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[HPBEME]

Did not want to post this on the "Black on Black" skin thread since it is on the MC17 forum, and at this point it is over 3 years old.   I am posting it here as if this were a new issue, but I'm pretty sure the problem has been around awhile.  So with that out of the way…

I really like the "Black on Black" skin, but all the pop-up info windows appear blank because the XML file specifies a white font on a white background for those specific elements (example of a blank movie info window shown below)


I found the line/value in the XML file where I can change the font color to black.  Unfortunately, that particular value also controls all DSP window font colors, which is on a black background.  Consequently, making the info window's text black causes all DSP text to disappear (black text on a black background).  Can't win for losing!

I thought maybe I could change the image/color of the info window's background color to black, but I cannot find a background image or any value in the XML file that controls that.
Has anyone else encountered this, and if so, were you able to resolve it?

[blgentry]

That's odd.  I've used BonB occasionally and never noticed this.  I just tried it and it works properly for me.  I'm using MC21 on a Mac, but I wouldn't think that would make a difference with a skin.  Hmm.

I'm a huge fan of dark skins for MC.  I've tried all of them I could find and have found three that I like better than BonB.  In reverse order from least great to most great:

3.  Carbon.  Nice very dark skin with a mildly futuristic look and blue accents. 
http://accessories.jriver.com/mediacenter/mc_data/plugins/images/1022.jpg
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=62042.0

2.  Onyx.  Probably the skin with the best combination of ultra black background and highly visible text.  Yet it looks stylish and modern, rather than "flat" like it might sound.  An excellent skin.  I've done some *very* minor mods to my copy to make things a tiny bit more visible in a few areas. 
http://waterfire.us/onyx.htm
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=94329.0

1.  Black and Blue Too HC SB.  Marko's latest mod of his Black and Blue skin to make it both High Contrast (HC) and have normal sized Scroll Bars (SB).  A skinny scroll bar version is available in the same thread.  This is my new favorite skin.  It's not quite as high contrast as Onyx, but it's got a LOT of blue for a dark skin and that makes it kind of pleasing to look at all the time.  Much more interesting than a skin that's "just dark".  There are a number of nice little touches in this skin, like link arrows that "light up" when you hover over them and highly visible tree expansion/contraction buttons that change from little dots to big blue dots when you open them.

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=100570.0

None of this fixes BonB for you.  Just some alternatives from someone who only uses dark skins and happens to think that BonB isn't NEARLY the best of them. 

Brian.

[HPBEME]

Hey blgentry,

Thanks for the reply and info.  I have MC21 as well, but on Win7.
It is disappointing that this may be a "me" specific problem... was hoping someone else had the same issue and a fix.

Ironically, I actually prefer light skins, but occasionally use a dark skin for the occasional change-up.  I have used Carbon and like (not love) it.  Never have run across Onyx before - I will have to check that one out... thanks for the link.  I noticed the Black and Blue Too thread recently as well - I had been considering downloading it, but with your thorough description and enthusiastic recommendation I guess I definitely will!

Again... thanks so much for your reply and recommendations.

[HPBEME]

Well I downloaded the Onyx and Black & Blue Too skins as blgentry recommended.  When the same issue occurred with these skins, I figured it had to be some setting that I had changed from its default.  Sure enough, that is what it was.

Under Options/General/Advanced/Popup Transparency Mode,  I had set to Disabled.  Reverting it to Enabled changes the background from white to a transparent black, which makes the white font visible again! So apparently dark skins do not like this setting to be disabled.  By the way, those are both fantastic skins.  My sincere praise of Marko for Black & Blue Too, and to whomever the author of the Onyx skin is.  I may get pulled to the dark side yet! 

FYI... the biggest reason I generally prefer light skins is I spend a lot of time tagging, and my old man eyes just cannot deal with the dark skins for that process.