Skinning & Rendering

[Jaggy]

So is the rendering order...
Global.xml
Skin.xml
and within that, each Element in a skin file is rendered sequentially, and each item within an Element is also rendered sequentially...

Well that can't be totally correct because if I specify say the HiddenButtons in the skin file it doesn't use the ones that are in Global.xml at all. For this part, my understanding of it is it looks at the skin file & if it doesn't find it in there it then looks in Global.

Also from my understanding the order of the Elements are controlled by the programming the order within an Element is controlled by the order they are in specified in the skin.

Hopefully sub can confirm or if not make it clearer how this works.

[mvallevand]

Also from my understanding the order of the Elements are controlled by the programming the order within an Element is controlled by the order they are in specified in the skin.

Yes that is my understanding too.

Martin

[Jaggy]

No, I said that I create rendering zones, and I wrote you saying they were

defaults
Left
Right
MusicBox (Zone Position)
Middle
Search
Little box in the top with default

Martin

I'm just trying to get this cleared up so we both understand it, maybe it is me totally misunderstanding what you are trying to say or you not understanding what I'm asking for, or a bit of both.

either way your message to me "I confirmed with sub on the forum that it renders therefore it is skin order." led me to think it was this thread you were referring to when I asked if you could alter the order in which the HiddenMenu was rendered so I could put the pluging title under it.

[mvallevand]

Yes I confirmed base renders first, but base also activates some things before global.xml, including the Background image and the base uilist elements.

Martin

[Jaggy]

Throws up hands in total defeat!

I have no idea how or why you are doing things in the order you are but you are the programmer & I am only a skinner trying to do a skin for your program & for some reason only know to yourself you have decided it is a good idea to render the HiddenMenu as the first item (I have tried every other Element in the location I have the HiddenMenu in & they all render after it) & not one of the later items, so that's "the way it is" so get on & do what I can to work around it as best I can.

[sub]

So is the rendering order...

Global.xml
Skin.xml

and within that, each Element in a skin file is rendered sequentially

There is no specified order to which the Elements in the skin files are rendered. That order pretty much comes down to the order the plugins/screens are adding those Elements to the render list. Plugins can add them in any order they want.

The only order controlled by the skin is within an <Element>.

[mvallevand]

The menu (buttonstrip) is rendered as part of sub's base rendering. I don't even ask for it to be rendered and the buttons aren't even in the MB4 skins. I asked sub and he suggested I render base first and that seems logical. I have no more control of the buttonstrip than that.

In an email I sent you I showed the base order rendering appeared to be

Background
ListView
ListSelected
ListNormal
ListMeta
ButtonStrip

Your skin controls what goes in these, then come the zoned elements.

Martin

[Jaggy]

The menu (buttonstrip) is rendered as part of sub's base rendering. I don't even ask for it to be rendered and the buttons aren't even in the MB4 skins. I asked sub and he suggested I render base first and that seems logical. I have no more control of the buttonstrip than that.

In an email I sent you I showed the base order rendering appeared to be
Background
ListView
ListSelected
ListNormal
ListMeta
ButtonStrip
Your skin controls what goes in these, then come the zoned elements. Martin

Ummm errr I don't remember that email, but that's probably my terrible memory at work again, if that was the base order as used for MB4 I would be able to put my "within the skin" Background & Title etc. in the ListView Element (like I do for all the other Plugin skins) & the ButtonStrip would render over the top of it, but for MB4 that isn't the case the ButtonStrip renders before the ListView & my "within the skin" Background & Title render over top of it.

[sub]

The NewStyleButtonListPlugin base class's GetRenderList() renders the UiList, then the UiButtonStrip, so assuming Martin is using the base classes GetRenderList(), then the list will be behind the button strip.

[mvallevand]

Jaggy, because I change the base uilist, to achieve 3 columns and add highighting anything you add to list could get rendered afterwords as well. If you want your own background area ListPosition is not good choice for custom work, but I could add another optional element that I could render after base if I find it.

Martin