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Author Topic: Some questions about Standard Skins  (Read 6600 times)

instigator

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Some questions about Standard Skins
« on: June 21, 2012, 06:21:32 pm »







So, to accelerate this release I decided to make some suggestions / questions about this particullary points.
1. Can it be possible to add an option in main.xml to move up or down the left tree? As you can see in the image above that because the vertical splitter image there is a portion without the gray line.
2. It would be possible to move down the scrollbar in the tree?
3. In the ActionWindow section, It would be possible to remove the solid background color, instead let the image background (just like in the second image? This is really needed for this and other two skins in which I have been working.
4. A icon for the new tab. So the tabs don't be confused with the links.
5. Another text color for the links.
6. The ability to define the color for the margin in some trees (Like the one in the the right pane in the images above)? Right now is defined by the text color in List.

And another think...



This is another skin very early project... What do you think?
7. In SplitViewTab section, can BorderRow really look like as intended?. If I put 2 as the number of images, should read the image as Inactive-Active, the entire image, an not only the image 1 as inactive and the same image 1 without the 1st line as active. You can see in the image above that there's an annoying white line in the active tab...

That's all. Hope Matt or another from JRiver team read this and respond, in order to know which direction to take with the skin.
Thanks and keep up the good work!!!.

Regards.
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JimH

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2012, 06:47:46 pm »

I think you're doing very nice work.  We'll try to support you.  Matt is on holiday this week.
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xplain

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2012, 06:57:17 am »

Woow.... These skins looks amazing
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StFeder

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2012, 07:52:17 am »

Impressive work!

I'd bet you get a "When can I download the skins" post every week from now ;)
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Mr ChriZ

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2012, 08:02:00 am »

Kudos - these look awesome! :D

Maverick07

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2012, 04:38:19 pm »

Not bad at all but some things will not work.
- the searchfield does not support transparency
- same with Splitviewtab
- also you will get the annoying wide line on the top of the topborder that looks different than the rest
- you have to find the perfect amout of transparency for the background - does not look same as in photoshop
- no transparency support for frame windows

ive also requested a year (or more) ago to have some new features - still no answer
Heres the thread:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=65738.msg440831#msg440831
looks like we think the same way

All i can say is that making a fully transparent skin for JRiver is nearly impossible.
Ive tried about 2-3 times, but failed.
Mayble you will have more luck.

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Matt

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2012, 04:40:51 pm »

- the searchfield does not support transparency

The search box has supported transparency for much of v17.  Have you tried recently?
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Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center

Fabricio

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2012, 04:58:17 am »

Very good skin. Some progress?

instigator

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #8 on: June 27, 2012, 10:05:03 am »

Thanks to all you guys!!!. Glad you like it.
Actually the two skins are almost finished (missing only some things from my request), I'm only waiting for a response for my request, and from that answer, take some direction.
Again thanks for the support.
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Matt

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #9 on: June 27, 2012, 10:14:17 am »

First off, impressive screenshots.  I absolutely love your Purity skin, and it's great to see you doing what looks like even better work.

1. Can it be possible to add an option in main.xml to move up or down the left tree? As you can see in the image above that because the vertical splitter image there is a portion without the gray line.
2. It would be possible to move down the scrollbar in the tree?

Do you mean the top of the tree would just be shifted down, and it would be basically dead space above it?  What would render in the dead space?


Quote
3. In the ActionWindow section, It would be possible to remove the solid background color, instead let the image background (just like in the second image? This is really needed for this and other two skins in which I have been working.

Isn't the background just the ActionWindow\Template image?  Or do you mean behind the actual pages?


Quote
4. A icon for the new tab. So the tabs don't be confused with the links.
5. Another text color for the links.
6. The ability to define the color for the margin in some trees (Like the one in the the right pane in the images above)? Right now is defined by the text color in List.

Could you make a screenshot with what you have now and what you're hoping to achieve so I could understand these ones better?

Thanks for your work.
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Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center

instigator

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #10 on: June 27, 2012, 10:23:12 am »

Could you make a screenshot with what you have now and what you're hoping to achieve so I could understand these ones better?
I think that you right. When I go from my home, I do several screenshots for better understanding.
Regards.
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instigator

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #11 on: June 29, 2012, 02:16:20 am »

I'm back again. Sorry for keep you waiting for the screenshots. I had a week full of work, but forgetting all that, go straight to the point.

