Baseskin questions - how to use!?

[McBainUK]

I've decided to try other skins and reading up on Mixmans baseskin. Looks really good and there seems to be alot of thought "system" behind it to make skining easy and changing skins easy too.

Trouble is how the hell (as an end user) do I install/use it?

[Fatman_do]

My skin is based off of his baseskin and AM ideas so I am quite familiar with both (heck Contour and Tipster's as well).

First off, you need to download the baseskin and install it.
http://gbpvr.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Skin/BaseSkin

Then you find a theme you want.
http://gbpvr.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Skin/...ThemePacks

The themepacks are a .exe file that converts the baseskin to that theme.

It is a fast and simple way to completely change the look of a skin. If you try something out and find bugs, let him know. I know he would appreciate the input.

[McBainUK]

Just tried the contour and a couple of MCE skins and I must say I love it. A few questions:

• How does it work!?
  
• What are the advantages?
  
• How did you get "top right exit button" to work on my plugins? I know its not in the code!
  
• The UK cinema skin included in the download is out of date - I copied in the one from blue and it works well.
  
• What plugins are supported?
  
• How can I get contor in blue as show half way down the page here (personally think green is hideous)
  
• Anything I can do to help? (after you explain everything to me... )
  
• edit: anything I can do to make my plugins 'more compatiable'? I've never used other skins than blue because I find genearl look & feel across plugins/screens to vary - which is distracting and annoying.
  

[Fatman_do]

Just tried the contour and a couple of MCE skins and I must say I love it. A few questions:

• How does it work!?
  
• How did you get "top right exit button" to work on my plugins? I know its not in the code!
  
• What plugins are supported?
  
• How can I get contor in blue as show half way down the page here (personally think green is hideous)
  
• Anything I can do to help? (after you explain everything to me... )
  

[COLOR="Green"]
How does it work?[/COLOR]
Run the .exe file for the theme you want. There is no run-time changing like using Appearance Manager.
[COLOR="Green"]
How did you get "top right exit button" to work on my plugins? I know its not in the code![/COLOR]
Built in element of GBPVR. If it is defined in the MainMenu skin.xml, it works for all plugins.

Code:

        <SpecialElement name="CloseButton" loc="970,8" size="35,35"/>

How can I get contor in blue as show half way down the page
You must have the Appearance Manager plugin installed. Then within GBPVR, run the appearance plugin.

[Fatman_do]

Just tried the contour and a couple of MCE skins and I must say I love it. A few questions:

• How does it work!?
  
• What are the advantages?
  
• How did you get "top right exit button" to work on my plugins? I know its not in the code!
  
• The UK cinema skin included in the download is out of date - I copied in the one from blue and it works well.
  
• What plugins are supported?
  
• How can I get contor in blue as show half way down the page here (personally think green is hideous)
  
• Anything I can do to help? (after you explain everything to me... )
  
• edit: anything I can do to make my plugins 'more compatiable'? I've never used other skins than blue because I find genearl look & feel across plugins/screens to vary - which is distracting and annoying.
  

Changing your post while I am answering yours.

The answer to the last "bullet" about compatibilty is really up to the skinner to maintain. There is a difference in the structure of 'Blue' (and 'Contour' for that matter) that is xml based for buttons and popups, ect.

Baseskin (and small plug for Chameleon) are Image based instead. The only thing that may help plugin-wise is that you have button definitions referenced by the baseskin.xml instead of the plugin skin.xml itself. If I am remebering correctly, your Calendar and Gmail plugins actually "drop right in" nicely (I only had to add some personal touches for the most part).

Plugin support under baseskin I cannot answer fully. I have only been playing around with others during my skin development and let me say that there are major differences among all the plugins. That is a challenge for a skinner to make them look and feel the same within a skin.

Wow, I type to much.......

[McBainUK]

Changing your post while I am answering yours.

Sorry, qs where just popping in to my head.

your Calendar and Gmail plugins actually "drop right in" nicely (I only had to add some personal touches for the most part).

Yeah I noticed that. UK Cinema is abit out of place tho as it uses solid backgrounds - will fix that (need to alter the actual plugin 1st tho).

----
Liked it so much the Advisor.MCE skin has just made the jump from this dev machine to my HTPC. Noticed a few issues with it tho:
*Music panel on top of screen name
*recordings text yellow = hard to see
*recordings screen "subtitle" entry on items on top other text.

Who is mantaining this skin? I've made the required changes myself and would be willing to share.

[Fatman_do]

Sorry, qs where just popping in to my head.


Yeah I noticed that. UK Cinema is abit out of place tho as it uses solid backgrounds - will fix that (need to alter the actual plugin 1st tho).

----
Liked it so much the Advisor.MCE skin has just made the jump from this dev machine to my HTPC. Noticed a few issues with it tho:
*Music panel on top of screen name
*recordings text yellow = hard to see
*recordings screen "subtitle" entry on items on top other text.

Who is mantaining this skin? I've made the required changes myself and would be willing to share.

I thought I posted a reply to this a while ago..... Damn back button on browser I guess.

Anyway,,,MixMan is the BaseSkin Author. Post your changes and he should see them.

The recordings bugs are known issues and he must not have updated them yet.

[MixMan]

Sorry guys for not replying to you questions.
I thought nobody used the skin.
I am aware of the recordings subtitle overlapping "bug"
I dont get subtitles with my XMLT so I haven't been able to test it.

To apply a ThemePack, just run the EXE file and it will replace all graphics and som sub menus...... Main Menu, OSD submenu, Panels submenu
The EXE file is created with WinRar so it is possible to extract the content into a sub directory of the /skins/baseskin/allbaseskins/ directory and apply the themepacks from the theme directory named Advisor.xxxx
Just run the bat file CopyTheme.bat and the theme graphics will be copied to the skin.
I work that way. I have almost 30 Advisor.xxxx theme directories now.
So I use many skin designs.

I know that visibility in some skins are not that good and there are things that needs to be polished. I have paid the much attention to the panels in the themepacks.

I did release test updates of the BaseSkin, the XBOX and the HD skin, but there where no comments on those test skins so I removed them.

The current BaseSkin works fine with 96.12. I will do an update after Subs next release and I am happy to include all plugin skins from McBainUK

I will use this tread for support
http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post109795

[McBainUK]

I thought nobody used the skin.

I do!

The EXE file is created with WinRar so it is possible to extract the content into a sub directory of the /skins/baseskin/allbaseskins/ directory and apply the themepacks from the theme directory named Advisor.xxxx

Is this possible if you don't have WinRar? (I don't use it as there are free alternatives)

I work that way. I have almost 30 Advisor.xxxx theme directories now.

30 is alot more than on the Wiki - what other ones have you got?

[MixMan]

Thanks for using the BaseSkin, I guess it will be easier to keep it up to date with you plugins

I don't kow if it is possible to extract a EXE file with another program if it is created with WinRar.

See screenshot of my BaseSkin Master directory structure and the Advisor ThemePacks sub directories.
When I apply a ThemePack i just run the CopyTheme.bat file in the ThemePack directory.
When I am finished with a ThemePack, I just run the CreateThemePack.bat in the skin root .... and a ThemePack EXE file is created.
If I want to "generate" a complete skin file I also just run a CreateSkinFile.bat that generates a ZIP with all the sub directories.
With this structure it is very easy to make modifications and "generate" Themes or complete skins.

Hope this explains how things works.