[rcrh]

I'm having some issues with Amber on my FireTV (see here http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=268796) and thought I'd try to work around the issue by making some manual changes to the settings.xml file. All of the changes I'm making are in an attempt to show more fanart as backgrounds. I'm hoping someone can either help me or point me to a guide that explains what's happening in settings.xml.
Here is what I'm trying to accomplish:
1) set the menu to vertical and make it narrower.
2) set the menu to be static (so that the selection highlight moves instead of the full menu).
3) remove certain items from the menu (addons)
4) change the transparency of the overlay (so the fanart shows through more).
5) set the background for certain items to be multi-image (TV, Movies, Music)

BTW, I love the skin (I wouldn't be putting forth this effort if I didn't) and I'm pretty sure I can make all of these changes within the interface but my issue above prevents them from being saved.

Thanks in advance.

[joethepartylion]

I'm having some issues with Amber on my FireTV (see here http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=268796) and thought I'd try to work around the issue by making some manual changes to the settings.xml file. All of the changes I'm making are in an attempt to show more fanart as backgrounds. I'm hoping someone can either help me or point me to a guide that explains what's happening in settings.xml.
Here is what I'm trying to accomplish:
1) set the menu to vertical and make it narrower.
2) set the menu to be static (so that the selection highlight moves instead of the full menu).
3) remove certain items from the menu (addons)
4) change the transparency of the overlay (so the fanart shows through more).
5) set the background for certain items to be multi-image (TV, Movies, Music)

BTW, I love the skin (I wouldn't be putting forth this effort if I didn't) and I'm pretty sure I can make all of these changes within the interface but my issue above prevents them from being saved.

Thanks in advance.

I'll have a start:

1. Change VerticalHome to true, to make it narrower you will need to edit Include_Vertical_Home and change the width of the "Main Left Blade" image and the "Main Bar" fixed list
2. You will need to change the aforementioned "fixedlist" to just "list", there may be some other tweaks you want to get it looking as you like
3. To hide Addons change setting "Addons.Hide" to true, the others should be easy to find e.g. "Video.Hide"
4. You'll need to edit a texture to do this so not quite as easy, I'll see what I can find
5. Change the appropriate setting e.g "TVShows.Background" to the path you require.


I hope that helps.

[rcrh]

Thanks Joe. This all worked.
I don't want to get into reworking the entire skin so I'm going to stop with this. (cause I have no skills & I don't want to have to start over when you release an update).
Just one last question; is there not a weather home shelf? I can't find an option to turn it on.
Thanks again for your help.

[mjbxx]

I have already done requests number 1 and 2 and then some, Providing the 9 .xml files that enable the change.

Amber .xml files: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rvya1d3k9rrc8h...R.zip?dl=0

Change #1: Gave the Amber home screen a fixed list with a narrower Main Left Blade and removed the Weather info as it just did not look right to me.


Change #2: Kept the Weather screen sideblade consistent with the Main Left Blade. The only way to do this proper was to omit the Location section as I only use my home locale anyway.


Change #3: Reworked the sideblade for Movies and TV Shows screens to be consistent with the Main Left Blade. Added air date, duration and rating to TV episodes along with reworking the plot area to show 6 lines of text instead of the existing 4 in the Low List view.

[rcrh]

Wow. just wow.

[mjbxx]

Wow. just wow.

Looks much nicer than the official Amber skin in my opinion. And it is no biggie replacing these files with each update using ES File Explorer.

[rcrh]

Change #1: Gave the Amber home screen a fixed list with a narrower Main Left Blade and removed the Weather info as it just did not look right to me.

Why not put the weather & the RSS along the bottom like on the horizonal home screen?

[mjbxx]

Why not put the weather & the RSS along the bottom like on the horizonal home screen?

Just my personal preference as far as Weather. I believe that I edited Weather out in the Home.xml file. RSS feeds are actually disabled in the Amber skin settings. I don't use it as that info is not something I care to see scrolling across the UI. Its too much of a distraction for me.

[sdfg2]

Thank you so much for this! I was literally about to try and figure out how to do this myself. I'd love for a much more subtle left blade, much like refocus BIG (http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=132897), do you think that's possible?

Also, any luck on the fanart for the backdrop? (Just like refocus BIG again heh)

One bug I've noticed - the recent and next episode widgets need to be moved a little to the left to compensate for the new left blade size too :-)

[mjbxx]

One bug I've noticed - the recent and next episode widgets need to be moved a little to the left to compensate for the new left blade size too :-)

It is not a bug as far as widgets. I did not change their code as I do not use them. Should be easy enough if you take the time to figure it out. Keep in mind that this all changes with the next Amber release of the new static vertical home screen.

[sdfg2]

One bug I've noticed - the recent and next episode widgets need to be moved a little to the left to compensate for the new left blade size too :-)

It is not a bug as far as widgets. I did not change their code as I do not use them. Should be easy enough if you take the time to figure it out. Keep in mind that this all changes with the next Amber release of the new static vertical home screen.

Ah ok :-D What about the other things?

[mjbxx]

Ah ok :-D What about the other things?

I'm unfamiliar with the Refocus skin if that's what you mean.

[sbirkner]

Change #3: Reworked the sideblade for Movies and TV Shows screens to be consistent with the Main Left Blade. Added air date, duration and rating to TV episodes along with reworking the plot area to show 6 lines of text instead of the existing 4 in the Low List view.

How would I change the plot area in the "list" view to show 6 lines instead of 4? Would I be correct in assuming it's in the View_50.xml file?

[mjbxx]

How would I change the plot area in the "list" view to show 6 lines instead of 4? Would I be correct in assuming it's in the View_50.xml file?

I use the Low List view 54.xml file. You should be able to copy and paste this info to the List view .50.xml file.

[teszey]

So sorry if I'm being a complete pain, but ive spent countless hours pouring over xml files, I never managed to figure out how to do exactly what u done, which is making that menu less wide. it looks so so much better but. where do I change the position of all the shelfs? would like them to sit up against the new "blade" width. as it is they are sitting quite some distance from it, starting where the original menu would have ended. Also I would love to drop the hight of the shelfs to the ground in some cases so that I could see more fanart. How hard are these changes to make?