Input needed: ES theming improvements

Zigurana

@robertybob This file i've been using in a theme called dev. This was basically pixel, but with all references to pixel.xml changed into dev.xml. (You could also rename this one file into pixel.xml).

Inside you'll find two variations (one commented out) of the horizontal and vertical carousel respectively.

Let me know how you fare!

dankcushions

@Zigurana pixel has a non-modifying clause: https://github.com/ehettervik/es-theme-pixel

i think releasing even an example might be unfair really.

jdrassa

@dankcushions I can't speak for @Rookervik, but I believe that he was mostly concerned with derivative themes using his artwork. Since this is only an xml file and intended as an example of how to modify a theme to use this new feature, I would like to think that he would be OK with it.

TMNTturtlguy

@jdrassa sorry for the question, I haven't been following the threads for the carousel modifications and just came across it now. I tried to scroll through related threads and there is a lot of info, but I am unclear on this update. Is there an ES update for raspberry pi that is coming out that allows the carousel settings to be applied to the theme .xml? Or will it work on my current install? I see there is an update of ES for windows. Thanks

jdrassa

@TMNTturtlguy The carousel modifications just landed today in the RetroPie repository. You can use RetroPie-Setup to update your pi. You may need to use the "update from source" option, I am not sure how often they update the binary. I pushed out the updated Windows build and posted about it since many of the theme developers use it while working on their themes.

robertybob

Thanks guys, works great!!

TMNTturtlguy

@jdrassa great! Thanks

robertybob

Probably a dumb question, but is it possible to have a transparent carousel?

jdrassa

@robertybob it is. The color field works like other color fields where the first 6 digits are the color and the last 2 are the transparency. Just set the last 2 digits to 00.

<carousel name="systemcarousel">
      <color>ffffff00</color>
</carousel>

robertybob

@jdrassa Thank you! This is great news, I'll definitely implement this in a future theme :)

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masteryoer

Anyone have a screenshot or demo of what this looks like?

robertybob

@masteryoer alt text

masteryoer

@robertybob

Isn't this how emulationstation looks now?

Syhles

@masteryoer
Look at the bottom of the screen he moved the games available text.

mattrixk

@masteryoer
alt text

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images from the [ES Toolkit] (https://github.com/mattrixk/es-toolkit/blob/master/emulationstation/themes/basevid/).

masteryoer

@mattrixk

Wow extremely helpful. Awesome on the new features

FlyingTomahawk

@Zigurana @jdrassa

Guys this is absolute FANTASTIC!
Job well done!
I think this is something many theme makers wanted to change and now it can be finally done. And it works very well.
This gives us so many new possibilities to (re)design themes.

Again, well done guys.

Zigurana

@dankcushions What in the name of the spirit of open-source SW development are you talking about?
First of all, the version I am working from still has a "share, edit and attribute" - type licence. If @Rookervik has changed it recently, that cannot retroactively affect all earlier versions.
Second, this is hardly the redistribution of of a complete theme that I now claim as my own. It is a single xml file, with specific additions to showcase the use of a new feature. I could have pasted the same thing as a code-block here in the forum, but I thought to make it easier for folks to go and test it out.
Finally, talking about unfair, I believe that creating original content for open-source projects gives you some right of ownership, for the images @Rookervik certainly has the copyright. But he does not completely own the handling of the xmls describing the system behaviour, not at least because these specific view elements were not there yet. So what right is there to claim for this file?

Now to be clear, I understand that licence violations are a sore point atm, but I kind of feel like I'm being put in the same corner as the scumbags that try to make money by selling Retropie SDs. That hurts.

TLDR: I do not think I did anything wrong.

dankcushions

@Zigurana the design and layout of a theme is still the theme. there's a non modifying clause on pixel and you modified it, and distributed the file. in the spirit of collaboration i would have asked first.

i'm not the theme police. do what you want. just raising the point.

FlyingTomahawk

I cannot speak for Rookervik but from what I understood was, he cares the most about his self-created graphical stuff (logos, system names, backgrounds) and not the code itself inside the xml file.
As far I know all themes have the same or similar code base otherwise they would not run, right?
As long @Zigurana doesn't add any logos or background files from Pixel he should be good. He also did not intend to sell or spread with bad intention, just used it as a sample code.

For future reference, @Zigurana if you need any file to play around or even graphical stuff do not hesitate to use my Futura theme. I do not mind at all if it is used to improve coding or ES in general so please go ahead and help yourself out. :-)