CommunitySkin 4 Open development thread.

[Fatman_do]

would this mean 2 skins to maintain, after cs4 is released?

Yes, for the most part. I suspect a great deal of the time we can just copy the SD xmls over to the HD, unless there is special treatment needed.

[McBainUK]

As we appear to be agreeing on the approach, I've been considering the tasks...

CS-SD

• Lock design - upload to SVN
  
• Re-compile installer to combine Skinplugin and pull out themes.
  
• Create wiki page to handle/store external themes
  
• Update XMLs as per new GB-PVR and plugin releases
  

CS-HD

• Consider design changes and benefits
  
• Decide on a resolution and aspect ratio
  
• Create wiki page
  
• Create installer (prob similar to CS-SD)
  
• Create a small set of (open-source friendly) graphics and themes
  
• Create XML that take advantage of the screen shape and size.
  

Both

• Update XMLs as per new GB-PVR and plugin releases
  
• Update wiki pages to reflect change in direction
  
• Create SVN to hold the installer, skin files (open-source friendly) default themes and graphics
  
• Setup SVN so anyone can build
  

Skin Plugin

• Consider design and UI changes and their benefits
  

My suggestion is to do CS-SD first so we have a working solution which can be updated to work with the latest version of GB-PVR and plugins. It will also provide experience of working with SVN, combined installers and the "anyone can build" process. Once ok we can copy it and so create the CS-HD SVN folders and installer, and then we can move on to CS-HD and the future!

[McBainUK]

As a side note - once it's on an SVN and the installer is settled, any of us can go in and tweak/update an XML file. Makes the work much more distributable.

Myself and fatman_do have started on the SVN, although it may need to be changed a little so there is a split between CS-SD and CS-HD. But the basic structure underneath the split can be very similar to this.

[McBainUK]

Since I don't know anything. I downloaded this:
http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/

Set default url to:
https://communityskin-for-gbpvr.googleco...svn/trunk/ communityskin-for-gbpvr --username yourusername@wherever.com

Having trouble with this. Where do I set the "default URL"? Where/when do I enter my Google Code password?

[Fatman_do]

You select through the start menu TortoiseSVN>Settings

Then go to this setting:[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

Default path is your local folder, Default URL is your version of:

Code:

https://communityskin-for-gbpvr.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ communityskin-for-gbpvr --username fatman_do@hotmail.com

IIRC, I entered my password once and set it to remember at one point when prompted.

I then browsed to my local folder in windows explorer, right-click and selected update. To send back, I right click and select commit.

[steeb]

Ok have to stick my neck out here not being a dev.

Community Skin 3 sounded good, Community Skin 4 somehow to me does not. Have I missed something (probably knowing me) what is the name of this new and fantastic Skin?

Cheers

Steeb

[McBainUK]

is it the name or the features which are the problem?

[Hairy]

Ok have to stick my neck out here not being a dev.

Community Skin 3 sounded good, Community Skin 4 somehow to me does not. Have I missed something (probably knowing me) what is the name of this new and fantastic Skin?

Cheers

Steeb

Okay! speaking purely for myself,

I see this thread as a place to toss around ideas for the community skin. Ideas to make it more accesable to others who may want to contribute. There's no new magical skin, it's a shake up of the existing community skin.

I don't really understand the whole code end of things but I think the two guys are trying to set up the community skin so it's more accessible. I think the google code page is there so other people can access the installer and make it easier for them to alter the CS (?).

From my end, I wanted to develop a default theme for the CS. This was a personal project more than anything else. When I wanted to start helping out I really jumped in feet first without knowing what the hell I was doing and my input so far has been a mixed bag. I wanted to try and work out some basics and my proposed default theme is that work.

As I see it the next version of CS (what ever it's called) will be a combined installer of the community skin files and the community skin plugin, with one default theme. The wiki page will have couple of new areas, one for plugin xml (this means that users won't have to download a new CS installer version every time a plugin is updated) and a section for additional themes and graphic.

There are a couple of other things to decide like how to handle the new graphical elements sub introduced with the last version of GB and the idea a developing a HD+WS version of the community skin.

For me thats what we're doing with this thread.

[Hairy]

Create a small set of (open-source friendly) graphics and themes

By this you mean compliant with the licensing for the google code page?

[McBainUK]

Okay! speaking purely for myself,

I see this thread as a place to toss around ideas for the community skin. Ideas to make it more accesable to others who may want to contribute. There's no new magical skin, it's a shake up of the existing community skin.

I don't really understand the whole code end of things but I think the two guys are trying to set up the community skin so it's more accessible. I think the google code page is there so other people can access the installer and make it easier for them to alter the CS (?).

From my end, I wanted to develop a default theme for the CS. This was a personal project more than anything else. When I wanted to start helping out I really jumped in feet first without knowing what the hell I was doing and my input so far has been a mixed bag. I wanted to try and work out some basics and my proposed default theme is that work.

As I see it the next version of CS (what ever it's called) will be a combined installer of the community skin files and the community skin plugin, with one default theme. The wiki page will have couple of new areas, one for plugin xml (this means that users won't have to download a new CS installer version every time a plugin is updated) and a section for additional themes and graphic.

There are a couple of other things to decide like how to handle the new graphical elements sub introduced with the last version of GB and the idea a developing a HD+WS version of the community skin.

For me thats what we're doing with this thread.

By this you mean compliant with the licensing for the google code page?

YES to all.