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+--- Thread: Skin & UI Suggestions for Frodo (/showthread.php?tid=120561)
Skin & UI Suggestions for Frodo - pecinko - 2012-01-21
I thought we could start discussion on suggestions that might be considered for after Eden is released:
3 step interface:
Home page -> filter -> content
Current organization is probably not efficient enough as it requires to many steps to get to media. Videos->movies->title->media. Furthermore, recently added movies filter is placed inside videos as oppose to movies.
Moving "sort by" to filters section:
Sort by options in side menu could be moved to filters (see above) - thus lightening UI
Allow for selecting home menu items:
Probably using Favourites or similar window, where user could change label, thumb and background (fan art) for favorite item. Core function that would allow for assigning this item to home menu. This should be then put on wiki.
Pre populated containers:
Using pre populated containers with pre defined IDs for recently added (RA) or watch list (WL) items, allowing skinner to alter the looks of it but without the need to manually code static lists for every possible RA/WL item.
Moving some of the script functionalities to core:
So you could choose artist fan art/images slideshow instead of visualization while music is playing
Banners and Posters for TV Shows:
I would like to suggest dropping banner support altogether or fetching both posters and banners. Current situation is very confusing and there are many posts like "why my thumbs get stretched/squished"
edit:
ListItem.Description to rule them all:
Idea is to aggregate all plots, show plots and similar into one - Item description. For compatibility sake old ones can stay in place, but considered obsolete.
Container.content(addon_media):
There is a need to offer different views when you are browsing media content served by an add-on but, at the same time, that content does not fit Movie, TV or Episode category. E.g. you want to browse through Youtube menus using a list to make things easier. When you're deep down at add-on content level, you might want to offer thumbnail view.
In other words Container.content(addon_media) could tell me - you are to expect metadata info here (ratings, durations, descriptions...) but you may encounter different thumbnail sizes/aspect ratios.
edit:
Ability to define minimal XBMC version by skin:
There are many posts by users installing skin for nightly builds on stable release and running into all kinds of problem. It is not obvious if skin problems are related to this and users do not offer enough info for troubleshooting.
If skin could specify minimal XBMC version requirement and which will prevent add-on install on unsupported XBMC builds, this situation could be avoided.
edit:
<overlaytexture> tag for image control
This should behave exactly the same as <bordertexture> but should be rendered on top of an image instead. Alternative - allow setting of Z order for <bordertexture>.
E.g. <bordertexture border="4" alignZ="top">ThisGoesAbove_Icon.png</bordertexture>
Container type fixedpanel
Panel container with ability to fix row/column as in fixedlist container.
ControlGroup(foo).Position(foo)
Something that bothered me from the beginning is lack of possibility to make animation based on focused position in Grouplist control. HasFocus(foo) can't be used always as sometimes items are hidden, unknown ID (like in context menu) or are subject to change without notice (system buttons).
ListItem.IsHD (for 720 and 1080 videos)
I know it can be achieved using string comparison but it would be much easier if this check would be available.
- Hitcher - 2012-01-21
Here's what didn't make it into Eden -
jmarshall Wrote:1.1 Move the files views inside the library, removing MyVideoFiles.xml and MyMusicSongs.xml.
- music:
1.2. Ensure Container.Content is set to appropriate things in all sections. NEED INPUT.
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?p=729266
http://trac.xbmc.org/ticket/10313
1.4. Change from fixed-resolution folders to arbitrary resolution for skins. IN PROGRESS
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?p=730587
http://trac.xbmc.org/ticket/11223
https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/commit/194db82a1f73ad53772be66c0073f059fe8d34c2
1.5. Add ability to retrieve listings into static content.
1.7 Add skin.art addons to take care of studio icons and weather fanart packs (and perhaps other background packs?)
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?p=731714
Cheers,
Jonathan
- ZombieRobot - 2012-01-21
wouldn't be that keen on dropping banners but do agree that a lot of people ask why its all stretched scraping both would be great.
- Martijn - 2012-01-21
ZombieRobot Wrote:wouldn't be that keen on dropping banners but do agree that a lot of people ask why its all stretched scraping both would be great.
Splitting them into poster and banner would be better and maybe adding all those other now very common art types.
Well let's see what they have in store for the database restructuring they are planning (some day)
- ralob - 2012-01-22
Martijn Wrote:Splitting them into poster and banner would be better and maybe adding all those other now very common art types.
Well let's see what they have in store for the database restructuring they are planning (some day)
Agreed. Scraping both would definitely help eliminate some of the confusion.
