How to Create SageMC Theme

[Brent]

Is there a how-to on creating a packaged SageMC theme anywhere? I browsed the forums but couldn't find anything. I did find this thread but it was for the default STV.

[HelenWeathers]

I am ready to dabble a bit with this too.

[bialio]

There isn't a how-to. The images are all in the Theme folder, and there's a theme.properties file. It's pretty easy to understand what does what once you start playing with it.

btl.

[MeInMaui]

If I ever get the chance, I'd like to write up a summary. Of course I've been saying that for about 2yrs.

Aloha,
Mike

[Ender]

Originally Posted by bialio

There isn't a how-to. The images are all in the Theme folder, and there's a theme.properties file. It's pretty easy to understand what does what once you start playing with it.

btl.

It may be easy, but some of us are not very artistically inclined. Heh, you should see my Power DVD Icon, it is absolutely horrid, I am glad though I have settled on a layout that works with a modified theme.

[Brent]

Well, I'm stumbling through this myself and could use some input. If I ever figure it out, I'll post some instructions.

Questions:

1. I want to theme my text font and text color. Is this possible?
2. Is it possible to theme the navigation sounds in SageMC?
3. What are the available navigation sounds?
4. Is there one for starting SageTV or shutting down SageTV?

I think that is it for now. I did figure out how to have custom backgrounds for each specific page which is nice. Would be even nicer if you could have custom backgrounds for each different media - eg. instead of different covers for each music album, have custom backgrounds that change along with the media.

[Brent]

shameless bump. Dirk or Mike or anyone know the answers to these things? Sorry for asking so much lately, but I'm working on some documentation as well as some themes of my own.

Documentation in the SageMC wiki is on my to-do's

[bialio]

[*]I want to theme my text font and text color. Is this possible?

You'll have to dig into studio to get this one. You can try talking hawaii mike into adding this to the theme.properties file though. Fonts are dangerous though - not everyone one has the same fonts available on their system - or even available on their platform! Some of the nice new fonts MS put out with Vista are pretty tricky to get on other OS's......

[*]Is it possible to theme the navigation sounds in SageMC?

No.

[Brent]

I'm collecting a large number of backgrounds, icons and other things across the web for theme work. Thought I'd begin sharing some of what I find in case its helpful to others:

Icon Sets - this post has a bunch of nice icons that could be used in a HTPC theme.

Windows 7 Backgrounds - A few nice backgrounds that would work nicely in a HTPC theme.

I'll share many more shortly...