How easy to make a skin. Tools required. Time required ? (1 Viewer)

[Paul Mathews]

Want to make a 16/9 Skin for my HTPC. Is their a Default skin i can use to start me off. Recomend one.


I hope its not too much like programming as i suck at that. Is their a GUI somthingi can use.


Thanks all.

 

[chili]

Blue Two 1280x720 or MCE 1280x720
There is a skin editor but I don't know if it's up to date.

 

[surfermc]

I've had problems with the Skin Editor, it mangled my work. It is useful to identify the various components of the skins but I would not use it to edit. It is time to dig out the text editor. It is also worth looking at the Razor skin.

MC

 

[bradsjm]

Wiki Skin Architecture Docs

While it is still a work in progress which I hope to complete over the next few weeks, it is probably worth looking at what is there so far:

http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/SkinArchitecture

Covers the basic architecture topics:

   1. Introduction
   2. Skin Folders
         1. Special XML files
               1. Fonts (fonts.xml)
               2. References (references.xml)
         2. Media and Sound Folders
         3. Packed Graphic Files
   3. Skin Files
         1. <import> files
         2. <window> element
         3. <controls> element
         4. <control> element
   4. Control Types
   5. Colors
   6. Internationalization

There will be a section for each control eventually, right now, only a few are there. Give me some time Feedback, comments, suggestions etc. bring 'em on

 

[surfermc]

Re: Wiki Skin Architecture Docs

While it is still a work in progress which I hope to complete over the next few weeks, it is probably worth looking at what is there so far:

http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/SkinArchitecture

The Wiki is looking really good. My only criticism (so far, not read it all) is that it was not easy to find. I stumbled on it by looking at the recent changes.

 

[NLS]

good job

 

[Mr Hipp]

Good work Jonathan

I have small suggestion that you might want to add. I concerns Internationalization. Often when skins are developed, they are developed by people with English as first language, so dialogs tend to be too short for other languages e.g. german, swedish, etc.

As a gudeline when developing dialogs, add 30% to the width of the dialog, so it also looks nice in other languages.

Thanks for a nice guide.

Mr Hipp

 

[NLS]

I second that.

(one of the reasons English rules the world and computers is that it is a telegraphic language)