- pecinko - 2012-01-22
ListItem.Description to rule them all:
Idea is to aggregate all plots, show plots and similar into one - Item description. For compatibility sake old ones can stay in place, but considered obsolete.
Container.content(addon_media):
There is a need to offer different views when you are browsing media content served by an add-on but, at the same time, that content does not fit Movie, TV or Episode category. E.g. you want to browse through Youtube menus using a list to make things easier. When you're deep down at add-on content level, you might want to offer thumbnail view.
In other words Container.content(addon_media) could tell me - you are to expect metadata info here (ratings, durations, descriptions...) but you may encounter different thumbnail sizes/aspect ratios.
- wyrm - 2012-01-22
Allow DialogKeyboard.xml to be localised. Discovered recently that on screen keyboard is english only, which considering that everything else is localised is a bit of a oversight.
Wyrm (xTV-SAF)
- BigNoid - 2012-01-22
pecinko Wrote:ListItem.Description to rule them all:
Idea is to aggregate all plots, show plots and similar into one - Item description. For compatibility sake old ones can stay in place, but considered obsolete
Isn't this what variables are for. One variable can do the same.
- pecinko - 2012-01-22
Big_Noid Wrote:Isn't this what variables are for. One variable can do the same.
I'm not sure that's their main purpose but they sure come handy here and that's what I'm using now.
However, it seems unnecessary and complicates skinning. Beginners would probably appreciate it more - you actually have to know that there are 5 or so different type of descriptions (music counting) in order to utilize $VARs to return you the right one for the active content type.
Furthermore, you could make use of !IsEmpty[ListItem.Description]
- pecinko - 2012-01-23
Ability to define minimal XBMC version by skin:
There are many posts by users installing skin for nightly builds on stable release and running into all kinds of problem. It is not obvious if skin problems are related to this and users do not offer enough info for troubleshooting.
If skin could specify minimal XBMC version requirement which will prevent add-on install on unsupported XBMC builds, this situation could be avoided.
- Hitcher - 2012-01-23
pecinko Wrote:Ability to define minimal XBMC version by skin:
There are many posts by users installing skin for nightly builds on stable release and running into all kinds of problem. It is not obvious if skin problems are related to this and users do not offer enough info for troubleshooting.
If skin could specify minimal XBMC version requirement which will prevent add-on install on unsupported XBMC builds, this situation could be avoided.
Discussed this a while ago here, not sure what's happened since though.
Hitcher Wrote:I tried using <minversion app="xbmc">177d3cb</minversion> in my addon.xml because that's the how the nightly is labelled (xbmc-r177d3cb-master.exe) and that's also the build found in the system info but when I tested this using Dharma the skin still updated.
What's the correct method now?
Thanks.
jmarshall Wrote:Neither. The tag is completely useless, and really should not be there at all.
Instead, we should be bumping the API version when things are added. I haven't as yet as we haven't agreed on how this should be done during the "things are in flux and might change quite a bit" phase of development.
I'll see if I can start a discussion about this and come up with some guidelines.
Cheers,
Jonathan
jmarshall Wrote:Ok, had a quick chat with Cory - I think the plan for now is:
1. Check the versioning stuff does what it should do.
2. Bump the version and ensure that the user is informed as to why they can't load/install the skin (The dependency check is currently done after load unfortunately).
3. Look at when we should bump versions. This will probably become apparent after a while.
Other things to help is that we'll be looking at getting the buildbot to build my branch (or perhaps master + guilib branch merged) as I need it so that you guys can test out new code before it gets in - that way we should hopefully get more places where the feature goes in complete with version bump.
Unfortunately I suspect the version checks aren't done at all in Dharma, so it probably won't help with users attempting to install your skin there - never know though, we might be lucky!
Cheers,
Jonathan
- sialivi - 2012-01-23
Access to ListItem.Property(SeasonThumb) outside of DialogVideoInfo
- Jeroen - 2012-01-23
Total number of songs and albums
Ticket
Font outlines
I still would really like to see this one
Ticket
- pecinko - 2012-01-29
<overlaytexture> tag for image control
This should behave exactly the same as <bordertexture> but should be rendered on top of an image instead.
Container type fixedpanel
Panel container with ability to fix row/column as in fixedlist container.
- jmarshall - 2012-01-29
<overlaytexture> is unlikely to be added unless there is an extreme need for it. You already have a diffuse + border, do you really need something else? Prove it.