B.2. The skin file
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## B.2. The skin file

As mentioned above, this is the skin configuration file. It is line oriented; comment lines start with a '`;`' character at the beginning of the line (only spaces and tabs are allowed before the '`;`').

The file is made up of sections. Each section describes the skin for an application and has the following form:

    section = section name
    .
    .
    .
    end

Currently there is only one application, so you need only one section: its name is movieplayer.

Within this section each window is described by a block of the following form:

    window = window name
    .
    .
    .
    end

where `window name` can be one of these strings:

- main - for the main window

- sub - for the subwindow

- playbar - for the playbar

- menu - for the skin menu

(The sub, playbar and menu blocks are optional - you do not need to decorate the subwindow, have a playbar or create a menu. A default menu is always available by a right mouse button click.)

Within a window block, you can define each item for the window by a line in this form:

    item = parameter

Where `item` is a string that identifies the type of the GUI item, `parameter` is a numeric or textual value (or a list of values separated by commas).

Putting the above together, the whole file looks something like this:

    section = movieplayer
      window = main
      ; ... items for main window ...
      end

      window = sub
      ; ... items for subwindow ...
      end

      window = menu
      ; ... items for menu ...
      end

      window = playbar
      ; ... items for playbar ...
      end
    end

The name of an image file must be given without leading directories - images are searched for in the `skins` directory. You may (but you need not) specify the extension of the file. If the file does not exist, MPlayer tries to load the file `<filename>.<ext>`, where `png` and `PNG` are tried for `<ext>` (in this order). The first matching file will be used.

Here is an example to make this clear. Suppose that you have an image called `main.png` that you use for the main window:

    base = main, -1, -1

MPlayer tries to load `main`, `main.png`, `main.PNG` files.

Finally some words about positioning. The main window and the subwindow can be placed in the different corners of the screen by giving `X` and `Y` coordinates. `0` is top or left, `-1` is center and `-2` is right or bottom, as shown in this illustration:

    (0, 0)----(-1, 0)----(-2, 0)
      |          |          |
      |          |          |
    (0,-1)----(-1,-1)----(-2,-1)
      |          |          |
      |          |          |
    (0,-2)----(-1,-2)----(-2,-2)

### B.2.1. Main window and playbar

Below is the list of entries that can be used in the '`window = main`' ... '`end`', and the '`window = playbar`' ... '`end`' blocks.

`base = image, X, Y`

  Lets you specify the background image to be used for the main window. The window will appear at the given `X,Y` position on the screen The window will have the size of the image.

  ### Note

  These coordinates do not currently work for the display window.

  ### Warning

  Transparent regions in the image (colored #FF00FF) appear black on X servers without the XShape extension. The image's width must be dividable by 8.

`button = image, X, Y, width, height, message`

  Place a button of `width` * `height` size at position `X,Y`. The specified `message` is generated when the button is clicked. The image given by `image` must have three parts below each other (according to the possible states of the button), like this:

      +------------+
      |  pressed   |
      +------------+
      |  released  |
      +------------+
      |  disabled  |
      +------------+

`decoration = enable|disable`

  Enable or disable window manager decoration of the main window. Default is disable.

  ### Note

  This doesn't work for the display window, there is no need to.

`hpotmeter = button, bwidth, bheight, phases, numphases, default, X, Y, width, height, message`

`vpotmeter = button, bwidth, bheight, phases, numphases, default, X, Y, width, height, message`

  Place a horizontal (hpotmeter) or vertical (vpotmeter) potmeter of `width` * `height` size at position `X,Y`. The image can be divided into different parts for the different phases of the potmeter (for example, you can have a pot for volume control that turns from green to red while its value changes from the minimum to the maximum.). `hpotmeter` can have a button that can be dragged horizontally. The parameters are:

  - `button` - the image to be used for the button (must have three parts below each other, like in case of button)

  - `bwidth`, `bheight` - size of the button

  - `phases` - the image to be used for the different phases of the hpotmeter. A special value of `NULL` can be used if you want no such image. The image must be divided into `numphases` parts vertically like this:

        +------------+
        |  phase #1  |
        +------------+
        |  phase #2  |
        +------------+
             ...
        +------------+
        |  phase #n  |
        +------------+

  - `numphases` - number of phases stored in the `phases` image

  - `default` - default value for hpotmeter (in the range `0` to `100`)

  - `X`, `Y` - position for the hpotmeter

  - `width`, `height` - width and height of the `hpotmeter`

  - `message` - the message to be generated when the value of `hpotmeter` is changed

`potmeter = phases, numphases, default, X, Y, width, height, message`

  A `hpotmeter` without a button. (I guess it is meant to be turned around, but it reacts to horizontal dragging only.) For the description of the parameters see hpotmeter. `phases` can be `NULL`, but it is quite useless, since you cannot see where the `potmeter` is set.

