Shoutbox

I have two skinning-suggestions which I think would be pretty neat to have.

1. Before it's too late, it would be very handy to split up Messenger skins and Messenger Plus! skins. This is because almost no skins actually skin Messenger Plus! windows, and it would be pretty cool if we could mix up one Messenger Plus! skin with one Messenger skin. For example if the skin-developer doesn't have time to make a Messenger Plus! skin, he could just recommend the users to use a black Messenger Plus! skin, which would fit to his black skin. I think this is pretty important, because I'm sure you've noticed that no modifications are made to Messenger Plus! at all (except for the status icons), and Patchou has probably put a lot of time in it, to implement Messenger Plus! skinning.

2. Allow small scripts to be executed within skins. This one isn't as important as the previous one, but it would be very useful if we could include small scripts with our skins. For example, if we want a alpha-key for our window (Win32 transparency feature for Windows XP and above), we could implement it without having to recommend users a script for download. We could also make the skin settings-window more useful, with different types of options, including custom pictures (a file-selector) maybe. I would probably also make a very nice per-pixel transparent Vista-skin.

I think the second suggestion is more important, although I don't know anything about scripting myself and also I think it would be hard to implement. But, it would allow users that have knowledge about both skinning and scripting to create very powerful features. Good suggestions vikke!

Why would it be hard to implement? Scripting is already implemented in Messenger Plus! At least it would be easier than most features suggested nowadays.

1: Skinning Plus! itself was possible long before 4.50 introduced skinning Messenger, during all that time it was never really used, with a few rare exceptions. If suddenly loads of Plus!-only skins came in i might consider splitting them to a separate category, but up to now none was ever submitted, and i don't see this happening soon either. The demand for Messenger skins is much higher than Plus!-only skins, so skinners rather make a Messenger skin, and i can't blame them.

2: Bundling a script with your skin and automatically importing that script when the skin is imported shouldn't be that hard to implement, but it's probably more a security decision.  I believe Patchou made a reply about it somewhere. Skins in it's current form are pretty harmless, all it could do is make Messenger unusable, but nothing that can't be fixed by deleting the skin or running the recovery wizard. When scripts can be bundled with skins it can do anything, including messing around with your system, stealing password etc., which can give Plus! skins a bad reputation. The examples you give are useful, but if these add real value to skinning it's probably better to introduce them as a skinning feature.
I didn't like skins in the old days because they came with dodgy .exe installers, bundling scripts with skins kinda brings that back (although that's a bad comparison ).

1. I don't blame the skinners for not making any Messenger Plus! skins, as it requires a lot of time, and most standard users doesn't care about it (but I do). I also think that this is the reason why no Messenger Plus! skins has been submitted or made.
But if they were split up, they could easily get a lot more attention, and users that actually want Messenger Plus! skinned can get it skinned.
It's true that Plus! has always supported custom skins through the Interfaces-directory, but not like this. And if those skins would install files into there, we're back to dodgy .exe installers, aren't we?

2. It's the "features or security" question. You say it can give Plus! a bad reputation, but it can also get a better reputation if such nice per-pixel skins were possible. All skin-scripts should be tested (by you MenthiX! ), therefore no official skins would include malicious code. If you install it from a unofficial source

3. New request on the skin-script subject! Do a encrypted signature on every skin verified, and then if there isn't a signature or if it doesn't match, it would give a "this may be malicious code" warning. There's no way to fake that signature without the key, and that key shouldn't be stored in Plus! so it's not possible to extract it. Therefore verified skins should be able to install, but non-verified skins will give a warning. Bruteforcing would take about 1000 years, simply not worth to try.

4. Another new request on the skin-script subject! Use a stripped-down version of the scripting API, giving the skin-scripts only access to functions which would be necessary when making skin related stuff and settings-dialogs.

Although I have no idea on how scripts can improve skins' functions, the security issue that MenthiX mentioned is not a big deal I think.

If it is done, then while importing such skin packs which include scripts, a warning sentence about this can be displayed in the Import window as if a script is being imported. Plus! doesn't get very bad reputation from its scripts, so why would skins with scripts be a problem for it? Moreover, combining two biggest features of Plus! to make things more excellent would be very good imho. Go vikke

Importing scripts with the skins really won't work...
Me, for example, use Vista Ultimate, and almost 50% of the scripts I used to have in my XP Pc (like ReduceMEM) simply screwup with both Plus! and Messenger's installation.

But, a nice thing would be nice, would be tabbed options panel, since many skins (like 365, Windows Aero,and Aurora Live) already use 800x600 pixels panels, and need more space.

About Plus! only skins...I think it is needed...
I have already skined Plus!, it is complete, and matches my skin, but then the skin file grew too large (more than now...I didn't even know that that was possible...), and splitting the filçe into two skins would be nice.

The skinning is very powerful indeed, but if we could apply even more features and things to our skins via scripting, that'd be great. For example if we want to add our own custom sounds when you sign in, type a message etc, that would be possible. And with customizable settings-windows we can provide very nice previews (just render different PNGs) so we don't have to restart Messenger in order to see how the changes should look like.

I don't believe that scripts can screwup your PC if there's not something wrong with them (scripts can slow down your PC though). This was why I suggested a lighter version of the scripting API. This could be used for so much, I think it's worth taking the risk of bad scripts (these could just get removed from the skin database anyway..).

quote:

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Originally posted by vikke
The skinning is very powerful indeed, but if we could apply even more features and things to our skins via scripting, that'd be great. For example if we want to add our own custom sounds when you sign in, type a message etc, that would be possible. And with customizable settings-windows we can provide very nice previews (just render different PNGs) so we don't have to restart Messenger in order to see how the changes should look like.

I don't believe that scripts can screwup your PC if there's not something wrong with them (scripts can slow down your PC though). This was why I suggested a lighter version of the scripting API. This could be used for so much, I think it's worth taking the risk of bad scripts (these could just get removed from the skin database anyway..).

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I agree with you...but about previews...I already managed how to prepare it! =)
but off course all scripts would have to be tested with both XP and Vista, to assure total compatibility

perhaps a script + skin bundle, with a different .* obviously.