[Canola] Canola theming

[wazd]

Hi.
I just wanted to ask if there're the plans to make some theming software for Canola? I wanted to make some new theme for "non fullscreen" usage that looks like OS'08 but .edj file is unopenable :) Thanks in advance :)

[handful]

Hi Wazd, this was already asked, and yes indeed we plan to do. but unfortunately you will not be able to do "non fullscreen" themes. The whole design is build around the available canvas, then the impossibility of doing this... : /

Our plan is to provide at least a easy way for non-linux users to do the theme without needing to install EFL. Just grab a public design sheet ( a photoshop file) that we will provide that has all images already on place, replace (draw / design) yours on top.. slice it in photoshop... and send zipped to a webservice, you will get the theme done already in a testable debian file.

BR

Marcelo

[wazd]

Well, your current themes handles pretty well in windowed mode :) Maybe I just mistakin in describing what I want to do but you got it right :)
Thanks for the reply, I'll be waiting :)

[handful]

Are you running out of fullscreen? :)

[wazd]

Noway! It's great! Just was surprised how good Canola resizes to the smalller screen :)

[rcadden]

I wonder, for us losers with zero photoshop skillz, if it might be possible to automate the theming a bit through a web form. Check Ownskin.com (which allows theming for alot of cellphones) for an idea of what I'm talking about. I'd bet that most users might just want limited theming abilities, such as background and maybe ui-button colors. Any chance this could be done through a web-based app, rather than having to go through a whole Photoshop image?

[MikeL]

Apologies for my ignorance but could someone please explain Canola2 "windowed" mode to me. My understanding is that Canola2 will only work in full screen mode on the NIT's. (So Windowed mode?)

[handful]

@Rcadden : yes we were think about this, actually even inside canola (you could choose the picture for background and the color hue) but seems that compiling the theme inside canola would be a little bit too much.

So first plan is to have a webservice to help users to create packages for install based on a bunch of zips.

If we managed to make this work, then we can for sure make a simple interface that takes a base theme and can change it's hue, background etc and send to the previous service to create the installable file :)

But of course :) gives us a little bit of time, everyone is focused on making out of beta, and we have bold deadlines x features combinations :)

@Mikel : I think he hit a "bug" and was able to leave fullscreen. Canola indeed scale up and down pretty nicely, that's one of our "little secrets". Gustavo lot's of time was working on Canola on full hd, and while we do not use icon scalling, on desktop system it could be used easily.

But: why we don't provide window mode, while some windows do look good in windowed mode, others are clearly "messed" up and this will become even worst when the keyboard layer appears on n810 eg. So, instead of punishing the whole application trying also to "adapt" to the lack of space of the windowed mode, we decided to focus on features :) what we are doing..

But I think it's not easy to find the bug, because he's the only one talking about it :))))

Wazd: how did you do it ? :) (I promise we will not fix it........not) :)

Marcelo

[wazd]

thru the X-Term:
canola -n
:)

Well, the only thing that not resizes is timeline :)

[sjgadsby]

thru the X-Term:
canola -n

Thanks! I'm reinstalling Canola now to try this out. It's been the lack of a non-fullscreen mode that has kept driving me back to the standard Media Player.

[chenca]

wazd,

"The Secret Revealed"

now change the Canola desktop file to make -n as default option and you will can start Canola windowed using the menu.

[MikeL]

Thanks I now know how to switch into window mode, so understand the earlier comments. :) Cant say it "rocks my boat" as I personally prefer full screen with the ability to quickly switch to underlying applications and programs as the mood takes me. It's not as though we will miss anything happening, as messages, chat etc are highlighted to us in 2008 in Bottom left hand corner of display. (Well at least I think they are :o when using Canola2 on N800/N810 )

Theming the Canola UI with colour, icons and personal picture that should create some interesting results. :rolleyes:

[brianjdoherty]

A quick suggestion for the Canola developers. Not exactly theming Canola, more the reverse ... If the existing Canola theme backgrounds were made available to us to download, we could make them our default background image. Then, Canola would seem more integrated with the system looks. I think it'd be cool; it would look like the Canola controls just replaced the system ones. It'd be easy, too, as long as the image owners don't mind.

[handful]

Hi Brianj: we are preparing almost everything to be released, so there's no problem in releasing the pngs :) at all. I will ask and see, we can release them on monday,

:)

[stooo]

releasing the background pngs is a great idea, i was just thinking about that this afternoon.

does this mean a big update next week?

