$WindowsDir$start menu"
LSDir "c:\Litestep"

LS has builtin vars for those, for example $LitestepDir$. They also end with a trailing backslash.

personaldir "$LSDir$personal"

This and your other uses of $LSDir$ won't ever work because they're expanded to

personaldir "c:\litesteppersonal"
include "c:\litesteppersonalpersonal.rc"

Instead, use

PersonalDir "$LitestepDir$personal"
include "$PersonalDir$personal.rc"

which is correctly expanded to something like

PersonalDir "C:\Litestep\personal"
include "C:\Litestep\personal\personal.rc"

etc. etc.

I'm still gettin the same damn error message and im about to give up. If anybody has any last ideas let me know before i throw in the towel.

Start from scratch and create your theme bit by bit. You seem to have coded your whole theme before you've tested anything. All you need for a working theme is to include a desktop and popup module. Start with this code then slowly build your theme up.

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
; LiteStep environment config
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ThemeName "This is a Theme"
ThemeAuthor "Your Name"

PersonalDir "$LiteStepDir$personal"
ThemeDir "$LiteStepDir$themes\ThemeName"
ConfigDir "$ThemeDir$config"
ModulesDir "$ThemeDir$modules"
ShortcutsDir "$LiteStepDir$shortcuts"
LSImageFolder "$ThemeDir$images"
WallpaperDir "$ThemeDir$wallpaper"

include "$PersonalDir$personal.rc"

;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
; loadmodule config
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LoadModule "$litestepdir$desktop2.dll"
LoadModule "$litestepdir$popup2.dll"

Even though nothing is configured this is a complete and working theme.

Make sure you frequently test changes you make before progressing too far.

looking at your config you are getting the error because $steprc$ is not a defined object. change the line...

include "$dirTheme$$rcStep$"

to

include "$dirTheme$\step.rc"

and in the future PLEASE end all eVars with a \...god it makes for soooo many headaches not having them there.

You did say earlier in another post that $dirTheme$$rcStep$ didn't appear anywhere in your theme but it does. Looks like...uhhh...line....22.

Also...I did hide the posted step.rc cuz GAHD DAMN was it too big.

Before i added the

include "$dirTheme$\step.rc"

i was gettin the error.

Than there is the question for me...... why IS there a variable $rcStep$???? this is exactly as useless as in every OTS Theme has to include the personal.rc file itself.
I always include my personal.rc in the mainroot step.rc bevore
include "$dirTheme$$rcStep$"
I had never any problems and I do not need this useless line in my theme step.rc anymore. In every Theme it is the same, so why in the theme step and not in the mainroot step....

back to the $rcStep$ variable, I think that there is also a useless line called: rcStep = "step.rc".

*just think about that ;)*