[DravinSharde]

Been trying to figure out how to add the Shift view to AEL in the addons section. I can get it to show up in the view selection menu, but choosing it always sets it to list view. Can anyone help? Thanks!

[Rufoo]

You'll need to adjust line 33 in the Shift view XML.

You'll find visibility options there (and you'll see addons / programs isn't listed among them). All of them point to media sections, hence why even if you shoehorn the needed code into the view selection menu it still won't show up if the option is triggered.

[DravinSharde]

What do I put in there? I tried adding Window.IsVisible(MyPrograms.xml) but that didn't work. I've also tried Container.Content(addons), Container.Content(programs), and Container.Content(programs/addons). None of them work. Adding Window.IsVisible(MyPrograms.xml) to custom_1118_ViewtypeMenu.xml was how I got it to show up in the list, but I don't know what to do from there.

[Rufoo]

Very close.

Simply paste the following line over the original - and have a look at the line... you'll see how you were on the right track.

<visible>Window.IsVisible(programs) | Container.Content(movies) | Container.Content(tvshows) | Container.Content(seasons) | Container.Content(episodes) | Container.Content(sets) | Container.Content(musicvideos) | Container.Content(files) | Container.Content(videos)</visible>

Keep in mind, this means it will appear in the programs area regardless if you're in AEL or not. If it doesn't still work, it means you probably need to edit MyPrograms.xml as well. Try out and report back.

[DravinSharde]

It didn't work. What about all the itemlayout code underneath where it has Container.Content entries? Do they have to be changed as well? Shift view works fine in the addon browser, it's just when I get into AEL or the original Advanced Launcher, for instance, that it doesn't.

[Rufoo]

Ah! I hadn't looked at that part.

I'll be making enhanced versions of these views for Lyrebird but haven't gotten into the meat of them yet.

Replace line 90 with
<itemlayout width="315" height="750" condition="Window.IsVisible(programs) | Container.Content(musicvideos) | Container.Content(addons)">

Replace line 113 with
<focusedlayout width="315" height="750" condition="Window.IsVisible(programs) | Container.Content(musicvideos) | Container.Content(addons)">

With these lines and the line in the previous post, if still not working, means the last thing to edit is MyPrograms.xml and then all should be well (assuming you haven't done so already).

[DravinSharde]

Still didn't work, it's still stuck in list view.

[Rufoo]

I'll have to look into it a bit later for you properly.

Currently at work and not at my home machine where I can do all this stuff properly. It's 3PM in my part of the world right now, so if you check in again about 5 hours from now I can assist you better and maybe do all the busy work for you.

EDIT: Looking at the XML for Shift I can see different includes which are called depending on where you are in the skin. These look like the key to getting it working apart from one minor adjustment to MyPrograms.xml. Pretty sure I can fix this up for you in a few minutes once I am home. You can tinker away in the meantime, but without an install of Kodi on my work machine, I'm largely flying blind currently.

[DravinSharde]

I'd really appreciate it, thanks   It's almost 11pm here but I'll be up for a few hours more as I'm a night owl. I don't know a lot about skinning, I've tweaked a couple here and there a little bit for myself but I've never fully understood it. It seems like you need three or four different xml files for a single page in Kodi which makes it hard to figure out sometimes. I've thought that it might be good if somebody put together a visual guide for skinning, like taking a screenshot of each part of the default Estuary skin and marking on it which elements are controlled by which xml files so as to make it easier to see and understand and at least know where to go. The wiki has a text guide, true, but it can be a bit overwhelming and not everyone learns well just by reading.

[Rufoo]

I'd really appreciate it, thanks   It's almost 11pm here but I'll be up for a few hours more as I'm a night owl. I don't know a lot about skinning, I've tweaked a couple here and there a little bit for myself but I've never fully understood it. It seems like you need three or four different xml files for a single page in Kodi which makes it hard to figure out sometimes. I've thought that it might be good if somebody put together a visual guide for skinning, like taking a screenshot of each part of the default Estuary skin and marking on it which elements are controlled by which xml files so as to make it easier to see and understand and at least know where to go. The wiki has a text guide, true, but it can be a bit overwhelming and not everyone learns well just by reading.

 All good, bud. Best way to get into skinning is to just find a view you like, open the XML, and start breaking stuff until you figure out how and why. At least, that's how I got started and I originally began same way as you - shoehorning in views from the movies section of a skin into programs to work with Advanced Launcher. I then branched out into trying my own hand at views. As long as you can see what it is you want to do in your "mind's eye" and you are determined, you'll get there. Break it till you make it.

Anyway...

Here you go!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19KE4K3G...sp=sharing

It works. Haven't done extensive testing beyond simply seeing that the view appears - which it now does. If various pieces of metadata or artwork doesn't display, you'll have to tinker with those pieces yourself. Like I said, didn't extensively test, just giving you hand. I'll get into the meat of these views when I decide to put my own stamp on them.

