[mythtv-users] customizing a theme

[Leo Butler]

   >From mailnull  Wed Jul 10 13:01:51 2013
   From: Joseph Fry <joe at thefrys.com>
   Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 09:01:02 -0400

   >  Is there a (simple) way to customize, say, the font size used by a theme?
   >>>>
   >>>> Unfortunately none that I am aware of.  Every time I get a new version
   >>> of Blue Abstract, I copy it and start tweaking away.  I know no other way
   >>> to do it.  Unfortunately, the font sizes are tightly coupled to the
   >>> geometries of the theme.  I will often change a font size, see what
   >>> geometries break, and then fix them.
   >>>
   >>
   >> No "simple" way... but I do believe that there is a way to 'override'
   >> settings in the theme by creating a single file containing the overrides
   >> that will survive a theme update (similar to CSS inheritance).  I'm sure
   >> someone will have the documentation... but I swear I remember reading about
   >> it in a past thread.
   >>
   >
   > Yes, font, shapes, etc. all have attributes that are inherited similar to
   > CSS.  Setting one of these 'overrides" could easily cause geometry problems
   > all over the theme.
   >
   > As an example, often button shapes are defined in pixels.  They are
   > completely decoupled from the font size of the text on the button.
   >  Increasing the font size will not automatically increase the button size.
   >  This can cause all sorts of problem visually if the text no longer fits on
   > the button.
   >
   > This was much more complex when I increased font sizes on the guide.  This
   > didn't affect just a single button, but rather an entire grid of shapes.
   >

   I wasn't suggesting that the process was easy in any way shape or form...
   only that I thought you could manipulate a theme without changing any of
   the theme's files... that way the changes would survive a theme update.

Thanks for the comments/suggestions.
I guess the answer is: vi and your eye. There aren't many simpler ways to do things...

Btw, is there a wiki page that documents the structure of a theme? I spent some time
looking through the xml files in the default theme directory. While these are intelligible,
I would feel a lot better if I were not blindly poking in the dark.

Thanks, Leo.