XBMC Skinning Manual

General Information

XBMC includes a new GUI library written from scratch. This library allows you to skin/change everything you see in XBMC, from the images, the sizes and positions of all controls, colours, fonts, and text, through to altering navigation and even adding new functionality.

The skin system is quite complex, and this portion of the manual is dedicated to providing in depth information on how it all works, along with tips to make the experience a little more pleasant.

If you are just getting started with skinning XBMC, then it is suggested that the best way to learn is by modifying one of the many existing skins that are available. The default skin, Project Mayhem 3, includes almost all the various tricks and features that make the XBMC skinning engine so powerful, so is an ideal place to start. You may wish to start by having a look through the tutorial section on skinning XBMC as well as the "Skinning XBMC" article, and try modifying a window or two by adding a button, or altering the textures or layout.

Anatomy of a Skin

XBMC skins are packaged up and located in the skin/ folder off the main XBMC folder. This is the folder where all skins are placed and listed. By default there's only one called “Project Mayhem III”, by Chokemaniac which is the default skin.

Any additional skins you create, ordownload from places such as [www.xboxskins].net can be placed here for XBMC to auto-detect them and allow you to load them up from within the Appearance Settings. It is suggested that if you want to make your own skin, then starting by copying an existing skins files over into a new folder (let's say skin/myskin) is a good place to start. You can then edit each of the files as you become more familiar with the skinning system.

Each skin folder contains several subdirectorys, and one file:

myskin/font

This subdirectory contains all fonts used by the skin. you can add/replace fonts here

myskin/media

This subdirectory contains all the media files (.png/.gif/.jpg...) You can replace/edit these as you like.

myskin/skin.xml

This contains the information that XBMC uses to find the other files that XBMC requires to describe it's skin. It also contains credits information, and versioning information.

myskin/PAL

This is a resolution-specific directory. XBMC can run in multiple resolutions, and thus can use different files for some resolutions (as there is a big difference between NTSC at 720x480 pixels and 1080i at 1920x1080 pixels!) See here for the order in which it looks for skin files.

Skin Themes

All the basic media files for a skin should be compressed into the Textures.xpr file, and placed in the media/ folder. You can use the tool XBMCTex for this. All the images that make up the default skin theme should be in the Textures.xpr file.

In addition to this, XBMC allows other .xpr files in the media/ folder, each one representing a different theme for your skin. For instance, you could tint all your main textures a red colour, and create a new theme package Red.xpr. This gives users more choice in the look of a particular skin, and only the textures change when you change themes – the layout stays the same. If the user has selected a theme, then when a control requires a texture, XBMC will first look in the <themename>.xpr file for the texture. It will fall back to the Textures.xpr file if <themename>.xpr doesn't contain the image. This means that the theme .xpr files need only contain the changed textures – all other textures will fallback to using Textures.xpr as usual.

A suggested method of creating a theme is as follows:

1. Run XBMCTex.exe on the folder containing the default texture files, to generate Textures.xpr as you would normally do.
2. Identify the textures you wish to have themed and copy them to a separate folder.
3. Create a separate folder for each theme outside of your normal skin work area, and place the altered copies of each of the textures in them.
4. Run XBMCTex.exe on each of the theme folders created in step 3 to create the themed .xpr files (note you can use the -output switch with XBMCTex.exe to name the theme appropriately).
5. Place Textures.xpr and each of the theme .xpr files in the media/ folder of your skin. XBMC will automatically pick them up.

Please note that for none xbox platforms there is no need to compress your theme aside from obvious portability reasons of course.

References

The other special (and arguably the most important skinning file of all) is references.xml. This is, as its title suggests, a place from which you can define the default look, size, and positioning of controls, to save you replicating many of the control's attributes throughout the window .xml files. For instance, you can setup the size, and textures used for a button control, thus allowing you to leave those details out in the rest of the skin files, unless ofcourse you want to override the default look or size etc. in a particular window.

This is extremely valuable as it allows you to greatly simplify a lot of the work in building a skin. For one thing, it means that once you have references.xml setup, many of the default parameters for a different resolution can be done by just altering the parameters within the references.xml file for the different resolution.

The layout of references.xml is as follows:

  <references>
    <control>
       ...
    </control>
    ...
    <control>
       ...
    </control>
  </refereces>

All it consists of is a <control> block for each control that you wish to define. To see the different tags available for each <control> block, see the Controls section below.

The Window XML Files

The other xml files each define the skin for a single window. They all have the same basic layout, allowing you to place different controls on the window, and define how navigation should operate.

A list of all window .xml files and what they represent may be found in Apendix I: List of Windows.

The important thing to remember is that each window has a unique identifying number (id). This is how XBMC identifies the window from within the source code.

Furthermore, many of the controls within each window should have a unique id as well, unless they're just used as images or labels where navigation is unimportant and XBMC does not need to be able to identify them uniquely. The window id's are all listed in the Apendix I: List of Windows.

The structure of the window .xml files can be found below in the Window Structure.

Skin.xml

Each skin in XBMC contains the skin.xml file which sets up an overview of the skin and provides credits and versioning information.

Example

  <skin>
    <defaultresolution>pal</defaultresolution>
    <defaultresolutionwide>pal16x9</defaultresolutionwide>
    <defaultthemename>default</defaultthemename>
    <effectslowdown>1</effectslowdown>
    <version>2.0</version>
    <zoom>1.1</zoom>
    <credits>
      <skinname>My Skin Name</skinname>
      <name>Awesome Skinner 1</name>
      <name>Awesome Skinner 2</name>
      <name>Awesome Skinner 3</name>
    </credits>
    <startwindows>
      <window id="0">513</window>
      <window id="1">0</window>
      <window id="3">My awesome new window</window>
    </startwindows>
  </skin>

One thing to note is that all tag names are lower case. XML tag names are case sensitive!

Overview of the Tags

defaultresolution	Default resolution folder for this skin. This is the base directory that all window xml file requests will fall back to.
defaultresolutionwide	Default widescreen resolution folder for this skin. This is the directory that all window xml file requests from widescreen resolutions (1080i, 720p, 480p 16x9, NTSC 16x9 and PAL 16x9) will fallback to. If the file isn't found in this window, then it'll fall back to the <defaultresolution> folder.
defaultthemename	Default theme name. Currently set to: Default.
effectslowdown	A multiplier that is applied to all <animation> effect lengths in the skin. Useful to slow down all animations globally so that you can better configure timings and see interactions between animating controls.
version	This specifies the version of the skin engine that this skin will operate with. The current minimum skin version is 2.0. The XBMC team tries to keep backward compatibility for as long as possible (generally before a major version jump).
zoom	Default zoom amount/multiplier (gui setting skin zoom to allow for overscan adjustment of skin), default value will be 1.0 wich is no zoom.
credits	The credits block tag.
name	A single credit line for the skin. You can have up to 5 lines of credits, and they should be limited to 50 characters per line.
startwindows	The startwindows block tag.
window	A window that your skin can start from. The id attribute is it's skin id, the value is the name of the window. If a numeric value is given, it is considered a value to lookup in strings.xml

How window xml files are found

XBMC can run in many differing resolutions, and a skin should try and cater to all these resolutions. The easiest way is to develop for one specific resolution and make sure that all controls contain <width> and <height> tags. That way, XBMC can scale the controls to the new screen resolution.

However, you may choose to develop alternative window xml files for differing resolutions (such as for HDTV resolutions, or for widescreen versus 4x3 resolutions).

The order that XBMC looks for it's skin files are as follows:

1. It first looks in the current screenmode folder (one of 1080i, 720p, NTSC16x9, NTSC, PAL16x9 or PAL)
2. If the current screenmode is 1080i, it then looks in the 720p folder.
3. If the current screenmode is a widescreen mode (1080i, 720p, NTSC16x9, PAL16x9) then it looks in the <defaultresolutionwide> folder.
4. Finally, it looks in the <defaultresolution> folder.

This allows you to just put any window files that do not require special treatment for 16x9 resolutions etc. in the <defaultresolution> folder, preventing needless repetition.

Windows

About the Window XML Files

Each window in an XBMC skin is represented by a single .xml file. See here for a list of the standard windows and links to their .xml files.

Each .xml file has the same basic structure – it starts with some heading information that pertains to the window as a whole, and then contains a <controls> block within which all the controls that describe the window are defined.

Window Header

<window>
  <id>4567</id>
  <defaultcontrol always="false">2</defaultcontrol>
  <allowoverlay>yes</allowoverlay>
  <views>50,51,509,510<views>
  <type>dialog</type>
  <visible>Window.IsActive(Home)</visible>
  <animation effect="fade" time="100">WindowOpen</animation>
  <animation effect="slide" end="0,576" time="100">WindowClose</animation>
  <zorder>1</zorder>
  <coordinates>
    <system>1</system>
    <posx>40</posx>
    <posy>50</posy>
    <origin x="100" y="50">Window.IsActive(Home)</origin>
  </coordinates>
  <previouswindow>MyVideos</previouswindow>
  <controls>
    <control>
    </control>
    ....
  </controls>
</window>

One thing to note is that all tag names are lower case. XML tag names are case sensitive!

The header contains the following tags:

id

The id number of the window. This is unique over all the .xml files. See the window list for the list of standard window ids

defaultcontrol

This specifies the default control of the window. This is the id of the control that will receive focus when the window is first opened. Note that most XBMC windows save the current focus when you leave the window, and will return to the last focused item when you return to a window. This behaviour can be stopped by specifying the attribute always="true".

allowoverlay

Setting this tag to true, or yes, indicates that the music or video overlay may be shown when this window is active. If this tag is not present, the state of the previous (or parent) window is used.

type

Specifies the type of window this is. Current options are window, dialog and buttonmenu. Only one window is alowed at a time. A dialog can overlay a window (allowing 2 or more “windows” simultaneously). The buttonmenu is basically a dialog with the added option to place many buttons with just one (changing) label.

visible

Specifies the conditions under which a dialog will be visible. XBMC evaluates this at render time, and shows or hides a dialog depending on the evaluation of this tag. See here for more details. Applies only to <type>dialog</type>.

animation

Specifies the animation effect to perform when opening or closing the window. See here for more details.

zorder

This specifies the “depth” that the window should be drawn at. Windows with higher zorder are drawn on top of windows with lower z-order. All dialogs by default have zorder 1, so if you have a particular dialog that you want underneath all others, give it a zorder of 0. (Note that the normal render order is: The base window, then the overlays (music + video), then dialogs. <zorder> only effects the rendering of the dialogs.

coordinates

This block is used to specify how XBMC should compute the coordinates of all controls.

system

Specifies the coordinate system. If set to 1, all control coordinates are relative to the <posx> and <posy> coordinates in this block.

posx

Sets the horizontal “origin” position of the window. Defaults to 0 if not present.

posy

Sets the vertical “origin” position of the window. Defaults to 0 if not present.

origin

Sets a conditional origin for the window. The window will display at (x,y) whenever the origin condition is met. You can have as many origin tags as you like – they are evaluated in the order present in the file, and the first one for which the condition is met wins. If none of the origin conditions are met, we fall back to the <posx> and <posy> tags.

previouswindow

This can be used to specify a window to force XBMC to go to on press of the Back button. Normally XBMC keeps a “window stack” of previous windows to handle this. This tag allows you to override this behaviour. The value can be either the name of the window, or its id.

views

This tag lets you use view id's beyond 50 to 59 it also lets you set the order in which they cycle with the change view button in the skin. Only useful in My<Foo>.xml windows.

controls

This is the block the defines all controls that will appear on this window.

The Different Types of Controls

XBMC supports many different types of controls.

Click here for the control types and what they all do.

Some of these controls are required on specific windows, as they're necessary for that window to perform it's duty, or, the contents of the control are only valid on a particular window. The mandatory controls for each window are listed in the window list. While the controls are mandatory, you can ofcourse move them about and change their appearance within the windows to your hearts content!

Adding Extra Windows

All of the windows in the window list are defined within the executeable of XBMC itself, as most of them have a specific purpose. However, the skinner may add extra windows as and when they are needed or wanted. The only restriction to this is that only controls that do not require specific source code to operate can be used. This is not too much of a restriction though, as many skinners have found out.

To add an extra window, all you need to do is design up the window's .xml file in the usual way, assign it an <id> outside of the ones defined in the window list, and then name the file customN.xml, where N is a number. You can have as many as you like, as long as they have unique <id>'s, and are named differently. Then just define the <type> of window you want, the coordinate system and so on, add the controls and setup the navigation. To activate your window, you can do it by adding a button control elsewhere in the skin, or you can get it to popup on a press of the controller or remote via keymap.xml and so on. Basically you just need to run XBMC.ActivateWindow(id) from a suitable place.

Controls

Controls are the substance of your skin. They define everything from buttons, to text labels, to visualization placement. This portion of the manual will explain each and every control in detail.

Label Control

The label control is used for displaying text in XBMC. You can choose the font, size, colour, location and contents of the text to be displayed.

Example

  <control type="label" id="1">
        <description>My First label</description>
        <posx>80</posx>
        <posy>60</posy>
        <width>250</width>
        <visible>true</visible>
        <align>center</align>
        <aligny>center</aligny>
        <scroll>false</scroll>
        <label>6</label>
        <info>MusicPlayer.Artist</info>
        <number></number>
        <angle>30</angle>
        <haspath>false</haspath>
        &lt;font>font14&lt;/font>
        <textcolor>FFB2D4F5</textcolor>
        <shadowcolor>ff000000</shadowcolor>
        <wrapmultiline>false</wrapmultiline>
  </control>

Auto Size Labels

Wrapping your label in a grouplist with the auto width and appropriate minium and maximum values. Allows the labels width to dynamically change relevalant to how long the label text is. This allows a image or other control to be alligned to the right of the actual label text no matter how wide the label is.

   <width min="29" max="200">auto</width>

Multi-Line Labels

If you want your label control to span multiple lines, you can insert a new line character in your label. For example:

   <label>This will be on the first line[CR]And this will be on the second line</label>

Also, if you want your label control to conform to the <width> parameter, but still want to be able to give it more content than will fit on one line, then setting:

   <wrapmultiline>true</wrapmultiline>

will cause the text to be cut up (at the spaces in the text) onto multiple lines. Note that if a single word is larger than <width> then it will not be cut, and will still overflow.

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

align	Can be left, right, or center. Aligns the text within the given label <width>. Defaults to left
aligny	Can be top or center. Aligns the text within its given label <height>. Defaults to top
scroll	When true, the text will scroll if longer than the label's <width>. If false, the text will be truncated. Defaults to false.
label	Specifies the text which should be drawn. You should specify an entry from the strings.xml here (either the XBMC strings.xml or your skin's strings.xml file), however you may also hardcode a piece of text also if you wish, though ofcourse it will not be localisable. You can use the full label formatting syntax and you may also specify more than one piece of information here by using the $INFO and $LOCALIZE formats.
info	Specifies the information that should be presented. XBMC will auto-fill in this info in place of the <label>. See here for more information.
number	Specifies a number that should be presented. This is just here to allow a skinner to use a number rather than a text label (as any number given to <label> will be used to lookup in strings.xml)
angle	The angle the text should be rendered at, in degrees. A value of 0 is horizontal.
haspath	Specifies whether or not this label is filled with a path. Long paths are shortened by compressing the file path while keeping the actual filename full length.
font	Specifies the font to use from the font.xml file.
textcolor	Specifies the color the text should be, in hex AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text, in AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
wrapmultiline	If true, any text that doesn't fit on one line will be wrapped onto multiple lines.
scrollspeed	Scroll speed of text in pixels per second. Defaults to 60.

