CommunitySkin common text styles

[Fatman_do]

I suggest
CommunitySkin_Button_Text_Normal and CommunitySkin_Button_Text_Selected

the same goes for the List views
CommunitySkin_ListView_Text_Normal
CommunitySkin_ListView_Text_Selected

etc...

Why not complicate things as much as possible when your at it.

Please, if you don't wish to be part of the process anymore, don't mock the process.

If you wish to be part of the process, then by all means offer suggestions instead of criticism.

That is all that I ask.

Nobody has to agree with everything presented, lets try to keep it constructive. Even in the form of constructive critisism is acceptible.

[Fatman_do]

I guess I didn't see all the posts between when I was typing my reply and McBainUK was editing the wiki and posts.

My initial thoughts are that

TextBackgroundText
TextBackgroundTextLarge
TextBackgroundTagText
TextBackgroundTagTextLarge

would be redundant to these styles:

ScreenBackgroundText
ScreenBackgroundTextLarge
ScreenBackgroundTagText
ScreenBackgroundTagTextLarge

If it turns out that these are redundant, then they could be simplified to:
ScreenTag
ScreenTagLarge
ScreenText
ScreenTextLarge

It does reduce the number of styles.

For drawing text on the screen in various "open" areas where a background image would not be possible to help with contrast, the idea to draw "text with outline" sounds like a decent alternative.

In 98+, the baseskin.xml can pass along colors to the outline and fill. You would still get consistant fonts and sizes, just there is the potential to add contrast in areas that might benefit from them.

The baseskin.xml could define "ScreenTextFill" "ScreenTextBorder" "ScreenTagFill" and "ScreenTagBorder" colors. Then one only needs to change those colors.

[McBainUK]

Hmm, they do sound redundent. My thoughts behind is that, on the whole, all text is written on top of an image. Since the idea of common text colors is to provide a good level of contrast and readability, I thought it best to have a text style (or set of text styles) for every place text could be drawn.

Example: black Background.jpg, white TextBackground.png. What text colour would you choose for 'ScreenText' to make it readable in both situations? If you could use white for text written on the Background.jpg (ScreenBackgroundText), and black text for the TextBackground.png.

For drawing text on the screen in various "open" areas where a background image would not be possible to help with contrast, the idea to draw "text with outline" sounds like a decent alternative.

In 98+, the baseskin.xml can pass along colors to the outline and fill. You would still get consistant fonts and sizes, just there is the potential to add contrast in areas that might benefit from them.

The baseskin.xml could define "ScreenTextFill" "ScreenTextBorder" "ScreenTagFill" and "ScreenTagBorder" colors. Then one only needs to change those colors.

This sounds good, but confused as to the machanices of it. Are you saying you could use <DrawTextWithOutline> when you think the background image may reduce text contrast? If there where guidelines for its use to make it consistnant then, yes good idea & technique.

The baseskin.xml could define "ScreenTextFill" "ScreenTextBorder" "ScreenTagFill" and "ScreenTagBorder" colors. Then one only needs to change those colors.

Would these be global? Ie would every <DrawTextWithOutLine> use this?

[McBainUK]

Like with the development of the CommonImages, it's maybe a good idea to see how the CommonTextStyles work in practice. Possibly pick a spread of example plugins, and see if the combination of CommonImages and range of textstyles work out.

[Fatman_do]

Like with the development of the CommonImages, it's maybe a good idea to see how the CommonTextStyles work in practice. Possibly pick a spread of example plugins, and see if the combination of CommonImages and range of textstyles work out.

Did you get the copy of the Gmail 98+ test xml I sent you. It sort of has some of that set up in it already. We can pick a more common plugin to work off of like Net Radio or something to keep it in just one plugin for now.

[Fatman_do]

Hmm, they do sound redundent. My thoughts behind is that, on the whole, all text is written on top of an image. Since the idea of common text colors is to provide a good level of contrast and readability, I thought it best to have a text style (or set of text styles) for every place text could be drawn.

Example: black Background.jpg, white TextBackground.png. What text colour would you choose for 'ScreenText' to make it readable in both situations? If you could use white for text written on the Background.jpg (ScreenBackgroundText), and black text for the TextBackground.png.

Valid statement.

This sounds good, but confused as to the machanices of it. Are you saying you could use <DrawTextWithOutline> when you think the background image may reduce text contrast? If there where guidelines for its use to make it consistnant then, yes good idea & technique.

Ok, lets say you know you are placing text on a Background_Text.png.
You would use the ScreenText (White in this example on a black image)
If you are placing it in an area on the screen that is in the zone of where the Title_Bar.png or any other open spot on Background.jpg, you would use DrawTextWithOutline using the ScreenText textstyle.

Lets assume a bright sunny background. White wouldn't cut it here. By using outlined text, the outline can be set to black. That might provide enough contrast. But, if not, you can cheat and change the fill color to a better color. By being able to assign a different color to the fill color than what the textstyle defines, you end up with two different colors possible with the same style. If you wanted no visible outline, you could match the outline color to the fill color.

Would these be global? Ie would every <DrawTextWithOutLine> use this?

No, this wouldn't be global for all DrawTextWithOutline's
Just for text that would have the potential to be drawn on a "naked" screen.

I might not have time for a day or two to whip up a demo.

[McBainUK]

Ok, lets say you know you are placing text on a Background_Text.png.
You would use the ScreenText (White in this example on a black image)
If you are placing it in an area on the screen that is in the zone of where the Title_Bar.png or any other open spot on Background.jpg, you would use DrawTextWithOutline using the ScreenText textstyle.

So the rule is "if drawing text directly on to background/title bar use <DrawTextWithOutLine>" ?

I might not have time for a day or two to whip up a demo.

It's good to go away and think about things anyway. Always helps with my coding.
May I suggest using the <PreviewImage#> in SkinPlugin to make a demo with. By changing the textStyle pointers to locally named textstlyes you can knock up a quick preview, which covers a range of screens. This way avoids messing with baseskin (just for now while testing).

Enjoy the weekend. Its a bank holiday in the UK so I get Monday off too

[MixMan]

Please, if you don't wish to be part of the process anymore, don't mock the process.

If you wish to be part of the process, then by all means offer suggestions instead of criticism.

That is all that I ask.

Nobody has to agree with everything presented, lets try to keep it constructive. Even in the form of constructive critisism is acceptible.

Sorry to say that what you to are doing is pure stupidity in mye eyes.
I wouldn't call it a creative process. This has gone to far.... in the "creative process". What is so important with new names for textstyles, that discarding the "standard" Sub has set is thrown out te window.
I will not support these textstyles for CommonImages.
Sorry guys

[McBainUK]

Every skin sets its own names and image files, the community skin also.

discarding the "standard" Sub

I would call it 'expanding' on it, just like you expanded on the baseskin.xml idea for your advisor skin system.

[Fatman_do]

I would call it 'expanding' on it, just like you expanded on the baseskin.xml idea for your advisor skin system.

"Pure stupididy" I find that comment insulting and not constructive to any conversation or creative effort.

That is what I don't get. If it is such a bad idea, why do you do it MixMan?