Shoutbox

Your skin would be pretty dull if your contact list had white background, so I'm going to show you how to change the background to a background-image.

Start off by extracting Messenger's resources. If you already have, don't bother doing this again.
We need to edit a definition/style file in order to apply new styles, as the background-image isn't supported by default. So copy the 1001-definition  into your skins folder (msgres_4004_1001.txt) from your extraction folder.

Open it up in a text editor of choice, and do a search for "<BuddyList" you will hopefully come up with this line:

code:

---

<BuddyList id=atom(abView) Layout=FillLayout() CmdGroup=guid("{16E32D35-5350-4805-B7F0-5E782510AF6F}")/>

---

Then add the background property to the buddy list-tag like this. rcbkd tells Messenger to load the background from resources with the ID 59000.

code:

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<BuddyList id=atom(abView) Layout=FillLayout() CmdGroup=guid("{16E32D35-5350-4805-B7F0-5E782510AF6F}") background=rcbkd(59000)/>

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59000 is our ID for the background image we're going to add as a resource (remember this has to be over 59000). So now open your SkinInfo file in text editor of choice, and add something like this under the <Resource>-tab:

code:

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                <New>
                    <Pictures>
                        <Picture Id="59000">
                            <File>background.png</File>
                            <Metadata>
                                <UMLeft>1</UMLeft>
                                <UMRight>1</UMRight>
                                <UMTop>1</UMTop>
                                <UMBottom>1</UMBottom>
<Colorize>true</Colorize>
                            </Metadata>
                        </Picture>
                    </Pictures>
                </New>

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Edit: You will also need to replace 1001-definition with your 1001 file. Example:

code:

---

<Replace><Windows><Definitions><Definition Id="10001"><File>1001.txt</file></Definition></Definitions></Windows></Replace>

---

There you go. Thanks for reading.

i tried this but it didnt work.

Could you add to the tutorial the way to do it to add a cut-out, non-repeating image as the background

at the moment i can only get it to replace the contact list, not appear behind the contact list

using your first method works, but provides the same problem i had on the logon screen when using transparent backgrounded pngs

i've tried similar work-arounds but can't find the appropriate position to put the code in.

i went through the skininfo file for nightfall and found one more block of code needed to make this work the code is

quote:

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           <Replace>
              <Windows>
                 <Definitions>
                 <Definition Id="947">                <File>BlueGradientdef.txt</File>
    </Definition>
    <Definition Id="1001">
                 <File>1001.txt</File>
                 </Definition>
    </Definitions>
                 <Styles>
                    <Style Id="947">
                        <File>BlueGradient.txt</File>
                    </Style>
                </Styles>
                </Windows>

---

as you can see you have to deefine a window section in the reeplace section of the resources section and declare the definition file of 1001.txt so it knows to reference the data in that file without it it cannot know to refer to 59000 as the id of the background.

i hope this helps.

EDIT:

you know patchou was right this skinning thing is like really easy, i found scripting really hard to do, essentially both technologies need an understanding of xml, in both cases i started out not knowing anything about xml, i started reading the skinning documentation about 9am GMT its now 8:13 pm GMT and in that time not only have i made serious headway on what promises to be a really nice and pretty advanced skin but ive learnt in that time so much through trial and error by working on that skin that im now even able to write tutorials on how to do things well finish another users tutorial is more like it and help others solve there problems with skinning, so all in all im really proud of what ive acheived and im proud of patchou for making this new technology so easy to use.

Can someone explain this in basic terminology? I'm too newb to understand

Basically, you need to create a new picture and give it an ID. That ID then may be used in the UIFile.

1. Create a new skins directory under your Plus! skins directory. Name it whatever you want.

2. Make a new file named SkinInfo.xml under the skin's directory and save the code below in it.

code:

---

<SkinInfo>
  <Information>
    <Name>Skin Name</Name>
  </Information>
  <MessengerSkin>
    <ResGroup>
      <Restrictions>
        <MsgVersions>
          <Version Major="8" Minor="5"/>
        </MsgVersions>
      </Restrictions>
      <Resources>
        <New>
          <Pictures>
            <Picture Id="59000">
              <File>yourimage.png</File>
              <Metadata>
                <UMLeft>1</UMLeft>
                <UMRight>1</UMRight>
                <UMTop>1</UMTop>
                <UMBottom>1</UMBottom>
                <Colorize>true</Colorize>
              </Metadata>
            </Picture>
          </Pictures>
        </New>
        <Replace>
          <Windows>
            <Definitions>
              <Definition Id="1001">
                <File>msgres_4004_1001.txt</File>
              </Definition>
            </Definitions>
          </Windows>
        </Replace>
      </Resources>
    </ResGroup>
  </MessengerSkin>
</SkinInfo>

---

2. Move yourimage.png to the skin's directory.

3. Extract Messenger's resources. Copy the 1001-definition (msgres_4004_1001.txt) from your extraction folder into the skin's directory. Note, I have attached the WLM 8.5 msgres_4004_1001.txt for those of you having trouble finding it.

4. Search in msgres_4001_1001.txt for the code below (line 54 in WLM 8.5):

code:

---

<BuddyList id=atom(abView) Layout=FillLayout() CmdGroup=guid("{16E32D35-5350-4805-B7F0-5E782510AF6F}")/>

---

5. Once found, replace with the new code below and save.

code:

---

<BuddyList id=atom(abView) Layout=FillLayout() CmdGroup=guid("{16E32D35-5350-4805-B7F0-5E782510AF6F}") background=rcbkd(59000)/>

---

6. Have fun. The End


Add me to your contact list if you're having trouble or PM me.

quote:

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Originally posted by djdannyp
...the way to do it to add a cut-out, non-repeating image as the background...

---

Instead of rcbkd use rcimg, rest is same.

quote:

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Originally posted by Sunshine

quote:

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Originally posted by djdannyp
...the way to do it to add a cut-out, non-repeating image as the background...

---

Instead of rcbkd use rcimg, rest is same.

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that doesn't work

it removes the contact list and just puts the image there

I have no idea how you manage to make it do that, it works fine here (following the steps exactly). Maybe you can post your code (1001 and Skin Info relevant parts)?

the 59000 image is the one i use on my login screen too, so it's not a problem with that one

code:

---

<Definition Id="1001">
<File>1001 Definition.txt</File>
</Definition>

---

code:

---

<BuddyList id=atom(abView) Layout=FillLayout() CmdGroup=guid("{16E32D35-5350-4805-B7F0-5E782510AF6F}") background=rcimg(59000)/>

---

literally that's all i've done, just the change exactly as specificed