Skinning contest: One month to go (1 Viewer)

[Albert]

AW: Re: Skinning contest: One month to go

Hi Albert!

Many thanks for answering to my questions

I'm trying to open the MP2-Client solution but I'm having problems with it I'm opening it with Visual Studio C# 2008 Express, but I get the following error:

"The solution folders aren't compatible with the this version of the application.

The solution folder "Media" will be shown as not available."

After pressing OK, the same error appears for "System", "UI", "Main", "MetadataExtractors", "MediaProviders", "UiComponents" and "Players" solution folders.

Is this normal? Should I use Vistual Studio C# 2010 Express?

Thanks and best regards,

Aitor

Aah, finally someone who tried with the Express version. You seem to be the first one who tried it. Yes, solution folders are known not to be supported by the Express version and we use them. But as I don't have an Express version, I didn't ever test it and I didn't know what happens with MP2 when opened in such a version.
Can you tell me what happens after you confirm all those error messages? Does the code compile? Does it show all 23 projects of the client solution in a flat list instead of showing them in the solution folder hierarchy?

Thanks!

I use VS Team System 2008, which is a very big version. But VS Professional should also work well.

Cheers,
Albert

 

[Albert]

AW: Re: Skinning contest: One month to go

Hi Albert

14-15 months ago I made a small plugin which consisted of a couple of screens and a single model class which simulated the MP1 MyLyrics plugin. In the work, I got some experience with the architecture of MP2 and its conceptional use of workflow, the screen engine, skins, themes and screens etc. However there I realized that the skinengine needed a whole lot of work to use the brushes and content panels among others as intended, and it was not possible for me to make anything fancy, that I would believe could attract skilled designers to contribute to MP2.

When the skin contest was announced, I once again gained interest in MP2, and I decided to try to make a new skin. I made a copy of the existing and began my work on the skin. My first project was to create a button style in the Button.xaml file that should be assigned to all basics button on the screens. It should be quite easy. I started out and could easily get the most common setters to work. However, as I tried to make a bit fancier buttons nothing seemed to work out as intended. When working with grids and rectangle controls (an inner and outer to get a control with depth) in the template nothing turned out quite right. I'm sure that the xaml is correct as everythings turns out great in a regular WPF project. Off course, there are some differencies between WPF and MPF, but as I am informed they are more related to resources and events than the basic contruct and design of controls, and I belive that these wasn't the problem. I spend hours trying to arrange the rectangles, but no matter what, I could not seem to see more than a single rectangle dispite the changes I made. I could not make sense of whether I had made some bad xaml code or the skinengine wasn't mature to display the rather simple controls that I tried to make.

Also, when my latest change to a style hold an syntax or context error, then the complete skin was deselected, and I had to fix the issues, before I could even select the skin from the Settings screens within the client. And from the thrown exceptions I could hardly ever directly see what the problem with the change was. If only I somehow could realize what the issues where and why the seemingly proper MPF controls aren't shown as I expect, then I could report the problems in the skin engine or even fix them my self. But I'm rather clueless about the causes which make me decide that either MP2 skinning aren't ready for me or I'm not ready for MP2 skinning.

Is there a MPF expert among us that I can contatct to look into the xaml that teases me? And also consult for some tips when skinning MP2?

thanks

Cool, sounds well that you take so much time for working into the system. If your code is not too much, you could post it here. This will help you because there are people here who know WPF/MPF and this will also help others because they can see what the potential problems are and how they are solved. I'd be very happy if there would be much more discussions about concreate skinning code here in this forum.

 

[bodiroga]

Re: AW: Re: Skinning contest: One month to go

Hi Albert!

Can you tell me what happens after you confirm all those error messages? Does the code compile? Does it show all 23 projects of the client solution in a flat list instead of showing them in the solution folder hierarchy?

In the attached file you can see what I see in V C# 2008 Express when I accept all "warnings".

Upssss... I have made a very bad mistake. If I ignore those errors and compile the solution anyway, all works like excepted, so we can say that Visual C# 2008 Express is perfectly usable to compile MP2 (before now, I was searching in the wrong folder for the .exe, but I have found it)

And I can also add the HelloWorld proyect and compile MP2 with it without any problems, all works fine I will try to play with the skin file you provided and see what happens, although my skin skills are practically zero.

Thanks for your help Albert and best regards,

Aitor

 

[Baboonanza]

Hi Albert

14-15 months ago I made a small plugin which consisted of a couple of screens and a single model class which simulated the MP1 MyLyrics plugin. In the work, I got some experience with the architecture of MP2 and its conceptional use of workflow, the screen engine, skins, themes and screens etc. However there I realized that the skinengine needed a whole lot of work to use the brushes and content panels among others as intended, and it was not possible for me to make anything fancy, that I would believe could attract skilled designers to contribute to MP2.