Enjoy.

[DravinSharde]

I'd really appreciate it, thanks   It's almost 11pm here but I'll be up for a few hours more as I'm a night owl. I don't know a lot about skinning, I've tweaked a couple here and there a little bit for myself but I've never fully understood it. It seems like you need three or four different xml files for a single page in Kodi which makes it hard to figure out sometimes. I've thought that it might be good if somebody put together a visual guide for skinning, like taking a screenshot of each part of the default Estuary skin and marking on it which elements are controlled by which xml files so as to make it easier to see and understand and at least know where to go. The wiki has a text guide, true, but it can be a bit overwhelming and not everyone learns well just by reading.

 All good, bud. Best way to get into skinning is to just find a view you like, open the XML, and start breaking stuff until you figure out how and why. At least, that's how I got started and I originally began same way as you - shoehorning in views from the movies section of a skin into programs to work with Advanced Launcher. I then branched out into trying my own hand at views. As long as you can see what it is you want to do in your "mind's eye" and you are determined, you'll get there. Break it till you make it.

Anyway...

Here you go!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19KE4K3G...sp=sharing

It works. Haven't done extensive testing beyond simply seeing that the view appears - which it now does. If various pieces of metadata or artwork doesn't display, you'll have to tinker with those pieces yourself. Like I said, didn't extensively test, just giving you hand. I'll get into the meat of these views when I decide to put my own stamp on them.

Enjoy.  

 Thanks, it works now! The art displays fine, though only in poster size. Anything else gets cropped. Is there a way to have it show the cover art in its proper shape when it isn't poster format? Some game covers, as you know, are in square or landscape format instead. Would there be a way to get them to show up properly regardless of shape?

[Rufoo]

Thanks, it works now! The art displays fine, though only in poster size. Anything else gets cropped. Is there a way to have it show the cover art in its proper shape when it isn't poster format?

 If you have a look at the code for the icons in the itemlayout and focusedlayout areas, you'll see the aspectratio for them is set to scale. Changing them to keep may be what you are after. If you want to take the hasty approach just do a find-replace in your editor of choice.

Do keep in mind that as this view is shared with other areas of the skin changing these things may produce undesired results when viewed elsewhere, like in Movies. 
 

Some game covers, as you know, are in square or landscape format instead. Would there be a way to get them to show up properly regardless of shape?

If you're mixing and matching several different box types, like SNES, NES, GBA (long, tall, squares) in the same area for example it's probably gonna look quite ugly - apart from changing the aspectratio to keep you'll probably have to mess with the entire layout in order to achieve a somewhat 'balanced' look as the proportions of everything will be blown out ex: squares will be bigger than everything, wide boxes will be small compared to huge posters, etc...

You'll have to play around and find out.

[DravinSharde]

I came up with a workaround for square covers, at least. I re-save them as poster-size pngs with the square cover at the bottom and empty space above it. So in the view it still fills a poster-sized area but you only see the square cover. I wonder, though, if making a separate view for each size might work rather than trying to use the same view for all of them. Do you think that's possible? Oh and I don't mix covers, each has their own section. You're right that it wouldn't look good with them all in the same place.

[Rufoo]

You could make multiple versions of the shift view for each shape respectively. You'll have to do some heavy tweaking in that sense.

Each one will need its own ID, the current one is 57. You'll then have to add them properly into your includes.xml, MyPrograms.xml, and the view selector.

You up to the task?

Alternatively, and this may sound like shameless self promotion, why not grab the views I added for Lyrebird? If you get the zip from the Google Drive link in the first post, these can be just dropped into your Mimic install. It may not be the Shift view, but it may serve your purpose.

[DravinSharde]

You could make multiple versions of the shift view for each shape respectively. You'll have to do some heavy tweaking in that sense.

Each one will need its own ID, the current one is 57. You'll then have to add them properly into your includes.xml, MyPrograms.xml, and the view selector.

You up to the task?

Alternatively, and this may sound like shameless self promotion, why not grab the views I added for Lyrebird? If you get the zip from the Google Drive link in the first post, these can be just dropped into your Mimic install. It may not be the Shift view, but it may serve your purpose.

I thought about trying that. How do I know what ID to use for the new views? I've looked at the ones you did and while they're good, they weren't what I was looking for. I like the simplicity and larger covers of the shift view, and the lack of borders. And what do you mean by heavy tweaking?

EDIT: I got it! Took one of your Lyrecraft views and fiddled with it until I figured out how to rework it to replicate the shift view, in this case for square covers to start with. Now I can add more views for more cover styles now that I know what to do. Thanks again for all your help!