Nomad theme editor

Poster · Joined: Jul 19, 2005 Posts: 27 Location: Netherlands

will the theme editor be public when the final version of Nomad is released?

I would really like to design my own custom GUI..

thanks..

chresan · Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:17 pm Post subject:

Hi Poster,

yes, it is planned to publish the user interface editor. But this will not happen any time soon, perhaps in 6-12 months. I don't know what you have in mind, but I want you to know that the tool is meant for developers. I have thought about an additional editor allowing users to create nice looking interfaces for their patches, but there are no concrete plans yet.

Can you give me some details about what you expected from the theme editor or what you want to change ?

Christian

Poster · Joined: Jul 19, 2005 Posts: 27 Location: Netherlands

Hi Christian,
the reason why I want to be able to customize the interface is because I personally think that the classic G1 interface (and even the G2) is outdated..
I understand that for nostalgic reasons people would like to see these interfaces provided, and that all fine ofcourse..

But I think that Nomad should also have a more contemporary interface, with it's own character, and a well balanced visual appearance..

some thoughts;
a more distinct hierarchy in typography
- usage of bold module names
- typographical difference between parameter names and (variable)parameter values..
- preferably the usage of an embeded font instead of a generic 'sans' reference..

graphics
- anti aliased artwork for all elements..
- currently the modules feel 'crowded'.. so I like to see a bit more functional 'white space'..
- user definable module color (as in the G2 editor)
- where possible; the usage of an underlaying grid to place the elements within a module to create a overall visual coherence..
- the usage of graphical elements (divider lines etc.) to create more hierarchical differences within a module..

blue hell · Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:16 pm Post subject:

which reminds me seeing Hans Nordelius once doing module design with the windows paint utility Laughing

He was really fast with this, having a library of several screen elements that he copied and pasted around (and modified). Basically building most of the static module features into a single bitmap to be overlaid by the dynamics only at runtime.

Poster · Joined: Jul 19, 2005 Posts: 27 Location: Netherlands

elektro80 · Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:39 pm Post subject:

Poster · Joined: Jul 19, 2005 Posts: 27 Location: Netherlands

blue hell · Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:55 pm Post subject:

chresan · Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:11 pm Post subject:

Poster, I agree with you that the user interface does not look very pleasant. The reason I adapted Clavias look was to provide the interface users are familiar with. Copying the look also saved a lot of time in favor of more urgent things under development. I always wanted to keep a door open to make different appearances possible, if you take a look at
Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

you can see an attempt to realize a G2 theme.

Well, there is much more to say about this topic, but I will give you some insight in the future plans and changes related to your request.

I am currently rewriting the theme engine to allow defining the user interface in a similar way websites are done. This means you can define the components on a module in XML (html for example is an xml application) and modify their appearance using CSS. If this is implemented you can just provide a different css stylesheet with your own colors and fonts. And it would also be possible to edit the xml file and add new components to a module or modify their locations. There will also be support for embedding SVG images into the xml files or loading images from a separate file.

The reimplementation of the theme engine is still in an early stage, but take a look at the attached screenshots. The complete user interface is generated from the xml+css files.

I can't tell you when all described features are available in nomad, but an early version of the new theme engine will be available in the next release of nomad.

For the point "user definable module color" in your list I have to disappoint you. It would be possible to add the feature to nomad, but there is no way to save these settings in a patch file.

miniworksui-swing.png

Description:

java interface built from xml+css

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miniworksui-svg.png

Description:

the same xml+css files are transformed to an svg image using a XSLT stylesheet

Filesize:

29.95 KB

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17468 Time(s)

chresan · Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:27 pm Post subject:

Poster · Joined: Jul 19, 2005 Posts: 27 Location: Netherlands

thanks for the reply..
the xml/css approach looks promising..!

YaKa · Joined: Nov 05, 2007 Posts: 4 Location: Paris

Hi all,

I agree with POSTER for the design of the modules. Clavia's design is not pleasant but functional.
I just download and run NOMAD, and his interface is really nice
big up for this work !!
I would like to help you, but i'm not programmer...
but i can work in module design and test NOMAD (with MicroModular).
I had fun to create quickly this design

Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

If I well understand, it's impossible to create new modules in NOMAD
(like a real delay in G2) ??
I'm disappointed from Clavia because i bought my synth by thinking it would grow with new modules but it never happened.

You want download my same patchs from this old little page > http://yaka93.free.fr

Bye & Thank's for NOMAD

blue hell · Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 3:35 pm Post subject:

YaKa, looks nice that module, and it's still functional.

YaKa · Joined: Nov 05, 2007 Posts: 4 Location: Paris

Hi, thank's Blue Hell
I make this just for fun but I can work about seriously !!

julien · Joined: Dec 08, 2006 Posts: 56 Location: Paris

Hello Yaka,

That's a nice design. Your help would be greatly appreciated in the project. Right now the theme is handled via a mix of xml files and java class... Unfortunately you still need some java skills to change a theme. There was an editor for the modules, but nomad changed a lot internally last year, so I don't know if it still works. After next release things should be more clear on this side and lets hope you'll be able to add an awesome theme to nomad!

Julien

YaKa · Joined: Nov 05, 2007 Posts: 4 Location: Paris

Hi Julien,
I understand the system to change theme (XML+Java)
but I don't know if the elements of interface are independents (module+button above, for exemple, you know).
So, I continue to work on the general design (form of button, font ...)

julien · Joined: Dec 08, 2006 Posts: 56 Location: Paris

Hello,

So I checked in the source and part of the drawing is hard coded in the java classes. But it should not be too difficult to remove this after the next release.

To get a grasp on how the theme engine work, you can look in the theme file here : http://nmedit.cvs.sourceforge.net/nmedit/nmedit/libs/nordmodular/data/classic-theme/classic-theme.xml?revision=1.19&view=markup

You will see that the interface is divided into knobs, buttons, connectors... The theme file describe the location of all the elements.

What you can already do is making svg files of individual interface elements. The next step would be to create your own xml file, but I would suggest waiting for the graphical editor to do that it will save you a lot of time.

Julien