Hello Amigans.

Finally I am releasing something that is STILL beta... and will turn out to be final product with your [programmers] help... To me it is 99% done, just needs some "programming" knowledge... or I am going to die :(

The time has ome to explain what takes me so long and why I still need help :( I will try to be as short as possible.

Well as you know, I got Amiga from you to create skins for AmigaOS. It is nothing I can`t do as I am involved deeply into skinning various other systems [iOS, Android, PC...], games and apps.

As I used to be a hard core Amigan and I always loved to use alternative sources to make art, I still have big space for Amiga in my heart.

But... making skin[s] turns out to be my worst nightmare! Why? Well as you know I am not programmer at all... I can play with HTML and that is maximum from me in this World. I realy don`t have interest [or time] to program.

Nerly one year [after I installed machine] - I still can not install, test and remove my first skin I started the day SAM460ex arrived.

I've read lots of tutorials, explanations... but either I don`t understand point of preferences or it is not written fully well to non-Amiga users.

Please download two archives:

http://rapidshare.com/files/996224480/!AmiTHEMEs.zip

!AmiTHEMEs.zip - when unpack there will appear:

Exemple_Theme.psd [I tested with my skin] - but program is on French [!] so I have no idea what and where to click to finish theme. Also ReadMe is on French too but I translated it to English... Still there are some key things I can't figure out [they are very hidden deeply somewhere into the system] :(

MetalBleuCore - blue theme I've downloaded from

http://amitheme.amiga-ng.org/index_en.php?nom_du_menu=themes_en

Doubleclicking on "Installer" it really installs theme on my SAM... and hitting "DTsinstaller" - it reverts back to original theme I use which is good.

and there is finally my clone:

nykk-Crystal dir with my theme. So to make it working, I just replaced graphics from MetalBlueCore and edited all files [prefs] on PC using NOTEPAD. I also realized that editing with Wordpad [on PC] adds some weird characters so file becames unusable on Amiga... So with Notepad I replaced ALL "MetalBleuCore" texts with "nykk-Crystal".

Please check the archive. To me I got nearly everything except windows grapchis and colors are all wrong :(

All I want is to skin the damn windows. And system or code or whatever does not let me do it easily at all. I am constantly missing something somewhere... I guess.

And the second archive:

http://rapidshare.com/files/3235175443/djnick-Crystal.zip

djnick-Crystal.zip

This I've done on "my way"... When you unpack it, I've created folders name so I can understand where to copy whole archive:

Sys.Prefs.Presets.Default.Common.Bitmaps to that dir:

Sys:Prefs/Presets/Default/Common/Bitmaps/

all djnick-Crystal directory content.

And hit "djnick-crystal.info" file should apply whole design file to your system.

But then - there is no RevertBack...

I've created over 8 skins here and the only one thing I am trying to get is - FIRST skin that will work perfectly everywhere.

Please help me to get first skin working everywhere and then if it works - I will re-apply all other skins I've created here.

To make conclusion:

after so many years of work on various systems [Android, iOS and PCs]... I will have to admit that AmigaOS has soo much doublestandards. You can do the same thing from 12 different ways. It is very complicated [even for me that I used to be really HC Amigan]... I forgot nearly everything and after so many years without documentations, help, video [or any other] tutorials... it is still very very hard to make something good without hacking system a lot. And for creative users this is a real pain. For example - what on Earth does 3 icons for colour palletes? So even today I am forced to think 3 times - why there is Palette icon for, why there is GUI and Colors inside and Font icon that displays colors and what it would look like? It is too much icons showing just one thing that interests me - how to change bloody colours and get what I want. Each time I change colors and refresh - all opened Filers change its displaying colors to some weird. The only help is to quit following Filer and restart it again... I don`t know but too much time wasting for everything :(

Please help me finish default skin and then I will clone directory, replace names and replace graphics...

p.s. the biggest problem I have here is: when I open any preferences program, I change colors, graphics, anything... and then click on SAVE AS - It opens SYSTEM folder with only one .prefs file to save. So I have no clue if I need to overwrite that prefs file, save another name or something completely different.

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nykk | deetronic.rs | youtube.com/djnykk | gfx.river | mamavolibebu.com

@djnick

You need to set the permissions to allow people to download them.

_________________
Support AROS sponsor a developer.

"AROS is prolly illegal ~ Evert Carton" intentionally quoted out of context for dramatic effect

@djnick

of course there are all those handicaps you speak about. in comparison to other systems amiga today may be considered at even worse stand as 1996, because of all the chaos added, and i mean not only os4 here, but really all. it needs some dediaction to do anything with it. but i think we all know it from the start.

heres what ive posted to you in the other thread:
someone develops skin editor for os4:
http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=37453&forum=32

@terminills

Oh Damn... Even RapidShare changed the way it is used to work 2 months ago... I moved files to PublicFolder. Try downloading now?

