I took the freedom to make the subject more descriptive.
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RJJIII
1. There are (I think) 2 skin systems. The "old" skin system is used by the Klassic theme and pretty much also themes from the community. It is supported from version 1.5 to 76. A "new" skin system was introduced in version 75+76, but it's only used it seems for the "Default" theme. What then are themes on this page:
http://kmeleonbrowser.org/wiki/KMeleonThemesWiki
They appear similar to the "old" style skins but even older. KM 1.5 came out in 2008, but a few of those themes were updated in 2009. Were they updated to the (then new) "old" system? Should any of these themes work with KM 76?
K-meleon is backward compatible with skins. I'm using an "old" skin on 75.0.
75.0 is the version that included the new skinning system.
http://kmeleonbrowser.org/forum/read.php?8,131009
On that thread might be some discussion about the new skin and around the forum too.
Obviously, anything previous 75.0 would understand only the old system.
The old system has been there from the beginning (my beginning was at 0.8 and it was there), not only form 1.5. Consider all 1.5 reference as a major version to glue things together.
The new system added the Default folder as a fallback to find default BMPs images and a skin.cfg file in JSON format, that was quite easier to add icons to commands. The old menuicons.cfg had the drawback that you have to declare several instances of the same image for each command using the same icon.
Later, or at the same time, it was also added a shared folder for any skin to use.
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RJJIII
2. Skins and themes seem like the same thing most of the time. However, a few include skins plus other stuff like macros. Is this common? Or are themes usually skins? Is this why some themes are packaged as .exe files?
I couldn't tell. To me they have been always the same.
If someone included macros, maybe to include custom menus, or other things, was up to the one who created it.
The same with the packaging system.
Maybe for some is more useful an auto-extract exe. Personally I prefer a compressed file. Up to the packager.
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RJJIII
3. The wiki pages mention a "theme installer package" by Guenter. Is this still hosted anywhere? It appears to be long gone.
I didn't know existed.
If it is some kind of theme installer, as said, isn't necessary. Unless someone doesn't know to extract a zip (where) or finds easier to run an exe.
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RJJIII
4. The page with all the "old" style themes (
http://kmeleonbrowser.org/wiki/K-MeleonThemes15 ) says that it is sorted by date. The dates on that page though are all over the place. Does it need to be re-ordered or do those dates on the page mean something else?
Just what it tells "The most recently updated and/or added are at the top."
Looks like not everyone read/followed that rule. And then if they even add a date. Nothing else.
Re-order? Hard work, for not much interest. The interest would have been to have an standard or whatever to tell this is compatible with X version, regardless of the date.
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RJJIII
5. There are skins on this page:
http://kmeleonbrowser.org/wiki/SkinsAndThrobbers
The Skins and Throbbers page mentions that skins may need to be updated for v0.8. The pure graphical assets on the page like the throbber .avi files and siria's background images should still work fine, but are all of the skins using an older/obsolete system? I would think so but I see a few minor edits of the page including one from gordon451 in 2014 as if the page is still relevant. I'm thinking I should re-arrange the page to bring the throbbers and backgrounds to the top and just leaves the skins how they are with a preface. There are also "Magic Backgrounds" which sound cool but 100% of the links are broken. Are these still available somewhere?
They are very basic and they should work... I can't tell what changes were introduced on 0.8, as I'm here since then.
For availability you should check Archive.org. Always. Some pages they are archived, others not. That is the only safe boat.
Re-arrange...? The problem is that no one might still be using K-meleon prior to 1.x. They aren't much usable to date and if for academic purposes, for example, skins are irrelevant.
Now, as basic as they are, isn't that they couldn't or shouldn't be used on newer K-meleon versions, but... they are too basic. Focus, un-focus them? I bet 99% of users use the default skin on K-meleon 7x.y.
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RJJIII
6. Karameleon is still on the wiki but based on the artist's comments in the linked thread (
http://kmeleonbrowser.org/forum/read.php?10,95544 ) I think I should comment it out or delete it. It seems the original author doesn't want it made publicly available.
Actually, if you read the thread, it is here:
http://kmeleonbrowser.org/forum/read.php?10,95544#msg-97037
Sadly, un-indexed, but the forum has more info than what it looks.
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RJJIII
7. The wiki's explanation of Toolbars.cfg (
http://kmeleonbrowser.org/wiki/ToolbarsConfig ) hasn't been updated since 2006 and desga removed the link to that page in a 2008 edit. I think that means that it described a version of Toolbars.cfg used in version 1.0. Is there an explanation anywhere for what changed from this version of Toolbars.cfg to the KM 1.5 (2008) versions that I believe are still used by all the old-style themes?
Nothing has changed
AFAIK.
Have in mind that I'm using a toolbars.cfg I've carried to 75.0 from 0.8x..., with my tweaks, of course.
Any change should be on announcements subforum, but I haven't seen one on a quick view.
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RJJIII
8. The KM 1.5 Phoenity theme is not listed in the wiki. This seems like the perfect reference to anyone trying to create a new theme though. (Or would that be the KM74 themes?) Would it be okay to add a listing even though I (quite obviously) am not the author?
Do you mean this?:
https://web.archive.org/web/20030118101919/http://phoenity.com/kmeleon.html
What do you mean by listing? Add a zip?, there it is a link. Instead a dead link, Archive.org's one.
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RJJIII
9. KM lets you change your icon size in the preferences dialog. This only seems to work on the Default skin for me. Does it only work on that skin, only on new skins, or only on skins that have different icon sizes?
There are a few fallbacks and differences between new and old and it was related to the default size in toolbars.cfg, the default on skin.cfg and the size for each icon. Actually you can use a 4K icon and display it as 16x16, so imagine...
Time ago I fiddle with them but... don't ask, lost in my memory, better test. There might be some info by me on the forum, somewhere..., some thread...
The Toolbars size in the preference dialog... I don't remember what it does. Set the minimum default size, I guess. Note, though, that this is set on toolbars.cfg too.
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RJJIII
10. Is there a kind of template skin that new users should work from if creating a new skin? I would think KM 1.5 or 74's Phoenity but don't want to assume.
Well, it is not AFAIK. The skin system is quite... modular? independent?
You can add a lot of features to set a "theme" or just some little changes.
Most of my knowledge and other what would like to join this thread have most of the knowledge, beyond the
wiki manuals, after try-error.
The template is the manual scattered all over the wiki. Toolbars.cfg here, menuicons.cfg there, etc.
Use whatever you feel comfortable. From my point of view, as an open source project, and when such skins are defaulted, are made to the public the same way you can use it and adapt, so if you want to create a template...
But, as you noted, there should be two templates, one for old system (without skin.cfg, default folder and shared folder), and another for the new.
Sorry, for any missing info, mistake or whatever, this is a very long reply and lost memories