[dan]

Handful,

Can the Canola2 desktop platform be made into the n800 desktop platform. What would be even cooler would be if Canola could spin like those Ubuntu youtube vids where they get linux on one side, ms on other etc... That might require too much processing power though. I just feel that the n800 platform is ideal for a very visual desktop that is easy to maneuver through. Great for newbies like me. That's why Canola2 is such a godsend. It makes your app a real user friendly and enjoyable experience. Dan

[handful]

Hi Dan,

Unfortunately this is not possible yet. The spin you see on ubuntu videos (and also a lot earlier available in the mac) uses 3D acceleration (ok could be done without) but we can barely draw on screen, so you can imagine that drawing this, on a "3D" (even fake) surface is kind of too expensive for the device.

We are taking more time in this update because developer support is coming, and this update already supports plugins, so you can see more and more the things you want to do to be done inside canola :)

Thanks for the nice words dan! That's really our goal, to make a enjoyable user experience in a different way from conventional maemo apps.

Br

[Scarflash]

the canola -n thing is amazing!!

[handful]

Scarflash : While I don't agree that is nice to see canola on windowed mode,but for sure I do get quite happy if people liked it :)

for me it just too much space wasted around :) and that white line between the application and the top bar just kills me :) but most of the thing also works like in the portrait mode experiment. :)

If you have suggestion, please... keep them coming :)

Marcelo

* Go python!!! :)

[Tabster]

A quick suggestion for the Canola developers. Not exactly theming Canola, more the reverse ... If the existing Canola theme backgrounds were made available to us to download, we could make them our default background image. Then, Canola would seem more integrated with the system looks. I think it'd be cool; it would look like the Canola controls just replaced the system ones. It'd be easy, too, as long as the image owners don't mind.

What would be even cooler, would be for Canola to have a theme that would use the tablets current background image and impose its UI on top of it :)

[DistantFire]

Handful, I don't see why anyone needs a windowed mode for Canola unless they just can't live without seeing the status bar. You can always get to the home screen without closing Canola (or even stopping the music) by pressing the home button (bottom left of the tablet) and then come back into the themed view again.

I happen to LOVE Canola, and I like it more as I use it more. Thanks for a great product!

DF

[handful]

yeah distantFire, this was more or less what I've always "used" to defend our choice for fullscreen.

Thanks for the nice nice words, and we now have a felling that this week will be also a joy for those who like canola :)

We are on the final stages, today we will release the beta6, without the youtube and last.fm, but we just want to make sure beta6 doesn't break (lot's of core changes) and then, if everything goes right you will have youtube and last.fm tomorrow :)

Than we will take a break, one of our team members is getting married and we will be drunk the whole weekend :) I hope things do not crash, because we will not be able to answer as usual :)

So, let the upload begin! :)))

[Krazybat]

Hello people !

I've just tried this canola in windowed mode "bug", and even if some would not like it at all, it shows how faster in scrolling browsing through "album covers" is when 1 row of cover art is displayed instead of 2...
Same thing with browsing through photos, displaying 2 rows of photos instead of 3.

One question for the Canola team : would it be possible to add an option on how many rows the user would like to display on his covers and photos lists ?

[handful]

Krazy : windowed mode is not a bug (it's actually our argument for windowed mode on the desktop development. :)

Of course scrolling one album is faster, less things to scroll = faster. But for people with too much media that is not a good solution.

The option? No, actually the layout is flexible given the size available. The thumbnails size are choosed for the best performance on the fullscreen mode.

As I told, the windowed mode on the tablets, it's a choice of the user, and our focus remains on the fullscreen mode. As previous stated, we don't follow any maemo UI rules, thus we cannot co-exists in a coherent way with the other ui, also I don't agree with the screen usage been take all the time to the status bar (title + systray) + borders + the navibar on the side. That's exactly why canola was born. If people want to use like that the best (and totally fitting) way to do it is the default media player.

Cheers!

Marcelo

[brianjdoherty]

Did the PNGs for the canola themes ever get released? If so, I missed it! Maybe they're in one of the packages I see on the web site, aimed at developers? I don't have Linux or VMware, so not sure I can unpack and use these packages. Thanks!

Hi Brianj: we are preparing almost everything to be released, so there's no problem in releasing the pngs :) at all. I will ask and see, we can release them on monday,

:)

[handful]

Brian : yes they are on the developer section on the website : http://openbossa.indt.org.br/canola/developer.html

- on the bottom : for "Theme makers" design sheet.

you actually have the PSD (photoshop file) already "sliced" and named, so you can simply change the graphics there, and export / slice inside photoshop with ease.

Then, we are doing the webservice that compiles, and give you a debian package with your theme, you just need to upload a zip file with your files (there's one slightly issue that you should create some folders before generating the zip)

So you don't have to unpack :)

Marcelo