[Sharpe]

Here's the latest updates - I've mainly been cleaning up the xmls but found the time to alter a couple of movie views.

Version 3.2.5
- Added a new cinema background effect to movie library Panel Wrap view

Version 3.2.6
- Altered the video library list 2 view

[ZERO <ibis>]

Was wondering if there was a way to view studio on the tv fanart wrap view when just looking at the shows? If not it would be nice if there was an option to just enable the studio as a text display below genre or something.

[Sharpe]

Was wondering if there was a way to view studio on the tv fanart wrap view when just looking at the shows? If not it would be nice if there was an option to just enable the studio as a text display below genre or something.

That's already in place - Or do you mean another view?

[ZERO <ibis>]

Sorry I ment the normal fan art view here is the movie version which also appears not to list studio:

[kiboy6]

Hi kiboy6 - welcome back

Might be the processor - just as a test though could you download and use the up to date version of the skin from the download links? - Just want to see if having all the textures in the xbt makes a difference.

OK, finaly got around to testing this and I definitely think it's snappier using the skin from the mediafire link.

The multiple home menu backrounds definitely change less sluggishly, although I still think there are more seconds of blackness when entering the movie library list than there are with the official repo 3.08 version.

It's not an old processor it's just not very powerfull - the Shuttle is designed specifically for use as a HTPC and all the video decoding is handled by the GPU.

Anyway, BackRow now looks amazing on it - the black screen is the only minor annoyance but I can easily live with it.

One question: The skin from the download link unrars to skin.BackRow. In future if I want to update from Passion repo this goes in a separate skin.BackRow(SVN) folder. How do i merge the two so repo SVN updates are applied to the download link version. Merely renaming the skin.BackRow folder to skin.BackRow(SVN) doesn't seem to do it. Is there's a file containing the skin title that needs to be edited or something?

Thanks!

Sri Lanka - wow I bet that's nice.

It is lovely thanks Choice of internet providers without secret FUPs that make day to day internet use a nightmare not so nice.

[Sharpe]

Is there's a file containing the skin title that needs to be edited or something?

Yep it's the addon.xml

Cheers

[kiboy6]

Yep it's the addon.xml

Cheers

Cool - Thanks Sharpe. So I presume once that's done there'll be no problem updating the version originally from the download link directly from the Passion repo.

Cheers

[Sharpe]

Humm - you mean if you change the download link version of the skin so that it's in the passion svn skin folder and swap the addon.xml? - Well yeah I think it would update but I also think that it might toss the whole skin when it updates - defeating the object.

It mght be best just manually copying over the the main xml folders from the up to date SVN into the regular skin folder for the time being. The main XBMC repo is now accepting updates once again so that version of the skin shouldn't get too far behind the SVN anymore. Hopefully I should be able to update it every month providing that's okay with the repo guys which it should be.

[kiboy6]

Cool, thanks for amazingly speedy response as always Sharpe.

So will any changes made in SVN all be contained in the .xmls in the root of the skin folder?

If so for now I will just copy over all the xmls if there are any changes i need in the SVN, and I'll look forward to soon being able to update everything through the official repo.

[Sharpe]

Any SVN changes could potentially be anywhere - but are most likely to be in the 720P or PAL16X9 folders.

If you really want to keep up to date the other option is to manually update from time to time using the mediafire download link - whenever I update the SVN I usually update that link as well.

[ZERO <ibis>]

For those who want to have studio show up in Fan Art view I have a quick way that looks nice for TV Shows. It will display right below the show title and above the first line. I think it produces a nice effect to see the title and studio together like that.

Here is the instructions:

Open Common Video Library Views.xml in PAL16x9

Then within the section <include name="FanArt View"> find:

Code:

<control type="label">
                <posx>535</posx>
                <posy>20</posy>
                <width>180</width>
                <height>65</height>
                <font>Heading-M</font>
                <textcolor>white</textcolor>
                <shadowcolor>black</shadowcolor>
                <align>center</align>
                <aligny>center</aligny>
                <label>$INFO[ListItem.TVShowTitle]</label>
                <scroll>true</scroll>
                <visible>[IsEmpty(Control.GetLabel(77025)) + IsEmpty(Control.GetLabel(77024))]</visible>
                <visible>container.content(episodes) + Control.IsVisible(540)</visible>
                <visible>Skin.HasSetting(TV Poster)</visible>
                <animation effect="fade" time="200">WindowClose</animation>
</control>

Then below which should be about line 10727 add:

Code:

<control type="label">
                <description>Studio label</description>
                <posx>535</posx>
                <posy>75</posy>
                <width>45</width>
                <height>16</height>
                <font>font64</font>
                <textcolor>grey</textcolor>
                <align>left</align>
                <label>$LOCALIZE[572]:</label>
                <visible>container.content(tvshows)</visible>
                <visible>Control.IsVisible(537)</visible>
                <visible>Skin.HasSetting(TV Poster)</visible>
                <visible>!IsEmpty(ListItem.foldername)</visible>
                <animation effect="fade" time="200">WindowClose</animation>
            </control>
            
            <control type="label">
                <description>Studio value</description>
                <posx>715</posx>
                <posy>75</posy>
                <width>135</width>
                <height>16</height>
                <font>font64</font>
                <textcolor>white</textcolor>
                <shadowcolor>black</shadowcolor>
                <align>right</align>
                <label fallback="416">$INFO[ListItem.Studio]</label>
                <scroll>true</scroll>
                <visible>container.content(tvshows)</visible>
                <visible>Control.IsVisible(537)</visible>
                <visible>Skin.HasSetting(TV Poster)</visible>
                <visible>!IsEmpty(ListItem.foldername)</visible>
                <animation effect="fade" time="200">WindowClose</animation>
            </control>

Save and your done!

[Sharpe]

Good to see you getting your hands dirty ZERO <ibis> - nice one.

I was looking at adding the studio icon to this view but wasn't really happy with any of the solutions I'd come up with. Still thinking about it.

[ZERO &lt;ibis&gt;]

Good to see you getting your hands dirty ZERO <ibis> - nice one.

I was looking at adding the studio icon to this view but wasn't really happy with any of the solutions I'd come up with. Still thinking about it.

I would not recommend the studio icons b/c for one many are not available for TV studios as they normally just focus on movies. Second I think it would take up too much space in the view.

Later I want to see if I can get the TV show title to be click-able like the movies section and play a preview video that would be found in the folder of the directory of the files in the database and labeled pv.mkv

That is if I can figure it out b/c I think this one is going to be a lot harder. However if I figure out how the one on the movies works and then make that link to a different place by seeing how the directory structure for the extrafanart works I think that will solve it.

[ZERO &lt;ibis&gt;]

Ok I got it so play previews, but I do not know how to detect the existence of pv.mkv if someone tells me how I can update the instructions so that it will only make the button if the file exists for that given entry.

So if you want preview support do the following:

Open Common Video Library Views.xml
Locate line 10634

Then replace:

Code:

<control type="label">
                <posx>535</posx>
                <posy>20</posy>
                <width>180</width>
                <height>65</height>
                <font>Heading-M</font>
                <textcolor>white</textcolor>
                <shadowcolor>black</shadowcolor>
                <align>center</align>
                <aligny>center</aligny>
                <label>$INFO[ListItem.label]</label>
                <scroll>true</scroll>
                <visible>IsEmpty(Control.GetLabel(77020))</visible>
                <visible>container.content(tvshows) + Control.IsVisible(537)</visible>
                <visible>Skin.HasSetting(TV Poster)</visible>
                <animation effect="fade" time="200">WindowClose</animation>
            </control>

With:

Code:

<control type="button" id="1337">
                <posx>535</posx>
                <posy>20</posy>
                <width>180</width>
                <height>50</height>
                <font>Heading-M</font>
                <textcolor>white</textcolor>
                <shadowcolor>black</shadowcolor>
                <align>center</align>
                <aligny>center</aligny>
                <label>$INFO[ListItem.label]</label>
                <scroll>true</scroll>
                <visible>IsEmpty(Control.GetLabel(77020))</visible>
                <visible>container.content(tvshows) + Control.IsVisible(537)</visible>
                <visible>Skin.HasSetting(TV Poster)</visible>
                <animation effect="fade" time="200">WindowClose</animation>
                <colordiffuse>ddffffff</colordiffuse>
                <onclick>PlayMedia($INFO[ListItem.Path]/pv.mkv)</onclick>
                <onleft>2</onleft>
                <onright>2</onright>
                <onup>2</onup>
                <ondown>537</ondown>
            </control>

Then search for id="537"

Replace:

Code:

<onup>2</onup>

With:
<onup>1337</onup>

Remember that for this to work your file must be called pv.mkv also note that the size of the label has been changed from the default height of 65 in order to look nice with the studio label. If you want it the default just change 50 in height back to 65.

[kiboy6]

Hi Sharpe,

Quick question which I think I may have requested once before a year or so ago.

One feature which i think could be implemented at skin level, which I think would be really handy would be a visual confirmation of "shuffle" being toggled.

I have a button on my remote set up to toggle shuttle on/off, but for now the only way I can check its status is to go to playlist and then press right to bring up the sub-menu.

Personally, I think it would be much more user friendly if XBMC showed a confirmation of the shuffle status when toggled. What do you reckon? Maybe if incorporated into a skin, it would eventually become an XBMC standard...

Cheers!