Fade Label Control

The fade label control is used for displaying multiple pieces of text in the same space in XBMC. You can choose the font, size, colour, location and contents of the text to be displayed. The first piece of information to display fades in over 50 frames, then scrolls off to the left. Once it is finished scrolling off screen, the second piece of information fades in and the process repeats.

Example

  <control type="fadelabel" id="1">
        <description>My First fadelabel</description>
        <posx>80</posx>
        <posy>60</posy>
        <width>250</width>
        <visible>true</visible>
        <scroll>false</scroll>
        <scrollout>true</scrollout>
        <pauseatend>200</pauseatend>
        <label>6</label>
        <info>MusicPlayer.Genre</info>
        <info>MusicPlayer.Artist</info>
        <info>MusicPlayer.Album</info>
        <info>MusicPlayer.Year</info>
        <font>font14</font>
        <textcolor>FFB2D4F5</textcolor>
        <textoffsetx>20</textoffsetx>
  </control>

Tag Descriptions

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

label	Specifies the text which should be drawn. You should specify an entry from the strings.xml here, however you may also specify a piece of text yourself if you wish, though ofcourse it will not be localisable. You may also specify more than one piece of information here by using the $INFO and $LOCALIZE formats.
info	Specifies the information that should be presented. XBMC will auto-fill in this info in place of the <label>. See here for more information.
font	Specifies the font to use from the font.xml file.
textcolor	Specified the color the text should be, in hex AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
textoffsetx	Specify the offset from the left edge that the text should be rendered at when static (not scrolling). The scrolling text will still scroll using the full <width> of the control.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text, in AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
angle	Specifies the angle at which the text should be drawn, measured counter clockwise from the horizontal.
scrollout	If set to False the fadelabel will only scroll until the last char is to the right side of the width of the fadelabel instead of all the way out to the left.
pauseatend	Specifies the time that the text will wait until it fades away before it scrolls again or moves to the next item.
resetonlabelchange	If set to false the fadelabel will not reset the scrolling offset when the label's content changes. Useful if you have things such as the play time (in seconds) inside a fadelabel. Defaults to true.
scrollspeed	Scroll speed of text in pixels per second. Defaults to 60.

Button Control

The button control is used for creating push buttons in XBMC. You can choose the position, size, and look of the button, as well as choosing what action(s) should be performed when pushed.

Example

<control type="button" id="1">
      <description>My first button control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <colordiffuse>FFFFFFFF</colordiffuse>
      <texturefocus>myfocustexture.png</texturefocus>
      <texturenofocus>mynormaltexture.png</texturenofocus>
      <label>29</label>
      <font>font12</font>
      <textcolor>FFFFFFFF</textcolor>
      <disabledcolor>80FFFFFF</disabledcolor>
      <align></align>
      <aligny></aligny>
      <textoffsetx></textoffsetx>
      <textoffsety></textoffsety>
      <pulseonselect></pulseonselect>
      <onclick>XBMC.ActivateWindow(MyVideos)</onclick>
      <onfocus>-</onfocus>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

texturefocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button has focus. See here for additional information about textures.
texturenofocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button does not have focus.
label	The label used on the button. It can be a link into strings.xml, or an actual text label.
font	Font used for the button label. From fonts.xml.
textcolor	Color used for displaying the button label. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
focusedcolor	Color used for the button label when the button has in focus. In AARRGGBB hex format or a name from the colour theme.
disabledcolor	Color used for the button label if the button is disabled. In AARRGGBB hex format or a name from the colour theme.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text, in AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
angle	The angle the text should be rendered at, in degrees. A value of 0 is horizontal.
align	Label horizontal alignment on the button. Defaults to left, can also be center or right.
aligny	Label vertical alignment on the button. Defaults to top, can also be center.
textoffsetx	Amount to offset the label from the left (or right) edge of the button when using left or right alignment.
textoffsety	Amount to offset the label from the top edge of the button when using top alignment.
onclick	Specifies the action to perform when the button is pressed. Should be a built in function. See here for more information. You may have more than one <onclick> tag, and they'll be executed in sequence.
onfocus	Specifies the action to perform when the button is focused. Should be a built in function. The action is performed after any focus animations have completed. See here for more information.

Multiselect Control

The multiselect control is used for creating a single line of text with multiple selectable pieces of text that can perform various actions. You can choose the position, size, and look of the text and highlights as well as choosing what action(s) should be performed when items are selected. The multiselect control can also be used inside list containers.

Example

<control type="multiselect" id="13">
      <description>My first multiselect control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <texturefocus>myfocustexture.png</texturefocus>
      <texturenofocus>mynormaltexture.png</texturenofocus>
      <label>[ONCLICK Shutdown]Shutdown[/ONCLICK] or [ONCLICK Reboot]Reboot[/ONCLICK] XBMC</label>
      <font>font12</font>
      <textcolor>FFFFFFFF</textcolor>
      <disabledcolor>80FFFFFF</disabledcolor>
      <aligny>center</aligny>
      <textoffsetx></textoffsetx>
      <textoffsety></textoffsety>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

texturefocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when a selectable item has focus. It is sized to fit the text, and <textoffsetx> and <textoffsety> are used to space out around the text. See here for additional information about textures.
texturenofocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed behind any selectable text.
label	The label used. Selectable text is surrounded in [ONCLICK action]text[/ONCLICK] blocks. You can use the full label formatting syntax as well as info labels.
font	Font used for the button label. From fonts.xml.
textcolor	Color used for displaying the standard label. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
focusedcolor	Color used for the selected text when an item has focus. In AARRGGBB hex format or a name from the colour theme.
disabledcolor	Color used for the text when the control is disabled. In AARRGGBB hex format or a name from the colour theme.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text, in AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
aligny	Label vertical alignment. Defaults to top, can also be center.
textoffsetx	Amount to offset the highlight textures from the left and right edges of the selectable text.
textoffsety	Amount to offset the label from the top edge of the control when using top alignment.

Image Control

The image control is used for displaying images in XBMC. You can choose the position, size, transparency and contents of the image to be displayed.

Example

<control type="image" id="1">
      <description>My first image control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <colordiffuse>FFFFFFFF</colordiffuse>
      <fadetime>200</fadetime>
      <texture border="5" flipY="true" flipX="false">mytexture.png</texture>
      <info>MusicPlayer.Cover</info>
      <aspectratio>keep</aspectratio>
</control>

Image Size and Type Restrictions

For the <texture> tags, and for all <texture> tags in other controls, there is a small set of rules that you should follow if at all possible:

Size

Images can be any size, though some graphics cards allow only power of 2 textures, so this may be a consideration. For the most case, it doesn't really matter what size things are - XBMC will quite happily load most files.

Formats

If you wish to use transparency, then use PNG. It is suggested that you use PNG and JPG as much as possible. Note that once the images are injected into Textures.xbt, they are not stored as JPG or PNG – rather they are stored in a native format used for GPUs for faster loading, such as ARGB or DXTc textures. The size of the images (in kb) is therefore not as important as the size of the images in pixels – so feel free to store them in a lossless (eg PNG) manner if you wish.

The only exception to this is if you require an animated texture. In this case, we support only animated GIF. There are also some animated gifs that may not work. Use ImageReady CS and make sure you set the gif-anim to “restore to background” and they should work fine.

Available Tags and Attributes

In addition to the default control tags, the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

aspectratio	This specifies how the image will be drawn inside the box defined by <width> and <height>. See here for more information.
texture	Specifies the image file which should be displayed. See here for additional information about textures.
bordertexture	Specifies the image file which should be displayed as a border around the image. Use the <bordersize> to specify the size of the border. The <width>,<height> box specifies the size of the image plus border.
bordersize	Specifies the size of the border. A single number specifies the border should be the same size all the way around the image, whereas a comma separated list of 4 values indicates left,right,top,bottom values.
info	Specifies the information that this image control is presenting. XBMC will select the texture to use based on this tag. See here for more information.
fadetime	This specifies a crossfade time that will be used whenever the underline <texture> filename changes. The previous image will be held until the new image is ready, and then they will be crossfaded. This is particularly useful for a large thumbnail image showing the focused item in a list, or for fanart or other large backdrops.

MultiImage Control

The MultiImage control is used for displaying a slideshow of images from a folder in XBMC. You can choose the position and size of the slideshow, as well as timing information.

Example

<control type="multiimage" id="1">
      <description>My first slideshow control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <imagepath>myimagepath</imagepath>
      <info></info>
      <timeperimage>5000</timeperimage>
      <fadetime>2000</fadetime>
      <pauseatend>10000</pauseatend>
      <randomize>true</randomize>
      <loop>no</loop>
      <aspectratio>stretch</aspectratio>
</control>

Image Size and Type Restrictions

For the <texture> tags, and for all <texture> tags in other controls, there is a small set of rules that you should follow if at all possible:

Size

Images can be any size you like if background loading them from outside the Textures.xpr file, though using anything larger than the size of the control you're rendering is a waste of processor and memory. If they're in Textures.xpr, then they're usually contained within textures that are a multiple of 64 pixels wide.

For optimal memory consumption, then, a multiple of 64 pixels wide should be used.

For non-xbox platforms, this is a moot point.

Formats

If you wish to use full 8 bit transparency, then use PNG. If you only need a single transparent colour, then you can specify this in the <colorkey> tag, so any image will be fine. It is suggested that you use PNG and JPG as much as possible. Note that once the images are injected into Textures.xpr, they are not stored as JPG or PNG – rather they are stored in a xbox native format for faster loading. The size of the images (in kb) is therefore not as important as the size of the images in pixels – so feel free to store them in a lossless (eg PNG) manner if you wish.

The only exception to this is if you require an animated texture. In this case, we only support animated GIF. There are also SOME animated gifs that may not work. Use ImageReady CS and make sure you set the gif-anim to “restore to background” and they should work fine.

Available Tags and Attributes

In addition to the default control tags, the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

imagepath	Specifies the path containing the images to use for the slideshow. XBMC will first look inside the compressed Textures.xpr file for images, and then will look in the actual folder. The path is relative to the media/ folder if it is not specified completely. It must be a local path (ie on the local harddisk) for speed purposes.
info	Specifies the information that this image control is presenting. XBMC will select the texture to use based on this tag. See here for more information.
timeperimage	Time in milliseconds that an image is shown for.
fadetime	Time in milliseconds to fade between images.
pauseatend	Time in milliseconds to pause (in addition to <timeperimage>) on the last image at the end of a complete cycle through the images. Only useful if <loop> is set to yes.
loop	If set to no, the last image will display indefinitely. Setting it to yes will loop around once they reach the last image. Defaults to yes.
aspectratio	This specifies how the image will be drawn inside the box defined by <width> and <height>. See here for more info

Radio button Control

The radio button control is used for creating push button on/off settings in XBMC. You can choose the position, size, and look of the button. When the user clicks on the radio button, the state will change, toggling the extra textures (textureradiofocus and textureradionofocus). Used for settings controls.

Example

<control type="radiobutton" id="2">
      <description>My first radiobutton control</description>
      <type>radiobutton</type>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <colordiffuse>FFFFFFFF</colordiffuse>
      <texturefocus>myfocustexture.png</texturefocus>
      <texturenofocus>mynormaltexture.png</texturenofocus>
      <textureradioon>myradiobutton.png</textureradioon>
      <textureradiooff>myradiobutton_nf.png</textureradiooff>
      <selected>Player.Paused</selected>
      <onclick>PlayerControls(Pause)</onclick>
      <label>29</label>
      <font>font12</font>
      <textcolor>FFFFFFFF</textcolor>
      <disabledcolor>80FFFFFF</disabledcolor>
      <align>left</align>
      <aligny>center</aligny>
      <textoffsetx>4</textoffsetx>
      <textoffsety>5</textoffsety>
      <pulseonselect>false</pulseonselect>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

texturefocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button has focus. See here for additional information about textures.
texturenofocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button does not have focus.
textureradioon	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the radio button portion when it's the button is on. This texture is positioned on the right of the button – it's positioned 24 pixels from the right edge of the button, and 8 pixels above the center vertically.
textureradiooff	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the radio button portion when the button is off.
label	The label used on the button. It can be a link into strings.xml, or an actual text label.
font	Font used for the button label. From fonts.xml.
textcolor	Color used for displaying the button label. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
disabledcolor	Color used for the button label if the button is disabled. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text, in AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
align	Label horizontal alignment on the button. Defaults to left, can also be center or right.
aligny	Label vertical alignment on the button. Defaults to top, can also be center.
textoffsetx	Amount to offset the label from the left (or right) edge of the button when using left or right alignment.
textoffsety	Amount to offset the label from the top edge of the button when using top alignment.
selected	The boolean condition that when met will cause the control to become selected. see here for more information.
onclick	The function to perform when the radio button is clicked. Should be a built in function.
radioposx	X offset of the dot or radio button itself
radioposy	Y offset of the dot or radio button itself
radiowidth	Width in Pixels of the dot or radio button itself
radioheight	Height in Pixels offset of the dot or radio button itself

Select button control

The select button control is used for creating a push button that hides multiple options in XBMC. You can choose the position, size, and look of the button, as well as what it looks like when it's pushed in (option arrows etc.)

When the button is pushed, two arrows pop up allowing you to alter the contents of the button (thus select different options). Used to alter the current View mode in My Videos and My Music.

Example

<control type="selectbutton" id="4">
      <description>My first select button control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <colordiffuse>FFFFFFFF</colordiffuse>
      <texturefocus>myfocustexture.png</texturefocus>
      <texturenofocus>mynormaltexture.png</texturenofocus>
      <texturebg>mybgtexture.png</texturebg>
      <textureleft>mylefttexture.png</textureleft>
      <textureleftfocus>myleftfocustexture.png</textureleftfocus>
      <textureright>myrighttexture.png</textureright>
      <texturerightfocus>myrightfocustexture.png</texturerightfocus>
      <label>29</label>
      <font>font12</font>
      <textcolor>FFFFFFFF</textcolor>
      <disabledcolor>80FFFFFF</disabledcolor>
      <align></align>
      <alignY></alignY>
      <textoffsetx></textoffsetx>
      <textoffsety></textoffsety>
      <pulseonselect></pulseonselect>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

texturefocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button has focus. See here for additional information about textures.
texturenofocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button does not have focus.
texturebg	This texture is rendered in the background, replacing the texturefocus and texturenofocus textures, when the button is pushed in.
textureleft	The texture of the left arrow item when it's not focused. Displayed at the left of the button when it is selected.
textureleftfocus	The texture of the left arrow item when it's focused. Displayed at the left of the button when it is selected.
textureright	The texture of the right arrow item when it's not focused. Displayed at the right of the button when it is selected.
texturerightfocus	The texture of the right arrow item when it's focused. Displayed at the right of the button when it is selected.
label	The label used on the button. It can be a link into strings.xml, or an actual text label.
font	Font used for the button label. From fonts.xml.
textcolor	Color used for displaying the button label. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
disabledcolor	Color used for the button label if the button is disabled. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
align	Label horizontal alignment on the button. Defaults to left, can also be center or right.
aligny	Label vertical alignment on the button. Defaults to top, can also be center.
textoffsetx	Amount to offset the label from the left (or right) edge of the button when using left or right alignment.
textoffsety	Amount to offset the label from the top edge of the button when using top alignment.

