Gettin into the skinning again...

[bmblank]

So I'm basically trying to set up the navigation the way I want it for most of the screens as we're going to be using a remote occasionally. Here's the deal.
I'm using Baddabings KISS. Cause, you know... it's simple... And it looks good of course. So maybe baddabing can help me out, but it's more of an xlobby question than a skin question.
I like having the Now Playing coverart (shown on the Menu as well as the All CDs and such...) as a navigable item so I can get to the nowplaying screen. The only problem is I don't *really* know that I'm selecting that button. On the other buttons there is an up, a down and an enter configuration (up=black, down=blue/green, enter=red, or whatever) so when I'm navigating with the remote it shows... What I'd like to do is set another couple configurations for that changing item, so when it's not highlighted it shows the album cover, but when it IS highlighted it would show some fancy button with the text "Now Playing" or something like that...
Is there any way to do that?
I noticed that it is in the editor as "text", which I understand, since you need to use variables on anything that changes according what's playing. But I'm just wondering if you can cover it maybe or hide it and show another button...
Also, before you answer with some code... I'm just starting to understand the concept of using variables, so hopefully that gives you an idea of where I am skill-wise.
Thanks, see ya tomorrow at work

[Marbles_00]

I think I do what your asking in my ZoneSkin Zonemaps. What you could do is create two images. One a highlight image that resides behind the coverart. A second image is an "invisible" or transparent .png file that is over the cover art.

Now the image that resides behind, give it a unique ID name, and then hide it.

With the invisible (transparent image...NOT the hidden selector image) image selected, associate the hidden highlight image to it via the "Advanced" tabs Show And Hide by highlighting the unique ID name you gave to the highlight image. Then associate a goto nowplaying event to the invisible .png "Click Event". What should happen is you will see the coverart, but the invisible .png will be over it. Now when you navigate to the coverart...or really you should navigate to the invisible .png, this will cause the hidden highlight behind the coverart to show up. Then just click on what you would think is the coverart will take you to the Now Playing screen.

Hope this helps.

*EDIT*
I was going to make up a quick video, but it was pretty choppy (low frames per second to decrease file size). If this is indeed what you want, and your still stumped, I will put it together and throw it on my website to help you out.

[bmblank]

I'm pretty sure that helps. Hopefully I'll be able to give it a try tonight.
Basically, as I understand it, there are 3 items all in one spot. One is a normally hidden item that says "Now Playing", one is the coverart, and one is an invisible button. The invisible button will be doing all the work. The event is linked to the invisible button and so is showing the normally hidden item.

[Marbles_00]

Yep,

Just remember to give the normally hidden item a unique ID name. Make sure that the list of items in the Skin Edit/Default tab are as follows:

Normally Hidden Item
Coverart image
Invisible image

Reason being is that items lower on the list are actually the top most items on the screen. This would be if you use some sort of highlight image slightly larger than the Coverart, so the outside edges of the highlight "shine" around the artwork. If you want to have the Normally Hidden Item as "Now Playing" text, then the order would be:

Coverart image
Normally Hidden Item
Invisible image

So when you go over the artwork, the "Now Playing" text will be overtop of the artwork. In the first example, the text would fall behind the artwork and you would not see it, or partially see it.

Let us know how you make out.

[bmblank]

Another question...
If I were to have a button behind the artwork, but slightly larger than the artwork, so it "shines" around the artwork all the time. Is the artwork transparent to mouseclicks to hit the button below? Basically it'd be a simpler way, just have a border around the artwork that would change from black to green/blue to red...
I guess if I were doing that I could just stick a button in the place and then have the text be the variable for the artwork, correct?
Sorry, just wheels turnin in my head.
I think I would like the original way. just part of my learning process is learning other ways of doing it.
I'll let you know how it turns out tonight.


Another question on a different skinning subject.
In KISS again...
When selecting a song from an album it brings up the overlay with the "Play Song", "Add song to playlist", "Play CD", etc.. I'd like to have another overlay come up after the "Play song" and "play cd" selections that says something to the effect of "This will clear the playlist, are you sure you want to continue" and then a couple buttons. Is there a way to have both "Play Song" and "Play CD" buttons direct you to that 1 screen, and then have the continue button either play song or play cd, depending on which button you originally pressed?? Or is it easier to just duplicate the overlay and change the button event?

[Marbles_00]

Concerning your first question. There was a reason to use the invisible.png on top of the artwork, but I can't think of what it is. You could, for sure, try and associate the artwork to the goto event and unhide/hide sequence, but I'm thinking I had problems trying that...but...damn, my head is burning thinking of what happened...it will come to me...I hope.

Concerning your second question. It's been a while since I last looked at that skin, but you may be better off to make two identical overlays, each one could clear the playlist, but one then is associated to the "Play CD" event, and the other is associated to the "Play Song" event. So I guess I answered the way you were thinking with:

Or is it easier to just duplicate the overlay and change the button event?

Hope this helps.

[bmblank]

Well, I played around last night. Mostly trying other stuff, unsuccessfully... Oh well, live and learn. But your trick for the hidden button works nearly flawlessly. Notice I say nearly... Through no fault of your own, for sure.
What happens is when I mouse over the coverart, it's great. The art disappears and the button shows up. It's even red since I'm hovering over it. (I made the button similar to the other buttons on the menu, where it has the three states, up=black, down=red and enter=green or whatever). The problem is when I use the keyboard to arrow over it. I select the "art" (really the invisible button) which shows the button behind the art, but since I'm not really selecting the button behind the art, it stays in the up (black) position. It's pretty minor and I could live with it, but I think the continuity would be better if I could keep the hidden button in the down position. It wouldn't have to have an up position as nobody would see it. Is there an easy way to do this, or am I going to have to make a new button with the up position being the red?

