SETi: Search for an Extra Tiny Interface Charlie Rhodes's and Tom Elmer's Trillian port of the WindowBlinds SETi skin by DavidK. ==================================================================== CONTENTS: Getting Started Troubleshooting Technical Information Version Information ==================================================================== ------------------- | Getting Started | ------------------- Install the core SETi skin files. Check http://tometheus.com/SETi for any additional plugins or schemes you want to install. To install them, just download the zip file and unzip them to the skins directory like you did the main file. That's it. Plugins, schemes, and profiles will automatically show up in the configuration utility. Run the SETiConfig.exe file in the SETi directory of your skins folder to set configuration options in the skin. (Color schemes, enable plugins, modify profiles, etc) If you're running Trillian Pro, now is the time to ENABLE THE 'TRILLIAN PRO' PLUGIN. If you're on win98/ME and Trillian 0.7x, choose the SETi (default) profile in skinchooser, otherwise choose the profile of your choice in the skinchooser :D Skin features to check out -------------------------- roll-up modes - All windows designed to match the WindowBlinds skin's roll-ups NOTE: This is similar to, but not the same as the trillbar of other skins Schemes - Choose from different color variations in the skin graphics Plugins - Choose skin features, etc and allows for future extensibility Profiles - Store separate configuration options that show up as skins in the skinchooser for different people / moods / installations (See the win98/ME note below if you're on Trillian .7x) Configuration utility - Change the skin settings, add/delete profiles, choose plugins, text colors, etc. BTW: if you're not sure what a button does, read the tooltip before pushing it! :) A lot of people have pressed the remove connection icon without reading it. For updates, including plugins, schemes, etc go to http://tometheus.com/SETi REGIONMAPS ROCK!!! ------------------ | UPDATING | ------------------ Usually it will be fine to just install it over the old skin. Be sure to check for updates to all your plugins though. Your custom-made profiles and the (default) profile will still keep your settings, but to enable the customized settings in (default) you have to run the config utility and resave it. BE SURE TO RESAVE /ALL/ YOUR SETTINGS/PROFILES! (Even the (default) one.) This updates your old config.dtd files to the new format. They will work correctly without updating, but they may cause unforseen problems in the future. ==================================================================== ------------------- | Troubleshooting | ------------------- NOTE TO WIN98/ME USERS ON TRILLIAN .7X ====================================== If you have trouble with Trillian crashing, try disabling the Trillian pro plugin in the SETiConfig.exe utility. Also, profiles won't work, so only use the (default) profile in the skin chooser. (you can delete all the extra profiles in the configuration utility if you want.) If windows show up without graphics, try using the (default) profile. Known bugs ========== When you switch between rolled-up modes and rolled-down modes sometimes you will have problems resizing elements like the editbox or the nicklist. Graphics may appear off. This is a Trillian phase change glitch. Try closing the window and reopening it. ==================================================================== ------------------------- | Technical Information | ------------------------- CONFIGURATION UTILITY: ====================== The configuration utility reads the settings from whatever profile is currently selected. Configuration utilities should work with all versions of configuration files older than they are, so if you update the skin, just backup your old config.dtd file, install the update, then restore the old config.dtd file and run the configuration utility to update the file. (Although the old file should work as it is since all settings have defaults in the default plugin.) Similarly, if your config.dtd is corrupted, just delete/rename it and run the configuration utility and it will regenerate one. A couple of controls in the utility only update the screen when you change to another control. (i.e. the color scheme and the profile controls). This is probably due to my own ineptness hehe. But anyways... just go to another control and the screen will update. In the plugin windows, select multiple plugins by holding down the CTRL key while clicking on plugins. Some plugins may conflict with other plugins. In order to overcome this, if you select ones that clash, the highest one up in the list will take precedence. Again, plugins, profiles, and schemes automatically show up in the configuration utility, so when you download them, just run the utility and there they are. Note: for some items, you may have to delete your SETi.ini files in your Trillian profile directory in order for some settings to take effect on windows you've alerady opened. The configuration utility has two command line parameters right now... '/showhidden' and '/restore'. "/showhidden" will show any schemes / plugins that were hidden using the "!" at the beginning of the file name. "/restore" is used to restore the default settings to the (default) profile. (In case something happens to make the utility not launch correctly.) Don't know how to use command line