Toggle button control

The toggle button control is used for creating buttons that have 2 states. You can choose the position, size, and look of the button. When the user clicks on the toggle button, the state will change, toggling the extra textures (alttexturefocus and alttexturenofocus). Used for controls where two states are needed (pushed in and pushed out for instance).

Example

<control type="togglebutton" id="25">
      <description>My first togglebutton control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <colordiffuse>FFFFFFFF</colordiffuse>
      <texturefocus>myfocustexture.png</texturefocus>
      <texturenofocus>mynormaltexture.png</texturenofocus>
      <alttexturefocus>myselectedTexture.png</alttexturefocus>
      <alttexturenofocus>myselectedTexture_nf.png</alttexturenofocus>
      <usealttexture>!Player.IsPaused</usealttexture>
      <label>29</label>
      <altlabel>29</altlabel>
      <font>font12</font>
      <textcolor>FFFFFFFF</textcolor>
      <disabledcolor>80FFFFFF</disabledcolor>
      <align>left</align>
      <aligny>center</aligny>
      <textoffsetx>4</textoffsetx>
      <textoffsety>5</textoffsety>
      <pulseonselect>false</pulseonselect>
      <onclick>Player.Pause</onclick>
      <onfocus>-</onfocus>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

texturefocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button has focus. See here for additional information about texture tags.
texturenofocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button does not have focus.
alttexturefocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the toggle button is in it's selected state. This texture replaces the <texturefocus> texture when the toggle button is selected.
alttexturenofocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button is in it's selected state but unfocused.
usealttexture	Specifies the conditions under which the Alternative Textures should be shown. Some toggle button controls are handled by XBMC internally, but any extra ones that the skinner has can be controlled using this tag. See here for more information.
label	The label used on the button. It can be a link into strings.xml, or an actual text label.
altlabel	The label used on the button. It can be a link into strings.xml, or an actual text label.
font	Font used for the button label. From fonts.xml.
textcolor	Color used for displaying the button label. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
disabledcolor	Color used for the button label if the button is disabled. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
align	Label horizontal alignment on the button. Defaults to left, can also be center or right.
aligny	Label vertical alignment on the button. Defaults to top, can also be center.
textoffsetx	Amount to offset the label from the left (or right) edge of the button when using left or right alignment.
textoffsety	Amount to offset the label from the top edge of the button when using top alignment.
onclick	Specifies the action to perform when the button is pressed. Should be a built in function. See here for more information. You may have more than one <onclick> tag, and they'll be executed in sequence.
onfocus	Specifies the action to perform when the button is focused. Should be a built in function. The action is performed after any focus animations have completed. See here for more information.

Buttonscrollers

NOTE: This control is now obsolete. You should use a list or panel container with static content instead.

The button scroller control is used for creating a list of buttons in XBMC. You can choose the position, size, and look of each button in the list, what each button does, and the look of the list as a whole.

Example

<control>
      <description>My first buttonscroller control</description>
      <type>buttonscroller</type>
      <id>1</id>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <texturefocus>myfocustexture.png</texturefocus>
      <texturenofocus>mynormaltexture.png</texturenofocus>
      <font>font12</font>
      <textcolor>FFFFFFFF</textcolor>
      <align></align>
      <aligny></aligny>
      <textoffsetx></textoffsetx>
      <textoffsety></textoffsety>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
      <numbuttons>7</numbuttons>
      <buttongap>5</buttongap>
      <orientation>vertical</orientation>
      <defaultbutton>2</defaultbutton>
      <movement>2</movement>
      <alpha>1</alpha>
      <wraparound>true</wraparound>
      <smoothscrolling>true</smoothscrolling>
      <buttons>
        <default>1</default>
        <button id="1">
          <label>0</label>
          <onclick>XBMC.ActivateWindow(MyPrograms)</onclick>
          <texturefocus>programs.png</texturefocus>
          <texturenofocus>programs-nf.png</texturenofocus>
        </button>
        <button id="2">
          <label>5</label>
          <onclick>XBMC.ActivateWindow(MyMusic)</onclick>
          <texturefocus>music.png</texturefocus>
          <texturenofocus>music-nf.png</texturenofocus>
        </button>
        <button id="3">
          <label>3</label>
          <onclick>XBMC.ActivateWindow(MyVideos)</onclick>
          <texturefocus>videos.png</texturefocus>
          <texturenofocus>videos-nf.png</texturenofocus>
        </button>
        <button id="4">
          <label>7</label>
          <onclick>XBMC.ActivateWindow(MyWeather)</onclick>
        </button>
        <button id="5">
          <label>9</label>
          <onclick>XBMC.ActivateWindow(Settings)</onclick>
        </button>
      </buttons>
</control>

Available Tags

Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

description	Only used to make things clear for the skinner. Not read by XBMC at all.
type	Should be button for a button control.
id	Specifies the control's id. The value this takes depends on the control type, and the window that you are using the control on. There are special control id's that must be present in each window. Any other controls that the skinner adds can be any id they like. Obviously they should be unique for buttons, given that they are navigatible, and you want the onup, onleft etc. to make sense.
posx	Specifies where the left edge of the button should be drawn. This is offset from the window's coordinates (normally the left edge of the screen, or 0).
posy	Specifies where the top edge of the button should be drawn. This is offset from the window's coordinates (normally the top edge of the screen, or 0).
width	Specifies the width of the button. The texturefocus and texturenofocus images will be resized to fit into this width.
height	Specifies the height of the button. The texturefocus and texturenofocus images will be resized to fit into this height.
visible	Specifies a condition as to when this control will be visible. Can be true, false, or a condition. See here for more information. Defaults to true.
animation	Specifies the animation to be run when the control enters a particular state. See here for more information.
texturefocus	Specifies the default image file which should be displayed when a button has focus. This is overridden by the buttons particular focus texture. You can use animated gif's, jpgs, pngs, or bmps. This should be the path to the image file from the media/ folder of your skin directory. XBMC will first look inside the compressed Textures.xpr file, and if not found, will look inside the media/ folder for the actual skin file.
texturenofocus	Specifies the default image file which should be displayed when a button does not have focus. This is overridden by the buttons particular nofocus texture.
font	Font used for the button label. From fonts.xml.
textcolor	Color used for displaying the button label. In AARRGGBB hex format.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text, in AARRGGBB format.
align	Label horizontal alignment on the button. Defaults to left, can also be center or right.
aligny	Label vertical alignment on the button. Defaults to top, can also be center.
textoffsetx	Amount to offset the label from the left (or right) edge of the button when using left or right alignment.
textoffsety	Amount to offset the label from the top edge of the button when using top alignment.
onup	Control id to move to when the user moves up off this control.
ondown	Control id to move to when the user moves down off this control.
onleft	Control id to move to when the user moves left off this control.
onright	Control id to move to when the user moves right off this control.
numbuttons	Number of buttons shown in the scroller at one time. Defaults to 7.
buttongap	Gap (in pixels) between each button in the scroller. Defaults to 5.
orientation	Set to horizontal for a horizontal scroller, else it'll be vertical (the default).
defaultbutton	The default button slot to highlight with the cursor. Default is 2. 0 is the first slot.
movement	The amount of movement the cursor can take before the scroller will scroll. Defaults to 2.
alpha	The number of buttons on either side of the default button before fading is applied. Defaults to 0.
wraparound	If true, the buttons wrap around inside the scroller (ie going up from button 0 takes you to the last item in the list).
smoothscrolling	If true, the buttons scroll smoothly from one slot to the next. If false, they jump positions.
buttons	Indicates the start of the button block. See the next section.

The Buttons Block

The <buttons> block is the section that describes the buttons. Each button must have a unique id number, and you can define textures and labels for the button, as well as the action the button performs.

Example

<button id="1">
          <label>0</label>
          <onclick>XBMC.ActivateWindow(MyPrograms)</onclick>
          <texturefocus>programs.png</texturefocus>
          <texturenofocus>programs-nf.png</texturenofocus>
</button>

The buttons are displayed in the button scroller in the order presented in the xml file. The button that is placed in the <defaultbutton> slot is the one with the id given in the tag <default>. If no <default> tag is present, the first button will have focus. The button look is defined by the textures given to it. If no textures are given, then the main button scroller's textures (<texturefocus> and <texturenofocus>) are used.

Available Tags

id	This attribute specifies the buttons id. This should be a unique value between 1 and 200, as it is used by XBMC to track which button is currently focused, for use with the ButtonScroller.HasFocus(id) visibility condition.
label	The label used on the button. It can be a link into strings.xml, or an actual text label.
info	The info label used for the button label. Overrides the <label> tag if both are present and the information produces a non-empty string.
onclick	Specifies the action to perform when the button is pressed. Should be a built in function
texturefocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button has focus. If this tag is missing, the main ButtonScroller's <texturefocus> tag will be used.
texturenofocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the button does not have focus. If this tag is missing, the main ButtonScroller's <texturenofocus> tag will be used.

Spin Control

The spin control is used for when a list of options can be chosen (such as a page up/down control). You can choose the position, size, and look of the spin control.

Example

<control type="spincontrol" id="14">
      <description>My first spin control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <colordiffuse>FFFFFFFF</colordiffuse>
      <textureup>myuptexture.png</textureup>
      <textureupfocus>myupfocustexture.png</textureupfocus>
      <texturedown>mydowntexture.png</texturedown>
      <texturedownfocus>mydownfocustexture.png</texturedownfocus>
      <subtype>page</subtype>
      <font>font12</font>
      <textcolor>FFFFFFFF</textcolor>
      <disabledcolor>80FFFFFF</disabledcolor>
      <align></align>
      <aligny></aligny>
      <textoffsetx></textoffsetx>
      <textoffsety></textoffsety>
      <pulseonselect></pulseonselect>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

textureup	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the up arrow when it doesn't have focus. See here for additional information about textures.
textureupfocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the up button when it has focus.
texturedown	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the down button when it is not focused.
texturedownfocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the down button when it has focus.
font	Font used for the button label. From fonts.xml.
textcolor	Color used for displaying the label. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme..
disabledcolor	Color used for the label if the control is disabled. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text. In AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
subtype	Defines what type of information the spinner holds. Can be int, float, text or page. Defaults to text. Make sure you use page for a page control.
align	Label horizontal alignment on the control. Defaults to right, can also be left.
aligny	Label vertical alignment on the control. Defaults to top, can also be center.
textoffsetx	Amount to offset the label from the left (or right) edge of the button when using left or right alignment.
textoffsety	Amount to offset the label from the top edge of the button when using top alignment.

Settings Spin Control

The settings spin control is used in the settings screens for when a list of options can be chosen from using up/down arrows. You can choose the position, size, and look of the spin control. It is basically a cross between the button control and a spin control. It has a label and focus and non focus textures, as well as a spin control on the right.

Example

<control type="spincontrolex" id="12">
      <description>My first settings spin control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <colordiffuse>FFFFFFFF</colordiffuse>
      <texturefocus>myfocustexture.png</texturefocus>
      <texturenofocus>mynofocustexture.png</texturenofocus>
      <textureup>myuptexture.png</textureup>
      <textureupfocus>myupfocustexture.png</textureupfocus>
      <texturedown>mydowntexture.png</texturedown>
      <texturedownfocus>mydownfocustexture.png</texturedownfocus>
      <label>46</label>
      <font>font12</font>
      <textcolor>FFFFFFFF</textcolor>
      <disabledcolor>80FFFFFF</disabledcolor>
      <align></align>
      <aligny></aligny>
      <textoffsetx></textoffsetx>
      <textoffsety></textoffsety>
      <pulseonselect></pulseonselect>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

texturefocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the control when it has focus. See here for additional information about textures.
texturenofocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the control when it doesn't focus.
textureup	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the up arrow when it doesn't have focus. It is displayed to the left of the down arrow.
textureupfocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the up arrow when it has focus.
texturedown	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the down arrow when it is not focused. It is displayed to the right of the up arrow so that it's right edge is <textoffsetx> pixels away from the right edge of the control.
texturedownfocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the down arrow when it has focus.
label	Either a numeric reference into strings.xml (for localization), or a string that will be shown on the left of the control.
font	Font used for the controls label. From fonts.xml.
textcolor	Color used for displaying the label. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
disabledcolor	Color used for the label if the control is disabled. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
align	Label horizontal alignment on the control. Defaults to left.
aligny	Label vertical alignment on the control. Defaults to top, can also be center.
textoffsetx	Amount to offset the label from the left (or right) edge of the button when using left or right alignment.
textoffsety	Amount to offset the label from the top edge of the button when using top alignment.

Slider Control

The slider control is used for things where a sliding bar best represents the operation at hand (such as a volume control or seek control). You can choose the position, size, and look of the slider control.

Example

<control type="slider" id="17">
      <description>My first slider control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>30</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <texturebg>mybackgroundtexture.png</texturebg>
      <textureslidernib>mydowntexture.png</textureslidernib>
      <textureslidernibfocus>mydownfocustexture.png</textureslidernibfocus>
      <info></info>
      <controloffsetx></controloffsetx>
      <controloffsety></controloffsety>
      <pulseonselect></pulseonselect>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

texturebg	Specifies the image file which should be displayed in the background of the slider control. See here for additional information about textures.
textureslidernib	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the slider nib.
textureslidernibfocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed for the slider nib when it has focus.
controloffsetx	Amount to offset the slider background texture from the left edge of the control. Only useful if a value is being rendered as well (ie in int or float mode).
controloffsety	Amount to offset the slider background texture from the top edge of the control.
info	Specifies the information that the slider controls. See here for more information.

List Container

The list container is one of several containers used to display items from file lists in various ways. The list container is very flexible - it's only restriction is that it is a list - i.e. a single column or row of items. The layout of the items is very flexible and is up to the skinner.