By the way, thanks for all your help. You seem to be pretty good at explaining things.

[bmblank]

[quote=Marbles_00]Concerning your first question. There was a reason to use the invisible.png on top of the artwork, but I can't think of what it is. You could, for sure, try and associate the artwork to the goto event and unhide/hide sequence, but I'm thinking I had problems trying that...but...damn, my head is burning thinking of what happened...it will come to me...I hope.

Concerning your second question. It's been a while since I last looked at that skin, but you may be better off to make two identical overlays, each one could clear the playlist, but one then is associated to the "Play CD" event, and the other is associated to the "Play Song" event. So I guess I answered the way you were thinking with:[/quote]

Ha, that's funny.
Yeah, it's not like an overlay takes up an incredible amount of disk space (practically null), so I'll just do that. Also, I tried just 2 buttons, but unfortunately I think what happened is it didn't like showing something OVER the button that you're selecting. Either that or I didn't do it the way I'm thinking right now... Hmm... Anyways, I couldn't get that to work either, so 3 buttons it is..

[Marbles_00]

The problem is when I use the keyboard to arrow over it. I select the "art" (really the invisible button) which shows the button behind the art, but since I'm not really selecting the button behind the art, it stays in the up (black) position.

If I'm understanding you correctly, what you could try then is in your goto event set up a "Xlobby/Button Show" command associated to the "hidden" button's ID name. Then a wait state of 300ms command. Followed by a "Xlobby/Button Hide" command, again associated to the "hidden" button's ID name. Finally end the event with the actual goto:now playing command. This is then tied to the "Click" event of the invisible.png.

What this should do, is when you click to goto the now playing screen, will show the button down image for 300ms then hide it again. I think you need the hide command otherwise, it will remain showing all the time.

Hope this helps.

[bmblank]

I don't think you understood correctly. Basically, when it shows up, I want it to show up in the Down position. The enter position is only shown for a split second, so I figured I could ignore that. But if I were to arrow (using the keyboard or remote or whatever) to any button, it shows the button Down. Then when I hit enter, it does the enter position and then does the goto event.
It's the same if I mouse over the buttons. It's in UP until I hold the mouse over it, then it's in the Down, then I click and it shows Enter.
Before I mouse over the coverart, it is showing black (though it's hidden). Then when I mouse over it, it shows the hidden button and it's in the down state (because the mouse is hovering over it, as well as the other two items). Then when I click it does it shows Enter.
This is different from keyboarding though... It is showing black (but hidden) normally, but when I keyboard to it, I'm really keyboarding to the invisible button. Neither of the other two buttons know where the other button is. It could be off in pakistan for all they know. So the button shows, but due to it's lack of knowing the other button is on top of it, it shows in it's UP state.
(I realize i'm taking the long way at trying to explain this, bear with me...)
Now since if it is in it's UP state it should be hidden, I figured I'd just make it's UP state the same as it's Down state.

When pondering the problem, remember the three states of a button (I'm sure you remember, but as I describe them) UP, DOWN and Enter.

[Cabnetguy]

Hi everyone,

Sorry to barge in on this thread, but what you are discussing might be the solution to what I want to do in my skin.
I want to change channels on my cable box by clicking an icon for that channel and triggering the event through my USBUIRT.
I am thinking that it would be cool to set up a category using channel icons, and using a category screen to display them. Then when I click on the icon, have it trigger the event for that icon.

Will this work? And would I use the steps outlined above to do this?

[Marbles_00]

And would I use the steps outlined above to do this?

Not quite, but doable. I'm assuming that you have your USBUIRT triggers already setup into events
So...
1) make your channel icon database
2) edit the database for each icon by entering Setup/Databases, select the icon database then edit
3) in the database editor goto the Advanced tab, and for each icon, associate the proper event to it to change to that channel.
4) close down setup, open the skin editor
5) make a category, call it something like channel_icon
6) then under the skin editor/Category tab, goto Display. You will want to set up images under:
Selected - when you are on top of a icon
Unselected - when you move away from the category, the last icon you were on will have an image indicated
7) configure the database to however you want to view it under the General tab
8 ) configure the scroll navigation under the Scoll tab
9) configure the layout to how you want it under the Layout tab
10) associate the channel icon database to the category under the Database tab

That should be it, hope that gets you started at least.

[Cabnetguy]

Thank's for the reply.

That sounds like exactly what I am looking for!
I'll give it a try.

[bmblank]

Well, I decided to go a different way with the coverart thing. Instead of having a button appear over the coverart, I just put a button similar to the menu buttons behind it. It's a black button coming out of the left side of the screen. I shrank the coverart from 80x80 to 70x70, and then put a 100 tall button behind it. So now when you mouse or arrow it will highlight that button. The background is fairly dark and the buttons original state is black, so it doesn't stick out much, but when you highlight, you get a nice border around the coverart. I think it looks pretty alright.
We just recieved a cable to go to the projector (needed 50 feet.. ) but it looks pimp on there. And milkdrop... None of our other computers would even think about running it, but oh man the colors... The response.. We probably sat there in the dark watching nothing but the vis and listening to music for about half an hour. It's nice having a good computer.
The videocard with composite out just got delivered today, so hopefully I'll be able to get that installed and we'll be off and running. Just gotta make a couple more changes to the skin (mostly implementing the same changes throughout...) and do a little file management and I think we have a stable, semipermanent thing goin. I'm flippin pumped.

[Cabnetguy]

Marbles,

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction for my TV icon project.
Got it working today. It seems that the template that you use to import the database is critical to have the category function properly.
Took me forever to figure it out, but everything works great now! My wife even likes it.