CatThief's Themes and Extensions
FAQ
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Can I submit CatThief's themes and extensions to other sites?
IT IS MY DECISION TO *NOT* MAKE DOWNLOADS OF MY THEMES AND EXTENSIONS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE FROM ANY WEB SITE (INCLUDING ADDONS.MOZILLA.ORG) EXCEPT MY OWN, EXTENZILLA.ORG, AND ADDONSMIRROR.NET. PLEASE HONOR THAT DECISION AND DO NOT PUBLICLY DISTRIBUTE ANY THEMES OR EXTENSIONS OR MAKE DISTRIBUTION DECISIONS ON MY BEHALF.
For additonal information follow the "terms of use" links located on the download pages for themes and extensions.
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Will Mostly Crystal work with Personas?
No. Read more .
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Questions about installing and updating themes and extensions:
Are your themes available from addons.mozilla.org (a.m.o.)?
I have listings with descriptions and a link to "Visit Add-on Homepage". All theme files are hosted at tom-cat.com.
Why aren't CatThief's extensions listed at addons.mozilla.org?
This is my personal preference.
Can I update CatThief's themes to a newer version using the program's updater?
Yes. They will all update from my site to the latest version whenever a newer version is detected. Note that with SeaMonkey 2 you will need to manually install the theme first, then all future updates will be handled by SeaMonkey's Add-ons Manager. Since the auto-updating process is new to SeaMonkey 2, the theme will not auto-update when upgrading from SeaMonkey 1.1 to SeaMonkey 2.
Can I update CatThief's extensions to a newer version using the program's updater?
Yes. They will all update from my site to the latest version whenever a newer version is detected.
I downloaded your theme from a third-party site, but it isn't working like it should. Why?
The only other sites to whom I gave permission to host my themes and extensions are eXtenZilla and Add-ons Mirror. Other than that, I do not participate in the distribution of the theme from any third-party sites. If you are using an out-of-date version of the theme or a third-party release I take no responsibility for problems. If a contributor at any other third-party site is registered at "CatThief", this person is an imposter.
I installed your theme as part of a third-party add-ons pack, but it isn't the most current version. Why?
I do not participate in the distribution of add-ons packs. If you are using an out-of-date version of the theme or a third-party release I take no responsibility for problems.
The theme won't install. Why?
- Firefox - Be sure you have "Enable JavaScript" checked inside the Content section of your Preferences/Options panel.
- SeaMonkey - Be sure you have both of these checked inside your Preferences panel: "Enable JavaScript for Browser" inside the Advanced > Scripts & Plugins section, and "Allow web sites to install extensions and updates" inside the Advanced > Software Installation section.
- Doublecheck all of the instructions on the download page.
- If you are still having trouble there may be a problem with your user configuration files, and troubleshooting this is outside the scope of support for the theme. A search at the MozillaZine Forums might be helpful.
I get a "could not be installed because it is not compatible" error when installing a theme or extension.
Be certain the theme or extension you are attempting to install was developed for the program version you are using.
How do I uninstall themes and extensions?
Highlight the theme or extension inside the Add-ons Manager and click the "Uninstall" button.
Something went wrong during theme or extension installation and it won't load or uninstall. What can I do?
This can sometimes happen with any theme or extension for a variety of reasons. Uninstalling add-ons - MozillaZine Knowledge Base will describe possible causes along with detailed instructions on how to restore things to normal.
My Avast antivirus program found a "Nutcracker Family" virus inside the theme's alltabs.png file.
This is a FALSE POSITIVE and a known issue with Avast. It's been around so long that I'm surprised they haven't fixed it yet. My advice is to do a Google for more information, then get a better antivirus program. Read my post at Slashdot.
