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

[Jeff]

Some plugins out there, can't remember off the top of my head, actually update on the fly. I used that to skin some. Never had to exit GBPVR. I may have had to return to main menu, but not exit.

Can't remember if everything updated or not. It seems like McBainUK's might have done this.

Anyway, it seems there is a mechanism that does this.

All of mine as well (Weather, Video Archive, Music Player and Show Search).

Jeff

[MixMan]

Hmmm....I have to think about that,

I have made a Sample Skin/Plugin suggestion (with ThemesManager)

I have put the basic images in the Standard "skin root", so you can see tha amount of images we have to agree upon.
These are the images that almost all plugins might use.
If all plugins would use the skinroot variable it would be easy for end users to install the plugin and skin.
But an intelligent installer program would be preferrable.

[Fatman_do]

All of mine as well (Weather, Video Archive, Music Player and Show Search).

Jeff

I didn't discover this until later in my skinning efforts, but thinking about it, Music Player did this. I haven't done ShowSearch yet, (didn't support SQLite last time I checked) and I did the first two real early.

Anyone else I missed?:o

[MixMan]

The plugin developers and the other skin designers have been pretty absent during that discussion so far. What do you think of the suggestions so far?
Who supports the suggestions?

Possibilities with a Standard skin.
If plugin developers and skin designer would support this suggestion following would occur.
If we could agree upon a "minimal" image naming Standard, we could within a month have this.
All Plugins would have a Standard skin that would work with most skins/XML layouts
Have many skin designs that would work with all Advisor ThemePacks
Have many skins that would work with AM skinpacks
Possible skins/XML layouts
Sub's Blue 720x480 XML layout
Mixman's 720x480 XML layout
Fatman_do's 720x480 XML layout
Dottore's 1280x720 XML layout
Mixman's 1024x768 XML layout
MixMan's 1366x768 XML layout

[Fatman_do]

Don't forget TipStir

Even though he hasn't given input, I feel it is important that all the work he has put in wont be wasted on this effort. He has completely skinned more different skins than all others combined. Even if he "passes" on these efforts and does his own thing (as anyone has a right to do), I would hope a decent enough Image Based Standard would make his job easier as well.

[MixMan]

I would like all plugin developer and skinners to share their thaughts.....on a Standard skin.

[Fatman_do]

Hmmm....I have to think about that,

Save your template image as list_background_focus.png in the /resources directory of the MCE2 skin (the original one) and run through a few plugins, standard and 3rd party ones.

I have made a Sample Skin/Plugin suggestion (with ThemesManager)

I have put the basic images in the Standard "skin root", so you can see tha amount of images we have to agree upon.
These are the images that almost all plugins might use.
If all plugins would use the skinroot variable it would be easy for end users to install the plugin and skin.
But an intelligent installer program would be preferrable.

I like how the number of images is greatly lowered.

(Button_close.png may be an option. I have no opinion on it one way or another. Remote control users might say "Why do I have an X on my screen?". I use it to place the GBPVR logo on all screens instead of an X so I place the logo there for "free".)

I do have one question in your readme file.

This is a proposal on how to make a Plugin Package that will work with ALL skins, using MCEBlue2 as a standard for naming and retrieving images.

For this to work, 4 demands needs to be forfilled.

1. Plugin developers make a skin named "Standard" that is compatible with MCE2Blue image naming or copy you BlueMCEBlue2 skin to the Standard skin folder, in this structure

2 Skin developers use the SKinRoot program, so the "current skins" skin root is defined.

3. Skin Developers have a Batch file in the SkinRoot that will copy releveant skin images to the /resource directory.

4. Plugin and skin developers must Use the guidelines in this proposal.

First,
"using MCEBlue2 as a standard for naming and retrieving images"

Should say?
"using "Standard" as a standard for naming and retrieving images"

This first line implies they need to use ..\resources\button_green_nofocus_165x32.png
instead of ..\Button_Normal.png

Second,
"1. Plugin developers make a skin named "Standard" that is compatible with MCE2Blue image naming or copy you BlueMCEBlue2 skin to the Standard skin folder, in this structure"

Just supplying a straight up copy of a BlueMCE2 skin will not work. All images are pulled from the resources directory like [B]..\resources\button_green_nofocus_165x32.png

Should it say?
1. Plugin developers make a skin named "Standard" that is compatible with "Standard" image guidlines.