parameters? Right-click on the configuration utility, go to 'create shortcut'. Right-click on the shortcut and go to 'properties'. At the end of the "Target" field, put /showhidden or /restore PROFILES ======== Unfortunately, profiles don't work in Trillian 0.7x under windows 98/ME yet. This is a Trillian bug to be fixed in the future. However, the (default) profile should work fine. To add a profile, simply type the name you want in the profile box in the SETiConfig.exe utility. When you save it will save under that profile name. Note the skinchooser image for the profile will be the screen cap for the color scheme that's currently selected. (unless you edit the desc.txt file.) To delete unwanted profiles, select the profile then press the 'del' button. To modify a profile, select the profile in the configuration utility, make your changes, then hit save. Profiles store config.dtd and colors.dtd/.ini files for your settings... each profile can store an entire set of configuration information (i.e. text colors for each scheme). They also store enough extra information to make a complete skin in the skinchooser. (i.e. trillian.xml and desc.txt files) See the 'CHANGING DIRECTORY NAMES' section below for information on the directory names. Since profiles all store separate configuration information, you will have to resave all profiles when you want to enable a new plugin in all profiles. To share a profile with a friend or take your settings from one computer to another, all you have to do is copy the profile directory (only about 40 kb). It has all your configuration information: colors, settings, and plugins enabled. SCHEMES ======= When creating a scheme, use the graphics from another scheme to figure out what you need to do. Be sure to check out all the plugins to see if there are graphics files in them that you need to update too... (i.e. the 'pro' plugin.) Once you have your graphics done, you need to edit the color.dtd file by hand to set the 'editbox' color and the 'border' color. Also, if you change the basic button colors, change those in the color.dtd. All the other colors can and should be set in the configuration utility. NOTE: schemes beginning with '!' are hidden in the config utility. PLUGINS ======= NOTE: Do NOT delete or rename the "default" plugin directory! Plugins make use of hooks that are placed in the skin to allow things to be inserted. All hooks are listed in the plugins\default\main.dtd file. Plugins /require/ desc.txt. They also use main.dtd, main.xml, and prefs.xml files, but none of these /have/ to be in the plugin. These files in turn can reference other files. Check out the sample plugins to see how to reference filenames. MAIN.DTD: defines entities that hook into the skin. (see the default plugin's main.dtd for a list of hooks.) (You can also define any other .dtd-level things here for your own use.) MAIN.XML: inserted into the main level. PREFS.XML: inserted into the level The DESC.TXT file is arranged like this: 1: VariableName (used in references for directory names, etc) 2: Description of the plugin (used in the configuration utility) 3: priority level (1 to MAXINT) This allows one plugin to supersede another. working guideline: Trillian pro plugins will be 1000+ 4: in the future, I'm planning on adding skin version required, skin version obsoletion, other plugin required, and entities used here, but for now these 3 are all that's needed. The directory name can be whatever you want. When the configuration utility runs it will save the directory name automatically in case someone wants to rename a plugin directory or something. The only exception is that directories starting with '!' are hidden. The 'priority level' is used to help SETi decide what to do when there are clashes. If plugins try to use the same hooks, the plugin with the highest level is the one that gets used. (This makes use of a feature in XML where earlier defined entities take precedence over later ones so that people can use global .dtd's but customize elements for their own application.) So for instance, if we have 2 emoticons sets that will cause problems if used simultaneously, we set them to use the same hook that way only the one with the highest priority that the user chose actually gets inserted. The default plugin has a priority level of 0. Use the following conventions when defining filenames so they work with profiles and the flexible directory naming architecture... ;\"> ;\"> for SYSTEM entities you have to be a little trickier... Not sure if this is a Trillian or expat or XML glitch that you have to do SYSTEM entities like this, but this works. ;\" > '> %ENTthisentity; --== and ==-- ;\" > '> %ENTdtdentity; CHANGING DIRECTORY NAMES: ========================= The main SETi directory, plugins directories, and color scheme directories can all be renamed whatever you wish. However you must resave all profiles -- including the '(default)' one -- in order for the changes to not cause a crash. Also, you'll have to move plugins/mods/schemes to the new directory when you download them. Changing the directory name of the schemes changes the name of the scheme accordingly in the configuration utility. Changing the directory name for the plugins does not change the plugin name, as that information is in the plugins//desc.txt file. Profile directory names can also be changed to whatever you want, but for the profile to still be available to the skinviewer, the name must start with '_profile_'. (i.e. the