Combine Theme Settings Files?

[TBacker]

I may have asked this before, but what is the logic behind having separate theme.properties and layout files?

It would seem easier to package a theme if these were combined into one file and kept in the theme folder.

Just curious. It makes for extra steps in both creating/tweaking themes, and loading themes (load the theme, then find the appropriate layout and load it, etc.)

Tim

[gplasky]

theme.properties control graphic-type items in a theme. Examples: background color of a dialog box, the scaling inest used for those graphics when a different resolution is used, EPG colors. For my SagePro MC theme I use it to define two different background screens-one for the main menu and another for the rest.


The .layout files will actually define where Sage widgets might be located on screen and how big they are. Example: Recent and Upcoming Recording widget list-where they are and how big, what size fonts they use, etc. It also controls the menu layout. And more.

Both of these files are text and can be opened with notepad so take a look. theme.properties is a derivative of the core theme.properties and were created way before the .layout file capabilities in SageMC and is specific to that STV.

And just to throw another file into the mix, the Dynamic Menu system by Nielm is used by his plugin in the default STV and is built into SageMC. Whenever you change or add a menu item to it that gets saved to the sagemc_menu.xml in SageMC and in the default_menu_V6_3.xml in the default STV.

These different solutions were created by different plugin authors to be creative solutions to make it easier for the end user to change the look of SageTV without resorting to Studio. Who knows, maybe one day they may all become part of the core.

Gerry

[TBacker]

Yeah, I understood the functions of the files. I was just thinking it would be nice if they were consolidated.

I don't think I would consolidate the dynamic menu file, though, as that is something you wouldn't want overwritten when you load a theme.

Anyway, I know the MC to-do list is log with bigger priorities.

Here's to Me In Maui's recovery and more great things to come!