What am I doing wrong? Help!

[BestRip]

Trying out a new skin (that is not complete), I get full processor load and cannot get out of that skin (OK it's not to tight or anything like that...).
I have done this a few times but the last time I had to flip the power switch on the PC and start in failsafe mode and reinstall another skin to get out of there.

Is there a possibility to try out the components or does the skin have to be complete?
I used "Update to dBpowerAMP" and then changed skin from the program. Should this work or is there another procedure?

[Spoons]

well whenever I made a half unfinished skin I could still hover the mouse over it and right click to select another skin.

it won't right click over it for you?

[BestRip]

Hi Razgo,

well it has been possible at times, but whatever is wrong takes so much processor time that it sticks the mouse and I mostly have to use the keyboard to get any response. (The last time it took me 1 hour to get out of there, back to normal!)

Is there a particular function that is doing this or is it all the unused ones adding up?

What I understand from your answer it will do this on an incomplete skin? When is it complete, does the whole equlizer have to be done? and the tray item?

Mainly what I'm trying to find out is what I have to put in there so that it won't act up on me like this.

[Spoons]

wow that is some serious problems. well I'm no skin expert so I start a skin based on a default skin. so for me all the components are already there. I just change the images etc...

But I have never tried to do a skin from scratch, which that sounds like what your are doing?

hmmm... have you read through Narler's skin tutorial? it might help track down where the problem is?

[BestRip]

Hi,

yes! it was really nasty the last time around. :happy:

I have tried baseing it on an existant skin erlier, and I guess that is a safer way to go so I'll use that again. Great idea!

I have read through the Narler's skin tutorial and it is really good, and I keep checking back in it for reference on details, but is there more documentation anywhere?

[Spoons]

the only other documentation I know of is Spoons "skin help" that comes with the skin designer.

the only other thing I can think of is when you are making your skin and you click "update dbpoweramp" and then fire up dap to see the skin while the skin designer window is still open, that will use a lot of processing power as the update is in real time.

So make sure you shut down skin designer and also maybe make sure you have "select a different skin" option enabled everytime you start dap. then if your in a pickle you could always ctrl+alt+del and shut down dap, then the next time you restart it will start with another skin.

I know thats not much help, but thats all I can think of at the moment.

[BestRip]

Thank you, great help actually!

Had a quick look but couldn't find: "select a different skin" option enabled...
Where do I look?

[Spoons]

just click on menu on the skin or right click over it, and then select click on skins. there you will see an option on what happens every time dap starts. you can even set a timer on it to change every so many minutes.

[BestRip]

Oh, how I love this program!!! :kiss:

It is working very well now that I'm basing the new skin on an old one, really great, so much easier.

I'm having a fantastic time with this, thank you Razgo for your help!
:happy:

[Spoons]

no worries. looking forward to seeing your skin creation :D

[BestRip]

Next problem...

I have a slide window with labels that won't update between tracks unless I use autoscroll or close and then reopen the window. (Track length/timers show correctly).

If I use "Autoscroll if text to large to display" then if next text is smaller and not scrolling it will not update but if long enugh so it's scrolling then it updates ok.

If I put the same labels on the main amp window it works ok.

Is this how it works or do I have a setting that's wrong?

[Spoon]

It might be a bug - I know of people who have said if you stick the graphic eq display line on a different windows to the scrollers it does not update either, I will hopefully fix it before release 2.

But saying that if you load the default skin, and have a look as userdefined Component #1, the track playing in on a window that is not the main window.

[BestRip]

Hi Spoon,

Yes, but the default one is set to "autoscroll" and that seems to work ok for me too.

It is when I want the text not to scroll that the problem starts.

Say for example I want the Track Number on a "wing" then to have the correct number appear the label has to autoscroll, and it looks kinda silly.
Closing and opening this wing-window updates it to the correct current Track Number (and all other label info as well).

[Spoon]

I will note it down as a bug.

[Narler]

well it has been possible at times, but whatever is wrong takes so much processor time that it sticks the mouse and I mostly have to use the keyboard to get any response. (The last time it took me 1 hour to get out of there, back to normal!)

Is there a particular function that is doing this or is it all the unused ones adding up?

What I understand from your answer it will do this on an incomplete skin? When is it complete, does the whole equlizer have to be done? and the tray item?

Mainly what I'm trying to find out is what I have to put in there so that it won't act up on me like this.

Hi,

Yes I've had that happen to me a few times also. I was never able to pinpoint out the exact sequence of events that causes it to occur. The only conclusion I could come up with is there is an element (object, button or label) that is not linked or has been incorrectly assigned.

Another reason where I've seen dBpowerAMP respond slowly, is if you assign the same picture to multiple object, and then in the skin designer delete one of those objects. This in effect removes the picture from the skin directory and therefore all other objects using that picture, display *nothing*.

Also if in the skin designer you delete an object that another one is associated with, that to can cause some wierd results in dBpowerAMP.

There are two ways to get out of it (although i've never been tied up for the duration that you have suffered). First off if it's only dBpowerAMP player that is having trouble responding, and you still have the Skin Designer open and it's working ok, just choose load (select a working skin) and update dbpoweramp again. The other way is as razgo mentioned, to right click on the skin and try and select another skin.

To answer your other question:.. No there's no need to do things, or create objects in a selected order. You just have to remember that when you create a skin, and want an object to appear on that skin, that when you create the object you MUST put the object on the skin. If not your object could end up in limbo. Also any skin that you create, the last skin will always be the highest visible in the skin designer, so that can certainly influence your order of doing things, especially if you have skins that overlap.

With reference to basing skins on existing skins, I don't do that as you have to delete numerous objects in order to start work. What I did was make a blank skin (with no objects) and i always base any new skins I make on that one. You can download the Blank skin from my Skin Tutorial Web page.

On the question of labels, yes, any label that isn't set to auto scroll when the label is not associated with the main skin (IsAmpWindow) will not be updated. So if you wish them to be autoupdated you must set them to autoscroll, or only place them on the IsAmpWindow.

The main thing to look at though, is if all the labels are set to autoscroll it requires more processor usage, so that's not always a good solution. So with that in mind I still create skins where the labels don't update.

As Spoon mentioned you can make the skin with the labels under the userdefined Component #1, however in doing so, it can't be locked to the primary window (even though there is an option to do so, it seems to have no effect)

I mentioned this label problem earlier you can See this thread here.


All the best