Re: Need help with interface for theme editor

["James M. Cape" <jcape jcinteractive com>]

Richard Hestilow wrote:
> 
> Hi. I'm writing a theme editor, rcedit, which will support both color and
> pixmap themes. However, I'm at a loss as to what the interface should look
> like. Therefore, I'm asking any interested parties to send me ideas,
> designs, or mockups using glade or the gimp. If I choose your design,
> I'm willing to list you as a co-author.
> 
> Here is what the interface will need to support for the app:
> Preview area
> 
> For pixmap and per-widget color themes: A way to specify the style for
> a specific widget class, such as, all GtkButtons are blue, etc.
> 
> For a simple color theme: Need to be able to specify font,
> the four color settings (fg, bg, base, and text) for each of the five states
> (Normal, Selected, Active, Prelight, Insensitive), and optionally,
> background pixmap, theme engine.
> 
> I can (and have already) handle the coding, I just need to know how
> to present it to the user.
> 
> For a look at the current interface, it is in cvs, module "rcedit".
> 
> Thanks!

Perhaps a Windows-color-selector style idea, where there is a box
containing buttons, scrollbars, radiobuttons, checkbuttons, typins, etc.
at the top, with a list of available settings below. Also, the Pixmap
Engine should be selected automatically if required by the user's
choices:

[BOX]

[Image Type selected by user]%

Font:
[___________________]# [Browse...] [J: pulldown showing recent + Browse
button]

Background Image:
[___________________]# [Browse...] [J: pulldown showing recent + Browse
button]

(o) Tiled (XPM images only)
( ) Scaled
    Non-scaling borders: [J: disabled if not selected via radio]
       Left:   [__]^ [J: spinbutton]
       Right:  [__]^
       Top     [__]^
       Bottom: [__]^

Theme Engine [__________]# [J: a modal warning should be displayed if
selecting the wrong engine will affect the settings above, explaining
what the problem is.]


If this could be merged with the GNOME Control-Center's Theme Selector
(each one being in a different tab, with a short explanations of
inheiritance on the "Existing Themes" Tab), that would be really nice.
This would make a *great* replacement for the gnomecc Theme Selector.

    Jim Cape
    http://www.jcinteractive.com

    "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them
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