Any advice on uploading similar skins?

Jeez...I just read that and realized I made no sense.

I guess I'm trying to say:...Is it best to upload skins that are basically colored kissin' cousins as separate or put them up as a unit?

I feel that uploading them as separate when the only things changed are the colors and a few minor image changes seems...well...tacky.

Am I wrong?

Hmm.

Shmoopy make up your own mind...it's not rocket science.

Okay, self...I concede...you know best.

Why not make one, a sub-skin of the other?......... and give folks more than 14 minutes to answer.....   

Use a compound skin. That allows you to add several design in one package. The user can simply select the skin from WindowBlinds. How does it work? I am not sure how to do it in SkinStudio, because I have always done making compound skins manually.

Hehe. I am convincing Keila for the last two days to make a compound file, so this one is for her too. She showed me a preview of that skin and it is looking good.

Just design your skins (2 or more). In this sample we have a skin called BlackAndBlue and another one called BlackAndBlue++. Create a text file (using notepad) which looks like this.

[SkinStyles]
Number=2

[SkinStyle0]
Name=BlackAndBlue
Skin=BlackAndBlue.uis

[SkinStyle1]
Name=BlackAndBlue++
Skin=BlackAndBlue++.sss

The main skin in my sample has the usual UIS file called "BlackAndBlue.uis". The other one is called "BlackAndBlue++.sss". The SSS-file is just a UIS file rename to SSS. Note that all paths in all UIS and SSS files must point to the same folder. It's very easy to do and won't take much time.

Sorry about the typos, I am not fully awake yet.

WOW...great tips Koasati and Madice...

Madice...the code is more helpful than the skinstudio bits anyhoo I think.

For now I'll just zip them together methinks until I'm confident I can pull that whopper off.

I still need to learn the code for applying wallpaper and custom fonts too...

For now I'm still in itty bitty basic mode.

*yawn*

MadIce you're not full awake?

I am not fully asleep yet. hehe

P.S. Your advice was great and I may brave implementing it even in this upload...I just have a dreadful lack of faith in myself until I finally 'get it'.

What is it with you ladies? Keila is mumbling about zipping too. Go for the compound files. You don't compromise your graphics too, do you? Try it out and go for it.

[Message Edited]

Hmm. I just looked at the code in Mike B's Avenger folder and noted that all of his skins with the 'alternate' color were named differently i.e. the word 'dark' prefaced each word for that specific image that was different.

So...since I don't wanna rename every file that is in my other skin-color's folder...is there a way to put the alternate skin folder within the folder and specify the path to that folder in the code you mentioned? I know for certain I can't put my files with my current skin or otherwise it will just overwrite and replace the current images and yadda yadda not purdy.

Yes...go to bed, Angela.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Man...I need to go to bed. Sorry.

Before I nodd off...

My for instance is...

What if my skin is titled: "Pooky bear" and I put a folder named PookyBear2 within the main folder titled "Pooky bear2" within it...

something like:
[SkinStyles]
Number=2

[SkinStyle0]
Name=Pooky Bear
Skin=PookyBear.uis

[SkinStyle1]
Name=Pooky Bear2
Skin=/pookyBear2/pookybear2.sss

I will give an lame example of what I'm trying to say...

Could I do something like this?

Shoot! I just caught myself!

Sure, that MIGHT be possible if I changed the code in the PookyBear2 .uis code to include the /PookyBear/PookyBear2/ before everything that needs pointing to...within the code that is...

Good lord...

Well, it's only a matter of copy-paste a few times I guess...

But...would it work?

Or am I making a rigmarole out of more than need be done?

Oh my head hurts.

nighters!

BTW: The sample code I gave above should be in a file with a SSD extension. In this example it would be called BalckAndBlue.ssd.

In your main skin you have images used by your second skin. You can share those images. And yes, you must rename the images that differ in the second skin. Rename the UIS file of the second skin to give it a SSS extension and make sure the paths in that file are the same as the ones in the UIS file. Zip it all in one file and rename the extension to WBA. Make sure the WBD files don't end up in the skin.

* click *

Sleep well.

Thank you for your help, MadIce

All of my images are different from the originals so I'll try that the next time but I'll be sure to name all of my images differently from the beginning so it will be easier to manage...for now it would be a lot of renaming and code-editing and I've already spent enough time on this skin which is so funky I don't know why I took so much time to make it.

Have a nice day and thank you again...I'm keeping this all on a word-file so I have the info if I need it again!

But, but.

Keila is mumbling

/me is still thinking on it but tend to agree about the compound skin.
Mine only has four parts that would need to be changed for some users anyway.

Try it out and go for it.

/me just may do that, mumble, mumble!