Third,
"3. Skin Developers have a Batch file in the SkinRoot that will copy releveant skin images to the /resource directory."

This shouldn't be necessary.

I know what you are getting at. If a plugin author supplies thier MCE2 skin (if they are using it) you are creating a method a skinner can accomodate it within their own skin. That is a different approach, but, it is a good one to consider. A skinner would need to have resources directory with blank "title logos" along with "Button_Normal" files copied to that directory with the name "button_green_nofocus_165x32".

Do we need to provide Sassari's and TipStir's storage directories with comparable names as well in case a developer is using those skins?

I am not trashing your post, justing pointing out possible problems. I actually like the idea of putting a proposal out there. It is early, but there needs to be a foundation to work on.

I am reviewing textstyles and have questions in general for everybody as well as ideas for what to do. That will be in another post.

[Fatman_do]

BTW, McBainUK's plugins don't update on the fly.

I guess he is not my plugin hero. Jeff and Psycik are.:p

That top hat wearing, Shakespear talking Tommy needs to get on the ball.:mad:

(Inside joke, so nobody take offense at my remarks please)

[Fatman_do]

In Mixman's BaseSkin (and my Chameleon), about half of the text styles from blue plus some new ones are located in the baseskin.xml file.

The question is:

• Is that too much, only put blue "common" textstyles there and any new STANDARD there? (Remove unique blue textstyles)
  
• What BaseSkin(the skin) has is fine, and any new STANDARD?
  
• Add all of blue, plus any new STANDARD?
  

I offer no opinion of this. Keep in mind, text height changes may be dangerous to you skin. Colors and styles are fine.

What are some new STANDARD textstyles to consider(some exsist in blue), ?

• GeneralText (All purpose text that can be used anywhere. "Normal" sized, "Normal" color.)
  
• InfoTag (Like in a dialog or elswhere where it might be one size larger than below, and maybe a different color like yellow)
  
• InfoText (Like in a dialog or elswhere where it might be one size smaller than below, and maybe a "Normal" color)
  
• InfoTagSelected (to allow different color to highlight it as selected)
  
• InfoTextSelected (same as above)
  
• Clock (Date and Time when used on screen and not in a list element, probably size "15")
  
• DescriptonText (could be redundant here and not needed, similar to GeneralText)
  
• LargeText (Size could be say "17" where standard is usually around "13", Used for List titles or sort methods)
  
• AlertText (Maybe a larger than normal "15" that has a bold color like yellow, red or orange, used as you would expect)
  
• ListText (Typical list item text)
  
• ListTextSelected (as above but selected)
  
• IconText (Typical list item text for icon lists)
  
• IconTextSelected (as above but selected)
  

Just shooting from the hip. Names and descriptions to be determined.

These are just ideas. Now many plugin authors will probably feel more comfortable using more plugin specific text descriptions, which is fine. Just tossing out ideas that a plugin could use if there was no preference for specific fields.

[Jeff]

Baseskin themepacks should update the following images in the resources directory to support the current bluemce2 skins for weather, video archive, music player, and show search plug-ins

• video_dialog_background.png (background used to display information about the selected item)
  
• not seen.png (icon used by VA plugin to indicate that the display is only showing items that have not previously been watched)
  
• video_info_background.png (background used in dvd2mpeg popup)
  
• Hourglass-1.png (used to animate a busy indicator)
  
• Hourglass-2.png
  
• dialog_background.png (used by commongbpvrutilities error, edit, and information dialogs and weather plug-in)
  
• exclamation mark.png (used by error dialogs)
  
• question mark.png (used by prompt dialogs)
  

plus, of course, the relevant task.pmg images and, for dvd2mpeg, a DVD2MPEG task.png stored in the archive skin folder

Jeff