JarC's skins


Tony

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a zip of JarC's MX3 skins - they are just what i have gathered over time - the directories may be duplicates of the skin files and all he did may not be there

dont expect them to work in MX4 but they are interesting and a good point of reference

Tony     -  Vivaldi 4 on Windows 10 64Bit
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Hi Tony, I repacked the GrayColor TML folder after modifying skin3.ini and the skin file lauched and is running in the installer version I'm using now. There are some problems with the sidebar icons (aall the favorites icon). But it's start.

The multiline feature works.

-- SL

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SnowLeopard replied at 2013-8-30 21:16 back.gif

Hi Tony, I repacked the GrayColor TML folder after modifying skin3.ini and the skin file lauched and ...

done all that - theres also problems with the tabs as far as i remember not showing the full text - theres a fix for that somewhere - here or the old forum

plus theres lots missing and different but as you say a start and something to learn from

Tony     -  Vivaldi 4 on Windows 10 64Bit
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tony. replied at 2013-8-30 12:24 back.gif

done all that - theres also problems with the tabs as far as i remember not showing the full text ...

There's also a problem with the tabs when you switch into the skin from another one with a few tabs open. The tabs are not "remembered"; I had to reopen them all.

I also noticed that taabs on the furst row open at a fixed width, but on the second row they open at max width then shrink towards the minimum width.

: I've found this doesn't happen all the time. On first installation of the skin on a clean install the tabs open at fixed width on all lines.

But after switching skins and switching back to the GrayColor TML skin, the tabs on the second (and I presume othr) rows open with variable width. There's some interaction with what other skins have done that seems to hang around.

A few problems to work on. ;)) -- SL

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SnowLeopard replied at 2013-8-30 12:49 back.gif

There's also a problem with the tabs when you switch into the skin from another one with a few tab ...

I'm trying to tackle the problem in the GrayColor and BlueColor TML skins which do not show distinctive icons in the sidebar. All the extensions show in the sidebar with the same icon (a Favorites icon with blue background.)

I'm comparing the index.htm files from a normal ui.dat file and from MxChrome.msskin to find what lists the extension icons.

I wonder if this is the proepr way? Seems like it should work, if I don't copy too much code and break something.

Another question. Is the 'sidebar' in GrayColor TML etc. really a sidebar? Or is it part of the tabbar? It doesn't display the context menu for a sidebar when right-clicked. That could mean it's not a sidebar or that the context menu was skipped. I wonder which, if anyone has a thought.

Thanks for comments and suggestions if I'm off track.

-- SL

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SnowLeopard replied at 2013-9-1 16:16 back.gif

I'm trying to tackle the problem in the GrayColor and BlueColor TML skins which do not show distin ...

I had not noticed the differences between the sidebar in 3.5.2 and 4.1.x.x probably becauae I mostly run the portable version which doesn't have a pinnable sidebar.

I have noted the difference in the context menu in 3.5.2 and 4.1.3 now, so that makes sence. Thanks for the push.

As for going further, I discovered that my inital thoughts were not enough in a quick experiment last night. But my goal is not, for now, anything major. It's just to get the sidebar to pulll the right icons for each extension rather than pulling the same icon for each one. I nrrfd y ifrnyigy ehrtr the code is that pulls the icons for the sidebar. My first thought was to look in the sidebar folder in the main* foloder.

Have to dig further today.

-- SL

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joemax - For starters M3 didn't have the dock, your going to have to play with more than just the ui.dat file.

not sure what the dock has to do with anything - maybe Joe will add to his thoughts on what other files will need to be looked at

in the mean time there you go - let you and Joe work it out ;P

post-2400682-14315112207641_thumb.png

Tony     -  Vivaldi 4 on Windows 10 64Bit
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tony. replied at 2013-9-2 05:01 back.gif

not sure what the dock has to do with anything - maybe Joe will add to his thoughts on what other ...

Yes, it does work from the pictures. Can you forward that skin? I'll use it to see what's different from JarC's other files.

I've been learning a bit about Maxthon's files in the comparison process. And discovering all sorts of things tucked in out of the way places that start to make sense afterward. My exploringn has been driven by searching for icons ... in files or folders.

BTW, the dock doesn't work on the portable version. I really wish it would. It seems to me, it should be possible. Just make ssure all the user stuff goes to the UserData folder on the removable drive/media.

Thank for showing it's possible. On to exploring.

-- SL

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theres nothing to learn if i do it all for you - its all there to work out - making a mess of it is how i learned

the main area to look in is the sidebar dir - the dock sorts itself out - the code for that is in modules so it exists whatever skin is loaded - its configuration is stored in the user dir so once its been called it works

to me its a complete pain in the backside - if it worked correctly it would be great even though its too wide but i run maxthon with a space at each side for icons - open the dock and they move - close the dock and they should move back but they dont so its something i never use - its badly thought out

Tony     -  Vivaldi 4 on Windows 10 64Bit
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tony. replied at 2013-9-2 10:13 back.gif

theres nothing to learn if i do it all for you - its all there to work out - making a mess of it is ...