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Archived themes and version-specific extensions for older program versions:
- Mostly Crystal theme for Firefox 3.6 through 3.6.3
Drag-and-drop this link into the Themes section of the Add-ons Manager.
mostlycrystal_fx_36.jar
- Mostly Crystal theme for Firefox 3.5
Drag-and-drop this link into the Themes section of the Add-ons Manager.
mostlycrystal_fx_35.jar
- Mostly Crystal theme for Firefox 3.0
Drag-and-drop this link into the Themes section of the Add-ons Manager.
mostlycrystal_fx_30.jar
- Findbar Basics extension for Firefox 3.0 and 3.5
Drag-and-drop this link into the Extensions section of the Add-ons Manager.
findbarbasics-fx3.xpi
- Simple Clear Button extension for Firefox 3.0
Drag-and-drop this link into the Extensions section of the Add-ons Manager.
simple-clear-button-fx.xpi
- Mostly Crystal theme for Thunderbird 3.0
Right-click on the link and select "Save Link As...", then "Install" the file with Thunderbird's Add-ons Manager.
mostlycrystal_tb_30.jar
- Mostly Crystal theme for Thunderbird 2.0
Right-click on the link and select "Save Link As...", then "Install" the file with Thunderbird's Add-ons Manager.
mostlycrystal_tb_20.jar
- Findbar Basics extension for Thunderbird 3.0
Right-click on the link and select "Save Link As...", then "Install" the file with Thunderbird's Add-ons Manager.
findbarbasics-tb3.xpi
- Findbar Basics extension for Thunderbird 2.0
Right-click on the link and select "Save Link As...", then "Install" the file with Thunderbird's Add-ons Manager.
findbarbasics-tb2.xpi
- Empty Trash extension for Thunderbird 2.0
Right-click on the link and select "Save Link As...", then "Install" the file with Thunderbird's Add-ons Manager.
emptytrash-tb.xpi
- Zoomer extension for Thunderbird 2.0
Right-click on the link and select "Save Link As...", then "Install" the file with Thunderbird's Add-ons Manager.
zoomer-tb.xpi
These program versions have reached end-of-life, therefore their themes and extensions are retired:
- Firefox 2.x
- Firefox 1.x
- Thunderbird 1.x
- SeaMonkey 1.x
- Mozilla Suite 1.x
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Will the themes work on final release sub-versions?
Yes. For example if the theme is for program version 3.5 it will work on 3.5.* (* being any number).
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Will the theme work on nightly builds?
It depends which builds. New features are eventually added in preparation for future releases; but unless otherwise noted, this theme is primarily maintained for the current milestone release of Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey. If the theme breaks or will not install on a nightly build, support will not be provided for problems. If you are using a nightly build and think the theme or extension will work properly, you can use the Nightly Tester Tools extension to override version compatibility issues.
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Is there a theme for future-version test builds of Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey?
No. The theme will be made available only when the final program version is released.
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Why do some extensions break on Mostly Crystal?
This can happen for a variety of reasons. When third-party themes apply code to specific elements in a different manner from the program's default theme, conflicts can arise.
Many extensions add styling and coloring to elements such as the location bar, search bar, and tabs by altering default theme code or attaching overlays to default theme code. In order to achieve a particular style, not all themes are coded exactly like the default; and whenever the theme's elements do not match the default theme, extension rendering errors will most likely result.
Some extensions reference image names and locations that exist in the default theme, but are different in Mostly Crystal (and many other third-party themes as well) causing numerous elements to break, usually by displaying a blank in place of the image the extension is unable to find. Extensions should always include their own images.
Sometimes the theme code can be adjusted to avoid these conflicts, but unfortunately sometimes not.
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The theme doesn't match Vista or Windows 7. Will you change the toolbars, menus, and colors?
No. The images/colors used in the theme were chosen for cross compatibility between Windows and Linux. Many of the theme's elements will pull colors from the user's own OS defaults, and I even changed some styling that is unique to Linux just so Windows users would not have rendering problems. Specific native support for Vista and 7 will not be added.
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Will you be adding a glass effect to the theme's toolbars and buttons?
No.
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Will you change the tabs to look like the default theme or inherit native properties from the OS?
