![[Image: CollectionCollage.jpg]](http://gbpvr.com/pmwiki/uploads/Skin/CollectionCollage.jpg)
Reconfigure GBPVR using your remote control.
The Appearance Manager Plugin is now available from the wiki!
Use Appearance with your PC, multiple MVPs, or a mixture of the two.
Various tweaks and small layout improvements.
Synchronized The Collection, Plane Jane, Blue-AM, and the latest Appearance Manager. Share buttons and Main Menu skins!
Enjoy!
-David
Are any of these improvements something a skinner should look for, or is it something just on the plugin side of things? Any new functionality?
Haven't looked into it yet and kicked the tires.
Fatman_do Wrote:Are any of these improvements something a skinner should look for, or is it something just on the plugin side of things? Any new functionality?
Haven't looked into it yet and kicked the tires.
The primary significance of this release is that AM now stands on its own. Historically one had to install The Collection or Plain Jane to get AM.
Separating AM was done to promote new development, a new generation of skinners, and hopefully new innovations.
Likewise, synchronizing all of the existing systems provides the new developer with a pool of resources to draw from while getting up to speed. You can interchange buttons, main menu skins and backgrounds with any skin that supports AM (try taking the Floral directory from The Collection and dropping it into SharperEdge - let me know). One could also take a plugin skin from Plain Jane and modify it for use with their new plugin layout.
The flexibility is great.
Best Regards,
David
P.S The task image is no longer used to indicate that Panels are enabled. The Panels button label simply switches between ON and OFF.
Old Dog Wrote:You can interchange buttons, main menu skins and backgrounds with any skin that supports AM (try taking the Floral directory from The Collection and dropping it into SharperEdge - let me know). One could also take a plugin skin from Plain Jane and modify it for use with their new plugin layout.
Sounds like a cool concept.:p
I don't beleive the wiki contains the Panels version. Task Images is still there and no panel button. The file is dated 2/5/06
Fatman_do Wrote:Sounds like a cool concept.:p
I don't beleive the wiki contains the Panels version. Task Images is still there and no panel button. The file is dated 2/5/06
Sounds like I screwed up.
Yes I did screw up, but I think I've corrected the problem. The latest version of AM is now available from the wiki.
Thanks Fatman_do!
Best Regards,
David
Fatman_do Wrote:As of right now, Appearance Manager only uses images in the COLORS folder for plugins. I have been discussing a change with Old dog to use the same, or similar, method as mainbackgrounds. He sounded like he is intending to make this change, it just may be a while due to his schedule.
consider this well, not 100% sure which way to go...
why would skin effects not be the way to implement the design?
Quote:the user could even have one "wallpaper" for Main Menu and another for plugins, not just a solid color if no skin effects are being used.
Old Dog Wrote:consider this well, not 100% sure which way to go...
why would skin effects not be the way to implement the design?
the user could even have one "wallpaper" for Main Menu and another for plugins, not just a solid color if no skin effects are being used.
I believe skin effects are a unique idea to implement design and good for mid-level to advanced skinners (Or at least image creators). I don't question that. The only way to implement "wallpaper" for plugins under the current mechanism is to place those images in the COLORS directory. This seems like a "work around" and is counter intuitive to catagorizing backgrounds using different directories.
I understand the concept of skin effects, I just think they can be used in addition to wallpaper. It all comes down to level of complexity and allowing the end user (not the skinner) to have the most options availible.
Does allowing the end user the option of choosing where to pool the plugin backgounds from increase complexity, initially it may. Does it add complexity if a year or so down the line their are hundreds of images that are better served by being categorized? Probably the opposite.
In a nutshell, if their is a "work around", there is a desire, if not a need.
Fatman_do Wrote:It all comes down to level of complexity
Complexity isn't an issue, the original implementations allowed this.
Fatman_do Wrote:and allowing the end user (not the skinner) to have the most options availible.
Sometimes I forget my own goals.
Actually there is a user centric issue tempering my enthusiasm. The user interface related to the Main Background (a related option) is ackward. When I think of this one, the UI always seems even more ackward.
I probably will try it again and let others judge the implementation.
BTW, I'm mulling over this only because I don't have the time to actualy do anything right now.