1.TREE
Quote
Can it be possible to add an option in main.xml to move up or down the left tree? As you can see in the image above that because the vertical splitter image there is a portion without the gray line.
What I want to achieve is to have the whole tree surrounded by the gray line, now looks like this:


You can see that the portion within the orange line has no gray line, because the image used as a vertical separator of panels (vertical splitter) is also used to separate the tree from the panels.
So, I see 2 options. Moving the tree down or define another image as vertical separator for the tree and the panel.
I've been thinking about the first option, and I must say I'm undecided. The idea I had in mind was the possibility of moving the tree down, but through main.xml, that way not harm existing or future skins,and it may look like this:


But Matt is right, this would leave an empty space. Maybe for some this is a bad thing, for me it is not.
The other option would be to define a new image as a vertical separator between the tree and the panel on the right.


2. INTERNAL MARGINS IN TREE
Quote
It would be possible to move down the scrollbar in the tree?


As you can see in the image above, the vertical up arrow's scroll bar (intentionally orange), overlaps the margin of the tree (gray line). If it were possible to define internal margins in the tree, so that this does not happen, it would be great.



3. ACTIONWINDOW
Quote
In the ActionWindow section, It would be possible to remove the solid background color, instead let the image background (just like in the second image? This is really needed for this and other two skins in which I have been working.


Again, as you can see in the image above, the color defined in main.xml as "ListBack" (intentionally pink) overlaps the background image.


if possible not to use more this defined color in all the ACTIONWINDOW backgrounds( like in the image above, but again in all the ACTIONWINDOW backgrounds) and just use the defined background image, again, it would be great.


4 and 5. TABS IN PANEL
Quote
4. A icon for the new tab. So the tabs don't be confused with the links.
5. Another text color for the links.
Right now looks this way:


There is not an image that indicates where you should click to create a new tab and maybe some can not distinguish at first glance between the titles of the tabs and links. (because far as I know there's no text color defined for the text in links).


Now looks more understandable... Right?
The possibility to define color text (normal, hot) for links, and an image for new tab, please.



THE MARGIN LINE IN SOME PLACES...
I must say I do not know how to call these trees / lists or something? But you see them everywhere, in the options window, when there are no tracks in Playing Now and appears PlayDoctor options, etc.. So, I think that is better a image:


I mean that margin (black line) that you can see in the image above. I noticed that the color of that line is defined in the TREE SECTION by COLOR TEXT (normal).
Could be defined separately?



7.BORDER ROW IN SPLITVIEWTAB

I think this is quite clear, if one defines in BorderRow 2 as number of images, you should be use the two images.
But you can see that this does not happen, ex. if I have this image (this sample is amplified):


then i put in BorderRow "NumberImages=2", should get something like this:


but this is what actually happens:




8. MENU

Two things in menu.

1.INTERNAL MARGINS.
If you have a background image with a design on the edges, should be able to define internal margins for the content, so this does not happen:


You can see in the image above, in the bottom how MenuItem does not respect the nice slightly rounded design of the background image, because the predetermined internal margins from top and bottom are not enough.

2. SEPARATOR.

These two images are self-explanatory:

WITHOUT A DEFINABLE IMAGE AS SEPARATOR


WITH A DEFINABLE IMAGE AS SEPARATOR





9. SCROLLBAR

The last request is about the size of the "Arrows" (the images named as HorizontalLeftArrow, HorizontalRightArrow,etc) in scrollbars... Why always have to be square?
I mean no matter what size you give to these images, are drawn in a square. (same height-width). An example: If I define the image to height=10px and width=25px in vertical, and height=25px width=10px in horizontal, they drawn as 25x25.


And cause things like this:


When it should be like this:



And I have to ask this, because I find it disconcerting...
How are they managed the margins on images? I ask this for the following reason:
I have the following image as "MainFrame TopBorder" image:


As you can see, has "embedded" some things as track progress, some buttons and other stuffs, because, as you may know, when you design a skin with AeroGlass,  images do not look like they were designed, they look more "heavy", and personally I think this is the hardest part when you make a skin with AeroGlass... modify the image until it looks "about" how it was originally designed.
Here, I was not satisfied with the results, so I chose to "embed" certain things. Then I defined the following margins for the image:
Code: [Select]
<Entry Name="TopBorder" Bitmap="MainFrame_TopBorder.png" Margins="230,25,295,0" DrawMode="REGION_H_TILE,REGION_E_VTILE,REGION_E_HTILE" />

And it looks this way:


Just like I expected. But here's the weird part... This is with Segoe UI Semibold, 9pt. When I change to other fonts (I tried only with 10) like Comic Sans, 9 pts, this happens:


Get the idea? The margins established (for define from where to where stretch/tile the image) are not respected. Why? And how to fix this?