No.
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What happened to the userChrome option for "Native Tabs" (nativetabs.css) and "Classic Tabs" (classictabs.css)?
Too much code restructuring goes into supporting these options each time a new version of the program is released. There are also conflicts with several popular extensions. The last program versions to see these options in the themes are Firefox 3.6.3 (classictabs.css) and SeaMonkey 2.0.* (nativetabs.css). Please don't ask me to add these back.
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I don't like how some things look (background colors, tabs, margins, etc.) and want to change them. How can I do this?
A wide variety of userChrome.css options are provided that will change many of the elements to suit your taste, override OS defaults, or resolve conflicts with OS defaults. Since personal tastes vary so widely, I am unable to provide fixes for each and every element that users don't like and want to change. If it is not listed on the userChrome Options page, support will not be provided for further customizations and especially if you are looking for a way to change something common to all themes. A search at the MozillaZine Forums might be helpful. If none of this is suitable to you, please use a different theme.
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Questions about themes and extensions with Mac OS:
Why did you remove theme support for Mac OS?
Since I do not have a Mac for testing, I am unable to offer support for problems. Consequently, I have learned that whenever there is a problem it cannot be easily resolved. Mac users have contacted me with offers to help resolve conflicts, and their offers are very much appreciated, but for practical reasons I must decline.
As of Firefox 3.5, Thunderbird 3.0, and SeaMonkey 2.0, all Mac users will receive an error message similar to this when attempting to install the Mostly Crystal theme on their platform. Regardless of the default "contact the author" message, PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT ME.
Will CatThief's extensions work on Mac OS?
The extensions are not affected by the same compatibility issues as themes since there is no involvement in the themeing of OS-specific widgets. I did not personally test them on Mac, but they should work fine. Be aware, though, that any extension involving toolbar button images will not have a Mac-style appearance.
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Will the themes install on Solaris (Sun OS), FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and eComStation (OS/2)?
Yes, Solaris (Sun OS), FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and eComStation (OS/2) are included as a targetPlatform for installation. Although the themes were not personally tested by me on these OSs, users indicate that they work fine.
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How can I change the Activity Indicator in Firefox and Thunderbird?
Firefox and Thunderbird:
By default the Activity Indicator is Circular when placed inside the menubar and a Penguin when placed outside the menubar. In addition, the Penguin will resize according to your preference to use small or large icons for toolbar buttons. You can apply userChrome.css options to override the default. See or for more information.
Seamonkey:
By default the Activity Indicator is Circular when placed inside the menubar and a Penguin when placed outside the menubar. In addition, the Penguin will resize according to your preference to show/hide toolbar button labels. You can apply userChrome.css options to override the default. See for more information.
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How do I create or edit a userChrome.css file?
A link to the "userChrome.css How-to" is shown at the top of each userChrome Options page.
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Where is my Profile?
See Profile Folder at the mozillaZine Knowledge Base.
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How do I backup and restore my Profile?
See Profile Folder at the mozillaZine Knowledge Base.
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Where do add-ons go when they are installed?
Themes and extensions (add-ons) are installed under your profile's "extensions" folder. Under the "extensions" folder you will find a subfolder named for each add-on's unique ID, and directly under that will be where all of their files reside.
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Will you reduce the size of the "Small Icons" in the Firefox and Thunderbird themes?
No. While this may work well for some images, most of them will lose detail and clarity if they are reduced smaller than their current size. In addition, the current size for both Large and Small Icons works better for those who are using larger monitors and/or increased screen resolutions and it looks better in Linux.
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Will you be adding "Small Icons" in the SeaMonkey theme?
No. The toolbar images in this theme are one size only (24px), the same size as the theme for SeaMonkey 1.1. Selecting "Use Small Icons" will have no effect on the theme's toolbar buttons.
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Is there a "lite" version of the theme without the extra toolbar button images for supported extensions?
No.
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Will the additional support for extensions cause the program to run slower?