Example

<control type="list" id="50">
      <description>My first list container</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
      <viewtype label="3D list">list</viewtype>
      <orientation>vertical</orientation>
      <pagecontrol>25</pagecontrol>
      <scrolltime>200</scrolltime>
      <itemlayout width="250" height="29">
		<control type="image">
			<posx>5</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>22</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<info>ListItem.Icon</info>
		</control>
		<control type="label">
			<posx>30</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>430</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<font>font13</font>
			<aligny>center</aligny>
			<selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
			<align>left</align>
			<info>ListItem.Label</info>
		</control>
		<control type="label">
			<posx>475</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>300</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<font>font13</font>
			<aligny>center</aligny>
			<selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
			<textcolor>grey</textcolor>
			<align>right</align>
			<info>ListItem.Label2</info>
		</control>
      </itemlayout>
      <focusedlayout height="29" width="250">
		<control type="image">
			<width>485</width>
			<height>29</height>
			<posx>0</posx>
			<posy>0</posy>
			<visible>Control.HasFocus(50)</visible>
			<texture>list-focus.png</texture>
		</control>
		<control type="image">
			<posx>5</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>22</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<info>ListItem.Icon</info>
		</control>
		<control type="label">
			<posx>30</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>430</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<font>font13</font>
			<aligny>center</aligny>
			<selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
			<align>left</align>
			<info>ListItem.Label</info>
		</control>
		<control type="label">
			<posx>475</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>300</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<font>font13</font>
			<aligny>center</aligny>
			<selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
			<textcolor>grey</textcolor>
			<align>right</align>
			<info>ListItem.Label2</info>
		</control>
      </focusedlayout>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

viewtype	The type of view. Choices are list, icon, wide, wrap, biglist, bigicon, bigwide, and bigwrap. The label attribute indicates the label that will be used in the "View As" control within the GUI. It is localizable via strings.xml.
orientation	The orientation of the list. Defaults to vertical.
pagecontrol	Used to set the <id> of the page control used to control this list.
scrolltime	The time (in ms) to scroll from one item to another. By default, this is 200ms. The list will scroll smoothly from one item to another as needed. Set it to zero to disable the smooth scrolling.
itemlayout	Specifies the layout of items in the list. Requires the height attribute set in a vertical list, and the width attribute set for a horizontal list. The <itemlayout> then contains as many label and image controls as required. See here for more information.
focusedlayout	Specifies the layout of items in the list that have focus. Requires the height attribute set in a vertical list, and the width attribute set for a horizontal list. The <focusedlayout> then contains as many label and image controls as required. See here for more information.
content	Used to set the item content that this list will contain. Allows the skinner to setup a list anywhere they want with a static set of content, as a useful alternative to the grouplist control. See here for more information
preloaditems	Used in association with the background image loader. See here for more information

Wraplist Container

The wrap list container is one of several containers used to display items from file lists in various ways. The wrap list container is the same as the List Container, with two exceptions: 1. The focused item is fixed. 2. The items "wrap" around once they reach the end. As with all container controls, the layout of the items within the control is very flexible.

Example

<control type="wraplist" id="50">
      <description>My first wraplist container</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <onup>2</onup>
      <ondown>3</ondown>
      <onleft>1</onleft>
      <onright>1</onright>
      <viewtype label="3D list">list</viewtype>
      <orientation>vertical</orientation>
      <pagecontrol>25</pagecontrol>
      <focusposition>3</focusposition>
      <scrolltime>200</scrolltime>
      <itemlayout width="250" height="29">
		<control type="image">
			<posx>5</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>22</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<info>ListItem.Icon</info>
		</control>
		<control type="label">
			<posx>30</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>430</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<font>font13</font>
			<aligny>center</aligny>
			<selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
			<align>left</align>
			<info>ListItem.Label</info>
		</control>
		<control type="label">
			<posx>475</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>300</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<font>font13</font>
			<aligny>center</aligny>
			<selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
			<textcolor>grey</textcolor>
			<align>right</align>
			<info>ListItem.Label2</info>
		</control>
      </itemlayout>
      <focusedlayout height="29" width="250">
		<control type="image">
			<width>485</width>
			<height>29</height>
			<posx>0</posx>
			<posy>0</posy>
			<visible>Control.HasFocus(50)</visible>
			<texture>list-focus.png</texture>
		</control>
		<control type="image">
			<posx>5</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>22</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<info>ListItem.Icon</info>
		</control>
		<control type="label">
			<posx>30</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>430</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<font>font13</font>
			<aligny>center</aligny>
			<selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
			<align>left</align>
			<info>ListItem.Label</info>
		</control>
		<control type="label">
			<posx>475</posx>
			<posy>3</posy>
			<width>300</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<font>font13</font>
			<aligny>center</aligny>
			<selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
			<textcolor>grey</textcolor>
			<align>right</align>
			<info>ListItem.Label2</info>
		</control>
      </focusedlayout>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

viewtype	The type of view. Choices are list, icon, wide, wrap, biglist, bigicon, bigwide, and bigwrap. The label attribute indicates the label that will be used in the "View As" control within the GUI. It is localizable via strings.xml.
orientation	The orientation of the list. Defaults to vertical.
pagecontrol	Used to set the <id> of the page control used to control this list.
scrolltime	The time (in ms) to scroll from one item to another. By default, this is 200ms. The list will scroll smoothly from one item to another as needed. Set it to zero to disable the smooth scrolling.
focusedposition	Specifies the index (from 0 -> number items displayable - 1) of the focused item. The focused item doesn't move - as the user moves up and down (or left and right) the items scroll instead.
itemlayout	Specifies the layout of items in the list. Requires the height attribute set in a vertical list, and the width attribute set for a horizontal list. The <itemlayout> then contains as many label and image controls as required. See here for more information.
focusedlayout	Specifies the layout of items in the list that have focus. Requires the height attribute set in a vertical list, and the width attribute set for a horizontal list. The <focusedlayout> then contains as many label and image controls as required. See here for more information.
content	Used to set the item content that this list will contain. Allows the skinner to setup a list anywhere they want with a static set of content, as a useful alternative to the grouplist control. See here for more information

FixedList Container

The fixed list container is one of several containers used to display items from file lists in various ways. The fixed list container is the same as the List Container, with one exceptions: 1. The focused item is fixed, thus moving up or down scrolls the items, not the focused position. As with all container controls, the layout of the items within the control is very flexible.

    <control type="fixedlist" id="50">
          <description>My first fixed list container</description>
          <posx>80</posx>
          <posy>60</posy>
          <width>250</width>
          <height>200</height>
          <visible>true</visible>
          <onup>2</onup>
          <ondown>3</ondown>
          <onleft>1</onleft>
          <onright>1</onright>
          <viewtype label="3D list">list</viewtype>
          <orientation>vertical</orientation>
          <pagecontrol>25</pagecontrol>
          <scrolltime>200</scrolltime>
          <focusposition>4</focusposition>
          <itemlayout width="250" height="29">
                    <control type="image">
                            <posx>5</posx>
                            <posy>3</posy>
                            <width>22</width>
                            <height>22</height>
                            <info>ListItem.Icon</info>
                    </control>
                    <control type="label">
                            <posx>30</posx>
                            <posy>3</posy>
                            <width>430</width>
                            <height>22</height>
                            <font>font13</font>
                            <aligny>center</aligny>
                            <selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
                            <align>left</align>
                            <info>ListItem.Label</info>
                    </control>
                    <control type="label">
                            <posx>475</posx>
                            <posy>3</posy>
                            <width>300</width>
                            <height>22</height>
                            <font>font13</font>
                            <aligny>center</aligny>
                            <selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
                            <textcolor>grey</textcolor>
                            <align>right</align>
                            <info>ListItem.Label2</info>
                    </control>
          </itemlayout>
          <focusedlayout height="29" width="250">
                    <control type="image">
                            <width>485</width>
                            <height>29</height>
                            <posx>0</posx>
                            <posy>0</posy>
                            <visible>Control.HasFocus(50)</visible>
                            <texture>list-focus.png</texture>
                    </control>
                    <control type="image">
                            <posx>5</posx>
                            <posy>3</posy>
                            <width>22</width>
                            <height>22</height>
                            <info>ListItem.Icon</info>
                    </control>
                    <control type="label">
                            <posx>30</posx>
                            <posy>3</posy>
                            <width>430</width>
                            <height>22</height>
                            <font>font13</font>
                            <aligny>center</aligny>
                            <selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
                            <align>left</align>
                            <info>ListItem.Label</info>
                    </control>
                    <control type="label">
                            <posx>475</posx>
                            <posy>3</posy>
                            <width>300</width>
                            <height>22</height>
                            <font>font13</font>
                            <aligny>center</aligny>
                            <selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
                            <textcolor>grey</textcolor>
                            <align>right</align>
                            <info>ListItem.Label2</info>
                    </control>
          </focusedlayout>
    </control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

viewtype	The type of view. Choices are list, icon, wide, wrap, biglist, bigicon, bigwide, and bigwrap. The label attribute indicates the label that will be used in the "View As" control within the GUI. It is localizable via strings.xml.
orientation	The orientation of the list. Defaults to vertical.
pagecontrol	Used to set the <id> of the page control used to control this list.
scrolltime	The time (in ms) to scroll from one item to another. By default, this is 200ms. The list will scroll smoothly from one item to another as needed. Set it to zero to disable the smooth scrolling.
focusposition	Specifies the focus position (from 0 -> number of displayable items - 1). The focused position doesn't change - instead, the items move up or down (or left and right) as focus changes.
itemlayout	Specifies the layout of items in the list. Requires the height attribute set in a vertical list, and the width attribute set for a horizontal list. The <itemlayout> then contains as many label and image controls as required. See here for more information.
focusedlayout	Specifies the layout of items in the list that have focus. Requires the height attribute set in a vertical list, and the width attribute set for a horizontal list. The <focusedlayout> then contains as many label and image controls as required. See here for more information.
content	Used to set the item content that this list will contain. Allows the skinner to setup a list anywhere they want with a static set of content, as a useful alternative to the grouplist control. See here for more information
preloaditems	Used in association with the background image loader. See here for more information

Panel Container

The panel container is one of several containers used to display items from file lists in various ways. The panel container is very flexible - it's essentially a multi-column list. The layout of the items is very flexible and is up to the skinner.

Example

<control type="panel" id="52">
	<posx>190</posx>
	<posy>100</posy>
	<width>485</width>
	<height>425</height>
	<onleft>9000</onleft>
	<onright>60</onright>
	<onup>52</onup>
	<ondown>52</ondown>
	<scrolltime>200</scrolltime>
	<viewtype label="536">icon</viewtype>
	<pagecontrol>60</pagecontrol>
	<include>contentpanelslide</include>
	<itemlayout height="141" width="120">
		<control type="image">
			<posx>10</posx>
			<posy>10</posy>
			<width>100</width>
			<height>100</height>
			<info>ListItem.Icon</info>
		</control>
		<control type="image">
			<posx>80</posx>
			<posy>75</posy>
			<width>32</width>
			<height>32</height>
			<info>ListItem.Overlay</info>
		</control>
		<control type="label">
			<posx>60</posx>
			<posy>115</posy>
			<width>110</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<font>font13</font>
			<selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
			<align>center</align>
			<info>ListItem.Label</info>
		</control>
	</itemlayout>
	<focusedlayout height="141" width="120">
		<control type="image">
			<width>110</width>
			<height>110</height>
			<posx>5</posx>
			<posy>5</posy>
			<texture>folder-focus.png</texture>
			<animation effect="zoom" end="0,0,120,120" time="100">focus</animation>
		</control>
		<control type="image">
			<posx>10</posx>
			<posy>10</posy>
			<width>100</width>
			<height>100</height>
			<info>ListItem.Icon</info>
			<animation effect="zoom" end="5,5,110,110" time="100">focus</animation>
		</control>
		<control type="image">
			<posx>80</posx>
			<posy>75</posy>
			<width>32</width>
			<height>32</height>
			<info>ListItem.Overlay</info>
			<animation effect="slide" end="5,5" time="100">focus</animation>
		</control>
		<control type="label">
			<posx>60</posx>
			<posy>120</posy>
			<width>110</width>
			<height>22</height>
			<font>font13</font>
			<selectedcolor>green</selectedcolor>
			<align>center</align>
			<info>ListItem.Label</info>
		</control>
	</focusedlayout>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

viewtype	The type of view. Choices are list, icon, wide, wrap, biglist, bigicon, bigwide, and bigwrap. The label attribute indicates the label that will be used in the "View As" control within the GUI. It is localizable via strings.xml.
orientation	The orientation of the panel. Defaults to vertical.
pagecontrol	Used to set the <id> of the page control used to control this panel.
scrolltime	The time (in ms) to scroll from one item to another. By default, this is 200ms. The panel will scroll smoothly from one item to another as needed. Set it to zero to disable the smooth scrolling.
itemlayout	Specifies the layout of items in the list. Requires both width and height attributes set. The <itemlayout> then contains as many label and image controls as required. See here for more information.
focusedlayout	Specifies the layout of items in the list that have focus. Requires both width and height attributes set. The <focusedlayout> then contains as many label and image controls as required. See here for more information.
content	Used to set the item content that this panel will contain. Allows the skinner to setup a panel anywhere they want with a static set of content, as a useful alternative to the grouplist control. See here for more information
preloaditems	Used in association with the background image loader. See here for more information

Text Box

The text box is used for showing a large multipage piece of text in XBMC. You can choose the position, size, and look of the text.

Example

<control type="textbox" id="2">
      <description>My first text box control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <colordiffuse>FFFFFFFF</colordiffuse>
      <font>font13</font>
      <textcolor>FFFFFFFF</textcolor>
      <pulseonselect></pulseonselect>
      <pagecontrol>13</pagecontrol>
      <autoscroll delay="3000" time="1000" repeat="10000">!Control.HasFocus(13)</autoscroll>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the Default Control Tags the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

font	Font used for the items first label. From fonts.xml.
textcolor	Color used for displaying the text. In AARRGGBB hex format, or a name from the colour theme.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text. In AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
pagecontrol	Specifies the <id> of the page control used to control this textbox. The page control can either be a Spin Control or a Scroll Bar Control.
autoscroll	Specifies the timing and conditions of any autoscrolling this textbox should have. Times are in milliseconds. The content is delayed for the given delay, then scrolls at a rate of one line per time interval until the end. If the repeat tag is present, it then delays for the repeat time, fades out over 1 second, and repeats. It does not wrap or reset to the top at the end of the scroll. You can use any bool condition to specify when autoscrolling should be allowed.

