Suggestions

[Fatman_do]

also, is there a way we can use different images for lists that are part of a popup (weather plugin, tvguide pupups, etc.)

What images? The selectors or background?

[Fatman_do]

here is that example of the buttons, just baseskin and the necessary images.

I'll have a look this weekend.

[Ted the Penguin]

What images? The selectors or background?

The list selectors, it would be the same idea as having different buttons for the popups. I can post a screenshot of what I am talking about if it would help


also, when making changes to the community skin, how do I go about submitting them?

[Fatman_do]

also, when making changes to the community skin, how do I go about submitting them?

I want to get it to the point of "Here is my stuff" and a place to put it.
Otherwise, people just send it to me and I include it. Very little "peer review" on my part. I always assume everyone else has better "taste" than I do. (Hairy is an A++ example). Hopefully any changes by me are for the greater good and not my own opinion.

Eventually, I hope to divorce myself from the process in the future because I don't like the idea that it is a one man show as far as posting updates. Not to sound to cliche, but this really needs to be a community effort. Unfortunately, I don't have the knowledge or the skill to pull this off.

[Jaggy]

I have been reading this thread with interest, I have thought about helping out with the project & keep going 'hot & cold' on the idea.

I always assume everyone else has better "taste" than I do. (Hairy is an A++ example).

Yeah this is one of the things that puts me off as like Fatman_do (from another message) I only do the graphical stuff because I have to & there are heaps of people out there better at it than I am. But I enjoy doing the xml stuff & I know Hairy doesn't like that side of it. So maybe there is an option to pool resources in some way??

Originally Posted by Ted the Penguin:I think that the size of the package could be cut down

I also agree with this statement. One option could be (like I do for Blue-Retro_SHV, but I don't know how practical it would be with CS3) is don't include plugin skins in the package & make them a separate download either individually or as another package?

[Hairy]

I'd really like to stress the fact that I have absolutely no training/experience/background, either artistically or technically with skinning. Although people on this forum have been very generous and kind, I'm fully aware of my limitations and I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to contribute in some small way to this excellent community. I think I've learned a lot in the 6 months or so since my first theme and I hope I'm improving . But my opinions are just that and it certainly doesn't make them right or wrong. I'm a big fan of the community element of this community and personally I'd really like to be able to bounce skinning ideas off other members here.

So, again simply my opinion, this is where I'd love to see the community skin go.

• Encourage more community involvement
  
• Merge the CS skin files and CS plugin into one installer.
  
• Create a base/default community skin (graphically), simple and clean with several graphical options.
  
• Rework the XML files, move as much as possible to the base skin and try and unify the XML formatting for plugins
  
• Add a subfolder structure to the plugin so compatible graphics could be grouped in folders
  
• Add the ability to dynamically change the OSD from the plugin.
  
• Existing graphics and theme sets would then be a separate add on installer.
  

I think the above would focus the community skin and make it more accessible.

[Fatman_do]

So, again simply my opinion, this is where I'd love to see the community skin go.

• [1]Encourage more community involvement
  [2]Merge the CS skin files and CS plugin into one installer.
  [3]Create a base/default community skin (graphically), simple and clean with several graphical options.
  [4]Rework the XML files, move as much as possible to the base skin and try and unify the XML formatting for plugins
  [5]Add a subfolder structure to the plugin so compatible graphics could be grouped in folders
  [6]Add the ability to dynamically change the OSD from the plugin.
  [7]Existing graphics and theme sets would then be a separate add on installer.
  

I think the above would focus the community skin and make it more accessible.

All sound like good ideas.

With the OSD, what do you want to see..XML changes, graphics, both?

Maybe the best way for that is store a folder with xml and images and then swap out that folder.

I do like the idea of separate downloads for themes. Makes theme updates easier to do without redistributing the whole skin. We would have to be careful with certain custom xmls, like TV guides, since future updates by sub may "Break" themes down the road.

[Fatman_do]

Ok, sorry for the delay Ted.

Anyone else here following along. Ideas time. How do we pull off the button masks?

I can foresee the mask idea being used for all selectors. How do we break that down?

Do we add Popup_Selected, Popup_Normal as separate popup selectors? I think we can accomodate that as most people may use base themes with minor tweaks.

McBainUK's thoughts and input on how these changes impact his plugin is needed as well.

My first thoughts were to group items by the "Shape" or "Mask". Maybe a better word for this is "Style".
So you have in the buttons folder of the skinplugin resources??
\Sassari
..\Blue
..\Black
..\Red
\Contour
..\Blue
..\Black
..\Red

What are your guys' idea on folder methods as you indicated above, plugin related or skin related, ect.

[Hairy]

With the OSD, what do you want to see..XML changes, graphics, both?

Sorry fatman_do I missed this one.

Yeah both the xml formatting and say, title.png, desc.png, osd_vol.png and timeline.png graphics. It's not a big deal though, a little lower down on the list. I see the other stuff I just posted about as of more substance.

Anyone else here following along. Ideas time. How do we pull off the button masks?

I can foresee the mask idea being used for all selectors.

The only way I can see, is if the option to select a mask for each of the above is added to the plugin and the relevant formatting is added to the baseskin.xml. As for the folder layout, I don't think it really matters unless the plugin is altered to group by folder?

As it stands now you could add the mask png's to the "..\_CoreImages" folder and the formatting to the base skin xml and have just the colours selected through the plugin?

[Ted the Penguin]

The sample I posted was just that. Obviously there would need to be changes to the plugin etc. that would handle the mask. But my suggestion would be to use two images for each button, one mask, one just color. for the new layered buttons, we would use both, for the old ones, the mask would be transparent.

I like the idea of the nested directories for each style, it is simple. also, there should be the option of selecting a transparent image for the color.

As for the popup selectors, I think the selectors and buttons should be uniform. so for both the normal case and the popup, you have a button and a selector which you select a normal and selected image for (well inactive for the selector as well).

button normal
button selected
selector normal
selector selected
selector inactive
popup button normal
popup button selected
popup selector normal
popup selector selected
popup selector inactive

does that make sense?

another way to do it would be to have the same button style for everything, and then select colors for each case. maybe you could even save these styles as sets?
maybe the plugin would have a separate screen for buttons to streamline the experience.

so you would select:
button style
normal button color
selected button color
popup button color
selected popup button color

and for selectors:
selector style
selector normal color
selector selected color
selector inactive color
popup selector normal color
popup selector selected color
popup selector inactive color

It is more things to select, but it would enforce the same look and feel throughout the application.