Too many skins, too many options, too many plugins...

[Fatman_do]

sometimes even the core of gbpvr is confusing: there is a details-popup in the live-skin.xml - file in the tvguide folder. that means, the live-guide is displayed using those informations. but: it uses the popup from skin.xml. which leads to following problem: the popup-box is way too big, you can see a quarter of it.

so please consider multi-resolution skins within your standardisation-efforts

That would mean what, the background composite image for plugins are defined by baseskin.xml (unless expressed in that plugin) and the main menu would still be defined in that skin.xml file?

[dottore]

two options:
- gbpvr scales the elements found in baseskin.xml or somewhere else to a correct dimension regarding the gbpvr-window
- a plugin (external or core, i consider a playing video a plugin) takes the information from his own skin-file OR the baseskin.xml but never from the skin-file of another plugin (in that case, live-guide must ignore the tv guide xml-file)

both shouldn't be ignored, the first one being a bug.

[Fatman_do]

This is just the main menu and the music library. Its xml code is nearly identical to blue, just images are added instead.

This is part one of a demonstration.
[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

[Fatman_do]

Lets take and modify BlueMCE2 (Baseskin version) to fit this standard.

A fully developed skin for the music library would look like this.
[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

But if that skin did not exsist, this is what the fall back would look like under the new system.
[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

Looks close enough, and now the skinner's work is easier.

[Fatman_do]

Just a note, the final screen shot there was just by dragging the Blue+ Music Library skin folder and dropping it into the second demo.

The current mechanics of the "fall back" may pick up the images from Blue+ instead of the second demo.

Some other plugins copy that skin folder over automatically, but I do not think sub's default ones do.

[Old Dog]

This is just the main menu and the music library. Its xml code is nearly identical to blue, just images are added instead.

Code:

[size=3]
<CompositeImage name="Background" size="720,480">        
    <DrawImage filename="..\MainBackground.jpg" loc="0,0" size="720,480"/>        
    <DrawImage filename="se.png" loc="0,0" size="720,480"/> <!--Optional-->
    <DrawImage filename="..\List_Background.png" loc="245,85" size="420,275"/>
</CompositeImage>
[/size]

I do not believe this code snippit is in concert with our goal. We profess to be seeking an image based approach to implementing skins. Here we use three lines of XML code, where in a pure image based approach, only a single line should be required...

Code:

[size=3]
<CompositeImage name="Background" size="720,480">        
    <DrawImage filename="StaticGraphics.png" loc="0,0" size="720,480"/> <!--Optional-->
</CompositeImage>
[/size]

However, as I have stated elsewhere, it is advantageous to separate color from the static graphics image. Doing so would result in two lines of xml code...

Code:

[size=3]
<CompositeImage name="Background" size="720,480">        
    <DrawImage filename="..\Mainbackground.jpg" loc="0,0" size="720,480"/>        
    <DrawImage filename="StaticGraphics.png" loc="0,0" size="720,480"/> <!--Optional-->
</CompositeImage>
[/size]

Also, Mainbackground.jpg contains graphics elements. These elements should be relocated to the StaticGraphics file.

[Fatman_do]

Code:

[size=3]
<CompositeImage name="Background" size="720,480">        
    <DrawImage filename="..\MainBackground.jpg" loc="0,0" size="720,480"/>        
    <DrawImage filename="se.png" loc="0,0" size="720,480"/> <!--Optional-->
    <DrawImage filename="..\List_Background.png" loc="245,85" size="420,275"/>
</CompositeImage>
[/size]

I do not believe this code snippit is in concert with our goal. We profess to be seeking an image based approach to implementing skins. Here we use three lines of XML code, where in a pure image based approach, only a single line should be required...

I disagree. There is no compelling reason to use only one image for the "Staticbackground" versus ten. When everything is combined into a single image, flexibility decreases. Unless you are the original creator of the multi-layered image, additional modifications become harder for others who do not have access to the original. If the list box was in a static image with other elements (remote hints and such), and Joe the user wants to move something, change what the listbox looks like or something like that, they would have a much harder time if all they had was MS Paint. Nothing about each image as a separate element is a negative in my opinion.

[McBainUK]

So would there be a StaticGraphics.png file for each screen/plugin? As some will want the list background (or whatever) in a different location or not at all.

[Fatman_do]

So would there be a StaticGraphics.png file for each screen/plugin? As some will want the list background (or whatever) in a different location or not at all.

Yes. A common one could be used for a majority, but a different one would need to be unique to that plugin (placed in that directory and not in a common area).

[Old Dog]

I disagree. There is no compelling reason to use only one image for the "Staticbackground" versus ten. When everything is combined into a single image, flexibility decreases. Unless you are the original creator of the multi-layered image, additional modifications become harder for others who do not have access to the original. If the list box was in a static image with other elements (remote hints and such), and Joe the user wants to move something, change what the listbox looks like or something like that, they would have a much harder time if all they had was MS Paint. Nothing about each image as a separate element is a negative in my opinion.

This approach gaurantees that we will be editing xml files forever. BTW, since I'm gonna have to edit these lines of code, I really don't care if they draw image files or draw rectangles. Its all xml to me!

Personally, I'm not sure that you have accomplished anything here.

Sometimes plug-in developers post their source code. Skin developers could do the same, post their .psd files, or whatever.