RSS feed Control

Return to: XBMC Online Manual

• • Types of Media Sources
  • Sharing Media from Your PC
    • SMB/Samba/CIFS
    • UPnP
    • XBMSP
    • ITunes (DAAP)
    • FTP
  • NAS (Network Attached Storage)
  • TuxBox
  • User Profiles
    • Manually Edit Profiles
  • The UserData Folder
  • Special protocol
  • MythTV
  • RSS Feeds
  • RSS feed Control
  • Playlists
  • Advanced Configuration
  • Log file
  • Add-ons
    • Install Plugins
    • Install Scripts
    • Install Skins
  • USB Mass Storage in Xbox
  • Error Recovery Mode
  • Import - Export Library
• FAQ'S
  • What is XBMC & What Can it Do?
  • Using XBMC
  • XBMC for Xbox specific FAQ
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Troubleshooting
• XBMC's Inner Workings
  • Development Notes
  • Python Development
    • HOW-TO write plugins for XBMC
    • HOW-TO write Python Scripts
  • Skinning XBMC
  • List of Built In Functions
  • Web Server HTTP API
  • The XBMC Database
  • Audio Players
  • Video Players
  • Scrapers
  • HOW-TO write Media Scrapers
  • Regular Expression Tutorial
  • PAPlayer
  • MPlayer
  • DVDPlayer
  • Appendixes
  • References
  • Point Releases
  • HOW-TO's / Tips & Tricks
  • Mods to XBMC and Xbox
  • Disclaimer
  • Thanks

<<Edit this toc>>

The rss control is used for displaying scrolling RSS feeds from the internet in XBMC. You can choose the font, size, colour, location and the RSS feed to be displayed.

Note: Don't confuse RSS feed Control with RSS Feeds which allows you to view/listen to online video/audio/picture streams.

Example

 <control type="rss" id="1">
      <description>My First RSS control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>500</width>
      <visible>true</visible>
      <font>font14</font>
      <textcolor>FFB2D4F5</textcolor>
      <headlinecolor>FFFFFFFF</headlinecolor>
      <titlecolor>FF655656</titlecolor>
      <urlset>1</urlset>
 </control>

Available Tags

In addition to the default control tags, the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

font	Specifies the font to use from the font.xml file.
textcolor	Specified the color the text should be. In hex AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
shadowcolor	Specifies the color of the drop shadow on the text. In AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
highlightcolor	Specified the color that any highlighted text should be. In hex AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
titlecolor	Specified the color the titles of the feeds should be. In hex AARRGGBB format, or a name from the colour theme.
urlset	The actual RSS feedset to use. This is an id reference to the <rss> section in RssFeeds.xml:
scrollspeed	Scroll speed of text in pixels per second.

 <rssfeeds>
   <set id="1">
     <feed updateinterval="30">http://feeds.feedburner.com/XboxScene</feed>
     <feed updateinterval="30">http://feeds.wired.com/wired/topheadlines</feed>
   </set>
   <set id="2">
     <feed updateinterval="30">http://www.cnet.co.uk/feeds/public/rss_news_10.htm</feed>
   </set>
 </rssfeeds>

Each feedset has an id attribute – this is what we are referencing in the <urlset> parameter. As can be seen, there can be more than one <set> defined, and more than one <feed> per set. The <feed>'s must be escaped so that they're xml-safe (ie replace & with & etc.). Each feed in the set runs through in the order they are defined. HOW-TO: Change RSS feeds and more info on RSS feeds|More information about RSS feeds can be found here.

Visualisation Control

The visualisation control is used for displaying those funky patterns that jump to the music in XBMC. You can choose the position, and size of the visualisation displayed. Note that the control is only rendered if music is being played.

Example

<control type="visualisation" id ="3">
      <description>My first visualisation control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
</control>

Available Tags

Only the default control tags are applicable to this control.

Video Control

The video control is used for displaying the currently playing video elsewhere in the XBMC GUI. You can choose the position, and size of the video displayed. Note that the control is only rendered if video is being played.

Example

<control type="videowindow" id="2">
      <description>My first video control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <visible>true</visible>
</control>

Available Tags

Only the default control tags are applicable to this control.

Mover Control

The mover control is used for the screen calibration portions of XBMC. You can choose the size and look of the mover control.

Example

<control type="mover" id="3">
      <description>My first mover control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <texturefocus>mytexture.png</texturefocus>
      <texturenofocus>mytexture.png</texturenofocus>
      <pulseonselect>true</pulseonselect>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the default control tags, the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

texturefocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the mover has focus. See here for additional information about textures.
texturenofocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the mover does not have focus.

Resize Control

The resize control is used to specify an area of changeable ratio for use in the screen calibration portion of XBMC. You can choose the size, and look of the resizer.

Example

<control type="resize" id="3">
      <description>My first resize control</description>
      <posx>80</posx>
      <posy>60</posy>
      <width>250</width>
      <height>200</height>
      <texturefocus>mytexture.png</texturefocus>
      <texturenofocus>mytexture.png</texturenofocus>
      <pulseonselect>true</pulseonselect>
</control>

Available Tags

In addition to the default control tags, the following tags are available. Note that each tag is lower case only. This is important, as xml tags are case-sensitive.

texturefocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the resizer has focus. See here for additional information about textures.
texturenofocus	Specifies the image file which should be displayed when the resizer does not have focus.

Console Control

used to display the last few items added to the video database.

Conditional_Visibility

XBMC's skinning engine versatility is based apon the fact that the skinner can display and hide portions of the skin using a variety of conditional statements that can be combined to create very user friendly UI implimentations. For further information of available variable and how they can be applied.

Using the <visible> tag for controls in your skin

Introduction

Recently, we've been modularising much of the code that controls when items should be rendered, and when they should be left as-is.

All controls can now benefit from “conditional visibility” support. This means that, instead of specifying just “yes” or “no” for the <visible> tag, you can now provide one of the many preset boolean conditions. Not only that, you can also specify how XBMC should transistion between a visible state and a hidden state.

For example, the Project Mayhem 3 skin has <visible>!Player.HasMedia</visible> tags on all the background images on the home page. The reason is that we don't want the images being displayed while a media file (audio or video) is playing or paused, as the video or visualisation will cover the images anyway, so they only take up memory unnecessarily. They also slow down navigation, as the need to be loaded/unloaded depending on whether they are visible (ie whether or not the user has a particular button focused).

How They Work

The condition given in the <visible> tag is evaluated at during the control's Render() function. XBMC decides whether or not the condition is true, and updates the control's visibility accordingly. Thus, it all happens without XBMC having to do the extra chores of maintaining which controls need to be shown at which points in time. The controls automatically update themselves.

Conditional Visibility for Dialogs

Dialogs can also be made to popup automatically based on a visibility condition. This is done by supplying the <visible> tag at the top of the window file (where the <id>, <type> and <coordinate> tags are). XBMC once again evaluates this visibility at render time, and if needbe, will create and show the dialog at the appropriate time. It'll also close them once that visibility has vanished.

This only works with dialogs. For custom windows, you can specify the type of window you require by specifying it using the <type> tag. For more information see the window .xml structure page.

Combining Conditions

You can combine two (or more) of the above settings by using "+" as an AND operator, "|" as an OR operator, “!" as a NOT operator, and "[" and "]" to bracket expressions. For example, <visible>Player.HasVideo + Player.Rewinding8x</visible> will only show the control when the player is rewinding a video at 8x, whereas <visible>Player.HasVideo | Player.IsRecording</visible> will show the control if a video is playing, or if we are recording something. The AND operator takes precedence over the OR operator when evaluating the logic, and operators are read from left to right. So if you want to show something when condition1 OR condition2 is true AND condition3 is true, you can do:

<visible>[condition1 | condition2] + condition3</visible>

Note that if you missed the brackets, then it would actually be reading «if condition1 or (condition2 and condition3)" due to AND taking precedence over OR.

Some pointers on boolean logic:

The following holds true:

A + (B | C) = A + B| A + C
A | (B + C) = (A | B) + (A | C)

!(A + B) =! A |! B
!(A | B) =! A +! B

A common mistake is to do something like this:

! A |! B |! C

This is false only if A, B and C are all simultaneously true (as it's the same as !(A + B + C)), and you may have possibly been after

! A +! B +! C

which is false if A is true, or B is true, or C is true.

One thing you will notice, is that when a control is hidden, it can't be focused. This means you can't move to a control and have it automatically become visible (eg even if it had Control.HasFocus(myID) it wouldn't come back on, as XBMC wouldn't allow navigation to the hidden control). To solve this issue, you can use:

  <visible allowhiddenfocus="true">Control.HasFocus(21)</visible>

on a control of <id> 21. This will allow the control to be focusable even when it's hidden. When the user moves to the hidden control, it will automatically unhide itself, due to the Control.HasFocus(21) visibility condition.

Specifying the Transition Animation

You can also specify how XBMC renders the transistion between the hidden and visible states (as well as between other states). See here for how to add animations to your skin.

Animating Your Skin

The XBMC skinning engine supports animations of any control allowing them to rotate, slide, fade or any combination there-of. Combining animations with conditional statements ensure your skin will have stunning effects that appear as professional as a 1st party product.

About Skin Animations

The XBMC skin engine has support for animations between control and window states. The animations are defined through use of the <animation> tag, which has a defined type and various attributes that specify the animation to be performed. All animations are additive – if two of them are in effect at the same time, their effects are added together. You may also have more than one animation of each type.

Window Animations

There are two valid window animation – the animation to perform when the window is opened, and the animation to perform when the window is closed. They take the same format as the control animations. You can, however, have more than one animation performed for the windowopen or windowclose animation.

Control Animations

There are 6 valid control animations: WindowOpen, WindowClose, Visible, Hidden, Focus, and Unfocus. There is also a combination animation VisibleChange that constructs the Visible animation, then reverses it for the Hidden animation.

Format of Animation Tags

The animation tag is formatted as follows for a single animation:

<animation effect="EFFECT" attributes>TYPE</animation>

and as follows for multiple animations:

<animation type="TYPE" condition="Window.IsActive(Home)" reversible="false">
  <effect type="EFFECT" other_attributes />
   ...
  <effect type="EFFECT" other_attributes />
</animation>

Types

The type can be one of the following:

WindowOpen

Performed once only when the window is opened.

WindowClose

Performed once only when the window is closed. No animation is performed when switching to fullscreen video, however.

Visible

Performed when the control becomes visible via its <visible> tag.

Hidden

Performed when the control becomes hidden via its <visible> tag.

Focus

Performed when the control gains focus.

Unfocus

Performed when the control loses focus.

Conditional

Performed when the control's condition attribute is filled.

VisibleChange

The same as the Visible type, except the reverse animation is auto-created for the Hidden type. Just saves having to have both animations if the animation is the same in both directions (ie just reversed)

Attributes

The attributes available are as follows. Note that all attributes, like tags, are case sensitive

effect

Specifies the effect to use. Currently “fade”, “slide”, “rotate”, "rotatex", "rotatey", and “zoom” are supported.

rotatex - rotates a control around the X-Axis (horizontal)

rotatey - rotates a control around the Y-Axis (vertical)

rotate - rotates a control around the Z-Axis

time

Specifies the length of time that the animation will run, in milliseconds.

delay

The time to delay the transistion before starting it, in milliseconds.

start

The start state of the control for this transistion.

• For fades, this is the opaqueness as a percentage (ie start="100" is fully opaque, start="0" is fully transparent.
• For slides, this is the relative coordinate offset to start the control at (ie start="50,60" will start the control off at 50 pixels to the right, and 60 pixels below it's normal viewing position.
• For rotates, this is the starting degree offset from the horizontal. (ie start="30" will start the control off on an angle of 30 degrees from the horizontal).
• For zooms, this is the starting size as a percentage. (ie start="50,60" will start the control at 50% of it's horizontal size and 60% of it's vertical size).

Note: With zooms you can also specify the coordinates and dimensions of the texture. (ie start="posx,posy,width,height").

end

The end state of the control for this transistion. Similar to the start state, except that the end state is always kept after the animation is finished, and until the control changes its state.

acceleration

Amount to accelerate or decelerate during a “slide”, “zoom” or “rotate” transistion. For deceleration, use a negative value. A value of -1 will cause the control to come to rest at its end coordinates. Defaults to 0. (Also see the tween attribute)

center

Center of the rotation or zoom to perform with a “rotate” or “zoom” transistion. This is the coordinates about which the rotation or zoom will take place. eg center="30,50” will mean that all points will revolve around (or zoom from) the (30,50) pixel location. You can set center="auto" to have XBMC automatically zoom from the center of the control.

Center shifts the rotational axis at the level, rotatex - center="y,z" coordinates, rotatey - center="x,z" coordinates, rotate - center="x,y" coordinates

condition

The conditions under which this animation should be performed. Defaults to being always performed. See here for a list of valid conditionals.

reversible

If “false” the animation is not reversed if it is interrupted when it is finished. For instance a Visible animation will normally be reversed (instead of running the Hidden animation) if the control becomes hidden before the visible animation has finished. Setting reversible="false” prevents this behaviour (the Hidden animation will take its place). Defaults to true.

loop

If “true” will make your fade animation loop. (jump back to the start after it reaches the end)

pulse

If “true” will make your fade animation pulse. (Bounce back from start to end to start to end .........)

tween

Tween is like an advanced acceleration attribute that can be applied to all animations. Instead of a steady acceleration or deceleration, you can specify curves that the animation should follow. Currently, the engine supports “elastic“, “bounce“, “circle“, “back“, “sine“, “cubic“, “quadratic“ and, the default, “linear“. More information about Tweeners

easing

Easing basically defines the direction of the tween and can be one of “out“, “inout“ and “in“. The default value is “out“. More information about Easing

Examples

<visible>Player.HasAudio</visible>
<animation effect="fade" time="400">VisibleChange</animation>

This causes XBMC to fade the control in 400 milliseconds between the visible and hidden states. The control will start off hidden, and will fade in over 400ms when you play audio, and when it's finished, it will fade out again over 400ms.

---

You can also specify different transistion times for transistioning in and out as follows:

<animation effect="fade" time="100">WindowOpen</animation>
<animation effect="fade" time="1000">WindowClose</animation>

This, when used as the animation tag for the ~MusicOSD dialog, will cause it to fade in quickly (in 100ms) when activated and the fade out again slowly (in 1 second (1000ms)) when it's cancelled.

---

You can also specify that a control should always fade in when the window is opened by using

<animation effect="fade" time="200">WindowOpen</animation>

This specifies that it will always start hidden, but will fade in immediately (over a time of 200ms) when the window is opened.

---

There is also ability to add delays preceding the transistions. For instance

<animation effect="fade" time="200" delay="200">Hidden</animation>

would mean that the control will fade out after a delay of 200ms. This is useful for "crossfade" effects, where you want the new control to fade in while the old control is still on screen (and then fade the old one out once the new one is completely opaque).

---

There are also slide effects available.

<animation effect="slide" end="30,0" time="200">Focus</animation>

will slide the control 30 pixels to the right of its normal position when it becomes focused. Note that when it becomes unfocused it will jump back to it's normal position. A Unfocus animation will make it slide back gracefully.

---

There are also rotate effects available.

<animation effect="rotate" end="30" center="360,288" time="200">Focus</animation>

will rotate the control 30 degrees counter clockwise about the center of a PAL screen (360,288) when the control becomes focused.

---

And we also have zoom effects.

<animation effect="zoom" end="120" center="360,288" time="200">Focus</animation>

will zoom the control to 120% of its normal size when the control becomes focused, with the zoom centered at the center of a PAL screen (360,288). You can zoom each dimension by different amounts (effectively a stretch operation) as well. To stretch a control an extra 50% horizontally when focused, we can use

<animation effect="zoom" end="150,100" center="360,288" time="200">Focus</animation>

---

An example of a condition attribute is:

<animation effect="slide" start="-120,0" time="200" condition="Window.Previous(Home)">WindowOpen</animation>

This will cause the slide animation to only be performed if you are coming to this window from the Home window.

