INTERACT FORUM
More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 18 for Windows => Topic started by: Matt on November 14, 2012, 03:22:41 pm
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I'm going through some of our older dialogs and updating them. This is necessary for cross-platform, but it's also helping clean-up some neglected areas of the program.
I was just looking at mini skinning.
There are a few types of mini skins:
1) Slim: basically just the playerbar of the skin
2) Metamorphis: the freeform skinning engine (added around v8)
3) Winamp 2.x: support for old-school Winamp skins (added around v8)
4) The tray icon and Windows 7 taskbar controls (not really skins, but they are unobtrusive ways to control the program)
#2 and #3 are pretty rough. A lot of skins on the Accessories page don't work well (crash, javascript errors, flying jukeboxes, etc.):
http://accessories.jriver.com/mediacenter/accessories.php
The skins are worse in v18, but even going back to v16 they're not working very well.
So I'm trying to figure out what to do.
Does anyone still want Winamp 2.x skins? Or flying saucer shaped skins?
My personal vote would be to focus on #1 and #4 above, and retire #2 and #3.
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I don't mind retiring those. It would be nice if you added the ability to #1 for Always On Top and Inactive Transparency. Currently you have to switch to another skin, select those options, and then switch back. My favorite mini skin is Paradigm Essence (listed on the accessories page), but it doesn't work anymore. It hides in the top bar and doesn't take up any real estate. However, it still lets me see what song/artist is playing (I don't know all my songs).
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I'd sure like to see the "Playing Now" plugin become officially supported and updated ;)
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I wouldn't have any objections to retiring them.
I also agree 'Playing Now' might be a nice replacement for mini skins.
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JustinChase and darichman: Perhaps you could take a turn bumping my thread come December / January? Is better to have the support in one place, and makes me sound less like a one man band :D
For me, playing now plugin removed any need for mini skins many many years ago, and provides more functionality to boot... think things like ability to rate the current, next or previous tracks, customisable tooltips that can draw from any field in the library and be leveraged to provide much useful information without the need to restore the main GUI, can upload an image to an ftp server, cover art.... and more.
Ditch 2 and 3 by all means, but playingnow must keep working.
-marko.
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I've never used 2 and 3 so no issues if they are retired.
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Never really used them either. Just for testing a long time ago. However, some sort of Mini playback interface would be good to keep. I've not used the Playing Now plugin, but it sounds like things like this should also be preserved or possibly added as default if possible. I understand the need for a minimally intrusive interface for simple playback and rating controls for environments like a workstation.
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I have never used 2 and 3, so no problem with them being retired.
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Excuse me,
About mini skinning, I think if you have official support (v18) for CDArt Display is enough.
For official support CDArt Display, you need to pay license for the developer? I do not understand about it.
Hugs,
Fabricio, from Brazil.
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bump
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Put 2 and 3 into the boneyard. I don't use 1 or 4, but can see how others might.
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Excuse me,
About mini skinning, I think if you have official support (v18) for CDArt Display is enough.
For official support CDArt Display, you need to pay license for the developer? I do not understand about it.
Hugs,
Fabricio, from Brazil.
Rainmeter plugin:
http://docs.rainmeter.net/manual/plugins/nowplaying#playerlist
I *think* this'll allow you to interface with CDArt Display too. You might consider reaching out to Poiru yourself and seeing if you can pull this plugin into official/ reccomended status :)
-Leezer-
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My personal vote would be to focus on #1 and #4 above, and retire #2 and #3.
+1
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+1
++
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I am not sure where in #1-4 this fits but I frequently use and like very much the mini skin "Paradigm: Essence".
I hope you do not retire it.
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Rainmeter plugin:
http://docs.rainmeter.net/manual/plugins/nowplaying#playerlist
I *think* this'll allow you to interface with CDArt Display too. You might consider reaching out to Poiru yourself and seeing if you can pull this plugin into official/ reccomended status :)
-Leezer-
Excellent, thanks.
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For Mini I just want something laike "Blade" or "NoFrills", thin, with basic controls and maybe a expandable play list. transparet on inactive and with the ability to dock it to upper screen edge.
Dont know ANYTHING about progamming so I leave the howto to you guys, BUT IT WOULD BE NICE HAVING MINISKINS BACK!!!!!!
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My personal vote would be to focus on #1 and #4 above, and retire #2 and #3.
Fine with me.
Bill