Well, that's it. I apologize for say much but I wanted to explain my point of view the best way possible.

Thanks for reading all this.  :)
Regards, and thanks for providing support the way they do.
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phalanthus

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2012, 02:54:13 am »

 ;D ;D

lovely work
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Fabricio

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #13 on: June 29, 2012, 07:22:26 am »

Matt

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #14 on: June 29, 2012, 08:24:47 am »

Thanks for the great post.

1.TREE

For this, something will need to fill the empty space.  Maybe just an "AboveTreeImage" skin item?  If it's there, we put it above the tree at whatever height you create it?


Quote
2. INTERNAL MARGINS IN TREE

If I'm understanding correctly, the border is not part of the tree in that image.  It's part of the player bar.

The scrollbar should go to exactly the same top pixel as the tree, so if you put a border above the tree with the player bar (or new AboveTreeImage from #1), it should work.

Are you saying that the scrollbar actually goes one pixel higher than it should?


Quote
3. ACTIONWINDOW

Support for a transparent background in the list is a good idea.



Quote
4 and 5. TABS IN PANEL

I like both those ideas.


Quote
THE MARGIN LINE IN SOME PLACES...

I think that's a column divider line.

I agree the color should be able to be set independently.

It also shouldn't be drawn on the right side of the last column (or at all in a single column list).


Quote
7.BORDER ROW IN SPLITVIEWTAB

What do you want to happen with the two images?  I mean, when should we use the first, and when the second?



Quote
8. MENU

1.INTERNAL MARGINS.
I think the internal menu margins can already be set.  I'll look it up and get back to you.

2. SEPARATOR.
Good idea.


Quote
9. SCROLLBAR

We don't really support scrollbars without the up / down arrows like you're trying to do.  It looks nice, but sacrifices some functionality.


Quote
How are they managed the margins on images? I ask this for the following reason:

Please don't embed stuff into the playerbar.  It's going to make it impossible for us to do resizing or control moving later.

And in fact, when the fonts grow, we already do some stretching.  The original skins didn't imagine supporting this, so the stretch system used is a little magical.  That's why you're seeing the strange stuff from your screenshot.

One final thing, you might appreciate this for dealing with stretching rules:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Matrix_Drawing

It allows more sophisticated stretching rules than just the basic 9-region method.


I'm going to try to find a few hours next week to chip away at some of your suggestions.
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Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #15 on: June 29, 2012, 09:46:27 am »

1. That's fine to me.
2. In the 2nd skin, yes. In the Office 2010-like, no. The top border line is part of the tree background.
Quote
The scrollbar should go to exactly the same top pixel as the tree
Exactly, so if you put in main.xml an option to down the scrollbar 1px, problem solved.
7. The first would be used under inactive tabs, the second only under the active.

Regards.
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the-order

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #16 on: June 30, 2012, 12:16:34 pm »

Awesome looking, can't wait for a download.
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Fabricio

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #17 on: July 06, 2012, 04:08:09 pm »

waiting.  ;) ;) ;)

xplain

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #18 on: August 20, 2012, 07:13:04 am »

Any progres...
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Fabricio

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #19 on: August 20, 2012, 11:53:58 am »

Maverick07

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #20 on: September 07, 2012, 05:51:10 pm »

Hey guys, working on a Metro / Win8 skin atm, but i have a question

Is there any way to avoid the textshadow of the toolbartext and displaytext?
the brighter the text is, the darker is the shadow - (the statusbar isnt affected)

its really anoying in transparent skins, also at the skin im working at.

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SkGe

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #21 on: September 08, 2012, 02:19:00 pm »

Hey guys, working on a Metro / Win8 skin atm, but i have a question

Is there any way to avoid the textshadow of the toolbartext and displaytext?
the brighter the text is, the darker is the shadow - (the statusbar isnt affected)

its really anoying in transparent skins, also at the skin im working at.


You can't do almost nothing in this matter. The skin is build around not in a way to be aero typo like new UI windows and for that you will get this type of workaround, The format of skin is old as my grandma :) and the people here don't put so much effort to renew it, well i don't see anything in that direction, or i'm wrong, my two coins. I did try to work to make a aero skin but all got me in a direction to put on a hold.
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Fabricio

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #22 on: October 24, 2012, 05:00:46 am »

Any progress?

Waiting ....

Hugs,

Fabricio, from Brazil.

phalanthus

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Re: Some questions about Standard Skins
« Reply #23 on: October 24, 2012, 05:29:30 am »

Any progress?

Waiting ....

Hugs,

Fabricio, from Brazil.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D
+1
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