No.
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Why was support removed for Lightning?
During the process of upgrading support for version 0.7, it was discovered that the number of icon images required for the toolbar buttons is quite large. For this reason a decision was made to remove image support in order to lighten the size of the theme file. Supportive code is still included to prevent other elements from breaking.
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Will you be developing a theme for Sunbird?
A theme for Sunbird is not planned at this time, however permission was give to Seamaiden from Add-ons Mirror to use the Mostly Crystal code base for a Sunbird theme.
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With which versions of Firefox and Thunderbird are CatThief's extensions compatible?
Please refer to the extensions pages for version compatibility information.
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I use the CuteMenus extension and am getting a mix of images that belong to this extension plus images that belong to the theme.
Mostly Crystal includes built-in support for menuitem images, so you will see an image for any menuitem the CuteMenus extension does not include. You cannot disable the theme's menuitem images without removing all images, both from the theme and from the CuteMenus extension.
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Will the display of menu icons cause the program to run slower?
No. It should startup and run the same with or without these images.
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Why are images missing for some menus and menuitems?
The theme includes images for most default menus and menuitems, yet you may not see an image for menus or menuitems that are added by extensions even if theme support for those extensions is included. In addition, you will not see images for menus or menuitems that have no identifier (such as id, command, oncommand, etc.) or for menuitems that are checkboxes.
To add your own images, see the Menu Icons page for or
or
for instructions. Support will not be provided for adding your own images. If you are having difficulty understanding how to interpret the instructions, please visit the MozillaZine Themes Development forum and post your specific question there.
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How can I disable the menuitem images?
See the Menu Icons page for or or for instructions.
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I don't see an "open envelope" image in the message pane for read mail. Is this a bug?
No. There is only one envelope image. Read vs. unread status is shown with normal vs. bold text. The image, however, will reflect other statuses such as new, replied, and forwarded.
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Why doesn't the theme look like the screenshots when I install it on my computer?
The theme inherits many defaults from the operating system you are using. The screenshots were taken while using Windows XP Default (blue) Style. The theme will look different if you are using a different style, using a different version of Windows, using Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, OS/2, or if you apply userChrome.css options to change the background color.
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Will you resolve problems I am seeing with the theme on Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 98, Vista, or Windows 7?
I can only resolve Windows problems if you are using Windows XP, however I am willing to help with providing solutions that can be applied to your userChrome.css file.
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Will you resolve problems I am seeing with the theme on Linux?
In most cases, yes; but since there are literally hundreds of styles that can be applied in Linux, I cannot guarantee all issues will be resolved for all styles.
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Will you theme the scrollbars?
No. While many themes include customizations for scrollbars, I prefer to let the operating system provide the effects... especially with Linux.
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Why are you dropping the rounded/stylized location bar options for Firefox and SeaMonkey?
Too much code restructuring goes into supporting this option each time a new version of the program is released. There are also conflicts with several popular extensions like Fission, Locationbar², and Read It Later to name just a few. In fact most of the complaints I receive from users involve breakage of the theme when using this option with extensions. The last program versions to see this option in the theme are Firefox 3.6.3 and SeaMonkey 2.0.*. Please don't ask me to add this back.
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One or more of my extensions is not working properly. Why?
Most extensions are developed for compatibility with the program's default theme. Extensions can be simple, and they can also be very complex. Many extensions add styling and coloring to elements such as the location bar, search bar, and tabs by altering existing code or attaching overlays to existing code. In order to achieve a particular style, not all themes are coded exactly like the default; and whenever the theme's elements do not match the default theme, extension rendering errors will result.
You can follow the link from the theme's main page for a list of "known issues" with several extensions. By no means does this list include every extension for which there may be a conflict. It only documents those that have been discovered and for one reason or another the issues cannot be resolved.
The list of "supported extensions" that appears on the theme's main page are those for which I added toolbar button images that match the theme in both appearance and size. Support also addresses issues that might affect margins and padding. This should have nothing to do with an extension's performance.
