VLC Skin Editor // Current release: 0.8.5

[B-4]

i found another little bug in the editor.
Say you have the following xml (roughly)

Code: Select all

<panel id="root" x="0" y="0"> <panel id="playlist" x="50" y="50"> <playtree> <slider x="0" y="0"> </playtree> </panel> </panel>

The slider of the playtree will be placed relative to the root panel and not the playlist panel. Basically while it looks good in the editor, the slider is gone in VLC itself.

[3breadt]

From now on there will be regular development builds available at http://d-gfx.kognetwork.ch/VLC/skineditor/
Please help the development by testing these. Thank you. But beware that they might include many bugs that might damage your skin files. On the other hand they also contain various improvements compared to the latest official release.

[Spyme]

What the? Cant open the xml until i rewrite them with Dreamweaver, and it happens in every case the editor is changing something. Also the preview brings the default skin, not mine...

Error Message: http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/3694/bugm.jpg

[3breadt]

That is strange, did you use any special characters as item names or in the skin information (author etc.)?

[Spyme]

Yes, i found and "ü" and that causes the problem. But shouldnt UTF-8 contain it?

The other Problem i gone by reinstalling VLC and the skin editor around 15 times and cleaning some registry entrys manually.

[3breadt]

Well I forgot to implement proper encoding of the XML, so that's why that occured.

Regarding the other problem, I have no idea how that could even happen.

Couldn't possibly be a problem with the registry, the skin editor just reads the place VLC is installed to from it. The other configuration is stored in a file in %appdata/vlc/

[Spyme]

While using both editors 0.8.5 and the nightly one, i have some improvement suggestions too. Maybe

• Opening Dialog: add a option to do nothing (e.g. for settings, or just take a look at something for reference
• All Windows: a click every time forces a element to show or hide, please add a double-click function for show/hide and a normal click just selects the element
• All Windows: Add anchors to arrange them
• Editor: While using a "theme" other then the native OS style, you cannot access the taskbar or other elements without minimizing the editor. (Occurs on Windows 7, dunno about other OS). Also, if you loose focus (klicking outside) on a popup dialog, the dialog is hiding from the editor and you have to minimize em, select the popup, klick ok and then switching back to the editor.
• Ressource Window: adding a element (bitmap or font) every time hide the tree so you have to re-click them to show the ressources in this tree
• Ressource Window: is it possible to add an information to a ressource dialog wich shows the initial width/height of an image? Switching to a 3Gig RAM usage Photoshop file to calculate dimensions and x/y infos can be the hell
• Object Window: moving a element in the object window forces the element focus to be lost (e.g: you have a button and want to move them 3 times down, so you have to select the button, move down, re-select the elemtn, move down, and so on)
• Object Window: Add a function to move elements in sub-elements. (move a image or button in a panel so the elemtns belong to this group). Actually you have to manually edit the xml.
• Preview Window: When opening the layout of a skin window, the preview doesn´t show the full width/height specified in the layout, you have to resize the preview window to show the full size of the layout
• Preview Window: Add a option to fill the transparent background with some "Color Key" colors (e.g: #00FF00, #FF00FF, b/w)
• Preview Window: Is it possible to select elements with the mouse cursor unsless of picking them out of the objects tree?

[3breadt]

While using both editors 0.8.5 and the nightly one, i have some improvement suggestions too. Maybe

Opening Dialog: add a option to do nothing (e.g. for settings, or just take a look at something for reference

If I've got the time to do it

All Windows: a click every time forces a element to show or hide, please add a double-click function for show/hide and a normal click just selects the element

So you want to be able to preview different windows at the same time?
That would require quite some recoding, but should be doable. If I've got the time to do it

All Windows: Add anchors to arrange them

You mean you want the resources etc. windows to snap to each other? That will not be so easy, I'll probably won't do that.

Editor: While using a "theme" other then the native OS style, you cannot access the taskbar or other elements without minimizing the editor. (Occurs on Windows 7, dunno about other OS). Also, if you loose focus (klicking outside) on a popup dialog, the dialog is hiding from the editor and you have to minimize em, select the popup, klick ok and then switching back to the editor.

Can't reproduce that behaviour. And anyway it would be a Java problem, the skinning is done by a Java native system, called Swing. I have no control over that. (I anyway implemented themes just as a gimmick)

Ressource Window: adding a element (bitmap or font) every time hide the tree so you have to re-click them to show the ressources in this tree

Can be fixed quite easily. The code is already there, and it worked already some time ago. Don't know yet why it doesn't work in the latest releases.

Ressource Window: is it possible to add an information to a ressource dialog wich shows the initial width/height of an image? Switching to a 3Gig RAM usage Photoshop file to calculate dimensions and x/y infos can be the hell

Good idea, I'll do it when I've got time.

Object Window: moving a element in the object window forces the element focus to be lost (e.g: you have a button and want to move them 3 times down, so you have to select the button, move down, re-select the elemtn, move down, and so on)

I can't reproduce that, focus is not lost on my Windows 7 system. You don't have to reselect the item.

Object Window: Add a function to move elements in sub-elements. (move a image or button in a panel so the elemtns belong to this group). Actually you have to manually edit the xml.

On Windows XP you could rearrange the items via drag-and-drop. Windows 7 must have broken it I'll see how to reenable that when I've got time.

Preview Window: When opening the layout of a skin window, the preview doesn´t show the full width/height specified in the layout, you have to resize the preview window to show the full size of the layout

That's dependent on the OS skin, as title bar height is removed from the window height I can set to the window. So that is not going to be fixed quite soon. I'd have to find another way to bring the window to the right size.