`font = fontfile`

  Defines a font. `fontfile` is the name of a font description file with a `.fnt` extension (do not specify the extension here) and is used to refer to the font (see dlabel and slabel). Up to 25 fonts can be defined.

`slabel = X, Y, fontfile, "text"`

  Place a static label at the position `X,Y`. `text` is displayed using the font identified by `fontfile`. The text is just a raw string (`$x` variables do not work) that must be enclosed between double quotes (but the " character cannot be part of the text). The label is displayed using the font identified by `fontfile`.

`dlabel = X, Y, width, align, fontfile, "text"`

  Place a dynamic label at the position `X,Y`. The label is called dynamic because its text is refreshed periodically. The maximum width of the label is given by `width` (its height is the height of a character). If the text to be displayed is wider than that, it will be scrolled, otherwise it is aligned within the specified space by the value of the `align` parameter: `0` is for right, `1` is for center, `2` is for left.

  The text to be displayed is given by `text`: It must be written between double quotes (but the " character cannot be part of the text). The label is displayed using the font identified by `fontfile`. You can use the following variables in the text:

  Variable | Meaning
  --- | ---
  $1 | play time in hh:mm:ss format
  $2 | play time in mmmm:ss format
  $3 | play time in hh format (hours)
  $4 | play time in mm format (minutes)
  $5 | play time in ss format (seconds)
  $6 | movie length in hh:mm:ss format
  $7 | movie length in mmmm:ss format
  $8 | play time in h:mm:ss format
  $v | volume in xxx.xx% format
  $V | volume in xxx.xx format
  $b | balance in xxx.xx% format
  $B | balance in xxx.xx format
  $$ | the $ character
  $a | a character according to the audio type (none: `n`, mono: `m`, stereo: `t`)
  $t | track number (in playlist)
  $o | filename
  $f | filename in lower case
  $F | filename in upper case
  $T | a character according to the stream type (file: `f`, Video CD: `v`, DVD: `d`, URL: `u`)
  $p | the p character (if a movie is playing and the font has the p character)
  $s | the s character (if the movie is stopped and the font has the s character)
  $e | the e character (if playback is paused and the font has the e character)
  $x | movie width
  $y | movie height
  $C | name of the codec used

  ### Note

  The `$a, $T, $p, $s` and `$e` variables all return characters that should be displayed as special symbols (for example, e is for the pause symbol that usually looks something like ||). You should have a font for normal characters and a different font for symbols. See the section about symbols for more information.

### B.2.2. Subwindow

The following entries can be used in the '`window = sub`' . . . '`end`' block.

`base = image, X, Y, width, height`

  The image to be displayed in the window. The window will appear at the given `X,Y` position on the screen (`0,0` is the top left corner). You can specify `-1` for center and `-2` for right (`X`) and bottom (`Y`). The window will be as large as the image. `width` and `height` denote the size of the window; they are optional (if they are missing, the window is the same size as the image).

`background = R, G, B`

  Lets you set the background color. It is useful if the image is smaller than the window. `R`, `G` and `B` specifies the red, green and blue component of the color (each of them is a decimal number from 0 to 255).

### B.2.3. Skin menu

As mentioned earlier, the menu is displayed using two images. Normal menu entries are taken from the image specified by the `base` item, while the currently selected entry is taken from the image specified by the `selected` item. You must define the position and size of each menu entry through the menu item.

The following entries can be used in the '`window = menu`'. . .'`end`' block.

`base = image`

  The image for normal menu entries.

`selected = image`

  The image showing the menu with all entries selected.

`menu = X, Y, width, height, message`

  Defines the `X,Y` position and the size of a menu entry in the image. `message` is the message to be generated when the mouse button is released over the entry.

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