GeoShell allows you to set varying levels of transparency for your bars if you are using Windows 2000, 2003, or XP. These ammount of transparency is often refered to as "Alpha Blending" and is measured from 255 to 0 (where 255 is completely opaque, and zero is completely transparent). If you want fully transparent bars, but to still be able to see their contents, you are in the wrong place - have a look at Transparent GeoBars instead!
By default, GeoShell may have some alpha blending enabled, but the main installers keep the bars opaque so that users with older computers do not have problems. To enable (or disable) this feature, you need to change the "Use Alpha Blending" setting:
- Read up on Editing the Registry
- Navigate (in your registry) to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\geo\GeoShell\ShellUI\Bar Settings and open the entry Use Alpha Blending
- To enable Alpha Blending this should be set to 1, to disable it, set it to 0.
There are hotkeys which enable you to fade the GeoBars out completely by pressing "Win + z"
 | Using alpha blending may cause your bars to flicker when you load up a java applet, or other heavy graphical apps. This can only be fixed by upgrading your JVM or video card drivers. Some older cards simply cannot handle alpha blending well. |
What else can alpha blending do?
You can set individual alpha setings for each GeoBar. All you need to do is browse through the registry till you get to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Geo\GeoShell\Services\Plugins\GeoBar (X) and adjust the value found in Alpha Blend. A decimal value of 255 (0xff) means the bar is 100% visible.
You may also like to adjust the value found in Alpha Blend when MouseOver, which makes the GeoBar fade in or out when you move your mouse over it.
