To all skinners out there (1 Viewer)

[ddlooping]

Hi all

I'd like to thank all skinners for sharing their hard work and graphic design talent with us.
I'm pretty sure the vast majority of MP users appreciate it as much as I do.

But, as you might have guessed, I'd like to make a few suggestions to all of you:

• please remove all the xml files not used by your skin from your skin folder
• please remove all the graphic files not used by your skin from their respective subfolders
• please make some kind of "diagram/list" (see example below) showing the relation between each file and the different MP "pages".
  

  Moving Picture small thumbnails view
  
  xml files
  

  • movingpictures.xml
  • moving.facade.xml
  • movingpictures.overlay.xml
  • ...

  graphics
  

  • background.png
  • icon_nofocus.png
  • ...

• last but not least, a thread should be started where all skinners could contribute - in layman's terms - their knowledge of all the tags in the skin files and their functions.
  Some sort of in-forum wiki.

The last request would be extremely helpful to a lot of beginners like me when trying to create/mod a skin.

 

[tourettes]

...especially the:

please remove all the graphic files not used by your skin from their respective subfolders

is quite important from the performance point of view.

 

[ddlooping]

Thanks tourettes.

Regarding the in-forum-wiki, I'd be willing to start the thread and consolidate all the information regarding the xml tags for the skins in the first post.

 

[tourettes]

Thanks tourettes.

Regarding the in-forum-wiki, I'd be willing to start the thread and consolidate all the information regarding the xml tags for the skins in the first post.

It would be even better if you would be willing to update (or create a new) wiki page that contains the information. Wiki is much better for that purpose. Of course the forum thread is good way to collect the information.

 

[ddlooping]

I do agree on both counts.

Gather all the information in a thread, than port it to a wiki page.

 

[Harley]

Hi all

I'd like to thank all skinners for sharing their hard work and graphic design talent with us.
I'm pretty sure the vast majority of MP users appreciate it as much as I do.

But, as you might have guessed, I'd like to make a few suggestions to all of you:

• please remove all the xml files not used by your skin from your skin folder
• please remove all the graphic files not used by your skin from their respective subfolders
• please make some kind of "diagram/list" (see example below) showing the relation between each file and the different MP "pages".
  

  Moving Picture small thumbnails view
  
  xml files
  

  • movingpictures.xml
  • moving.facade.xml
  • movingpictures.overlay.xml
  • ...

  graphics
  

  • background.png
  • icon_nofocus.png
  • ...

• last but not least, a thread should be started where all skinners could contribute - in layman's terms - their knowledge of all the tags in the skin files and their functions.
  Some sort of in-forum wiki.

The last request would be extremely helpful to a lot of beginners like me when trying to create/mod a skin.

For starting with a new skin or Mod, best way is to start with a copy of the default skin Blue3. This skin has only the needed xml´s inside and only used gfx.
So you will have no problems with your start.

The Skins from community skinners we can not say how they should do it, because they do it for ther own and only share it with the community.

Greetings Harley

 

[ddlooping]

For starting with a new skin or Mod, best way is to start with a copy of the default skin Blue3. This skin has only the needed xml´s inside and only used gfx.
So you will have no problems with your start.

I agree if your goal is to create a new skin, not if you're modding an existing skin.
I'm modding Xface to my meet my needs and aesthetical preferences.

The Skins from community skinners we can not say how they should do it, because they do it for ther own and only share it with the community.

These are only suggestions.

Harley, would you collaborate to a "Skinning: tags explained" thread (not sure about the title yet)?

 

[Harley]

if you can explain me what you will change in the skin, i will help you.

Harley

 

[ddlooping]

if you can explain me what you will change in the skin, i will help you.

Harley

Thanks Harley, I appreciate it.
However, what we all need is a thread that explains all the ins and outs of skinning, starting with the xml tags.
That's where you expertise would be very helpful.

Right now I have some problems with my HTPC so skinning is not my main priority.

 

[Dadeo]

I agee the Wiki is the best place for info such as the structure of xmls/media and how they relate. I would love something on the dialog files as I can never figure out which ones are used where!

However, I would also like to vote for a separate forum for Skin Designers within the Skins Forum, maybe a sticky? I know it is hard to separate the two because often users are just making minor modifications to a skin. But it is very difficult as a new skinner to wade through all the skin forum posts when you are trying to figure out if or how something can be done. And I don't want to post quetions if the answers are already buried there somewhere.

For example, I just posted a question about spin controls and why they are used and when they are necessary.

I'd also like to know if there is any way to center text vertically on a button or in a listcontrol instead of having to use <textYOff> every time you adjust font sizes. Especially since <textYOff> is very fussy and you have to use the same textYOff value for text2 text3 etc. or text on the list controls will overlap rather than scroll properly.

In fact, I would love to be able to center all elements vertically within a defined space: textbox, textboxscrollup and image.

Harley, you are the expert and I would never have got this far without your work on Blue3! Have you ever figured out a way to do any of these things?

I'm not expecting everything I want, I just want to know if what I think of is possible.