Michelle Steves

Join Date 05/2004

Validate Your Windowblinds Skins!

Please!

Of the several Windowblinds skins I've downloaded, I have yet to find one skin that validates in SkinStudio with no errors! Even the skins that come with Windowblinds seldom validate with no errors. I realize that the skin spec changes from time to time. But one would think that I'd be able to find at least one skin that validates completely. So what's up with this?

I admit that most of the errors are non-critical (i.e. unsupported or unneeded attributes). And then there are errors where the developer put the wrong path to a bitmap or misspelled the bitmap filename. But the errors that puzzle me are when there are simply missing bitmaps (i.e. 6 or more missing). It's amazing how forgiving Windowblinds can be.

So my request is to please validate your skins before you zip them up and distribute them. There's nothing cooler than a clean skin that performs well because someone took that time to validate it.

Thanks,

Michelle

windowblinds

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Koasati

Join Date 07/2001

+21

Sometimes what is reported as an error isn't an error as far as the author is concerned..... for example;

[Warning] Mandatory attribute 'Image' not found in section [Taskbar.QuickLaunch]. Not a critical error as in most cases the default default value will be used.

I don't want an image there, so it's not an error, but I can't tell SkS that.

Here's a good one. In 4.5 we have alpha transparency for the start panel, but when I validate the skin I'm working on has 2 errors like this;

[Warning] The attribute 'PerPixel' in Section [StartPanel.PlacesList] (value "1") is not supported (or has been removed from the specification) and should be deleted from the skin to improve its performance.

And here's the deal breaker....

[Warning] The attribute 'IgnoreDialogBitmap' in Section [Personality] (value "0") is not supported (or has [Warning] The attribute 'PerPixel' in Section [Startbeen removed from the specification) and should be deleted from the skin to improve its performance.

Delete it all you want......... it will be back later......

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Where does WindowBlinds acquire default images from? In XP, would it be from an image in the default msstyle file?

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Also, updates to WB causes the validation errors.

My Milk 2 skin, I made sure had no errors in SS. But now, who knows?

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I guess that what I am trying to say is that authors should try to make their skins as complete as possible before uploading. I've downloaded some skins several times because the author keeps changing the skins. And sometimes, the new version looks worse than the old one.

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retiredmaster

Join Date 03/2001

+85

Good points Michelle - but basically it's because we are all just lazy old duffers!

(Myself being "big chief king-of-the-hill lazy duffer who doesn't even use SKS because I'm too old and can't cope with change").

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