Our First Skinning Tutorial

Tuesday May 23rd, 2000

I have set to work developing a skin for Mozilla's browser component. Over the next few weeks, articles describing my efforts will be appearing on the chromeZone, offering tips and issues to be aware of while creating your own skin. At the end of the series, you will have a working "Communicator-like" skin.

In the first installment, I describe Mozilla's chrome directory structure, and some of the essential concepts.

#1 Its a Good Article

by Tekhir

Tuesday May 23rd, 2000 8:12 PM

I read it earlier and its a good start for everyone out there making or think of making their own skin.

BTW start with a build on May 18 or later. The Chrome directory is fairly stable from then on.

#2 Good article.

by leafdigital

Wednesday May 24th, 2000 9:10 AM

Well-written, clear... I'm looking forward to the rest of it, and the "Navigator classic" screenshot looks pretty convincing too.

I think mozilla skins are going to be pretty hot. Forget the "Mozilla is an application platform" crap - this is the real benefit of XUL, and it's not an insignificant one. Finally, if something about my browser (which I spend an awful lot of time using) annoys me, I'll actually be able to change it.

--sam

#3 standard

by lubricated

Wednesday May 24th, 2000 9:35 AM

is there a standard way to change skins. is there a way to keep multiple skins around and flip back and forth. is the navigator 4 classic skin available for download somewhere?

#4 Re: standard

by sdm

Wednesday May 24th, 2000 9:41 AM

yes, yes, and soon :)

There is a preferences panel for skin switching. There is a classic skin which is available via cvs, but not in the nightlies yet.

#5 Re: Re: standard

by basic

Wednesday May 24th, 2000 10:47 AM

Is random skin possible? i.e. skin changes with every new window or every few seconds/minutes?

#6 Oh no!

by bradfitz

Wednesday May 24th, 2000 11:03 AM

Dear God, no! Save us all! Not random skins!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!

#7 Why not?

by thelem

Wednesday May 24th, 2000 11:42 AM

I think this is actually quite a good idea, either a new skin each time the app is started, or a new skin for each window (could be complicted, with multiple skins running at one time)

#8 Re: Why not?

by sdm

Wednesday May 24th, 2000 12:29 PM

Sure why not - I hear the source code is available...

#10 Random skins

by gwalla

Wednesday May 24th, 2000 8:15 PM

As far as I know it's possible. There's just one problem: you'll need to do it with JavaScript in the XUL (by manipulating the CSS DOM), as CSS by itself doesn't allow this. So, it technically wouldn't be a skin, but a chrome change, with all the problems that come with that.

#9 Skinning Tutorial

by Tanyel

Wednesday May 24th, 2000 4:31 PM

I already think it will be better than any other information I have seen on XUL or XML.