"Community Skin" testers needed.

[Fatman_do]

The skin that is the results of dozens of threads and hundreds of posts is now to the point where it is ready to be tested and released.

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

Most of the plugins have been converted over from BlueMCE2, Baseskin, Chameleon, and ideas from ContourHC. The default look right now is based off of BlueMCE2, with some changes. If you would like to help out with this effort, please download it and kick the tires. Tell us what you like and what you don't like. If you find errors, feel free to fix them if you can. If not, give feedback. With feedback, this skin can grow to fit the needs of most users and live up to the billing of a community skin.

Here is where you can find the test version of the skin: TestDownload

Also, if you have artistic skills and don't know the first thing about skinning, you can supply alternative images.
We have a sample set of images here to use as an example.
Guidelines

You can supply a single button image, a background, or up to a whole set.

Alternative images will be used to construct themes and allow the user to change images using a plugin being co-developed with this skin.
SkinPlugin

For sample screen shots and plugin compatibility notes, and newer updates, see:
CommunitySkinFiles

One last thing.

The name of the skin right now is just called "Community", but maybe someone can think of a better name. Other suggestions have been "Standard", "Imagination", and "Imagine". This is a community effort, so toss out suggestions.

The list of contributors in one form or another are:

Majority of early skinning:
McBainUK (skinning, plugin development)
MixMan (skinning, theme creator, BaseSkin/Advisor skin, early baseskin.xml method adopter)
Fatman_do (skinning, integrator of various skinning methods, Chameleon skin)
Alibert (Tv Listings skin)

Graphics support: (In process)
Dottore (Oliba, Sassari and MCE2)
Old Dog (AM/Collection/Plain Jane)
Tipstir (Too many to mention!)
Tieke (FlatBlue, HighVis, GreenOrb )
Torque (Contour)
KingArgyle/Darren E (Pirates)

Testers:
HTPCGB
Jeff (Weather, Video Archive, Music Player, Show Search)

(Note: This skin will change with new changes in gbpvr 98+. Gbpvr 98+ early testers will notice errors on a few plugins. System and Search are known issues. PM me instead of posting issues if you are a v98+ tester to keep pre-release info out of the public fourms.)

[klunde]

First comment, your installer assumes that everyone is running english windows and therefor suggests "c:\program files\...". Well, you should read the %programfiles% variable or some other equal value instead.

[MixMan]

Nice work Fatman_do!

I have skinned Video Archive plugin to look as the Jeffs original BlueMCE2.
I also tweaked SportScores to be more in line with design layout.
Alibert also skinned TV Listings fully :-)
I will listen to testers feedback and tweak plugin skins, that I have skinned
I will upload tweaked skins to the SkinFiles page.

Re: Core skins. I think that the Background_Lists, Y value should be 10px less. It is all the way to the bottom of screen on my monitor.

[Fatman_do]

First comment, your installer assumes that everyone is running english windows and therefor suggests "c:\program files\...". Well, you should read the %programfiles% variable or some other equal value instead.

Yes, I know. When the official release is ready, it will use a smarter method. It is just a converted zip file and not a proper installer script.

[Fatman_do]

Nice work Fatman_do!

I have skinned Video Archive plugin to look as the Jeffs original BlueMCE2.

There is no requirement to have any plugin look like the original BlueMCE2.

I also tweaked SportScores to be more in line with design layout.

Ok

Alibert also skinned TV Listings fully :-)

Fantastic, will add his name to credits.

I will listen to testers feedback and tweak plugin skins, that I have skinned
I will upload tweaked skins to the SkinFiles page.

Anybody can also tweak any plugin and post here changes if they do not have a wiki account. If anyone adds to the wiki, please place the original verson in a backup folder in that plugin folder.

Re: Core skins. I think that the Background_Lists, Y value should be 10px less. It is all the way to the bottom of screen on my monitor.

Ok, will fix the baseskin.xml file.

[MixMan]

Most plugin developers use tweaked BlueMCE2 skin for their own HTPC.
I respect the plugin developers original graphic design and therefor think there should be a similar CommonImage version, that they hopefully continue to keep up to date.
That is the reason why I just rename the image names in their skins.

[Fatman_do]

I fully expect there to be several variations on any given plugin. There can be a faithful BlueMCE2 version as well as a "Hi-Vis" version ect, ect.

I expect there to be 5,6,7 channel Tv Guide skins, as well.

I was just stating that BlueMCE2 is not a requirement. Any individual can offer suggestions and tweaks. Someone might suggest using the layout of one of TipStir's skins and that would be acceptible also.

We can handle variants during the testing phase by packaging them in the individual plugin downloads.

Once all the mechanics of the skin are ironed out, on the official skin page the variants can be listed as individual downloads.

Video Archive:
BlueMCE2 version ->
Hi-Visibility version ->
BlahBlahBlah version ->

I myself have no preference or concern over any plugin layout. I am more concerned with the mechanics of the system.

[MixMan]

We have different ideas on how the plugin skins would be used by skinners and developers.
The big benefit would come if all skinners would use the naming standard in their skins and the plugin developersdoes the skinning.

I will use CommonImages for the plugins in Advisor, but use as few text definitions in baseskin as possible for the plugin skins. This way it will be easier to take my version of the plugin skin and drop it in another skin.

[Fatman_do]

We have different ideas on how the plugin skins would be used by skinners and developers.
The big benefit would come if all skinners would use the naming standard in their skins and the plugin developersdoes the skinning.

I will use CommonImages for the plugins in Advisor, but use as few text definitions in baseskin as possible for the plugin skins. This way it will be easier to take my version of the plugin skin and drop it in another skin.

Nothing wrong with that. Both methods can co-exsist.

Right now, this skin is the only CommonImages based skin until Adivsor is changed.

Who is to say the next CommonImages based skin doesn't follow this skin's baseskin.xml file as an example?

Its all about options and providing the easiest and most flexible system (if it is even possible). That is what testing these ideas are all about. It may in fact be that leaving as much textstyles control in the plugin skin is the best solution.

Maybe having to edit one line in the baseskin.xml file to change what every list selection color and font looks like would be better.

What about other ideas? I am testing out later tonight a new idea just to see how it works.

What are the pitfalls and benefits of each method?

I am not ready to throw out or support any method until we know what those answers are.

I wouldn't worry too much about the textstyles at this time, it all could change tommorrow.....That is why it is a community skin. It is never "my way", I want an agreement on anything done.

I don't want it to sound like I am against anybody's ideas. I am not. I have agreed or reached a compromise on just about every idea that had been suggested so far (I can't remember not, but I may have). I just want to explore all options and not draw a line in the sand at this time over anything.

Does that sound reasonable?

[Fatman_do]

Re: Core skins. I think that the Background_Lists, Y value should be 10px less. It is all the way to the bottom of screen on my monitor.

Ok, found it. I thought the baseskin.xml file was controlling this size and it is not. While the baseskin.xml file is defining the Background_List, the in-plugin size is controlled by the tag:

Code:

<Element name="FileList" loc="195,60" size="500,420"/>

The 60+420 gives it the 480 to the bottom of the screen. The baseskin.xml file set the size of 510,410 for the composite image, but it is scaled to fit the element tag.

So the element tag needs to be changed to something like:

Code:

<Element name="FileList" loc="195,60" size="500,410"/>

in those plugin xmls.

I corrected Video Library, Music Library, Photo Library, and Recordings to those values.

Testers will have to download and install those plugin files manually.