Inkscape Theme Template

UPDATE: 2009-07-12 (alternative download link). UPDATE: 2009-07-08 (new Inkscape file with named batch export). -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is the latest template for making Reaper3 themes in Inkscape: Alternative link just in case: Just a png preview: INSTRUCTIONS * All the elements for reference are on separate locked layers. * It is advised not to draw your design on these layers, but rather on the top "Layer 1" or make new ones yourself. * When exporting, you should hide the backgrounds (pale blue rectangles to give the approximation of available area and positioning) and default images layers to avoid them show up on the exported elements. * The text layer can be left visible. * If you make changes to some theme element sizes, don't forget to adjust the size of the "dummy" rectangles on the "Export Helper" layer accordingly - these rectancles determine the size, position and name of the exported files. WORKFLOW 1) Make your theme design on a separate layer 2) Hide all layers, except "Export Helper" and the one with your design 3) Switch to the "Export Helper" layer 4) Select all - Ctrl+A 5) File > Export > Batch Export All Selected Objects (checkmark) All elements will be exported as separate files with correct names to the folder where this Inkscape file is in. NOTE: For some reason you can export only once, the second time Inkscape gives an error and crashes. So for the successive exports you need to always restart Inkscape, at least for the time being. Enjoy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- INITIAL POST: Would this kind of template be of use if it contained every theme element? You need to view it in outline to see the transparent backgrounds under buttons. Right now there's only about 10% done. Would the default bitmaps need to be included? Can't make any promises that I'll have the momentum to finish this ;) When your custom graphics are done the workflow would be easy I guess: 1) Copy the name of the graphics element 2) Select the button elements (group optionally) 3) Export bitmap (paste the name copied earlier) Repeat about 248 times :)

That looks like a very good idea to me Carbon, you know some people are trying to get a REAPER theme manual up together don't you? When I try to download it it opens as an image in the browser though, it is an .svg isn't so maybe when you can't do any more you could upload it compressed to .rar or something Good work

Its a great idea. As I'm sure you are aware, to maximise efficiency a good number of the images can be made much smaller depending on the design, but lets not worry about that. Its only a few k here and there. I wonder if you could investigate : as a means of replicating what can be done on more costly software? (I've not had time to try it) My thinking : Someone would work over your template and then save the whole lot as one big image. Then load it into this program where there would be a corresponding template that would kick out the individual images with the correct names :D

Righteous work sir! The only potential downside of using the default theme as a background is it has some undersized buttons, some of which have non-central alignment within the available space. That makes things line up nicely for that theme, but not all themes, which I suppose could lead rookie themers astray. How about if you put a solid colour behind each image of the default theme that made it clear as day what the available space was? Is it possible that the reported trojan in the exe is a false positive? I know bugger all about such things, but perhaps someone else here might? I do suspect this could be a useful tool.

Template Preview 2 

The template itself is about complete, apart if some suggestions or corrections arise. Here's a preview: If everything seems fine the next step will be entering the coordinates to the cutter.

Now, I tried the Image Cut, but there are some issues: 1) It allows only cutting through horizontally or vertically - this produces lots of tiny unnecessary images and is possible to use only if all the images next to each other need to be the same size, or it'll cut through them. 2) Strange looking font on the screenshot below - no antialiasing? Or ignores transparency?

Hi, carbon. Nice work! Wouldn't it be possible for Reaper to do a x,y offset when loading a graphics element for a theme so that a template like this could be easily and efficiently used? width,height would/might be needed too. These calls to the API could be added as optional parameters to maintain backward compatibility. example pseudo-code: method to draw graphics element ( current params, pointer to template filename ) { does pgn size match accepted size of standard template? if false, draw element png as currently done ( pointer to pgn ) else call method to draw element using x,y offset (pointer to x,y offsets array, element ID) } x,y offset method (pointer to x,y offsets array, element ID) { create element png using params draw element png as currently done ( pointer to pgn ) } This needs to be a FR? Someone knowledgeable about theming needs to post a FR if this isn't yet doable in Reaper. If the Reaper development team is interested, a table of the x,y offsets would need to be provided for each element; this would save them a lot of time.

Can't the mixing of elements be done by copying the template and then replacing various elements in the theme template itself? Then this new, "mixed" template would be given a new file name and could be called by the API. PS note that I have edited my post above to incorporate your idea. So themes could include an extra pgn template file ("template_themename.pgn") and if that file is included and is a correct template, Reaper would make use of it. Or an alternative is that Reaper could even include its own default template ("template_default.pgn") and use it if no acceptable template is included with the theme! Of course, this would mean that all themes would have to have their own template file or the theme would display the default theme. The upside of this approach is that all themes would automatically start with the default;i.e., they would all display correctly from the get-go. Then it's just a matter of substituting the new theme's elements for the default's. Theme development would become manageable; really just a matter of learning how to use Inkscape or PhotoShop. Add some creativity and 'whola', a great new theme is born! Additionally, any new graphics elements needed in the future could just be added to the bottom of the template or to a section if there is room, making it backwards compatible.

Batch Export with Object ID Naming from Inkscape.