The Story behind the day Google Failed Me - Designing Chrome Themes

As a Harry Potter fan, who eats off a Harry Potter plate, keeps books in a Harry Potter cupboard and has a Harry Potter wallpaper for her desktop, I ventured into finding the Harry Potter themed Chrome browser.

For the first time in living memory, Google had failed me.

The Chrome Store had nothing to offer for regular members of the witchcraft community like me. I saw two themes, and disliked both of them.

So, as I had an amazing amount of time to kill, I decided once and for all, that I will have a Chrome browser theme for Harry Potter.

Finally,  after relentless Googling, I ended up with making my first customised theme.

The Story behind this result goes like this. A guide by a most relentless person on how to design a Google Chrome theme.

First I accessed the online chrome theme creator by googling it (you could also download it from the chrome webstore).

The first tab was pretty simple for me as it just asks you to give the theme name and description.

Now the images tab was also very explicit. As you mouse-over every option, the indicated portion is displayed in red. I have to upload an image for every section. For some strange reason, even if I simply wanted just a solid colour, (for example black for the highlighted theme_toolbar option), I couldn't specify it in the Colors tab and had to upload an image for every portion.

Thus, for the theme_ntp_background, I uploaded the Harry Potter wallpaper.

Then, for each colour, I had a square tile 120x120. The minimum height is 119 pixels. (Learnt that after many disastrous results!). I found that a nice way of choosing colours is to use them from the picture using the dropper tool. 

Thus, I used this picture for the theme_toolbar.

Continuing in a similar vein, I ended up with this layout.

Now I realised that I can't make out the text at all. Later I found that the next tab, Colors, takes care of that. 

Unfortunately, all the colours are specified in hex codes.

To know the hex codes of the colour I used the Dropper tool in GimpShop. Then, I filled the frame option with the exact code corresponding to the image I have uploaded.

So, the hex code is 001B22. I set this for the frame portion. Now the Colors tab is not very clear about the respective placeholder of each option. The frame refers to the place behind the tabs which has already been given an image. Frame inactive is the same region but when the window is inactive. I later learnt can give the colour you want straightaway or give the same colour as the fame active and tint it light or dark using the Tints tab. The same applies for the tabs in incognito mode. Now the toolbar option is a little tricky.

The toolbar option affects the arrows, the status bar at the bottom, and the background of the bookmark panel. Also, I had to choose a dark colour to complement the grey in the status bar. I still haven't figured out how to change that font colour. However, the code is open source and the more HTML zealots can try it out. And the arrows' colour  jar at the moment but I found that they could be easily tinted in the next tab.

In the above screenshot, I have changed all the required font colours. Now, the ntp_header option refers to the background colour of the border in the most visited section. It is not visible in the preview. I've taken a screenshot from the final result for the idea.

The next three options refer to ntp_section. That is the region that is highlighted when you mouse_over the apps.

So then, I chose the appropriate colours for the background, text and link. Sometimes, the changes of text are not reflected in the preview but they are faithfully reproduced finally. The last two options refers to the control buttons (minimize, restore and close).

Next, we come to the tints tab. Here, I just chose the colours that I would like to tint (or add onto) the ones I had already chosen in the previous Colors tab. Sometimes, when I did not want a tint, I chose the exact same colour as before. Also, as I wanted the buttons to be grey, I tinted them so. 

And finally, in the last tab Pack and I chose to apply the theme. But later I learnt it is wise to regularly download zip file and then upload it for changes. Otherwise, I had to start from scratch even if I just wanted to change one parameter.

And I am just enjoying my new creation. 

P.S. I can't wait for the release of the last Harry Potter film!

And, I think my tenses went awry because I have edited this post near twenty times juggling between past and present.

The End

I read my first Harry Potter at the age of ten, the Chamber of Secrets. From then on, there has been no turning back.

People ask me, what's so great? Some good guy brandishing some magic stick at some bad guy with a more sinister magic stick.

Maybe it was the age, maybe it was the magic, but Harry Potter always meant something so dear to my heart, something that kept me obsessed, drove me nuts, burnt a hole in my parents' pockets. Obsession is defined by Harry Potter. These two words, seemingly common names, are so powerful, that they can practically pull me out of coma.

Things I like about Harry Potter:

Plot: Every book has a plot of its own which then weave its details into a main plot. Certainly, the plot of Goblet of Fire was simply too good. There is no way you could have guessed the ending. Period.

