working on a new skin - need some info/docs

gamejester · 2008-04-29, 11:11

Hi,

OK, first I have read everything (I think) on the wiki and the guides at the top of this forum.
I have been using MP for ages now and have customised some other peoples skins, so know the basics.
What I do not understand is how it all hangs together and exactly what all the IDs are, etc....

1. Does there exist an extensive list of all available syntax that the xml will take (even without explanations of each element)?

2. How are other skin designers producing there work? Is it a question of mocking up how you want it to look in PSP or photoshop using layers, saving the images, reading the (x,y) and manually creating the xml (this is what I do at the moment)?

3. Which skin changes require you to clear the cache? Is it just image changes? Does the refresh tool still work with 1.0 RC1 (I could not get it to work)?

4. What is the significance of the \media\hover_my ???.png and which of them can be replaced with .xml for animation? Assume it has something to do with <allowoverlay>yes</allowoverlay> but when can it be used?

5. Animation (and this could be a long question

)

i) Which animations let you loop forever or repeat?
ie. If I put <RepeatBehavior>Forever</RepeatBehavior> in an animation hover_??.xml it is ignored,
but if I put <loop>yes</loop> in a multiimage on a page it loops or I put

<RepeatBehavior>Forever</RepeatBehavior> in an animation linked to a button it loops.

ii) <animation> effect like fade, zoom, etc…. do not work on .ong animated objects.
From info supplied in this post about animation
how to repeat animations
some of it does not work.
If I created a looping animation with either a multimage or a button animation; then whilst the .png loop animation works the transition <animation> does not, ie

<animation effect="fade" time="200">VisibleChange</animation>

iii) When can you use a multimage (found no docs on it)?
It apeears I can use it on a page in place of an image and animated it, but I cannot use it in a <type>button</type> or a howver_???.xml

iv) Does MP support apng (animated png?) I guess not at this time.

v) What are the files day.png and night.png in the animations folder used for?

vi) Can you use animated gifs?

vii) Assuming home.xml is the first home screen, then how are transition animation controlled in it? I see in peoples skins that when the screen loads the menu will slide it whatever, but in the home.xml file there are no <animation> tags like.
<animation effect="slide" time="1000" start="0,0" end="-161,0" acceleration="-1" >WindowClose</animation>

Feel free to chip on any or all points.

gamejester · 2008-05-01, 11:01

OK, well I have found some things out so will answer some of my own questions, but feel free to correct me and fill in teh blanks

1) NO! and the wiki is out of date. Can anyone update it? So as I find things out do people want me to add it to the Wiki?

3) Seems just if you change a grahic. If you add a new one you do not need to clear the cache, or if you change formatting of function in an xml; but you do need to re-load MP if you change xml.

4) Clearly has something to do with the myHome.xml file which is laoded first. The Menu which is dynamically built from the controls you select in config to appear in home have an assosiated hover icon which you can specify where it appears. This must be represented as

hover_my mail.png or hover_my mail.xml

I am assuming they can all be either a static .png or an .xml file with animation defined.
but a full published list of these would be useful, unless I just look through other peoples skins.
ie, the myTVseries plugin in the Plugins section of setup is called MP-TV Series, but its hover is called
hover_my tv series.png

5) i) I think I have confimed this, ALL animations will loop forever except hover ones in the menu.

ii) This is not true. I was doing my testing on the myTVseries plugin screen which has issues with certain animations and states on certain pages.

iii) Looks like multiimage can only be used on a page, you can not set it in a common.animation.xml for including in the texture of a button or a hover_??? button. You have to use regular animation for that.

iv) NO

v) still not seen anyone use them, I assume you can stick them on a globe and get it to spin, but not seen that anywhere.

vi) NO

vii) assumtion incorrect, myHome.xml is the first page.
What is home.xml used for??

Paranoid Delusion · 2008-05-01, 11:29

Quote:

1) NO! and the wiki is out of date. Can anyone update it? So as I find things out do people want me to add it to the Wiki?

I think a lot of people are waiting for the new skin engine to be implemented, which will be fully documented once complete.

gamejester · 2008-05-01, 11:48

That's version 2 only right? Skinning looks a lot easier there.
Have been following it with interest, but it still seems a long way off; think a lot of people will use a stable release v1 for a long time yet, so thought I would finally do a complete skin for v1 instead of custom pages for other skins as I like them.
I will muddle on.