---

An example of a Conditional animation type is:

<animation effect="slide" start="-120,0" time="200" condition="Control.HasFocus(2)">Conditional</animation>

This will cause the slide animation to only be performed when the control with the id of 2 gains focus.

---

An example of a fade animation with a pulse:

<animation effect="fade" start="20" time="200" condition="Control.HasFocus(2)" pulse="true">Conditional</animation>

This will cause the control to start at 20% opacity and fade to full in 200 milliseconds and fade back to 20% opacity and keeping looping in that fashion

---

An example of two animations at once:

<animation type="WindowOpen">
 <effect type="fade" start="0" end="100" time="200"/>
 <effect type="zoom" end="150,100" center="auto" time="200" delay="200"/>
</animation>

This will cause the control to fade in over 200 ms, then zoom to 150% it's width from the center of the control.

Fonts

XBMC allows you to customize which fonts are displayed onscreen in the User Interface. There's one special file called font.xml. This file contains a list of all fonts the skin uses. XBMC will load all the fonts mentioned in this file from the /myskin/fonts directory first, and if that fails, will attempt to load them from XBMC/media/fonts. In the event that XBMC is unable to locate the specified font, it will default to "font13". You can modify this file as you like and add/delete/change fonts. The user friendly font name is referenced by the other xml files mentioned below.

Format of the Font.xml File

The font.xml file is divided into font sets, which includes a set of fonts used by the skin. Every font set must contain the same font names in order for the skin to work with all font sets.

<code>
  <fontset id="Latin" unicode="false">
      <font>
       ....
      </font>
      <font>
      ....
      </font>
      ....
  </fontset>
  <fontset id="Arial" unicode="true">
      <font>
      ....
      </font>
      ....
  </fontset>
</code>

A font set has the following attributes:

id

Name of the font set. Displayed to the user. Can have any value.

unicode

Whether or not a font set supports unicode characters. Supported values are “true” or “false”

There has to be at least one font set with the unicode attribute set to true else languages like Chinese or Korean will not display properly. There is a font called Arialuni.TTF with a size of 20MB. It is a unicode True Type Font and works with all languages xbmc supports.

Note: XBMC will automatically switch to the first available unicode font set if the user selects a language that needs one. This switch will not be made if the currently loaded font set already supports unicode.

Supported Font Types

Bitmap Fonts

Bitmap fonts must have a .xpr suffix. Instructions for how to generate them will follow. Example:

  <font>
     <name>font12</name>
     <filename>myfont12.xpr</filename>
  </font>

How to Generate XPR Font Files

To generate XPR fonts, you require the programs “FontMaker" and “Bundler” from the Xbox Developers Kit. The steps required are as follows:

• Load FontMaker.
• Load in the Truetype font of the size you wish to convert to XPR.
• Apply any styles (outline, bold, italics, shadow etc.) that you wish the font to have.
• Select the range of characters (Glyphs) that you want the font to contain.
• Size the output texture so that all the characters are displayed.
• Save the fonts. This will create a .tga and .abc file (eg Arial_24.tga and Arial_24.abc)
• Create a text file in the same folder as your font files from 6 with the following content.

  Texture Font
  {
	  Source Arial_24.tga
	  Format D3DFMT_A4R4G4B4
	  Levels 1
  }
  UserData FontData
  {
  	DataFile Arial_24.abc
  }

• Open a command prompt, and cd to the folder containing your font files.
• Run “Bundler Arial_24.txt" to create Arial_24.xpr.

As a second option, you can download the Media X Menu Accessory “Font Bundle” (from the Usual Places).

1. Run Font Bundle. 2. Click the “Font Maker” button and follow the above Font Maker instructions to create your font(s). 3. Click the “Load” button in Font Bundle and select your new font. 4. Click the “Build”.

Your new Font.xpr file should be saved in the same folder as your font files.

True type Fonts

True type fonts must have a .ttf suffix. For a true type font it is possible to define the size (default 20) and a style (normal, bold, italics or bolditalics). Example:

  <font>
     <name>font12</name>
     <filename>arial.ttf</name>
     <size>12</size>
     <style>bold</style>
     <aspect>0.75</aspect>
  </font>

The <aspect> tag specifies the aspect ratio of the font. An aspect of 0.75 means that the width of the font will be 0.75 of the height. By default the aspect is 1.0 for all but the SD 16x9 modes (PAL16x9, NTSC16x9 and 480p16x9) where the aspect ratio is 0.75, due to the stretched pixels.

Apendix I: List of Windows

This table cross-references Window names, Window definitions, Window ID, and the delta Window ID's (this is the delta from the home window.) The code that performs the cross-reference is found in ButtonTranslator.cpp.

• keymap.xml uses the Window name.
• XBMC's C++ code uses the Window definitions and Window ID's.
• skin .xml files use the Delta Window ID's
• XBMC.ActivateWindow() can use either the Window name, the Window ID, or the delta Window ID.
• sounds.xml can use the window name or window ID
  

You can use secondary parameters with all media windows, as can be seen here:

• Opening Windows and Dialogs
  

Example:

• You want a button in your skin or on your remote taking you directly to the movie listing you let that button do

 xbmc.activatewindow(videolibrary,movietitles)

NAME	DEFINITION	WINDOW ID	DELTA WINDOW ID	SOURCE XML FILE
home	WINDOW_HOME	10000	0	Home.xml
programs	WINDOW_PROGRAMS	10001	1	MyPrograms.xml
pictures	WINDOW_PICTURES	10002	2	MyPics.xml
filemanager	WINDOW_FILES	10003	3	FileManager.xml
settings	WINDOW_SETTINGS_MENU	10004	4	Settings.xml
music	WINDOW_MUSIC	10005	5	None – this is just a wrapper for the current My Music view (who's IDs are 501 and 502)
video	WINDOW_VIDEOS	10006	6	None – this is just a wrapper for the current My Video view (who's IDs are 21-25)
systeminfo	WINDOW_SYSTEM_INFORMATION	10007	7	SettingsSystemInfo.xml
guicalibration	WINDOW_UI_CALIBRATION	10010	10	SettingsUICalibration.xml
screencalibration	WINDOW_MOVIE_CALIBRATION	10011	11	SettingsScreenCalibration.xml
picturessettings	WINDOW_SETTINGS_MYPICTURES	10012	12	SettingsCategory.xml
programssettings	WINDOW_SETTINGS_MYPROGRAMS	10013	13	SettingsCategory.xml
weathersettings	WINDOW_SETTINGS_MYWEATHER	10014	14	SettingsCategory.xml
musicsettings	WINDOW_SETTINGS_MYMUSIC	10015	15	SettingsCategory.xml
systemsettings	WINDOW_SETTINGS_SYSTEM	10016	16	SettingsCategory.xml
videossettings	WINDOW_SETTINGS_MYVIDEOS	10017	17	SettingsCategory.xml
networksettings	WINDOW_SETTINGS_NETWORK	10018	18	SettingsCategory.xml
appearancesettings	WINDOW_SETTINGS_APPEARANCE	10019	19	SettingsCategory.xml
scripts	WINDOW_SCRIPTS	10020	20	MyScripts.xml
videolibrary	WINDOW_VIDEO_NAV	10025	25	MyVideoNav.xml - Replaces the following .XML files: MyVideoGenre (WINDOW_VIDEO_GENRE), MyVideoActors (WINDOW_VIDEO_ACTOR), MyVideoYear (WINDOW_VIDEO_YEAR), MyVideoTitle (WINDOW_VIDEO_TITLE)
videofiles	WINDOW_VIDEO_FILES	10024	24	MyVideo.xml
videoplaylist	WINDOW_VIDEO_PLAYLIST	10028	28	MyVideoPlaylist.xml
LoginScreen	WINDOW_LOGINSCREEN	10029	29	LogonScreen.xml
profiles	WINDOW_SETTINGS_PROFILES	10034	34	SettingsProfile.xml
gamesaves	WINDOW_GAMESAVES	10035	35	MyGameSaves.xml
yesnodialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_YES_NO	10100	100	DialogYesNo.xml
progressdialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_PROGRESS	10101	101	DialogProgress.xml
invitedialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_INVITE	10102	102	DialogInvite.xml
virtualkeyboard	WINDOW_DIALOG_KEYBOARD	10103	103	DialogKeyboard.xml
volumebar	WINDOW_DIALOG_VOLUME_BAR	10104	104	DialogVolumeBar.xml
submenu	WINDOW_DIALOG_SUB_MENU	10105	105	DialogSubMenu.xml
contextmenu	WINDOW_DIALOG_CONTEXT_MENU	10106	106	DialogContextMenu.xml
infodialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_KAI_TOAST	10107	107	DialogKaiToast.xml
hostdialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_HOST	10108	108	DialogHost.xml
numericinput	WINDOW_DIALOG_NUMERIC	10109	109	DialogNumeric.xml
gamepadinput	WINDOW_DIALOG_GAMEPAD	10110	110	DialogGamepad.xml
shutdownmenu	WINDOW_DIALOG_BUTTON_MENU	10111	111	DialogButtonMenu.xml
scandialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_MUSIC_SCAN	10112	112	DialogMusicScan.xml
mutebug	WINDOW_DIALOG_MUTE_BUG	10113	113	DialogMuteBug.xml
playercontrols	WINDOW_DIALOG_PLAYER_CONTROLS	10114	114	PlayerControls.xml
seekbar	WINDOW_DIALOG_SEEK_BAR	10115	115	DialogSeekBar.xml
musicosd	WINDOW_DIALOG_MUSIC_OSD	10120	120	MusicOSD.xml
visualisationsettings	WINDOW_DIALOG_VIS_SETTINGS	10121	121	MusicOSDVisSettings.xml
visualisationpresetlist	WINDOW_DIALOG_VIS_PRESET_LIST	10122	122	VisualizationPresetList.xml
osdvideosettings	WINDOW_DIALOG_VIDEO_OSD_SETTINGS	10123	123	VideoOSDSettings.xml
osdaudiosettings	WINDOW_DIALOG_AUDIO_OSD_SETTINGS	10124	124	VideoOSDSettings.xml
Video Bookmarks	WINDOW_DIALOG_VIDEO_BOOKMARKS	10125	125	VideoOSDBookmarks.xml
File Browser	WINDOW_DIALOG_FILE_BROWSER	10126	126	FileBrowser.xml
trainersettings	WINDOW_DIALOG_TRAINER_SETTINGS	10127	127	TrainerSettings.xml
networksetup	WINDOW_DIALOG_NETWORK_SETUP	10128	128	DialogNetworkSetup.xml
mediasource	WINDOW_DIALOG_MEDIA_SOURCE	10129	129	DialogMediaSource.xml
ProfileSettings	WINDOW_PROFILE_SETTINGS	10130	130	ProfileSettings.xml
LockSettings	WINDOW_LOCK_SETTINGS	10131	131	LockSettings.xml
contentsettings	WINDOW_DIALOG_CONTENT_SETTINGS	10132	132	DialogContentSettings.xml
scandialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_VIDEO_SCAN	10133	133	DialogVideoScan.xml
favourites	WINDOW_DIALOG_FAVOURITES	10134	134	DialogFavourites.xml
songinformation	WINDOW_DIALOG_SONG_INFO	10135	135	DialogSongInfo.xml
smartplaylisteditor	WINDOW_DIALOG_SMART_PLAYLIST_EDITOR	10136	136	SmartPlaylistEditor.xml
smartplaylistrule	WINDOW_DIALOG_SMART_PLAYLIST_RULE	10137	137	SmartPlaylistRule.xml
busydialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_BUSY	10138	138	DialogBusy.xml
pictureinfo	WINDOW_DIALOG_PICTURE_INFO	10139	139	DialogPictureInfo.xml
pluginsettings	WINDOW_DIALOG_PLUGIN_SETTINGS	10140	140	DialogPluginSettings.xml
		10141	141	DialogAccessPoints.xml
fullscreeninfo	WINDOW_DIALOG_FULLSCREEN_INFO	10142	142	DialogFullScreenInfo.xml
karaokeselector	WINDOW_DIALOG_KARAOKE_SONGSELECT	10143	143	DialogKaraokeSongSelector.xml
karaokelargeselector	WINDOW_DIALOG_KARAOKE_SELECTOR	10144	144	DialogKaraokeSongSelectorLarge.xml
sliderdialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_SLIDER	10145	145	DialogSlider.xml
musicplaylist	WINDOW_MUSIC_PLAYLIST	10500	500	MyMusicPlaylist.xml
musicfiles	WINDOW_MUSIC_FILES	10501	501	MyMusicSongs.xml
musiclibrary	WINDOW_MUSIC_NAV	10502	502	MyMusicNav.xml
musicplaylisteditor	WINDOW_MUSIC_PLAYLIST_EDITOR	10503	503	MyMusicPlaylistEditor.xml
virtualkeyboard	WINDOW_VIRTUAL_KEYBOARD	11000	1000	.
selectdialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_SELECT	12000	2000	DialogSelect.xml
musicinformation	WINDOW_MUSIC_INFO	12001	2001	DialogAlbumInfo.xml
okdialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_OK	12002	2002	DialogOK.xml
movieinformation	WINDOW_VIDEO_INFO	12003	2003	DialogVideoInfo.xml
scriptsdebuginfo	WINDOW_SCRIPTS_INFO	12004	2004	DialogScriptInfo.xml
fullscreenvideo	WINDOW_FULLSCREEN_VIDEO	12005	2005	VideoFullScreen.xml
visualisation	WINDOW_VISUALISATION	12006	2006	MusicVisualisation.xml
slideshow	WINDOW_SLIDESHOW	12007	2007	SlideShow.xml
filestackingdialog	WINDOW_DIALOG_FILESTACKING	12008	2008	DialogFileStacking.xml
weather	WINDOW_WEATHER	12600	2600	MyWeather.xml
xlinkkai	WINDOW_BUDDIES	12700	2700	MyBuddies.xml
screensaver	WINDOW_SCREENSAVER	12900	2900	none
videoosd	WINDOW_OSD	12901	2901	VideoOSD.xml
videomenu	WINDOW_MEDIA_MENU	12902	2902	none
startup	WINDOW_STARTUP	12999	2999	startup.xml
startwindow	-	-	-	shortcut to the current startwindow

In addition, there are the following “special” windows whose id is not really a concern (and you'll notice isn't unique)

Pointer	-	-	105	Pointer.xml
musicoverlay	WINDOW_MUSIC_OVERLAY	12903	2903	MusicOverlay.xml
videooverlay	WINDOW_VIDEO_OVERLAY	12904	2904	VideoOverlay.xml
Python Windows	-	-	3000–3099	none

