Skinning functionality wishlist

[DreadM]

Greetings

@Nohitter151
Like i know there is no skin outside,
Here you see an early version from Noir,




The problem is thats not support Transparent backround,
Like you know Search box is also use in other menues who got maybe
other colores ,also many scriptS use it in different styles,this can look somtimes very strange.

And Gege Search box looks nice ,maybe we can do withe the many icons from Toolbar the same , bundel them
behind a drop down Button,than we see just 4-5 Buttons and not 20-30 icons ,like in WMP or songbird do with
view mod, i post later a screenshot.

[gege]

BUT then, I have a new wish: Search box needs a facelift. We should be able to make it look Firefox style. For example:

I've edited the image, in order to include "Advanced search..." menu item, whose functionality would be lost with my first proposed design.

[DreadM]

Toolbar Icons



It would be nice and looks more clear when we can minimze the number of icons in the toolbar,
Image 1 shows the default icons (36) and most people got more,this need mutch space
image 2 shows menu drop down buttons ,so it looks more clear and you got more space.
shure we have to to make one more click ,but looks better ,just my opinion and wish.



Search box

With this littel mods Search box can look more like gege suggest

Costom Size from search box
posibility for left or right algin from Search button
include the Search icon with left right algin option

changeable Font color(usefull for dark skins)

[nohitter151]

Regarding ActiveX and Toolbar icons (include 2 posts above):

I think these are features that first need to be addressed by MM in general, and aren't really skinning wishes!

[rovingcowboy]

Regarding ActiveX and Toolbar icons (include 2 posts above):

I think these are features that first need to be addressed by MM in general, and aren't really skinning wishes!

seconded.

theres no way as a skinner we can change those. the only skinner that might beable to change the activex border is petrcbr. in making the skinning engine allow us to do that but i don't think it is very easy to do or he would have done that by now.

[gege]

Time for new wishes...

First, let's compare these two screenshots (MM3 and WMP11):


My main complaint about MM3 in AA View is it looks too "crowded".
There are some issues contributing to this:
- Thumbnails: MM thumbnails are 140x140 px, while in WMP they are 95x95 px.
- Blank space: WMP has much more blank space around thumbnails. In MM they almost touch each other.
- Text: In MM, Album and Artist names are shown underlined (to indicate they're links) and album name is in bold font. In WMP, there's no underline, no bold font and artist name is shown in a lighter color. This produces a much cleaner appearance.
Some may argue that mirror effect also contributes for "crowded" visual in MM, but it can be disabled, so that's not a problem.

I don't know exactly if all these wishes belong to skinning functionality or it'd be better to put them as general MM wishes, but anyway, here I go:
1) Add the ability to display thumbnails in different sizes (in AA views). (I'm not sure what would be better: make it controlled by skinner or by user)
2) Add the ability to display thumbnails with more blank space between them (in AA view).
3) Add the ability to better customize font properties in Artist and Album names (in AA views), like: a) show underlines only on hover event; b) assign different colors for Artist and Album names; c) show Album name in normal font, instead of bold.

[DreadM]

Greetings

1:Hm , I think it's better to controll the Size by user in option menu or with slider in the AAview.
2:maybe belongs to number 1 if you make thumbnails smaller than you get automaticly more space!?
3:YES more controll about Fonts by skinner ,there are more fonts in some menus that we can't controll!!!

[gege]

1:Hm , I think it's better to controll the Size by user in option menu or with slider in the AAview.

Ctrl+Wheel?

[Eyal]

1:Hm , I think it's better to controll the Size by user in option menu or with slider in the AAview.

Ctrl+Wheel?

Ctrl+Wheel will work with mouse only. I don't use a mouse but a graphic tablet so I won't be able to do it.
How about Ctrl+ and Ctrl- to increase/decrease thumb size?

Personally I'm satisfied with the way MM display AA views. But I don't want MediaMonkey to mimic MediaPlayer in no way!
What makes MM so special is that it's unique, what can attract new users who hate MediaPlayer's or iTunes's boring interfaces.

Developers should work to give skinners more control and freedom to create original interfaces, more colors, transparency control (eg. rounded shapes) and interface control (eg. call scripts from Player's buttons, intelligent Player.INI with variables and conditional switches). I want to create my own graphic EQ that expands from player when pressing a button, like Quintessential has done it since 2002. Actually it's impossible, all we get is that BIG anoying flat EQ window overlapping the interface.
MediaMonkey is unique in its way by including programming language to develop script and plugins. Why not extend it to the skinning engine? It could lead to really original interfaces.

Eyal

[rovingcowboy]

1) Add the ability to display thumbnails in different sizes (in AA views). (I'm not sure what would be better: make it controlled by skinner or by user)
2) Add the ability to display thumbnails with more blank space between them (in AA view).
3) Add the ability to better customize font properties in Artist and Album names (in AA views), like: a) show underlines only on hover event; b) assign different colors for Artist and Album names; c) show Album name in normal font, instead of bold.

1) controled by the program developers, this is known by the images you posted, windows has them set to 96 in size. you can find some options in tweaking programs to change their setting to make it bigger or smaller.
but because your image is showing larger in monkey then its not effecting mediamonkey making it a code in monkey that handles this. it is not setting a skinner can change and should not be one for the skinner to change.

2) yes you make them smaller you get more empty screen.

3) fonts are controld more by the mediamonkey program for the same reason the album covers in that view are larger,
the people with the larger size screens get to see them better when they can change the size of the fonts in the monkeys main option panel, in doing that the control of some of the fonts in the system was taken away from the skinners, which is fine by me its less work, and we can not see every screen of every user so its better for them to set the size they need on their set.

now doing something like that for the album cover view would be by the developers in an option style. not something a skinner could do.

[MM3 monkey]

Text: In MM, Album and Artist names are shown underlined (to indicate they're links)

Probably the worst thing about MediaMonkey.

Please get rid of it, guys.

[DreadM]

Greetings

It would be nice if we can dock the player under the controll Bar by default,
maybe an option in the player ini file

DockAtMostTop=1
or something like this.

maybe also an option for small players,Dock= right/Left/=/top/bottom

[rovingcowboy]

morten said that is in the works for future versions when he was asked about that last year by someone that wanted to dock it on top. but the only dock lock now is on the bottom. not sure how long it will take petrcbr to get it in the skinning system.?

[DreadM]

Greetings

I miss song number for usable masks in Player.ini.

By the way,

And, last but not least, would any one of you skinners (nohitter, DreadM... hint, hint...) be able to create a skin based on screenshots provided above, USING CURRENT MM SKINNING ENGINE?

[nohitter151]

Greetings

I miss song number for usable masks in Player.ini.

What do you mean, song #? Do you mean track#?