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Do skins apply to multiple users?

General topics related to Rainmeter.
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Cleath
Posts: 1
Joined: June 15th, 2016, 1:10 pm

Do skins apply to multiple users?

Post by Cleath »

My computer isn't really my computer, it's the family computer, and my family likes their desktop just the way it is. My question is, if I make a bunch of skins on my personal windows user, will that effect the family user's desktop? Also, can I put different skins on different users? The audio switcher skin from reddit user AdviceWithSalt would be great for everyone who uses my computer, but I would like to add more skins to my desktop.

Thanks for any help.
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jsmorley
Developer
Posts: 22628
Joined: April 19th, 2009, 11:02 pm
Location: Fort Hunt, Virginia, USA

Re: Do skins apply to multiple users?

Post by jsmorley »

Cleath wrote:My computer isn't really my computer, it's the family computer, and my family likes their desktop just the way it is. My question is, if I make a bunch of skins on my personal windows user, will that effect the family user's desktop? Also, can I put different skins on different users? The audio switcher skin from reddit user AdviceWithSalt would be great for everyone who uses my computer, but I would like to add more skins to my desktop.

Thanks for any help.
The program will be installed in C:\Program Files\Rainmeter and will be available to all user accounts. The settings and 3rd-party plugins are stored in the AppData\Roaming folder, and the skins are stored in the Documents folder, but those are created and and stored in the user's personal folders the first time they run the application. So you certainly can have different skins and settings and everything else on a per-user basis. The only thing you might have to manually do is put a shortcut to Rainmeter.exe in the Startup folders of any additional users who want Rainmeter to start with Windows. That shortcut is created when the program is installed, but only for the user installing it.

That will be in C:\Users\AccountName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

So when you install Rainmeter you will get a default setup, with the illustro skins loaded. You can change that any way you want, unload the illustro skins, download and install other skins, drag skins around the screen to set things up the way you want. Rainmeter will stay that way any time your account is used to start the program. If a different user logs on and runs Rainmeter, they will then also get a default setup, and can configure their skins the way they want. Any time they run the program with that account, they will get their configuration, not yours.

Be aware that any skins you download and install on your account will need to also be installed by any other users that want that skin.

So:

Rainmeter program, shared by all user accounts:
"C:\Program Files\Rainmeter"

Skins installed by a user account:
C:\Users\AccountName\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins

Settings and 3rd party plugins changed or installed by a user account:
C:\Users\AccountName\AppData\Roaming\Rainmeter

Shortcut to start Rainmeter with Windows for a user account:
C:\Users\AccountName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
gaz1122
Posts: 1
Joined: November 23rd, 2016, 5:37 am

Re: Do skins apply to multiple users?

Post by gaz1122 »

Can one change the default skin to force a custom one to be run whenever Rainmeter starts?

I want to run a batch file for users on a Citrix server so my default skin is loaded each time they connect.
Itried copying my skin to system defaults, removed the Illustro skin, and saved a layout ("pinn stats") with my preferred skin then tried to run it from a batch file with

Code: Select all

"c:\program files \rainmeter\rainmeter.exe" !LoadLayout "pinn stats"
but it only works for my login, not other users.

Any other suggestions on how this might be achieved?
Thanks.
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