2008-04-29, 11:11	#1 (permalink)
gamejester Portal Developer Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 390 Thanks: 1 Thanked 25 Times in 17 Posts Country:	working on a new skin - need some info/docs Hi, OK, first I have read everything (I think) on the wiki and the guides at the top of this forum. I have been using MP for ages now and have customised some other peoples skins, so know the basics. What I do not understand is how it all hangs together and exactly what all the IDs are, etc.... 1. Does there exist an extensive list of all available syntax that the xml will take (even without explanations of each element)? 2. How are other skin designers producing there work? Is it a question of mocking up how you want it to look in PSP or photoshop using layers, saving the images, reading the (x,y) and manually creating the xml (this is what I do at the moment)? 3. Which skin changes require you to clear the cache? Is it just image changes? Does the refresh tool still work with 1.0 RC1 (I could not get it to work)? 4. What is the significance of the \media\hover_my ???.png and which of them can be replaced with .xml for animation? Assume it has something to do with <allowoverlay>yes</allowoverlay> but when can it be used? 5. Animation (and this could be a long question ) i) Which animations let you loop forever or repeat? ie. If I put <RepeatBehavior>Forever</RepeatBehavior> in an animation hover_??.xml it is ignored, but if I put <loop>yes</loop> in a multiimage on a page it loops or I put <RepeatBehavior>Forever</RepeatBehavior> in an animation linked to a button it loops. ii) <animation> effect like fade, zoom, etc…. do not work on .ong animated objects. From info supplied in this post about animation how to repeat animations some of it does not work. If I created a looping animation with either a multimage or a button animation; then whilst the .png loop animation works the transition <animation> does not, ie <animation effect="fade" time="200">VisibleChange</animation> iii) When can you use a multimage (found no docs on it)? It apeears I can use it on a page in place of an image and animated it, but I cannot use it in a <type>button</type> or a howver_???.xml iv) Does MP support apng (animated png?) I guess not at this time. v) What are the files day.png and night.png in the animations folder used for? vi) Can you use animated gifs? vii) Assuming home.xml is the first home screen, then how are transition animation controlled in it? I see in peoples skins that when the screen loads the menu will slide it whatever, but in the home.xml file there are no <animation> tags like. <animation effect="slide" time="1000" start="0,0" end="-161,0" acceleration="-1" >WindowClose</animation> Feel free to chip on any or all points.

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2008-05-01, 11:01	#2 (permalink)
gamejester Portal Developer Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 390 Thanks: 1 Thanked 25 Times in 17 Posts Country:	OK, well I have found some things out so will answer some of my own questions, but feel free to correct me and fill in teh blanks 1) NO! and the wiki is out of date. Can anyone update it? So as I find things out do people want me to add it to the Wiki? 3) Seems just if you change a grahic. If you add a new one you do not need to clear the cache, or if you change formatting of function in an xml; but you do need to re-load MP if you change xml. 4) Clearly has something to do with the myHome.xml file which is laoded first. The Menu which is dynamically built from the controls you select in config to appear in home have an assosiated hover icon which you can specify where it appears. This must be represented as hover_my mail.png or hover_my mail.xml I am assuming they can all be either a static .png or an .xml file with animation defined. but a full published list of these would be useful, unless I just look through other peoples skins. ie, the myTVseries plugin in the Plugins section of setup is called MP-TV Series, but its hover is called hover_my tv series.png 5) i) I think I have confimed this, ALL animations will loop forever except hover ones in the menu. ii) This is not true. I was doing my testing on the myTVseries plugin screen which has issues with certain animations and states on certain pages. iii) Looks like multiimage can only be used on a page, you can not set it in a common.animation.xml for including in the texture of a button or a hover_??? button. You have to use regular animation for that. iv) NO v) still not seen anyone use them, I assume you can stick them on a globe and get it to spin, but not seen that anywhere. vi) NO vii) assumtion incorrect, myHome.xml is the first page. What is home.xml used for??

2008-05-01, 11:48	#4 (permalink)
gamejester Portal Developer Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 390 Thanks: 1 Thanked 25 Times in 17 Posts Country:	That's version 2 only right? Skinning looks a lot easier there. Have been following it with interest, but it still seems a long way off; think a lot of people will use a stable release v1 for a long time yet, so thought I would finally do a complete skin for v1 instead of custom pages for other skins as I like them. I will muddle on.