Apendix II: List of Boolean Conditions

Player.HasMedia	Returns true if the player has an audio or video file.
Player.HasAudio	Returns true if the player has an audio file.
Player.HasDuration	Returns true if Media isn't a true stream
Player.HasVideo	Returns true if the player has a video file.
Player.Playing	Returns true if the player is currently playing (ie not ffwding, rewinding or paused.)
Player.Paused	Returns true if the player is paused.
Player.Forwarding	Returns true if the player is fast forwarding.
Player.Forwarding2x	Returns true if the player is fast forwarding at 2x.
Player.Forwarding4x	Returns true if the player is fast forwarding at 4x.
Player.Forwarding8x	Returns true if the player is fast forwarding at 8x.
Player.Forwarding16x	Returns true if the player is fast forwarding at 16x.
Player.Forwarding32x	Returns true if the player is fast forwarding at 32x.
Player.Rewinding	Returns true if the player is rewinding.
Player.Rewinding2x	Returns true if the player is rewinding at 2x.
Player.Rewinding4x	Returns true if the player is rewinding at 4x.
Player.Rewinding8x	Returns true if the player is rewinding at 8x.
Player.Rewinding16x	Returns true if the player is rewinding at 16x.
Player.Rewinding32x	Returns true if the player is rewinding at 32x.
Player.CanRecord	Returns true if the player can record the current internet stream.
Player.Recording	Returns true if the player is recording the current internet stream.
Player.Caching	Returns true if the player is current re-caching data (internet based video playback).
Player.SeekBar	Returns true for the first 2.5 seconds after a video seek.
Player.DisplayAfterSeek	Returns true after any seek.
Player.Seeking	Returns true if a seek is in progress
Player.ShowTime	Returns true if the user has requested the time to show (occurs in video fullscreen)
Player.ShowInfo	Returns true if the user has requested the song info to show (occurs in visualisation fullscreen and slideshow)
Player.ShowCodec	Returns true if the user has requested the time to show (occurs in visualisation fullscreen)
Player.Muted	Returns true if the volume is muted.
Playlist.IsRandom	Returns true if the player is in random mode.
Playlist.IsRepeat	Returns true if the player is in repeat all mode.
Playlist.IsRepeatOne	Returns true if the player is in repeat one mode.
AudioScrobbler.Enabled	Returns true if songs played are submitted to audioscrobbler.
MusicPlayer.HasNext	Returns true if the music player has a next song queued inthe Playlist.
MusicPlayer.HasPrevious	Returns true if the music player has a a Previous Song in the Playlist .
MusicPlayer.Offset(number).Exists	Returns true if the music players playlist has a song queued in position (number).
VideoPlayer.UsingOverlays	Returns true if the video player is using the hardware overlays render method. Useful, as with hardware overlays you have no alpha blending to the video image, so shadows etc. need redoing, or disabling.
VideoPlayer.IsFullscreen	Returns true if the video player is in fullscreen mode.
VideoPlayer.HasMenu	Returns true if the video player has a menu (ie is playing a DVD)
VideoPlayer.HasInfo	Returns true if the current playing video has information from the library or from a plugin (eg director/plot etc.)
VideoPlayer.Content(parameter)	Returns true if the current Video you are playing is contained in corresponding Video Library sections. The following values are accepted : files, movies, episodes, musicvideos
MusicPartyMode.Enabled	Returns true if Party Mode is enabled
Visualisation.Enabled	Returns true if any visualisation has been set in settings (so not None).
Visualisation.Locked	Returns true if the current visualisation preset is locked (eg in Milkdrop.)
Weather.IsFetched	Returns true if the weather data has been downloaded.
Window.IsVisible(window)	Returns true if the window is visible (includes fade out time on dialogs)
Window.IsActive(window)	Returns true if the window with id or title ?window? is active (excludes fade out time on dialogs) See here for a list of windows
Window.IsMedia	Returns true if this window is a media window (programs, music, video, scripts, pictures)
Window.Next(window)	Returns true if the window with id or title ?window? is being moved to. See here for a list of windows. Only valid while windows are changing.
Window.Previous(window)	Returns true if the window with id or title ?window? is being moved from. See here for a list of windows. Only valid while windows are changing.
System.HasAlarm(alarm)	Returns true if the system has the ?alarm? alarm set.
System.AlarmLessOrEqual(alarmname,seconds)	Returns true if the alarm with ?alarmname? has less or equal to ?seconds? left. Standard use would be system.alarmlessorequal(shutdowntimer,119), which would return true when the shutdowntimer has less then 2 minutes left.
System.HasNetwork	Returns true if the ethernet cable is plugged in.
System.HasMediadvd	Returns true if there is a CD or DVD in the DVD-ROM drive.
System.IdleTime(time)	Returns true if XBMC has had no input for ?time? amount of seconds.
System.IdleTime(time)	Returns true if XBMC has had no input for ?time? amount of seconds.
System.HasAddon(id)	Returns true if the specified addon is installed on the system.
System.AutoDetection	Returns true if another Xbox is detected on network.
system.isloggedon	Returns true if a user is currently logged on under a profile
system.hasloginscreen	Returns true if the profile login screen is enabled
system.time(startTime,endTime)	Returns true if the current system time is >= startTime and < endTime. endTime is optional. Time must be specified in the format HH:mm, using a 24 hour clock.
system.date(startDate,endDate)	Returns true if the current system date is >= startDate and < endDate. endDate is optional. Date must be specified in the format MM-DD.
system.platform.xbox	Returns true if XBMC is running on a xbox.
system.platform.linux	Returns true if XBMC is running on a linux/unix/osx based computer.
system.platform.windows	Returns true if XBMC is running on a windows based computer.
system.canpowerdown	Returns true if XBMC can powerdown the system.
system.cansuspend	Returns true if XBMC can suspend the system.
system.canhibernate	Returns true if XBMC can hibernate the system.
system.canreboot	Returns true if XBMC can reboot the system.
Control.IsVisible(id)	Returns true if the control with id ?id? is visible.
Control.HasFocus(id)	Returns true if the currently focused control has id ?id?.
ControlGroup(group).HasFocus(id)	Returns true if the control group with id “group” has control id “id” as it's focused item. If “id” is not present, or is 0, then it will return true if the currently focused control is in the control group with id “group”. Note that if the control group with id “group” does not have focus, then this will still return true if the last focused item in the group had control id “id”.
ButtonScroller.HasFocus(id)	Returns true if the buttonscroller is focused, and the current button has id ?id?.
Skin.HasTheme(theme)	Returns true if the user has selected the theme with name ?theme?.
Skin.HasSetting(setting)	Returns the state of the skin-specified setting ?setting?. You can toggle a setting from a button by using <onclick>Skin.ToggleSetting(setting)</onclick>.
Skin.String(string)	Returns whether the skin string (set via Skin.SetString, Skin.SetPath, or Skin.SetImage) is non-empty.
ListItem.IsFolder	Returns whether the current ListItem is a folder
ListItem.IsPlaying	Returns whether the current ListItem.* info labels and images are currently Playing media
Container.HasThumb	Returns true if the current container you are in has a thumb assigned to it
Container.Content(parameter)	Returns true if the current container you are in contains the following: files, songs, artists, albums, movies, tvshows, seasons, episodes, musicvideos, genres, years, actors, playlists, plugins, studios, directors (Note: these currently only work in the Video and Music Library or unless a Plugin has set the value)
Container(id).OnNext	Returns true if the container with id (or current container if id is omitted) is moving to the next item. Allows views to be custom-designed (such as 3D coverviews etc.)
Container(id).OnScrollNext	Returns true if the container with id (or current container if id is omitted) is scrolling to the next item. Differs from OnNext in that OnNext triggers on movement even if there is no scroll involved.
Container(id).OnPrevious	Returns true if the container with id (or current container if id is omitted) is moving to the previous item. Allows views to be custom-designed (such as 3D coverviews etc.)
Container(id).OnScrollPrevious	Returns true if the container with id (or current container if id is omitted) is scrolling to the previous item. Differs from OnPrevious in that OnPrevious triggers on movement even if there is no scroll involved.
Container(id).HasFocus(item_number)	Returns true if the container with id (or current container if id is omitted) has static content and is focused on the item with id item_number.
Container(id).HasFiles	Returns true if the container contains files (or current container if id is omitted).
Container(id).HasFolders	Returns true if the container contains folders (or current container if id is omitted).
Container(id).HasNext	Returns true if the container (id) has a next page.
Container(id).HasPrevious	Returns true if the container (id) has a previous page.
Container(id).IsStacked	Returns true if the container is currently in stacked mode (or current container if id is omitted).
Container(id).Row(row)	Returns true if the container with id (or current container if id is omitted) is focused on the row given.
Container(id).Column(col)	Returns true if the container with id (or current container if id is omitted) is focused on the column given.
Container(id).Position(pos)	Returns true if the container with id (or current container if id is omitted) is focused on the position given.
Container(id).Scrolling	Returns true if the user is currently scrolling through the container with id (or current container if id is omitted). Note that this is slightly delayed from the actual scroll start. Use Container(id).OnScrollNext/OnScrollPrevious to trigger animations immediately on scroll.
LastFM.RadioPlaying	Returns true if Last.fm radio is playing.
LastFM.CanLove	Returns true if the current song can be added to the users Last.fm loved songs.
LastFM.CanBan	Returns true if the current song can be banned from the users Last.fm radio.
stringcompare(info,string)	Returns true if the info equals the string. example of info: ListItem.Title, ListItem.Genre. Please note that string can also be a $LOCALIZE[] or info label. Also note that in a panelview or similar this only works on the focused item.
substring(info,string)	Returns true if the string is found anywhere in the info
substring(info,string,[Left or Right])	Returns true if the string is found from the start or the end. Example: (foobars,foob,Left) -> true (foobars,foob,Right) -> False (foobars,bars,Right) -> true
IntegerGreaterThan(info,number)	Returns true if the value of the infolabel is greater than the supplied number. Example: IntegerGreaterThan(ListItem.Year,2000)
Library.HasContent(string)	Returns true if the XBMC libraries have the content from string. Valid Strings are (Video, Music, Movies, TVShows, MusicVideos)