No matter now, Tony. I discovered you'd already posted what I asked for (or something like it) in the JarC.zip. As you noted the dock does work in JarC's skins, but you can't launch it from them, at leat not in the versions I have. I launch elsewhere and switch in.

But mostly, I'm running portable, so no dock anyway. But I still want to get the icons straight. I need to find what code pulls the icons and from where.

-- SL

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SnowLeopard replied at 2013-9-2 20:34 back.gif

No matter now, Tony. I discovered you'd already posted what I asked for (or something like it) in ...

thats what i found on the dock and as i dont use it went no further - but as you agree it does work - sure it can be made as new skins with a little searching and playing

to get the icons in the sidebar i just overwrote JarC's sidebar dir with one from a modern skin - that widened the sidebar and used the full size icons - he had a method of reducing the standard icons to smaller ones in his code - again my method took the simple path just to show how it can be done

Tony     -  Vivaldi 4 on Windows 10 64Bit
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tony. replied at 2013-9-2 11:56 back.gif

thats what i found on the dock and as i dont use it went no further - but as you agree it does wor ...

Your simple method has given me an idea. Try repeating it but use the sidebar in MxChromium 2.1.9 or the one you use. That sidebar is narrowed and has reduced icons, though will probably mess up the color.

I'll gvie it a try to see how or if it works. I never thought of doing that; I waas trying too hard to be delicate and precise. Sometimes a sledgehammer will lead to a discovery.

Dale

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SnowLeopard replied at 2013-9-2 12:02 back.gif

Your simple method has given me an idea. Try repeating it but use the sidebar in MxChromium 2.1.9 ...

Tony, it works. I had to tweak index.css to get the sidebar color and width right. The remaining problem is displaying the sidebar controls at the bottom and getting the surrounding color right. Gotta save something for tomorrow evening.

-- SL

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  • 4 weeks later...

tony. replied at 2013-9-2 09:34 back.gif

yep

Tony,

I want to revisit this discussiin. Can you pin the dock from it's unpinned state in the JarC skin in your screen shots in this and your previous message? The versions of JarC's skiins you posted do not display a proper sidebar context menu like many other skins do and without that, you can't lauch the dock from within Maxthon altherough if you launch it directly from its module directory, it works.

Here's all I get for a context menu in GraayColor TML, BlueColor TML, or SmokedClass TSL:

Does your version produce a full context menu or just like I show in the shot?

Any ideas where the context menu is laid out?

>>SLpost-17653568-1431511270616_thumb.png

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short answer to your question above is - i have no idea - i do not use the dock - everytime i open it i regret it - it makes a complete mess of my desktop so have no desire to play

that apart i am being slow tonight and i dont understand your question totally - the grabs above show what i achieved - in truth i cannot remember how i did it - as Joe says the dock was never in 3 - not strictly true is was in some private versions from Maxthon labs? but all JarC's skins were based on standard 3 skins so there will be no code in them for the dock - so you will have to add it - not sure if the builds from Maxthon labs are still available - in truth i cannot remember where i got them from

the other way will be to use the core of JarC's skin and add the dock code to it from 4 - that i would guess would be possible in a ui.dat mod or a skin file - anything thats not in that it will take from the main dir in ui.dat or should do

Tony     -  Vivaldi 4 on Windows 10 64Bit
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tony. replied at 2013-10-1 13:03 back.gif

short answer to your question above is - i have no idea - i do not use the dock - everytime i open i ...

Thankk tony, I also would have the messed up desktop if I ran the installer version and used the dock in my usual account on this laptop. But I always use the portable version there, so no dock. In my other account, I have aa much less busy desktop and the dock doesn't mess it up.

I've come to the conclusion that replacing the dock in JarC's skins with the one from a 4 ui.dat is what is needed. I am running a text build now that looks like a step in the right direction ... not yet a JarC type. i more work to do to make it work right when pinned to Maxthon; but it seems to work right pinned to the desktop. So I'm following one of your suggestions.

>>SL

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tony. replied at 2013-10-1 13:03 back.gif

short answer to your question above is - i have no idea - i do not use the dock - everytime i open i ...

Tony,

Re: the other way:

the other way will be to use the core of JarC's skin and add the dock code to it from 4 - that i would guess would be possible in a ui.dat mod or a skin file - anything thats not in that it will take from the main dir in ui.dat or should do

My question is "where is the dock code found?" I've been looking for it in layout.htm, index.htm, etc. but cannot identify it if it's there.

lI've started with a current ui.dat unpacked and done a few additions to it such ad sidebar snd statusbar, but that leaves more to do to make them fully functional. As far as I can see the sidebar files don't have code for the context menu, or if they do, it's not working.

So where to look next?

>>SL

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i dont understand your term - code for the context menu - be more specific or simpler - maybe me being thick

if you mean this - if so i would be looking in sidebar

post-2400682-14315112706248_thumb.jpg

Tony     -  Vivaldi 4 on Windows 10 64Bit
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tony. replied at 2013-10-2 09:53 back.gif

i dont understand your term - code for the context menu - be more specific or simpler - maybe me bei ...

Yes, that's the menu I'm looking for.

