Plug-in Developers, Please Read

[Old Dog]

Please read this post...
http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...#post69543

[psycik]

Contents copied from : http://forums.gbpvr.com/showthread.p...9543#post69543

While looking into your skin file for Beta 3 I noticed your comment regarding "SelectedNoFocusButtonImage". I believe you have recognized a deficiency in some of the plug-ins; information is displayed but there is no indication of what the information represents.

I would like to suggest a simpler solution, one that you probably could implement right now - a header (sub title) for the information. It could be as simple as the text from the active (but no longer focused) button or better, something a little more verbose like "Drive Information".

Of course, allow the skinner to control the placement and style of the header!

By the way, I would oppose the idea of a "SelectedNoFocusButtonImage" as it would be confusing. Only one element should have a special appearance, the one the user can select by pressing OK on the remote.

And my Reply:

Maybe this should be in the SystemStatus thread...but anyways.

It could be confusing. If you've seen that plugin with the blue skin, the selected, but non focused item is reduced to just an outline around the button. Making it very obvious that there is something else with more focus.

Under the blue MCE skin, yes things could more likely cause confusion. But since I am ui challeged as well, I only grabbed an image that was already present, but not the default green. There could be potential to the graphically gifted to make an almost transparent image to show that something is selected.

I think could work, and would be better looking that just some text that shows what is selected - IMHO. BTW in my MusicLibrary2 - a newer release that I'm still working on, I have actually implemented both methods of telling users what is selected, again the "SelectedNoFocusButtonImage" and text at the top listing what is selected.

[Old Dog]

Edited my original post to include the following image...

[Old Dog]

I think could work, and would be better looking that just some text that shows what is selected

I believe you must have missed the part about skinner and style...

[Old Dog]

I believe you must have missed the part about skinner and style...

psycik,

When I posted my reply to Stefan I believed I was responding to the author of System Status. I would not normally make such a frank comment unless I felt I had been invited.

Also my last post orginated in that same confusion and is just as inappropriate.

I hope my confusion has not offended you.

Best Regards,

[psycik]

No, no offence taken, I didn't reply to your last post, because i didn't quite understand it.

I don't mind have a discussion regarding it, since this has become a community based project there will always be differences in style, and people doing things different to others.

I suppose it's a style choice, and as developers all we can do is give options. Like in this case if you REALLY didn't want the non focused, selected button, you could make it the same colours as the unselected buttons. I know what I have done is different to everything else, but the idea came from users after I had realeased another plugin.