default SETi directory is 'SETi', so the Aqua profile is: 'SETi_profile_Aqua'.) You can lock a profile so it can't be changed in the configuration utility by changing the first part of the name from SETi_profile_* to something else, like SETi_lockedprofile_* ==================================================================== ------------------------ | Version Information | | (first to last) | ------------------------ ==================================================================== 2002.08.29 05:01 *deep breath* OK... I'm starting to modularize the distribution, trying to finalize the final shape for it... so... New update. http://www.tometheus.com/temp/SETi.zip This one has a slightly redesigned contact list. Rather than tabs it uses buttons more in style with the rest of the skins theme. Also, Shuji's new status icons are included, so the contact list is now more streamlined and can be thinner. Also, I fixed one bad reference in the image linking, so if profiles didn't work for you before, try them again and see if it helps. The 'Purple' and an experimental 'wine' modpacks are uploaded separate from the main skin as a modpack. http://www.tometheus.com/temp/SETi_mods_Wine+Purple.zip If you want to use one of these, download the zip file, unzip it to the skins directory as you did the main skin. For Pro users: The pro plugin is uploaded as a separate file. http://www.tometheus.com/temp/SETi_plugins_pro.zip This is how we'll have to distribute it until Pro is released... New pro plugin: Kid's STIXE animated emoticon set. ==================================================================== 2002.09.06 15:28 New improved SETi update: http://tometheus.com/SETi Fixed contact list roll-up phase Added room to the opnum on channels Default plugin moved out of the config.dtd XML/trillian.xml reduced the number of metaEntities used Lots of stuff changed in the way the configuration utility works (internally) -fixed crash error in win98 when saving files -added 'contact list size' configuration option... will remove it now that the bars work. -Added a version system to the config.dtd / utility (so it doesn't crash reading an old file) -All settings are stored in the 'default' plugin so old versions of config.dtd will still work. OK... with this version I updated all the rolled-up modes so window sizes are now saved (uses a transparent region to remember 'true' window size). In order for containers to work properly they now roll down instead of up. Known 'bug': Rolled up windows behave as if they're the same size as their rolled-down counterpart when inside containers. This is the tradeoff you get for it remembering the window size... live with it :D Currently working on: a way to ship it without the config.dtd files so old settings aren't lost with an update, but it will still work as a fresh install. ==================================================================== 2002.09.11 22:41 Writing a lot of documentation.... ==================================================================== 2002.10.21 00:59 Put in all the plugin hooks... *tired... very tired* Plugins no longer need all files to work Added medium icons for containers. Added arrows for iconholder however, this probably won't show up until more mediums are added. Moved files for Kid's Emoticons to the plugin directory Changes to configuration utility: error checking on reading plugins / schemes Only uses the files that a plugin has available SAVE button no longer exits the utility If config.dtd not found reads from the default plugin now (used to keep a dtd file hard-coded in the utility) For people who have complained that the title doesn't take up all the space on the contact list, added a 'hide minimize button' option. (Most people have the taskbar entry off, so this will be enabled by default.) Changed 'cancel' button to 'restore' BE SURE TO RESAVE YOUR SETTINGS/PROFILES ==================================================================== 2002.10.30 Fixed some aesthetic issues with the container taskbar icons Renamed Kid's Stixe ... plugin to Cerulean Studios STIXE ... by request Fixed trilly-bar for alternate sizes. Tried working out phase glitches using "medium" switcher, renaming phase buttons Switched all NULLbtns in message windows to use transparent "medium" switcher (didn't realize that the switcher had to have #ff00ff background to be transparent before so I thought it didn't work.) Minor bug with buddy icon drawer shadow Created a plugin to show buddy icon in the rolled-up mode of message windows Added a config option to choose image to display in the skinchooser Thanks for the help Kevin. Added delete plugins/schemes buttons Added '/showhidden' and '/restore' command line options to config utility Created plugin for Microscopic contact list icons ==================================================================== 2002.11.02 Fixed config util minor bug in XP where text has white background (XP apparently doesn't listen to SetBkMode(HDC, TRANSPARENT) ) added 'hide' button to config for schemes/plugins Config no longer hides/deletes the green scheme fixed a couple of typos with 'savable' made an adjustable roll-up size plugin separated server/buddy status files separated rolled-up/down windows into separate files ==================================================================== 2003.01 Updated Config utility -fixes a bug with reading directories on XP -fixes some memory leaks (some still exist in win98) Fixed default alert in 1.0 plugin