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Why does an extension's toolbar button image that used to work now break in some or all places?
When extensions are updated, theme developers are usually not notified. I do my best to keep current, but most often some additional time is needed to examine code changes and get things working again.
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Are you accepting new requests for extension support for matching toolbar button images?
The themes already contain built-in support for a wide variety of extensions, many more than I actually use myself. Any new requests for support will be declined unless it is for an update to a currently-supported extension.
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Does Mostly Crystal support RTL (right-to-left) localized builds?
No.
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I installed a newer version of your theme, but I don't see any changes. Why?
All major changes and bug fixes are documented on the Changelog. A link to the Changelog appears on the main theme page just below the date of the most current release. You will only see changes in the theme if the documented changes are something that affects you.
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How do I change program settings?
If you need assistance with program settings, look under the program's Help menu.
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I'm still having a problem with a theme and my issue is not mentioned here. How do I contact CatThief?
You can follow the link to the Contact Form at the top of the Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, or Extensions pages, or directly go there now by clicking here.
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What distribution of Linux does CatThief use?
I use openSUSE with the KDE desktop and Crystal SVG icons. Apps that rely on GTK2 use Milky Smooth with Tango Icons.
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How did Mostly Crystal get started?
Many years ago, I installed a theme for Mozilla Suite titled "Crystal-classic" by Wojciech Jarosz. Unfortunately as newer versions of Mozilla were released, the theme was not upgraded for newer version compatibility. I resorted to using other themes, many that I consider among the best of the best (Aaron Spuler's "Rain" and "iCandy Jr.", Johannes Schellen's "Pinball" to name a few) but missed Crystal-classic immensely.
When Firefox and Thunderbird were released, no matching Crystal themes could be found. I was (and still am) using Everaldo's Crystal SVG icon set on my Linux desktop and thought these icons would be the perfect base for matching themes. So, with Everaldo's permission, and using Aaron's "iCandy Jr." code base as a starting point (thank you, Aaron, for inspiring me to begin this project way back in 2004) along with the existing code for the applications' default themes, and seeking helpful tips and encouragement from the Mozilla theming community at the MozillaZine Forums, "Mostly Crystal" was born.
Now and then I hear comments that Mostly Crystal is a copy of Plastikfox or some other Crystal-based theme, but that is completely untrue. The only thing these themes have in common is the use of Everaldo's images. I never once opened any of these themes' jar files to examine code.
I also sometimes hear comments that Mostly Crystal is not a 100% Crystal SVG theme. This is very true, hence the "Mostly" portion of the theme's title, but any image that is not 100% Crystal SVG was created/selected for visual compatibility. And like with any other theme you find out there, Mostly Crystal -- from the selection of button images to the selection of other elements like spacing, sizing, borders, coloring, etc. -- is 100% a composition of it's developer's unique tastes. Some folks love it, some folks hate it. That's ok. Wouldn't this be a mundane world if everyone and everything were the same.
In 2007, Everaldo officially retired his "Crystal SVG" icons and replaced them with the "Crystal Project" icons. Perhaps someday I will do the same, but currently I just can't imagine myself ever growing tired of them.
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Where did the name "CatThief" originate?
In the fall of 1999, I quickly needed a name for registration to an online forum.
At the very same time, a horse named "Cat Thief" had just won the Breeders' Cup Classic, a Grade 1 race that is even bigger than the better-known Kentucky Derby. "Cat Thief" was (and still is) one of my favorite thoroughbred horses of all time. His bloodline includes some of the most legendary horses in racing history -- Alydar, Secretariat, and Northern Dancer, and he was sired by Storm Cat.
By coincidence, Cat is my real-life nick name, so I joined the two names into one (excluding the space) and CatThief has stuck with me ever since.
You can read about "Cat Thief" at Wikipedia.
See "Cat Thief's" 1999 Breeders' Cup Classic win at YouTube.
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