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Theme Development Workflow

Workflow and best practices for developing Movian themes and skins.

Development Process

  1. Plan - Define theme style and features
  2. Setup - Create skin directory structure
  3. Develop - Create view files
  4. Test - Test on different screens
  5. Refine - Polish and optimize
  6. Package - Create distributable package

Skin Structure

my-skin/
├── universe.view        # Entry point
├── theme.view           # Macros and styles
├── background.view      # Background
├── loading.view         # Loading screen
├── pages/              # Page templates
│   ├── directory.view
│   ├── video.view
│   └── ...
├── osd/                # On-screen display
└── popups/             # Dialogs

Development Tips

Start with Existing Skin

Copy movian/glwskins/flat/ as starting point.

Test Frequently

Reload skin in Movian to see changes.

Use Variables

$ui.primaryColor = "#4192ff";
$ui.spacing = 0.5em;

Create Reusable Macros

#define Button(CAPTION) { ... }
#define Card(TITLE, ICON) { ... }

Testing

  • Test on different screen sizes
  • Test with different content types
  • Test navigation with keyboard/remote
  • Test on target platforms

See Also