United Kingdom
Im not sure if this is the right place to post this or not, I done a search and didnt find anything.
With regards to the basic home editor, I find it a very useful feature, and it comes bundled with several skins to make it easy to edit the menu layout etc for each skin provided.
However, I find it a bit of a pain that each skin has its own custom home editor, and also different features depending on what version of the home editor has been bundled with the skin. Therefore in some home editors there are features that are not available in other home editors. Also you end up with X amount of home editors (for each skin that provides one) installed.
Would it not be better if there was just one Home Editor (as part of MediaPortal itself?) which would let you modify the layout for installed skins. The home editor would have a menu / drop down box / list of installed skins for you to choose from.
This way I would open the Home Editor, the current Default Skin would be selected as a default, and I could go about modifying the menu layout etc... as per normal. This way there is only one version of the home editor installed, and there is no missing functionality between using different skins.
Also, if the home editor provided a "Save as template" function, then these "templates" could be applied to other skins easily. This would allow you to install a new skin, open the home editor, select the skin, click a button "Load Template" and this would apply the settings to the current skin, making it easy to apply a menu structure that you like / are familiar with, to a new skin. At the moment one of the things I find that can work against you when trying a new skin is not being familiar with the menu layout and essentially having to re-learn where everything is located.
Currently, say for example you install StreamedMP and then edit your menu layout to how you like, if you then move to another skin, you either a) stick with what the skin has provided as a default or b) customise it again to how you like (which is time consuming and tedious).
This could also allow the use of sharing menu layouts. For example, I could customise StreamedMP to how I think is good, save this as a template, and upload this template. Then another user could download this template, open the home editor, choose thier skin of choice, then click the "Load a template" button and choose the template I uploaded / they have downloaded.
Im sure there are some technical issues that may make this a little tricky to implement, but I really think this would make the customisation of skins / trying out a new skin SO much more enjoyable and consistent.
Does anyone else agree / have any thoughts?
With regards to the basic home editor, I find it a very useful feature, and it comes bundled with several skins to make it easy to edit the menu layout etc for each skin provided.
However, I find it a bit of a pain that each skin has its own custom home editor, and also different features depending on what version of the home editor has been bundled with the skin. Therefore in some home editors there are features that are not available in other home editors. Also you end up with X amount of home editors (for each skin that provides one) installed.
Would it not be better if there was just one Home Editor (as part of MediaPortal itself?) which would let you modify the layout for installed skins. The home editor would have a menu / drop down box / list of installed skins for you to choose from.
This way I would open the Home Editor, the current Default Skin would be selected as a default, and I could go about modifying the menu layout etc... as per normal. This way there is only one version of the home editor installed, and there is no missing functionality between using different skins.
Also, if the home editor provided a "Save as template" function, then these "templates" could be applied to other skins easily. This would allow you to install a new skin, open the home editor, select the skin, click a button "Load Template" and this would apply the settings to the current skin, making it easy to apply a menu structure that you like / are familiar with, to a new skin. At the moment one of the things I find that can work against you when trying a new skin is not being familiar with the menu layout and essentially having to re-learn where everything is located.
Currently, say for example you install StreamedMP and then edit your menu layout to how you like, if you then move to another skin, you either a) stick with what the skin has provided as a default or b) customise it again to how you like (which is time consuming and tedious).
This could also allow the use of sharing menu layouts. For example, I could customise StreamedMP to how I think is good, save this as a template, and upload this template. Then another user could download this template, open the home editor, choose thier skin of choice, then click the "Load a template" button and choose the template I uploaded / they have downloaded.
Im sure there are some technical issues that may make this a little tricky to implement, but I really think this would make the customisation of skins / trying out a new skin SO much more enjoyable and consistent.
Does anyone else agree / have any thoughts?