Hmmm, one of my experiments was to copy the sidebar directory into a clean current ui.dat folder and the proper context menu was working although the rest of the sidebar is not populated in that state.

That hints to me that the context menu code is NOT in the sidebar dir. I might be wrong; maybe somehtiing else in JarC's skin is interfering.

>>SL

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tony. replied at 2013-10-2 13:28 back.gif

you mean that - thats a straight port of one of JarC's with the sidebar dir copied from a recent MX4 ...

If I recall correctly you did say something like that earlier, but it didn't sink in then ... I can be thick minded too. I've beeen giving thaat a try, though not just straight copying and not always from a current 4 ui.dat. If that works then i'll implement the mods I made to control the sidebar width and icon size, since those go into index.css in the sidebar dir. But first one step at a time.

>>SL

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tony. replied at 2013-10-2 13:28 back.gif

you mean that - thats a straight port of one of JarC's with the sidebar dir copied from a recent MX4 ...

Well, Tony, your trick worked but only after I noticed you were using one of JarC's "bottom" skins. I chose his BSL skin. The contest menu is working even after I started applying the mods to reduce its width and color it to match his skin. i have a litle more tweaking to do, it's working with the single-liine version.

I'm suspecting that the top single-lline may also work easily. The multi-line tabbars may be interfering. I'll see after comparing some files.

Later ...

>>SL

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i would think it would work on all his skins - the bottom tab version is 2 lines of codes swapped round from tabs at the top so that should not be a problem

all his skins were developed in a progression - the core was always the same

and not a trick - just adding code that is there for the buttons that was never in 3

Tony     -  Vivaldi 4 on Windows 10 64Bit
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tony. replied at 2013-10-2 23:54 back.gif

I too would think it would work on all his skins - the bottom tab version is 2 lines of codes swapped ro ...

I too think it would work on all of his skins, but it hasn't proved to be that way. At least not with the top skins. I'm going to try the bottom multi-line skin to see if that wrks.

UPDATE: The BSL version has proven to be just as easy as the bML conversion. Not gone through the whole conversion, but the rest shouldn't give any problems. The foundation has been updated.

You mention progressive development. Is his progression from top to bottom and from single- to multi-line? That seems to be the way another skin designer worked ... the "Intimate" skin has a bottom-tab stub in it's code commented out but left in until he solved how to do it. I think I see similar hints of progression in some of JarC's comments.

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its a long time ago - the old forum would give the answers by date posted - but he had a core and added to it - the object was to add things that had been standard or at least configurable from MX2 - much of what he added was for him or to see if it was possible

if something works with the tabs at the bottom then it must/or maybe should work with tabs at the top - as i said earlier to move the tabs above or below the navbar or status bar is just moving one line of code up or down in an index.htm file

to be honest skins have moved on from what JarC did - not just the layout but the way they now call the settings for colours etc - building on his skins seems the wrong approach imo - it will create too many problems - but thats up to you - not sure what you are trying to achieve long term or whether its just a mental exercise - i gave up publishing skins a long time ago - i think JarC had got to that point - he never published on the skin centre just the old board and there he was pretty fed up of people just downloading and making no comment - his last few skins demanded a comment before download - that became pointless as all people put was - iugoiihj - or similar

for me as i say i also gave up - all a publishing a skin does is raise questions of people wanting this wider or a different colour or icon - to my mind thats not the idea - take and learn to do it yourself as you are doing

finally be careful what skins you look at - when MX3 came out many things were not possible - side favourites for example - there are skins still around that added that - so looking at the code for that has no meaning for todays MX4 skin - the way is to start with what we have today and modify that not start with a skin that was created over 2 years ago and whilst working has too much missing or not up to date - i would guess the intimate skins are the same - they are old and have not been updated as far as i know

Tony     -  Vivaldi 4 on Windows 10 64Bit
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tony. replied at 2013-10-3 02:43 back.gif

its a long time ago - the old forum would give the answers by date posted - but he had a core and ad ...

Well it's looking like your first inclination will be correct. So far I've updated the sidebar and statusbar in 3 of JarC's skins. So it is as easy as copying in the current director of eahc object. In my case, I copied in a statusbar dir. that does what I want with the status bar ... put it on a diet like in the intimate skins.

Speaking of which, I was reading the intimate skin code for index.css in the sidebar dir this morning and I do not understand how that code produces such a slim sidebar. It looks like it shouldl produce a sidebar that is almost default width. Is there any other place, to your knowledge, where sidebar characteristics can be altered? Don't bother mentioning constants.css in the main directory. I don't think the code uses any constants in the sidebar; I know about that and it doesn't play a role at all if I recall..

Long termm objective, I don't have one in mind at the moment beyond learning how to do mods ... st least the simpler ones. Designing a skin is beyond my skill at this time, so I have to work from designs that appeal to me but aren't quite what I like. Often this has involed trying to merge features from a couple skins into one such as the slimness of the intimate skin and the multi-row tabbar in JarC's skin or the smoked glass appearance in another of his skins.

Well, back to keeping busy during the US gov't shutdown.

>>SL

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