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nykk | deetronic.rs | youtube.com/djnykk | gfx.river | mamavolibebu.com

@djnick

The file is 127 byte .. try again

@djnick

I see you got many problems in understanding how themes works as I had (and still have). What I have understood and I implemented in my ThemeEditor (see link posted before) is the windows titlebar slicing process. If you play a bit with one theme trough the ThemeEditor the meaning of the parameters of the config files will become more clear (at least I hope) by clicking in the config windows and moving over the single lines of the coloured parameters. For other stuffs I'm still far.

ciao

i ve downloaded crystal theme and might have look at it later.

@ilbarbax & wava

I've posted the same on other link and will post it here :)

"FINALLY :) Thank you very much! I've just tried it and it does EXACTLY what I needed :D
What it would be great if possible to implement - the way Font preferences program shows: Screen title bar [with text], a window, shell and directory.

If Fonts - like display is created [or similar] - your Theme editor will be perfect for people like me :)

I like how Font preferences graphics are shown but to do a simplest task like changing a text color from simple black [on light background] to white [if I want dark background] - it took me over 3 hours today and without success :( Program changes palette, screen refreshes 3 times and then I can see what I've done... and prefereces are closed. Then I have to click Prefs again and find where I've been, scroll down... Totally user unfriendly.

Can`t wait your proggy to be more finished :) Thank you again!"

Finally something really useful [at least great potential to be very useful].

Wava, please download both links... and you will understand what I mean. And believe me - once I create fully working theme - only sky is the limit ;)

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nykk | deetronic.rs | youtube.com/djnykk | gfx.river | mamavolibebu.com

@djnick

i dont have much time now. must prepare a show. i will see how far ill be able to come along with this. and most likely id have to reinstall my os4 copy, to be able to test, which i actually could do but id need to share some free time from aros;)

ill report back when/if im ready to go.

Last edited by wawa on 25-Mar-2013 at 06:33 PM.

@wawa

Okay. Thank you. Test it when find some free time. In the mean time I will release startup sounds and some more gfx.

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nykk | deetronic.rs | youtube.com/djnykk | gfx.river | mamavolibebu.com

@djnick

I download your theme, looks nice.

But I think, you can make scripts to load, save, use and revert to last used theme.
You can download my versions of silvergreen, named "silverblue" and "silverblack" from OS4depot, or http://www.amiga-look.org/ , and look the scripts for reference.

So it's easy to test and revert the themes.

I make separated drawers with bitmaps, textures for windows and the preferences, the scripts copy this and executes the preferences files, etc.

Good work, I try to make another theme too.

@ribdevil

Aha thank you, will check it out. I am trying to see which theme seems the easiest to "clone" and just replace graphics for a start and that it has installable script. Pity CED is not that user friendly [ctrl + B for mark text!?] etc...

I think I will learn CSS for shorter time than change themes on Amiga :D

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nykk | deetronic.rs | youtube.com/djnykk | gfx.river | mamavolibebu.com

@djnick

Thanks to Sinisrus,
his Amitheme is really good and easy to use, no ?

It's a kid game to clone and organize theme with it !

Last edited by zzd10h on 25-Mar-2013 at 11:10 PM.

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http://apps.amistore.net/zTools

@zzd10h

Well I thought so but I couldn`t manage my files to work like he described... Also his program is on French but I think some key sentences are missing... :S

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nykk | deetronic.rs | youtube.com/djnykk | gfx.river | mamavolibebu.com

@All

Something I don't get is that Sinisrus built 19 themes (nineteen!!!) and it seems he didn't receive any feedback from the community. He also didn't have any bounty offer of any kind.

This is very annoying. Anyway his website is: http://amitheme.amiga-ng.org/index_en.php

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Philippe 'Elwood' Ferrucci
Sam460 1.10 Ghz
AmigaOS 4 betatester
Amiga Translator Organisation

@elwood

Quote:

This is very annoying. Anyway his website is: http://amitheme.amiga-ng.org/index_en.php

Looks like good work. Clearly he understands what a theme is and how to implement on OS4. Maybe he'll get the recognition he deserves now?

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Here for the whimpering end

@jorkany

those themes would be still too overloaded for me, as the themes supplied with afa_os or usually other amiga-like systems. for some reason people think a theme must heavily impress the user, while it is actually supposed to be decent, because the gui elements it skins should not distract the user from the actual content he wants to concentrate on. as example the browser window border should not appear visually more important than the content of page the browser is displaying. thats the reason window borders should be possibly thin, or even absent if possible.

nevertheless the respect for done work is due and sure there are people who value it.

@elwood

Actually I think it is a good start but unfortunately none of the themes are 100% professional look. It needs just a bit more polishing. I wish I could only swap images on his themes and edit theme name, but it just won`t do this way :(

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nykk | deetronic.rs | youtube.com/djnykk | gfx.river | mamavolibebu.com

@all

The best looking theme I've seen so far...

http://amiboing.de/zeugs/amiupdate.jpg

...hope to be released soon...

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Sam440ep-flex 800MHz 1GB RAM R9250 128MB SB Live!

@elwood

What makes you think that he hasn't receive any positive feedback ?

@jorkany

Pardon, I have some doubts about your real interest

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BACK FOR THE FUTURE

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