Depth: Every character has so much depth. My favourite is a close battle between Harry and Hermione. I respect Harry I guess, while I really really adore Hermione. I love her wit, intelligence, bravery, sacrifice, righteousness, her obsession of obtaining freedom for those who can't and that fear of failure as well. Nobody's perfect. The list of great characters is endless, Dobby, Tonks, Dumbledore, Lupin, Sirius, Fred and George, Luna, Narcissa Malfoy, Hagrid, Firenze, Trelawney, Snape,Voldemort... I could go on and on.

Common Sense: Certainly and inevitably as a children's book, it does give nuggets of sound advice. I really enjoyed them.

"It is not our abilities that make us what we are, it is our choices". - COS

"Curiosity is not a sin, but you should exercise caution" - GOF

"There will come a time when we have to decide between what is right and what is easy" - GOF

"I think I've had enough trouble for a lifetime" - DH

Language: As a person who enjoys Shakespeare and Dickens, you cannot simply ignore the beauty of J K Rowling's writing. Her sarcasm, her vocabulary, her way of writing is just overwhelming. For example, do you know what's a "flibbertigibbet"? It's the password to the Gryffindor tower once. It means a fool, by the way.

Magic:

However I try
with a scientific bend
of mind, to break my
interest, like my friend
Golpalott, I just sigh
that my efforts are spent
in vain because its a lie
to the words that lend
such an epitome of beauty.

Bottomline: Go read the books!

Oh I cannot describe the thrill of waiting for a new book to be released. That excited discussion of how the next plot is going to be, who's going to die. Those frantic phone calls, how can I forget? Middle of the night, "Hey Leaky Cauldron site has been updated, the sixth book is releasing on July the sixteenth." The last book almost brought people to blows whether or not Harry dies!

All this reminiscence started on seeing the trailer to the final movie. I am now nineteen and with this last installment, the end of an era approaches. No longer will there be the frequent haunting of news websites. No longer will there be endless guessing games. No longer will that perfect present be Harry Potter. Yet Harry will live in all the million souls who are  his ardent fans.

Harry Potter
You have fought valiantly.
But you have allowed your friends to die for you.
Rather than face me yourself.


On this night, join me
and confront your fate.


Come On.


We can end this.


I never wanted any of you to die for me.


Come on Tom. Let's finish this the way we started. Together.


Only I can live forever.

I could get a job with subtitles! I'm really excited for July 15th.

House-elves and Feminism

"Dobby sir... Dobby the house-elf"


In light of the recent Harry Potter movie, these words just echoed within my head. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the first book I read and I just love Dobby. 


I think I really connected with Dobby on several counts:


An insane, obsessive and indescribable worship of Harry Potter.
A powerful urge to protect the aforementioned specimen of courage, goodness and bravery.
A penchant for sticking out of the crowd with insane ideas.
A will to stand up for what's right.
A person who enjoys freedom above all.


Now Dobby wanted freedom from oppression and he got it. He enjoyed it but still shuddered at the "riches" Dumbledore offered. He adored work and didn't mind admitting it, he just wanted his worth. His dedication and affection are unparalleled.


He is FUN. 


Now before you start wondering what feminism has to do with all this or if you have got a whiff of the alley I'm headed at, let's go to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.


Now, Hermione comes up with the SPEW. It sounded ridiculous to me. Exactly how Harry and Ron felt at the time, my thoughts reverberated on similar lines. They want to work for free, let them. Hemione seemed downright silly to me and her ideas about brain-washing seemed absurd. Alright, Dobby wanted freedom, he's an exception.


Years later at Grimmauld Place, Harry lords over Kreacher and he realises what a raw deal house-elves have. Hermione's words finally make sense and he changed his chauvinistic views and especially how he felt Kreacher was responsible for Sirius' death. 


So did I.
But then, suddenly something just clicked in my head.


As a die-hard feminist, I've often stated how brain-washed women are and how true gender equality and freedom are far from being real. I realised that as far as house-elves were concerned, I was the chauvinist! I thought the exact same things that infuriated me about exceptions and capabilities and so on and so forth until the seventh book. 


I've changed my opinion now, of course but J K Rowling has taught me to never judge too quickly. It's okay to have an opinion but you must be open enough to alter that and most importantly, give an ear for what others say, there might be some wisdom.


Who'd have thought I took spiritual courses from Harry Potter?


On a final note, I'd just like to say "Here is a free elf"

The Sorting Hat

It all started when I saw the first HP trailer and loved it so much. I later got Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and from then on, its no turning back.

I'm obsessed.