Community Skin 3.0 Open development thread.

[Fatman_do]

Here are some things to simplify the whole skinplugin/xml/images.

Remove colored bullet balls as selectable features (doubt there will be alternate images).
There may be more images to be removed, have to give that more thought.

Reduce number of named colors and have the the skinplugin be able to modify them.

Have some of the key textstyle sizes editable as well.

Just some quick thoughts....

[Fatman_do]

One of the other things I did was in the current beta out there, in the baseskin.xml file there is this line.

<!-- special case text style providing defaults -->
<TextStyle name="DefaultTextStyle" typeFace="Arial" size="12" style="bold"/>

All fonts are Arial because of this one line, nowhere else to I define a typeFace. Editing this one line will change all fonts to say tahoma or something else. If I needed special fonts for an effect, I would define those separately. This size "12" could be the standard information size that is editable.

[Fatman_do]

Started marking up some image name changes.

http://gbpvr.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Devel...munitySkin

Anyone else have suggestions feel free to chime in.

[McBainUK]

The images under "Navigation Items", will they be used for the page up/down buttons that sub now offers with lists?

[MixMan]

Some input from me.

I have always said that it is best if Sub decides on the naming of TextStyles, Colors and CommonImages functions.....that we shall use.
With PVRX2 skinning the new CommonImage feature has come and it would be very good if Fatman_do and I used same naming for the common stuff in the baseskin.xml that plugin developers might use in their skins.
Then a plugin skin by the plugin developer, directly would work with both of our skins.
So far there are a couple of namings that I would like Sub to decide.

Fatman_do and I have very different views on what a baseskin.xml should contain. Fatman_dos baseskin.xml means "maximum flexibility" and my baseskin.xml "only needed flexibility". I guess it is going to stay that way, since it are 2 ways on looking at "designing". (Subs view, is more absolute minimum)
Fatman_do makes XML designs, more for a TV/MVP screen and I have now bought a 22" widescreen, so I will in future have widescreen designs with smaller texts. Thats also a difference that will be noticable....I guess.

Re: TaskImages. In the PVRX2 skin that I'm working on, I have put the task images in a directory called _TaskImages and with the same name as the plugin/screen. I hope that it would be possible for a plugin to use a specified PNG in a _TaskImage directory. Is it possible ?

I would also like to do the same for "ScreenTitles" "TopBars" "TitleLogos" or whatever thay should be called, so it would be possible to have plugin/screen individual designs like Mayhem3 or BlueMCE2. But that means that Sub has to allow this with a "ScreenTitle" object.
What do you plugin developers say about this ? Having an element in the skin called "ScreenTitle" that could use an image from a ".\_ScreenTitle" directory

[McBainUK]

maximum flexibility

To achieve this then sub's definition for items need to be expanded on, this is what the CSkin does/did.

Then a plugin skin by the plugin developer, directly would work with both of our skins.

This is a good goal but reduces flexibility.

[MixMan]

To achieve this then sub's definition for items need to be expanded on, this is what the CSkin does/did.


This is a good goal but reduces flexibility.

Any comments to the TaskImages and ScreenTitles suggestions ?

[McBainUK]

I just don't like skins asking plugins to change tings. I kind of see the blue skin as somthing that works out of the box, and the CSkin as somethign that adds a bit more flexabiliyt and appeareance options to users who want that.

[Fatman_do]

The images under "Navigation Items", will they be used for the page up/down buttons that sub now offers with lists?

No, those are still used by legacy skins. The Down/Up buttons a bit further up the list are for page up/page down buttons. I think this should be the approach so the user isn't clicking the "unclickable".

That sound Ok? or should it just be the same image for both situations.

... it would be very good if Fatman_do and I used same naming for the common stuff in the baseskin.xml that plugin developers might use in their skins.

What are some of the things you want me to change, or at least consider changing? I am going through the images and removing some and considering name changes.

One example is ListViewDetail_Selected.png I am thinking of changing to DetailView_Selected. Minor change that I am not sure is worth the change.

Look over the list and shoot back some suggestions.

I am really busy this week (10hrs work, redoing the roof on my mother's house, Yea me!) so I don't have time to respond in my usual pace so don't assume my long periods of silence are anything else.

[Fatman_do]

Not sure what to think about the other folders idea (taskimages, ect). Running out the door. Will try to catch up and see if I understand where the idea is going.