Is there a need for a skin editor? (2 Viewers)

[pilehave]

I just updated the wiki with http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/MediaPortal1_Development/SkinArchitecture/group , but I'm not gonna do it again because:

IT IS TERRIBLE TO WORK IN!

Please use something clever like Google Code does, it annoys me like crazy that it keeps insisting to add "link not created yet" links in front of all kind of crazy stuff. And the formatting options are...crap. Sorry.

 

[tourettes]

IT IS TERRIBLE TO WORK IN!

More terrible than notepad.exe for editing skins? I don't like WIKI either, but still I have written few pages. Also if the WIKI is too annoying, just post a text file and someone else will update that content to WIKI.

 

[pilehave]

IT IS TERRIBLE TO WORK IN!

More terrible than notepad.exe for editing skins? I don't like WIKI either, but still I have written few pages. Also if the WIKI is too annoying, just post a text file and someone else will update that content to WIKI.

OK, will do that...

BTW; I don't use Notepad, I use Macromedia HomeSite that has built-in tag-completion, which can be customized, a custom formatting engine called CodeSweeper and lots of goodies. You can even make your own toolbars for pasting snippets of codes (like controls, includes or whatever).

It is in NO WAY comparable to a real skin-editor, but it's incredible fast when you know what to write.

 

[NoBugS]

thanks guys... I knew I could count on you. And don't get me wrong, I don't need it in WIKI. I just need it.... plain text, word, excel or even powerpoint

 

[Dadeo]

Thanks for understanding.... I'm really surprised that obviously nobody else cares

Hey NoBugs - sorry I did not realize you were waiting for Wiki updates. I searched this thread and the only request I saw was about the Group Control, which Pileave has now done (thanks Pileave).

So is it possible for you to give us a list of any other GUI controls you are missing? And what details you need on them? I will try to add what I can to the Wiki, but to be honest, I don't know where to start! Or if my knowledge is thorough enough to be complete and accurate.

@Tourettes - thanks for the suggestion that we can just post updates here and you or someone will add them to the Wiki. Perhaps you could also 'encourage' our 'official' designers to document more? And I don't think skinners can document the GUI Properties supported by a control. Would that not have to be done by a developer who knows the skin engine intimately? Who exactly is the expert on the skin engine? Is there someone NoBugs could use as a consultant?

 

[chefkoch]

thanks for the suggestion that we can just post updates here and you or someone will add them to the Wiki. Perhaps you could also 'encourage' our 'official' designers to document more? And I don't think skinners can document the GUI Properties supported by a control. Would that not have to be done by a developer who knows the skin engine intimately? Who exactly is the expert on the skin engine? Is there someone NoBugs could use as a consultant?

No, he didn't meant to post it here and it will be ported by someone, if you do so it may get lost here in forums.
What he meant it to add it simply as plain text TO the wiki. If anyone other sees it later, he is able to format it and so on...

You are right that the initial devs should have documented more, but that's an issue in general for MP1. And a few of the initial devs of the skin engine for example are not on board anymore and there are only one or two guys left which know the skin engine good.

 

[pilehave]

Documenting the skin-engine surely is a task for people that can read and figure out the sourcecode. I'll see what I can do with my limited knowledge, if others do the same, that is

 

[pilehave]

And while someone cares, please fix that you cannot use either " or ' in the Wiki, resulting in this:

Method Not Implemented

POST to /MediaPortal1_Development/SkinArchitecture/togglebutton not supported.
Apache/2.2.0 (Fedora) Server at wiki.team-mediaportal.com Port 80

 

[rkooten]

@Tourettes - thanks for the suggestion that we can just post updates here and you or someone will add them to the Wiki. Perhaps you could also 'encourage' our 'official' designers to document more? And I don't think skinners can document the GUI Properties supported by a control. Would that not have to be done by a developer who knows the skin engine intimately? Who exactly is the expert on the skin engine? Is there someone NoBugs could use as a consultant?

hear hear!!! A lot of skins' code is a mess because everybody is copying everybody else, while no-one actually knows how the skin-engine really, really works. I once started trying to figure things out and documenting this, but I'm a skinner and not a coder. I simply don't know where to start and how to read the source.

Asking skinners to provide documentation is the world upside down if you ask me... The community is capable of awesome things, as this skin-editor project shows, but people have to be enabled and facilitated. The best example is probably the game community. Developers create easy to use SDK's and documentation and the community improves games and content more than anyone could have every imagined (Counterstrike anyone?)

Please take this as constructive input for development of MP2. Document as you go, please!

 

[tourettes]

You are right that the initial devs should have documented more, but that's an issue in general for MP1. And a few of the initial devs of the skin engine for example are not on board anymore and there are only one or two guys left which know the skin engine good.

Indeed. This is why I asked skinners to do the documentation work as there is currently no developer who knows as much as the skinners know.