New Skinning Guide

[anthro]

Yes, I checked and the whole menu bar is a database with each image a separate database entry. I don't really understand how xlobby manages categories so that there are images displayed for a database item, but I do see the images attached. There are also events for each item that allow navigation to a particular menu via "goto."

There is no definition of the position for each menu image, unless the order of listing them in the database determines that. There is no way I have found to drag or position an individual menu button so this must be the case. The underlying XML file does not have a position description either, only an order.

I verified this by editing the XML file and the whole image set shifted position. I guess the next thing to learn will be how dynamic databases get updated. Clearly the GUI menu is not dynamic, but the XML must be dynamically updated for changes to the movie archive etc. I would think there could be contention problems if Xlobby is reading the XML while something else is writing to it, but there must be some mechanism to handle that.

- Daniel

If I recall, the banner is a category. The person who created that skin created buttons within a category. Another skin, that has impressed me, that also does this is the MediaX2.xx skin. The buttons are built up within a database, and then you create a category and select that database to use. But the general concept of creating the buttons, and event, then tagging them together is the same. Only the event is tagged within the Setup/database editor. If you select your database to edit, then select the "Advanced" tab, you will see that you can tag events to your selected entry on the database.

I've always thought that is a concept.

[Colby]

Bless your heart Daniel,
I dont think you are quite getting it. Maybe I can help. Typically there are 4 items on an XLobby page.
1. A textbox with some information typed in it. This would be like a lable for something, or maybe the name of a page youre on. Some text that is always the same in the skin.
2 A variable, like a textbox,usually has a bit of information displayed on the screen. This would be a textbox that would read datetime>F but we would see Monday, Dec 25. Variables show dynamic, or information that has to change depending on something. There are some special variables that actually display graphics. These are exceptions to the standard rule. Such items would be like music>coverart. Although this variable has text information it would actually display as a graphic of the music database's coverart.
3. Buttons are graphics in Xlobby. They may or may not have events associated with them. Sometimes buttons have variables. Like in weather plugins or what have you. But generally buttons are just graphics, or buttons.
4. Categories are a like a package of database information. They can display this information in rows / columns, etc. A category can show text information and graphics. This information is dependent on what exist in the database. Whats unique about a category is that it can have events per item click, or per item enter, or per a whole category click, or a whole cateogory that changes as you "drill" down through it.

In order to create events per each db entry (as you see in this menu category) you have to edit the database adding an event from the advanced tab per every entry. Generally graphics being displayed in a category are found in the db as information in the coverart line. With categories you can only position information as scale X, Y, and spacing. If you need more "whitespace" around an object you must create that in the graphic itself. Menu categories have limitations graphically, but also are great for multiple pages of menu, and displaying graphics from a variable, instead of using show/hide. Also they are easy to move around.
The only way to update you category menu would be to update the database then "refresh". The order in which your category menu is displayed is determined by the sortorder of the database.

I hope this helps you some.

[Marbles_00]

Colby, your awesome as usual. Your explanations are top notch...you even cleared some things up for me.

Daniel, please do not take this the wrong way, as you most likely are a bright guy and all, but your choice of skin to learn from is a more difficult, very integrated skin that can be exceptionally hard to grasp when learning the basic fundamentals of skinnning in Xlobby. Using categories for buttons, though is not impossible (as you have first witnessed), but when first learning Xlobby, it can be a daunting task to fully understand. You should look at Steven's default skin and see how plain buttons are tagged to events, and it will help teach you the basic skinning fundamentals. Colby's skin is another excellent skin to learn from. Finally Buddabing's KISS, and Heavy Metal skins are also great ones as well (sorry to all of those that I didn't mention).

Hey, the Element skin is a good skin, don't get me wrong, but I can understand your frustrations and questions. I learned how to rename database entries by viewing that skin, but there are far easier skins to work with for the beginner than that one. That way, if the "Element" skin is your skin of choice for your useage, then modifying it for yourself will become easier.

Hang in there, keep the questions coming, we are all here to help each other.

[P3rv3rt B3ar]

I think each skin should have main menu based on category and database, then different sections could built as modules and enduser could easily select which modules to have on his/hers system.

Concept could even to be taken that extent that there could be modules made to be usable with several skins...

Just a thought...