When the skin contest was announced, I once again gained interest in MP2, and I decided to try to make a new skin. I made a copy of the existing and began my work on the skin. My first project was to create a button style in the Button.xaml file that should be assigned to all basics button on the screens. It should be quite easy. I started out and could easily get the most common setters to work. However, as I tried to make a bit fancier buttons nothing seemed to work out as intended. When working with grids and rectangle controls (an inner and outer to get a control with depth) in the template nothing turned out quite right. I'm sure that the xaml is correct as everythings turns out great in a regular WPF project. Off course, there are some differencies between WPF and MPF, but as I am informed they are more related to resources and events than the basic contruct and design of controls, and I belive that these wasn't the problem. I spend hours trying to arrange the rectangles, but no matter what, I could not seem to see more than a single rectangle dispite the changes I made. I could not make sense of whether I had made some bad xaml code or the skinengine wasn't mature to display the rather simple controls that I tried to make.

Also, when my latest change to a style hold an syntax or context error, then the complete skin was deselected, and I had to fix the issues, before I could even select the skin from the Settings screens within the client. And from the thrown exceptions I could hardly ever directly see what the problem with the change was. If only I somehow could realize what the issues where and why the seemingly proper MPF controls aren't shown as I expect, then I could report the problems in the skin engine or even fix them my self. But I'm rather clueless about the causes which make me decide that either MP2 skinning aren't ready for me or I'm not ready for MP2 skinning.

Is there a MPF expert among us that I can contatct to look into the xaml that teases me? And also consult for some tips when skinning MP2?

thanks

I would be more than happy to help. I'm not a MPF/WPF guru by any means but I have started my own skinning project and I'm developing/fixing the SkinEngine at the same time. I have already fixed some (most?) of the problem with brushes and there have been other improvements also.

You can PM me or post here if you'd like some help or to collaborate on something.

 

[Albert]

AW: Re: AW: Re: Skinning contest: One month to go

...Attachment...

What does "no disponible" mean?

 

[bodiroga]

Re: AW: Re: AW: Re: Skinning contest: One month to go

...Attachment...

What does "no disponible" mean?

It means "not available"

 

[burr]

Hi Albert!

Many thanks for answering to my questions

I'm trying to open the MP2-Client solution but I'm having problems with it I'm opening it with Visual Studio C# 2008 Express, but I get the following error:

"The solution folders aren't compatible with the this version of the application.

The solution folder "Media" will be shown as not available."

After pressing OK, the same error appears for "System", "UI", "Main", "MetadataExtractors", "MediaProviders", "UiComponents" and "Players" solution folders.

Is this normal? Should I use Vistual Studio C# 2010 Express?

Thanks and best regards,

Aitor

The problem is that the Express version don't support solution folders so its a conflict between the solution folder "Media" and the project "Media". When you have opened
the solution with Visual Studio C# 2008 Express and acknowledged all messages delete all grey icons in the solutions explorer, right click Solution 'MP2-Client' -> Add -> Existing project, go to Source\UI\UiComponents\Media and choose Media.csproj then you compile it.

 

[Albert]

AW: Re: Skinning contest: One month to go

Hi Albert!

Many thanks for answering to my questions

I'm trying to open the MP2-Client solution but I'm having problems with it I'm opening it with Visual Studio C# 2008 Express, but I get the following error:

"The solution folders aren't compatible with the this version of the application.

The solution folder "Media" will be shown as not available."

After pressing OK, the same error appears for "System", "UI", "Main", "MetadataExtractors", "MediaProviders", "UiComponents" and "Players" solution folders.

Is this normal? Should I use Vistual Studio C# 2010 Express?

Thanks and best regards,

Aitor

The problem is that the Express version don't support solution folders so its a conflict between the solution folder "Media" and the project "Media". When you have opened
the solution with Visual Studio C# 2008 Express and acknowledged all messages delete all grey icons in the solutions explorer, right click Solution 'MP2-Client' -> Add -> Existing project, go to Source\UI\UiComponents\Media and choose Media.csproj then you compile it.

Why do you think it is necessary to delete the solution folder(s)? In the screenshot it seems that all projects have correctly loaded, only the solution folders are being displayed as "not available".
And bodiroga says it compiles.

 

[Baboonanza]

If you don't delete them it shows annoying dialog boxes every time you open the solution.

 

[Albert]

AW: Re: Skinning contest: One month to go

If you don't delete them it shows annoying dialog boxes every time you open the solution.

That's the price for using the free Express version
But ok, it's an argument.