[jurassicplayer]

As the title says, I recently made a skin previewer that can be helpful to moonshell2 skinners (though there doesn't seem to be many) so they don't have to break their spring-loaded SD slots etc. just to constantly test the skin over and over. I used Eatitup(Zweigart)'s M3Sakura Skin Previewer as a template because I liked the idea of an .exe versus an html file. The only thing I didn't like about his previewer was that it wasn't for moonshell2, did not preview some of the screens, and it didn't have a pretty layout (not saying mine is a ton better, but its easier to understand).
Mostly I made this because Moonshell2 is finished (yay) and because I was working on a skin, but without my DS, I couldn't see what it looked like. Hopefully this will help skinners out, especially ones like me who don't currently have access to a DS/DSi.

Also, I have never had any great shakes towards coding (I only know a little bit of html and css), so there may or may not be any problems since this is the very first program I have ever made (partially made, since I kept most of the variable names because I couldn't bother to change them).
I also may or may not update this, depending on whether I think I have a great idea (or someone else's great idea) and if I figure out how to code it (I learned what I needed and did this in a couple days, which I feel is a decent learning speed, even if I don't know 80% of the functions).

Anyways here is the download link (my very first filetrip upload =D) and I hope it encourages more MS2 skinners and helps the ones that are currently skinning.
MS2 Skin Previewer v1.5
Please thank Twiztidsinz (and offer condolences) because he took the brunt of a glitch that I didn't even fathom and thus it has provided you with a safer MS2 Skin Previewer.

This post has been edited by jurassicplayer: Jun 2 2010, 05:07 AM

[twiztidsinz]

Very nice...
Any way of implementing a Folder Select option so you don't have to put it IN the skin folder?
Or maybe make it look inside a Default folder or folder from settings.ini type file?

[jurassicplayer]

xD I'll try looking for how to do that (I don't like having to put it in the folder either, but you can't expect perfection from a nub coder on the first try).
As of the moment, I think I might have a way to read it from an ini file, but I'm going to search harder and see if I can find a way to call up that sort of "open file" directory thing (like when NO$GBA is executed).

[jurassicplayer]

Oh noes! A double post! I'll just bend the rules because I have now updated the skin previewer =D. Now it can be placed in any folder and there is an option that allows for changing the skin you are previewing as well as an option to choose your initial folder whenever you want to browse for a skin folder.
The only bad part is that whenever you browse for a folder and click cancel instead of ok, wonky stuff happen, but its nothing serious and is totally fine if you aren't specifically looking for my lapses in logic.
I found out that I updated my file on filetrip wrong, so instead of adding a new version, I overwrote the old one xD. So its the same link, but a different file now =D (maybe it might confuse people).

[twiztidsinz]

Now it can be placed in any folder and there is an option that allows for changing the skin you are previewing

Nice.

as well as an option to choose your initial folder whenever you want to browse for a skin folder.

VERY nice.

The only bad part is that whenever you browse for a folder and click cancel instead of ok, wonky stuff happen, but its nothing serious and is totally fine if you aren't specifically looking for my lapses in logic.
I found out that I updated my file on filetrip wrong, so instead of adding a new version, I overwrote the old one xD. So its the same link, but a different file now =D (maybe it might confuse people).

Way to be a f@%#ing noob..... j/k

Again, this is an awesome app.
I just wish I had more drive to make/finish Moonshell skins.


Quick question...
It seems like it loads the images every time a button is pushed -- i.e. you can push the same button twice in a row and it will load twice. Is there any way to have it load all the images when you select the skin? Or would that take up too much time (loading)/resources?

Also... "Select Skin" and "Set Skin Folder" might be better/simpler/more descriptive labels for the buttons on the bottom.

This post has been edited by twiztidsinz: Feb 20 2010, 09:35 AM

[env]

Wow, thanks a lot for this!

Hopefully this will help skinners out, especially ones like me who don't currently have access to a DS/DSi.

I know I'm one(uh, I think it's only two of us) of those skinners that can't access their DS's right now XD
Great work there dude! *runs off to continue making skins*

edit:
Coding wise, Is it possible to view the fonts on screensaver? mainly the clock fonts.
It's just me or there are some minor alignment issues on "System "1-lin3" and "2-line" panels?

This post has been edited by env: Feb 20 2010, 07:25 PM

[jurassicplayer]

Quick question...
It seems like it loads the images every time a button is pushed -- i.e. you can push the same button twice in a row and it will load twice. Is there any way to have it load all the images when you select the skin? Or would that take up too much time (loading)/resources?

Also... "Select Skin" and "Set Skin Folder" might be better/simpler/more descriptive labels for the buttons on the bottom.

I tried to make it look nicer when it is loading the images (so there aren't a ton of crazy white spots all over maybe), but from what I've seen, there doesn't seem to be a way to preload them (but I'm a nub, so what do I know xD). I kind of like it reloading all of the images each time though because then when you edit a screen, you can just click the button to see how the new screen looks.
I did change the names of the buttons though, and that is more noticeable.

Coding wise, Is it possible to view the fonts on screensaver? mainly the clock fonts.
It's just me or there are some minor alignment issues on "System "1-lin3" and "2-line" panels?

So far, I haven't found anything that could show the fonts in a nice way since the only way I know how to show a picture is to show the entire picture, so you would see all of the numbers as they are. The best that would do might only be to do a color check for clashing colors or something. I'll keep searching for something that might work though (or hopefully come up with an idea).
As for the alignment issues...Most of the aligning I was winging xD. I had no idea where the system cursor was supposed to be, so I winged it (and I was pretty dam close xD), the alignment on the 1/2 line panels was probably that the images looked a pixel or two taller than they should have been (because they were xD). Something strange was happening in that the other images did fine, but the FL_BG_Bottom.bmp was always a pixel too high or too low (and I could only choose between 317 and 318, what I needed was 317.5 xD).
Anyways, I got around that and so now they are aligned correctly (unless you were talking about something else that was misaligned).

