STV/STVI/Theme Question

[jorton]

I hope this is the right place for this question...

Disclaimer - I'm a tech enthusiast with very limited programming skills

I have been working on a theme that in order for me to get the look I want I have to adjust basic layout of each of the menus, add new images and reassign images (Sagetv7.xml) in Studio. Once I finish getting a handle on all the Studio stuff I will be creating a STVI with my changes. We're talking almost exclusively visual stuff so no "new" features etc.

At which point does the above become a full UI replacement "STV" like SageMC/Ortus Project/Phoenix Project ???

It seems that the best way for me to package this all together is to just supply my custom STV and my theme directory containing all the files needed.

Please correct me If I am totally going down the wrong track.

Thanks,

Jeremy

[PLUCKYHD]

Your is a STVi is only becomes a STV if it is a full UI replacement (ie not dependent on the default STV. Since you are just modifying the default STV but still relying on it heavily it would be a STVi.

[Tiki]

It really depends on how you distribute it...

If you are just changing colors and graphics (like a "skin"), it is best to create a custom theme and just distribute this.

If you need to modify the layout of some of the screens, add custom pop-up menus, etc. it is best to create and distribute an STVi (import). You do this by following these basic steps:

1. Make a backup of the default SageTV STV file.
2. Modify the default SageTV STV file using Studio to get the desired results.
3. Use Studio to compare your modified file to the original STV that you backed up in step 1.
4. Click the "generate STVi" button in the comparison results window.

If you are completely overhauling the operation of the whole UI (User Interface), it makes sense to distribute it as a new STV.

The key difference is that as an import (STVi) if Sage releases an update in the future, you will probably be able to re-import your STVi into the new version of Sage with little or no work and take advantage of whatever fixes and features the new version offers. On the other hand, with an STV, you are locked-in. Any time Sage releases an update, you won't be able to take advantage of it unless you re-write your whole STV.

[GKusnick]

I would also argue that if you're modifying the stock STV, then it would be misleading to redistribute that as "your" custom STV. By rights a replacement UI ought to be built from the ground up, with all new code. Mods to the stock UI (even fairly extensive mods) ought to be distributed as STVIs, so it's clear that you're piggybacking on someone else's work.

And to underscore what Tiki said, if you're just changing out UI graphics and color schemes, without modifying menu layouts or contents, you can do that with a Theme plugin without resorting to Studio or STVIs.

[jorton]

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply any ownership of the default STV, that word "my" can get you in trouble.

I am definitely just tweaking the visual elements of the default Sagetv7.xml to enhance the theme I am working on, nothing more. It is way out of my skill set to create something like that.

It looks like STVI is the best route for me, has there been a consensus on the best way to distribute an STVI and Theme together? package in the same zip or separate etc...

Thanks,

Jeremy

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by jorton

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply any ownership of the default STV, that word "my" can get you in trouble.

For my part, I wasn't trying to accuse you of anything nefarious. Just saying that it's clearer for end users if we keep the categories distinct.