Preview Window: Add a option to fill the transparent background with some "Color Key" colors (e.g: #00FF00, #FF00FF, b/w)

Maybe, If I have the time

Preview Window: Is it possible to select elements with the mouse cursor unsless of picking them out of the objects tree?

Not yet. Is theoretically possible. Maybe I'll add it if I have the time.

At the moment I have some other priorities than development for the VLC Skin Editor. I don't know when I'll come to work further on it.

[Spyme]

Thanks for the coments, and i understand priorities very good. I think, while the "what is the final soloution for VLC Skins" answer is still a fluid thing, there are other things then put heavy efforts developing the editor. Most of my (Creative Suite spoiled user) suggestions affects only usability and no bugs, so all of them are nice to have.

So you want to be able to preview different windows at the same time?
That would require quite some recoding, but should be doable. If I've got the time to do it

No, it´s the same as the add a ressource thing: Actually the "clicking scheme" is Unix style(unix: one-click = action --> win: double-click = action). Maybe Java can change it by determine the OS on startup.

Can't reproduce that behaviour. And anyway it would be a Java problem, the skinning is done by a Java native system, called Swing. I have no control over that. (I anyway implemented themes just as a gimmick)

Hm, Google Chrome on Win7 has still the same issue. Maybe it´s a Windows thing.

I can't reproduce that, focus is not lost on my Windows 7 system. You don't have to reselect the item.

I catched that issue to the last 10 elements of the Object window. Or somewhere around, appears only in a special area Oo

That's dependent on the OS skin, as title bar height is removed from the window height I can set to the window. So that is not going to be fixed quite soon. I'd have to find another way to bring the window to the right size.

Yes, seems to work on native style.

P.S: it seems you are german speaking, if so, i can PM you descriptions in german

Edit: While creating a .vlt file with the editor, i get a huge amount of loading errors. Does´t appear when using "test skin in vlc".
Screen:

[rtjwilde]

First the VLC Skin Editor kicks mutha eefing ass!! Coolest utility tool I think I have ever used. Even in it's infant stages it still kicks ass.

If not to difficult Having some folder option in the resource library would be cool.
Example


I was also going to suggest a drag to function in the item library window because I'm always forgetting to ad to panel. But now unfortunately I'm reporting it as a bug because I am on XP. I think you mentioned it working on XP but for some reason now it's not working. I'm not sure but I think it actually worked once at the time of my initial curiosity and then stopped working after that.

I had some other ideas that I can't remember so I will come back if I remember what they are.

[3breadt]

Hmm then drag & drop must be broken on all platforms, I'll try fixing that.

The folders in the resources are not possible, that could not be saved in the XML and you'd lose the folders each time you reopen the skin.

[rtjwilde]

OH okay I understand.

Oh well it's still an awesome utility tool. Thanks a bunch for your hard work.

If I wasn't jobless and almost homeless I would send some donations your way. To bad I don't know how to code and help you that way. For know I'll make and submit more skins. I'm almost done with the mini for my Blue Steel skin and then I'm going start another idea I have.

[angelrogue]

I've installed and uninstalled the Skin Editor numerous times. Unless the 0.8.5 is not the most current one, there's some sort of glitch with it. It always seems to install properly but once I click it to open the program, I get this:

Could not find the main class: vlcskineditor.Main. Program will exit

I don't know what to do

[3breadt]

That is a strange problem which should not occur. Try the latest version from http://d-gfx.kognetwork.ch/VLC/skineditor/

[schasoli]

Hi,
this is a nice idea.
Bug: The manual does not fit to Editor when dealing with text

VLCSkinEditor_r217
WIN_TEXT_TITLE
WIN_ITEM_WITH 0
dos not show any text.

The manual "HowTo create your own skin" says:
TEXT:
Width of the text in pixels. If set to "0", the width is automatically calculated to fit with the current text.

Changing WIN_ITEM_WITH to a value shows text. It might be easier to change the manual.
by

[3breadt]

Schasoli, which language do you use? In English these texts are available (WIN_TEXT_TITLE & WIN_ITEM_WIDTH)

[sulli]

@3breadt, WIN_ITEM_WIDTH -----------> width you set "0"

I use germany,, it really easy to change it...

[3breadt]

@sulli: Ich versteh nicht, was möchtest du?

[hola9]

hey! can anyone help me to make a skin. i've got some great ideas but i don't know how to play with the skin editor! so if anyone can help me please reply as soon as possible!!!

[ecoman]

There is some videos around at youtube which explain how to create a skins for VLC player, just my five points to help you started.

hey! can anyone help me to make a skin. i've got some great ideas but i don't know how to play with the skin editor! so if anyone can help me please reply as soon as possible!!!

[XweAponX]

This is great, I'm a long way from being able to design a skin, but using this tool I can fiddle around with it. I can add Playlist Save buttons to any existing skins I use, and that's my only gripe with skinning, so this editor is a great thing to have.

[ofertarca]

Awesome . You Tube tutorials and your posts are great.I did my first skin.

[tmiller]

nice nice...I will try to design my own skin as soon as I solve my "Enter" issue, because it's driving me mad :@

[Sparrowhawk]

Hello
Trying to build a very small skin to use on a Raspberry Pi TFT-screen.
However there are something wrong around because I can't open the file I just saved.

"com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.impl.io.MalformedByteSequenceException: Invalid byte 2 of 3-byte UTF-8 sequence"

Goggling on this it seems something wrong with the UTF-encoding, but I cant find any settings for this in Skin Editor.
I have Java version 8, update 31 (build 1.8.0_31-b13) and 32b Win7 Ultimate if that is of importance. Skin editor 0.8.5.

Any ideas?
As far as I can't trust the opening Its hard to make a serious skin.

best regards / Håkan

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Noone has built it since a long time, I'm afraid.