And on to what is new!
MS2 Skin Previewer v1.2 now has LESS GLITCHES =D, so the wonky things with the cancel button are mostly fixed (unless I missed something...), and the buttons were moved around a little (though I forgot to make the GUI window a little smaller, so there is a larger gap from the edge of the GUI to the buttons), but of course the best part of all, it can now compile skins! I dumped the makeskin.exe and makeskin.lst into the MS2SkinPreviewer folder and now the only needed things to make skins is a folder with the images for the skin and of course an image editor =D.
The compiling takes a little bit though, so it may look like it froze, but it hasn't and after a little bit, the Makeskin.exe box will pop up saying that its compressing everything into the .skn file and then the .skn file will be placed in the same folder as the MS2SkinPreviewer.exe

I hope this version is lots better than the last one (I'm going to start running out of ideas for extra buttons soon xD).

[twiztidsinz]

I kind of like it reloading all of the images each time though because then when you edit a screen, you can just click the button to see how the new screen looks.

Good idea.
Now that the the load time is less 'loady'/'glitchy', it's not an issue to have it load each button press... and it seems quite a bit faster too.

I did change the names of the buttons though, and that is more noticeable.

Nice


I love that it can compile the skins now... and it's FAST!! so I'm not sure why you said it looks like it freezes. I just compiled my Aero Ultimate theme and it happened instantly.
I might just end up finishing the theme


I also second having text (even if it's just 'Blah blah blah', 00:00, 00/00/0000, etc) where the files and stuff go -- but I think that might take a bit of work to get done right, though maybe it could use the file from Moonshell with the texts? I think that's for messages and stuff though.

[798-Icebird]

thanx for this great app. Cinda annoying put my sd card in my ds/pc the whole time
works great

[jurassicplayer]

Coding wise, Is it possible to view the fonts on screensaver? mainly the clock fonts.

After taking a ton of time searching, I think I have finally found a way to do just that xD. I think if I try, I can make the fonts for the screensaver change to the time you press the button, but it doesn't update automatically (still learning this stuff) xD. In other words, if you click 10 times, once per minute (since I don't think the screensaver has a seconds timer, I can't remember atm), you would see all of the numbers. Bad part about this idea is that it has to be AM on your computer to see AM on the screensaver and vice versa.

In any case, expect to see some form of the clock fonts in the next version (which might take a while since I put off my homework/studying to do this xD, so I need to get back to my homework/studying before my teachers can kill me).

I also second having text (even if it's just 'Blah blah blah', 00:00, 00/00/0000, etc) where the files and stuff go -- but I think that might take a bit of work to get done right, though maybe it could use the file from Moonshell with the texts? I think that's for messages and stuff though.

Taking the information from the colortbl.ini is easy enough as well as utilizing it though I can't vouch for any loading times. I don't know what files you are referring to about "Moonshell with the texts", but I'm guessing you are talking about the messages.000 sort of files (which I wouldn't be able to use in the actual program, but I can still read it and put the information in the program xD).

Now that I know at least a little bit more, I might be able to also make a colortbl.ini editor as a part of the program, but that is something for much much later xD.

At the moment, the things I want to focus on are:
-Adding text to the viewer (filenames and things like "Exit to Firmware") with colors taken from the colortbl.ini (doesn't that just sound awesome xD?)
-Adding the numbers/words used for the screensavers
-Adding a quicklink button for whatever .exe you want, but I'm going to make the button called "Image Editor" just as a good idea for what I expect the quicklink to be xD. (I intend to put GIMP inside my MS2SkinPreviewer folder, though not for the rest of you xD, and link to that, so I have an on-the-go moonshell2 skin previewer/editor that I can use anywhere with computer access. Of course, the rest of you can get whatever you want.)
-Adding a "Check Skin" button (if anyone has a better name for the button, I'm all ears xD) that will check if you have all of the images needed and if the bit depth of the bmp files are correct (make life so much easier instead of making everything, building it, only to realize that the backgrounds look like crap because the bit depth is wrong).

If someone could post up a couple moonshell2 screenshots of the default skin's screen savers, I would be grateful (for aligning the images, since not all of them are the same size).

If anyone has more ideas for buttons, want to tell me a glitch, alignment errors, etc., feel free to post it up because this is still my first program ever, so any and all improvements are great.

[zljddh]

good jod~
here is a new skin tool can unpack .skn to resource folder

CODE

unpack: MakeSkin.exe -d SkinFileName.skn

This post has been edited by zljddh: Feb 22 2010, 03:32 AM

[twiztidsinz]

good jod~
here is a new skin tool can unpack .skn to resource folder

CODE

unpack: MakeSkin.exe -d SkinFileName.skn

I can't get it to work unpacking... All it does is crash.


I should note that compiling the skin works fine.

This post has been edited by twiztidsinz: Feb 22 2010, 04:03 AM

[jurassicplayer]

good jod~
here is a new skin tool can unpack .skn to resource folder

CODE

unpack: MakeSkin.exe -d SkinFileName.skn

I can't get it to work unpacking... All it does is crash.


I should note that compiling the skin works fine.

Same here. Although if someone does get this to work...xD. If you double click the exe, it tells you the format, but somehow I must not be getting it right (tried a couple different combinations).
Also I noticed that my previewer is on the website =D (that is just awesome, I have only had it out for like 2-3 days.)

[iMinotauro]

Awesome, will definitely be using this in the near future.

Thank you

BTW I hope you keep building on this.

Best of luck.

[zljddh]

it work properly