Wishlist: Better skin management

[reboot]

But I don't like the rounded edges on the blue buttons, with white text. It doesn't fit at all with most of my skins, nor the Red Sky skin. Selected buttons would have to be different, with the selected text different, and the border different, etc.
I could either rewrite the code for composite images, or make all new buttons. Neither task is a 5 minute fix

[daphatty]

Thanks for hooking up the modification Reboot. I didn't want to single you out like I did but I really like your skins and was disappointed to see the plugins I wanted not working. Which brings me to my next revelation/observation...

So as I understand it, if I want to use multiple skins AND additional plugins then I need to install all my desired plugins in EACH skin folder that I choose to use? Maybe it's just me but that sounds way too complicated. I understand the issue with fonts, button sizes, layouts and such, but having mulitple instances of the same plugin copied into each skin just sounds unmanageable.

Out of curiosity, what would it take improve the way plugins and skins interact? A major code rewrite?

[reboot]

No, plugins generally just are a .dll that you put in the plugins folder, and then YES, you need to put the "skin" portion into each skin you want to use. You then usually have to open config and set something specific to your system (a folder, or a setting).
This method makes it very easy to skin and develop plugins, but more difficult for the average user to take advantage of.
There really needs to be an in depth tutorial written (or more than one) for
1) Installation and first time setup
1a) Options for NTSC, PAL, Cable, Antenna, Sky (or other satellite feed).
2) Installing skins.
3) Installing plugins.
4) Encoders/Decoders and which one's to use (or not)
5) Customizing all the above.
The instructions on Wiki for installtion of a plugin and/or a skin are thin at best.

After a while, you will probably find one skin, and stick with it for a long while. Sure, it's fun to play with multiple ones, get the feel for different looks, plugins, and the way each reacts within the program, but after awhile, you find you're not using a certain plugin at all, yet really would like a (insert something new here) plugin, or a new "look", so you go searching places like this.

[Jeff]

You don't need to copy the plug-in into each skin. The plug-ins all sit in the /plugins directory. What you do need to do is have a complete set of skin files for each plug-in that you want to use in each skin that you want to use. This does lead to lots of files, but as you say the skin is where you specifiy fonts, colors, etc. so by definition if you are changing those things in a skin you have to change those files. One nice thing would be for plug-ins to defualt to using the skin information from blue skin (which all plugins are supposed to support) rather than failing if there skin files can not be found in the current skin. This would at least let them run, albeit with a different look and feel. The Video Archive plugin does this, for example.

Jeff

[daphatty]

Jeff and I are on the same page. I think a mandatory default skin (probably blue) should be used for EVERY plugin not specifically supported by custom skins. This would alleviate any functionality limitations a skin may have.