Skining requirements for touch support
#1
Question 
With users asking after touch enabled skins, what exactly makes a skin touch enabled or not?

As a skin author, what needs to be changed to make a skin suitable for use on a touch based system? I'm asking this as my skin is listed as not being touch enabled, but other than close buttons on dialogs and buttons to bring up context and other setting type menus, I can't see what difference there is between a compliant and non compliant skin.

Wyrm (xTV-SAF)
If required a FULL debug log can now be submitted from the skin in settings->skin settings->support. Or follow instructions here if you can't access skin settings.

FAQ's located at :- http://kodi.wiki/view/Add-on:AppTV
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#2
iirc it's basic just the same as having support for a mouse which is big enough for fat finger presses.
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#3
On Android basic stuff like list controls scroll as you expect by drag. Windows touch behaves like a mouse hoover.

But depending on how many controls you have in controls, like groups inside grouplists in groups ect (and/or stuff wider than the screen) you might need some hidden buttons or a scrollbar to help out.

You also can't depend on focus being where you expect. Unless a finger touches the screen assume there is no focus.
Meaning that some of the 'hacks' with hidden buttons changing strings ect don't work as expected.

So it really depends on how you have build the windows.
Best to see if you can borrow a tablet from a friend or something.

-----

Looking at his list it's also unclear what the criteria was for him.
I see f.e. Droid listed as No (not as some, or unavailable), which is specifically a touch skin.
Image [RELEASE] Metroid
Image [RELEASE] IrcChat
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#4
(2014-10-12, 10:59)MassIV Wrote: Looking at his list it's also unclear what the criteria was for him.
I see f.e. Droid listed as No (not as some, or unavailable), which is specifically a touch skin.

Same as XeeBo which is fully mouse supported but oddly listed as 'no' for touch. Huh
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#5
ask the guys what he actually means with 'no support'
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#6
Maybe ask HeadLearning his requirements here http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=206179
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#7
From trying several skins on screens from four inches to ten, I'd offer the following irritants - note, not incompatibilities, but enough to annoy:

1. The size of the controls. It can be problematic to find the 'full screen' button on a small screen without a stylus, for example, or even selecting an item - worse if it's a long-press and then a submenu on which you need to again sharpen your fingertips before giving it a whirl.

2. The timing of dynamic controls. A good example of this is the slide-out sidebar on Confluence - getting that to come out and stay out long enough to use with your fingers is an artform, because a single press and it leaps out and then scuttles away immediately (I assume this is timing, anyway, perhaps interpreting a finger-press as a double-click - pressing and holding allows navigation eventually, though).

3. Scrolling. If you have a long list, swiping will get you there eventually, but page up/down buttons would be helpful. Yes, there's perhaps a scrollbar, but it's fiddly if it's too narrow (so linked to (1), above).

Those are the main ones to me. Otherwise, it's down the aesthetics of a 10-foot interface on a 0.3-foot screen...
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#8
Thanks for the various replies guys.

Based on what you are all saying my skin would be semi compliant due to being mousable (has big clickable listitems and scrollbars thruout the skin) , not that I particularly care about xTV-SAF. I am at the moment once again playing with a new skin idea (maybe this one will finally see the light of day) and would definitely like for the new skin to be touch compliant, thus the question about what is required.

As always if we could come up with a definite list of requirements, this would be something worthwhile adding to the wiki to help other skin coders.

Wyrm
If required a FULL debug log can now be submitted from the skin in settings->skin settings->support. Or follow instructions here if you can't access skin settings.

FAQ's located at :- http://kodi.wiki/view/Add-on:AppTV
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#9
I am also dealing with touch support for my skin and have found that the following way of working yields good results.

1. Make your skin mouse compatible. If you are able to use the skin with the mouse only, you already have a skin that can be used with a touch screen.

2. Adapt control sizes to make sure the user interaction is always registered by the skin.

Just by doing these two things you will end up with a skin that you can easily use on a touch screen.
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#10
(2014-10-11, 17:58)wyrm Wrote: With users asking after touch enabled skins, what exactly makes a skin touch enabled or not?

As a skin author, what needs to be changed to make a skin suitable for use on a touch based system? I'm asking this as my skin is listed as not being touch enabled, but other than close buttons on dialogs and buttons to bring up context and other setting type menus, I can't see what difference there is between a compliant and non compliant skin.

Wyrm (xTV-SAF)

Hi. After installing the skin, touches are unresponsive. Any touch removes all focus. See screen shot.

Image

I am able to regain focus by dragging up but this is not an intuitive action and something I only discovered through randomly dragging at various spots on the screen.

Image

Attempting to make any selection by tapping simply loses focus as shown in the first image, rendering the skin unusable.in fact to revert to another skin I had to manually delete the skin from my addons folder as navigation was impossible via touch inputs. Hope this helps!
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#11
(2014-10-12, 10:59)MassIV Wrote: On Android basic stuff like list controls scroll as you expect by drag. Windows touch behaves like a mouse hoover.

But depending on how many controls you have in controls, like groups inside grouplists in groups ect (and/or stuff wider than the screen) you might need some hidden buttons or a scrollbar to help out.

You also can't depend on focus being where you expect. Unless a finger touches the screen assume there is no focus.
Meaning that some of the 'hacks' with hidden buttons changing strings ect don't work as expected.

So it really depends on how you have build the windows.
Best to see if you can borrow a tablet from a friend or something.

-----

Looking at his list it's also unclear what the criteria was for him.
I see f.e. Droid listed as No (not as some, or unavailable), which is specifically a touch skin.

Hi. That skin is marked as incompatible in 13.2 so I was unable to test it.

(2014-10-12, 14:04)RockerC Wrote: Maybe ask HeadLearning his requirements here http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=206179

The criteria for my testing was simple. The skin has to respond to basic touch selections. If I touched a selection and it did not respond, the skin was marked as incompatible. In instances where I could make some selections but other basic functionality was comprised such as being able to scroll through a library, I marked the skin as partially compatible. If a skin is marked as incompatible in the 13.2 skin settings dialog, I was unable to test.
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#12
BTW why is the skin Droid moved to garbage en why is there no other good touch screen skin available? The current default skins (re-touched) and confluence, are good functional skins, but the looks are not that clean and modern anymore. Especially now when Windows 8.1 convertibles are getting more and more popular, a really good touch skin would be awesome. Some good skins at the moment who have touch potential, are: Re-focus, Droid (but not available for helix) and Box. But Re-focus lacks touchscreen support for going back (although there is a big win8 style back button, but wont respond to mouse or touch) same goes for Box.
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#13
Droid isn't in the garbage bin - http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=219888
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