Apendix III: List of Info Labels

Labels Available In XBMC

AudioScrobbler.ConnectState	Connected to the audioscrobbler
AudioScrobbler.SubmitInterval	Shows next reconnect when submission failed
AudioScrobbler.FilesCached	Number of cached songs
AudioScrobbler.SubmitState	Shows time left until the current song is submitted
Container.FolderPath	Shows complete path of currently displayed folder
Container.FolderName	Shows top most folder in currently displayed folder
Container.Viewmode	Returns the current viewmode (list, icons etc.)
Container.SortMethod	Returns the current sort method (name, year, rating, etc.)
Container.PluginName	Returns the current plugins base folder name
Container.PluginCategory	Returns the current plugins category (set by the scripter)
Container.ShowPlot	Returns the TV Show Plot of the current container and can be used at season and episode level
Container(id).NumPages	Number of pages in the container with given id. If no id is specified it grabs the current container.
Container(id).NumItems	Number of items in the container with given id. If no id is specified it grabs the current container.
Container(id).CurrentPage	Current page in the container with given id. If no id is specified it grabs the current container.
Container(id).Position	Returns the current focused position of Container (id) as a numeric label.
Container(id).ListItem(offset).Label	Shows ListItem.Label for a specific List or Panel Container with a offset ( eg: Container(50).Listitem(2).Label )
Container(id).ListItem(offset).Label2	Shows ListItem.Label2 for a specific List or Panel Container with a offset ( eg: Container(50).Listitem(-2).Label2 )
Container(id).ListItem(offset).Icon	Shows ListItem.Icon for a specific List or Panel Container with a offset ( eg: Container(52).Listitem(1).Icon)
Container(id).ListItem(offset).ActualIcon	Shows ListItem.ActualIcon for a specific List or Panel Container with a offset ( eg: Container(50).Listitem(0).ActualIcon )
Container(id).ListItem(offset).Thumb	Shows ListItem.Thumb for a specific List or Panel Container with a offset ( eg: Container(50).Listitem(0).Thumb )
Control.GetLabel(id)	Returns the label value or texture name of the control with the given id.
listitem.label	Shows the left label of the currently selected item in a list or thumb control
listitem.label2	Shows the right label of the currently selected item in a list or thumb control
listitem.title	Shows the title of the currently selected song or movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.originaltitle	Shows the original title of the currently selected movie in a list or thumb control
ListItem.SortLetter	Shows the first letter of the current file in a list or thumb control
listitem.tracknumber	Shows the track number of the currently selected song in a list or thumb control
listitem.artist	Shows the artist of the currently selected song in a list or thumb control
ListItem.Property(Artist_Born)	Date of Birth of the currently selected Artist
ListItem.Property(Artist_Died)	Date of Death of the currently selected Artist
ListItem.Property(Artist_Formed)	Formation date of the currently selected Band
ListItem.Property(Artist_Disbanded)	Disbanding date of the currently selected Band
ListItem.Property(Artist_YearsActive)	Years the currently selected artist has been active
ListItem.Property(Artist_Instrument)	Instruments played by the currently selected artist
ListItem.Property(Artist_Description)	Shows a biography of the currently selected artist
ListItem.Property(Artist_Mood)	Shows the moods of the currently selected artist
ListItem.Property(Artist_Style)	Shows the styles of the currently selected artist
ListItem.Property(Artist_Genre)	Shows the genre of the currently selected artist
listitem.album	Shows the album of the currently selected song in a list or thumb control
ListItem.Property(Album_Mood)	Shows the moods of the currently selected Album
ListItem.Property(Album_Style)	Shows the styles of the currently selected Album
ListItem.Property(Album_Theme)	Shows the themes of the currently selected Album
ListItem.Property(Album_Type)	Shows the Album Type (e.g. compilation, enhanced, explicit lyrics) of the currently selected Album
ListItem.Property(Album_Label)	Shows the record label of the currently selected Album
ListItem.Property(Album_Description)	Shows a review of the currently selected Album
listitem.year	Shows the year of the currently selected song, album or movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.genre	Shows the genre of the currently selected song, album or movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.director	Shows the director of the currently selected movie in a list or thumb control
ListItem.Episode	Shows the number of episodes for the currently selected tvshow or season
ListItem.Season	Shows the season value for the currently selected tvshow
ListItem.TVShowTitle	Shows the name value for the currently selected tvshow in the season and episode depth of the video library
ListItem.Property(WatchedEpisodes)	Shows the number of watched episodes for the currently selected tvshow
ListItem.Property(UnWatchedEpisodes)	Shows the number of unwatched episodes for the currently selected tvshow
ListItem.PictureResolution	Shows the dimensions of the selected picture
ListItem.PictureDateTime	Shows the date/timestamp of the selected picture
listitem.filename	Shows the filename of the currently selected song or movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.path	Shows the complete path of the currently selected song or movie in a list or thumb control
ListItem.FolderName	Shows top most folder of the path of the currently selected song or movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.filenameandpath	Shows the full path with filename of the currently selected song or movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.date	Shows the file date of the currently selected song or movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.size	Shows the file size of the currently selected song or movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.rating	Shows the IMDB rating of the currently selected movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.ratingandvotes	Shows the IMDB rating and votes of the currently selected movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.mpaa	Show the MPAA rating of the currently selected movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.programcount	Shows the number of times an xbe has been run from "my programs"
listitem.duration	Shows the song or movie duration of the currently selected movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.cast	Shows a concatenated string of cast members of the currently selected movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.castandrole	Shows a concatenated string of cast members and roles of the currently selected movie in a list or controlpanel
listitem.Studio	Studio of current selected Music Video in a list or thumb control
listitem.Trailer	Shows the full trailer path with filename of the currently selected movie in a list or thumb control
listitem.Writer	Name of Writer of current Video in a list or thumb control
listitem.Tagline	Small Summary of current Video in a list or thumb control
listitem.PlotOutline	Small Summary of current Video in a list or thumb control
listitem.Plot	Complete Text Summary of Video in a list or thumb control
ListItem.VideoCodec	Shows the video codec of the currently selected video (common values: 3iv2, avc1, div2, div3, divx, divx 4, dx50, flv, h264, microsoft, mp42, mp43, mp4v, mpeg1video, mpeg2video, mpg4, svq1, svq3, theora, vp6f, wmv2, wmv3, wvc1, xvid)
ListItem.VideoResolution	Shows the resolution of the currently selected video (possible values: 480, 540, 720, 1080)
ListItem.VideoAspect	Shows the aspect ratio of the currently selected video (possible values: 1.33, 1.66, 1.78, 1.85, 2.20, 2.35)
ListItem.AudioCodec	Shows the audio codec of the currently selected video (common values: aac, ac3, dca, mp1, mp2, mp3, pcm_s16be, pcm_s16le, pcm_u8, vorbis, wmapro, wmav2)
ListItem.AudioChannels	Shows the number of audio channels of the currently selected video (possible values: 0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8)
ListItem.AudioLanguage	Shows the audio language of the currently selected video (returns an ISO 639-2 three character code, e.g. eng, epo, deu)
ListItem.SubtitleLanguage	Shows the subtitle language of the currently selected video (returns an ISO 639-2 three character code, e.g. eng, epo, deu)
MusicPlayer.Title	Title of the currently playing song, also available are "MusicPlayer.offset(number).Title" offset is relative to the current playing item and "MusicPlayer.Position(number).Title" position is relative to the start of the playlist
MusicPlayer.Album	Album from which the current song is from, also available are "MusicPlayer.offset(number).Album" offset is relative to the current playing item and "MusicPlayer.Position(number).Album" position is relative to the start of the playlist
MusicPlayer.Property(Album_Mood)	Shows the moods of the currently playing Album
MusicPlayer.Property(Album_Style)	Shows the styles of the currently playing Album
MusicPlayer.Property(Album_Theme)	Shows the themes of the currently playing Album
MusicPlayer.Property(Album_Type)	Shows the Album Type (e.g. compilation, enhanced, explicit lyrics) of the currently playing Album
MusicPlayer.Property(Album_Label)	Shows the record label of the currently playing Album
MusicPlayer.Property(Album_Description)	Shows a review of the currently playing Album
MusicPlayer.Artist	Artist(s) of current song, also available are "MusicPlayer.offset(number).Artist" offset is relative to the current playing item and "MusicPlayer.Position(number).Artist" position is relative to the start of the playlist
MusicPlayer.Property(Artist_Born)	Date of Birth of the currently playing Artist
MusicPlayer.Property(Artist_Died)	Date of Death of the currently playing Artist
MusicPlayer.Property(Artist_Formed)	Formation date of the currently playing Artist/Band
MusicPlayer.Property(Artist_Disbanded)	Disbanding date of the currently playing Artist/Band
MusicPlayer.Property(Artist_YearsActive)	Years the currently Playing artist has been active
MusicPlayer.Property(Artist_Instrument)	Instruments played by the currently playing artist
MusicPlayer.Property(Artist_Description)	Shows a biography of the currently playing artist
MusicPlayer.Property(Artist_Mood)	Shows the moods of the currently playing artist
MusicPlayer.Property(Artist_Style)	Shows the styles of the currently playing artist
MusicPlayer.Property(Artist_Genre)	Shows the genre of the currently playing artist
MusicPlayer.Genre	Genre(s) of current song, also available are "MusicPlayer.offset(number).Genre" offset is relative to the current playing item and "MusicPlayer.Position(number).Genre" position is relative to the start of the playlist
MusicPlayer.Year	Year of release of current song, also available are "MusicPlayer.offset(number).Year" offset is relative to the current playing item and "MusicPlayer.Position(number).Year" position is relative to the start of the playlist
MusicPlayer.Rating	Numeric Rating of current song, also available are "MusicPlayer.offset(number).Rating" offset is relative to the current playing item and "MusicPlayer.Position(number).Rating" position is relative to the start of the playlist
MusicPlayer.DiscNumber	Disc Number of current song stored in ID tag info, also available are "MusicPlayer.offset(number).DiscNumber" offset is relative to the current playing item and "MusicPlayer.Position(number).DiscNumber" position is relative to the start of the playlist
MusicPlayer.Comment	Comment of current song stored in ID tag info, also available are "MusicPlayer.offset(number).Comment" offset is relative to the current playing item and "MusicPlayer.Position(number).Comment" position is relative to the start of the playlist
MusicPlayer.Time	Current time in song
MusicPlayer.TimeRemaining	Current remaining time in song
MusicPlayer.TimeSpeed	Both the time and the playspeed formatted up. eg 1:23 (2x)
MusicPlayer.TrackNumber	Track number of current song, also available are "MusicPlayer.offset(number).TrackNumber" offset is relative to the current playing item and "MusicPlayer.Position(number).TrackNumber" position is relative to the start of the playlist
MusicPlayer.Duration	Duration of current song, also available are "MusicPlayer.offset(number).Duration" offset is relative to the current playing item and "MusicPlayer.Position(number).Duration" position is relative to the start of the playlist
MusicPlayer.BitRate	Bitrate of current song
MusicPlayer.Channels	Number of channels of current song
MusicPlayer.BitsPerSample	Number of bits per sample of current song
MusicPlayer.SampleRate	Samplerate of current song
MusicPlayer.Codec	Codec of current song
MusicPlayer.PlaylistPosition	Position of the current song in the current music playlist
MusicPlayer.PlaylistLength	Total size of the current music playlist
MusicPartyMode.SongsPlayed	Number of songs played during Party Mode
MusicPartyMode.MatchingSongs	Number of songs available to Party Mode
MusicPartyMode.MatchingSongsPicked	Number of songs picked already for Party Mode
MusicPartyMode.MatchingSongsLeft	Number of songs left to be picked from for Party Mode
MusicPartyMode.RelaxedSongsPicked	Not currently used
MusicPartyMode.RandomSongsPicked	Number of unique random songs picked during Party Mode
Network.IPAddress	The Xbox's IP Address (formatted as IP: <ipaddress>)
Network.MacAddress	xbox mac address
Network.IsDHCP	network type is DHCP or FIXED
Network.LinkState	network linkstate e.g. 10mbit/100mbit etc.
Network.SubnetAddress	network subnet address
Network.GatewayAddress	network gateway address
Network.DHCPAddress	DHCP ip address
Network.DNS1Address	network dns 1 address
Network.DNS2Address	network dns 2 address
Player.FinishTime	Time playing media will end
Player.Time	Elapsed time of current playing media
Player.TimeRemaining	Remaining time of current playing media
Player.Duration	Total duration of the current playing media
Player.SeekTime	Time to which the user is seeking
Player.Volume	Current volume (between -60 and 0dB)
Player.CacheLevel	Players current cache fill percentage (if supported by the player)
Player.Folderpath	Shows the full path of the currently playing song or movie
Player.Filenameandpath	Shows the full path with filename of the currently playing song or movie
Playlist.Position	Position of the current item in the current playlist (video or music)
Playlist.Length	Total size of the current playlist (video or music)
Playlist.Random	Returns string ID's 590 (Randomize Play Enabled) or 591 (Disabled)
Playlist.Repeat	Returns string ID's 592 (Repeat One), 593 (Repeat All), or 594 (Repeat Off)
Skin.CurrentTheme	Returns the current selected skin theme.
Skin.String(name)	Returns the user-set skin string, set via the Skin.SetString(name) built in function. Allows skinners to have user-customisable labels.
System.Time	Current time
System.Date	Current date
System.Alarmpos	Shutdown Timer position
System.Freespace	Total Freespace on the drive
System.Usedspace	Total Usedspace on the drive
System.Totalspace	Totalspace on the drive
System.UsedspacePercent	Total Usedspace Percent on the drive
System.FreespacePercent	Total Freespace Percent on the drive
System.Freespace(DRIVE)	Freespace on drive DRIVE. DRIVE can be C, E, F, G, X, Y or Z
system.usedspace(DRIVE)	Usedspace on drive DRIVE. DRIVE can be C, E, F, G, X, Y or Z
system.totalspace(DRIVE)	Totalspace on drive DRIVE. DRIVE can be C, E, F, or G
System.UsedspacePercent(DRIVE)	Usedspace Percent on drive DRIVE. DRIVE can be C, E, F, or G
System.FreespacePercent(DRIVE)	Freespace Percent on drive DRIVE. DRIVE can be C, E, F, or G
System.CPUTemperature	Current CPU temperature
System.GPUTemperature	Current GPU temperature
System.FanSpeed	Current fan speed
System.BuildVersion	Version of build
System.BuildDate	Date of build
System.FPS	Current rendering speed (frames per second)
System.FreeMemory	Amount of free memory in Mb
System.ScreenMode	Screenmode (eg PAL)
System.ScreenWidth	Width of screen in pixels
System.ScreenHeight	Height of screen in pixels
System.CurrentWindow	Current Window we are in
System.CurrentControl	Current focused control
System.XboxNickName	Nickname of the xbox
System.DVDLabel	Label of the disk in the DVD-ROM drive
System.LaunchXBE	Label of the currently launched Game or Application
system.hddtemperature	hdd temperature
system.hddinfomodel	hdd model info
system.hddinfofirmware	hdd firmware version
system.hddinfoserial	hdd serial number
system.hddinfopw	hdd password
system.hddinfolockstate	hdd lockstate info
system.hddlockkey	hdd lock key
system.hddbootdate	hdd first boot date
system.hddcyclecount	hdd switch on counter
system.dvdinfomodel	dvd model info
system.dvdinfofirmware	dvd firmware version
system.hddcyclecount	hdd switch on counter
system.mplayerversion	mplayer.dll version
system.kernelversion	xbox kernel version
system.uptime	system current uptime
system.totaluptime	system total uptime
system.cpufrequency	xbox cpu frequency
system.xboxversion	detected xbox version
system.avcablepackinfo	av cablepack info
system.screenresolution	screen resolution
system.videoencoderinfo	video encoder info
system.xboxserial	xbox serial number
system.videoxberegion	xbox video xbe region
system.bios	xbox detected bios, id's -> \system\systeminfo\biosIds.ini
system.modchip	detected modchip
system.internetstate	will return the internet state, connected or not connected and for Conditional use: Connected->TRUE, not Connected->FALSE, do not use to check status in a pythonscript since it is threaded.
system.controllerport(x)	for x=1,2,3,4 will in time return connected devices on the controller port e.g. system.controllerport(1)
System.Language	Shows the current language
System.GetBool(boolean)	Returns the value of any standard system boolean setting. Will not work with settings in advancedsettings.xml
System.ProfileName	Shows the User name of the currently logged in XBMC user
Visualisation.Preset	Shows the current preset of the visualisation
Visualisation.Name	Shows the name of the visualisation
VideoPlayer.Time	Current time in movie
VideoPlayer.TimeRemaining	Current remaining time in movie
VideoPlayer.TimeSpeed	Current time + playspeed. eg 1:23:14 (-4x)
VideoPlayer.Duration	Length of current movie
VideoPlayer.Title	Title of currently playing video. If it's in the database it will return the database title, else the filename
VideoPlayer.TVShowTitle	Title of currently playing episode's tvshow name
VideoPlayer.Genre	Genre(s) of current movie, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.Director	Director of current movie, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.Year	Year of release of current movie, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.Rating	IMDb user rating of current movie, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.RatingAndVotes	IMDb user rating and votes of current movie, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.mpaa	MPAA rating of current movie, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.PlaylistPosition	Position of the current song in the current video playlist
VideoPlayer.PlaylistLength	Total size of the current video playlist
VideoPlayer.Cast	A concatenated string of cast members of the current movie, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.CastAndRole	A concatenated string of cast members and roles of the current movie, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.Album	Album from which the current Music Video is from, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.Artist	Artist(s) of current Music Video, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.Studio	Studio of current Music Video, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.Writer	Name of Writer of current playing Video, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.Tagline	Small Summary of current playing Video, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.PlotOutline	Small Summary of current playing Video, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.Plot	Complete Text Summary of current playing Video, if it's in the database
VideoPlayer.VideoCodec	Shows the video codec of the currently playing video (common values: see ListItem.VideoCodec)
VideoPlayer.VideoResolution	Shows the video resolution of the currently playing video (possible values: see ListItem.VideoResolution)
VideoPlayer.VideoAspect	Shows the aspect ratio of the currently playing video (possible values: see ListItem.VideoAspect)
VideoPlayer.AudioCodec	Shows the audio codec of the currently playing video (common values: see ListItem.AudioCodec)
VideoPlayer.AudioChannels	Shows the number of audio channels of the currently playing video (possible values: see ListItem.AudioChannels)
Weather.Conditions	Current weather conditions – this is looked up in a background process.
Weather.Temperature	Current weather temperature
Weather.Location	City/town which the above two items are for
Fanart.Color1	Returns the first of three colors included in the currently selected Fanart theme for the parent TV Show. Colors are arranged Lightest to Darkest.
Fanart.Color2	Returns the second of three colors included in the currently selected Fanart theme for the parent TV Show. Colors are arranged Lightest to Darkest.
Fanart.Color3	Returns the third of three colors included in the currently selected Fanart theme for the parent TV Show. Colors are arranged Lightest to Darkest.
Window([window]).Property(key)	Window property. (key can be any value, optional window can be id or name)
Window.Property(xmlfile)	Displays the name of the xml file currently shown
Window(Weather).Property(key)	The weather window has the following info labels. Location, Updated, Current.Condition, Current.Temperature, Current.FeelsLike, Current.UVIndex, Current.Wind, Current.DewPoint, Current.Humidity, Day0.Title, Day0.HighTemp, Day0.LowTemp, Day0.Outlook, Day1.Title, Day1.HighTemp, Day1.LowTemp, Day1.Outlook, Day2.Title, Day2.HighTemp, Day2.LowTemp, Day2.Outlook, Day3.Title, Day3.HighTemp, Day3.LowTemp, Day3.Outlook

Images Available in XBMC

container.folderthumb	Thumbnail Image of the current displayed folder of list and thumb panels
container.tvshowthumb	Thumbnail Image of the parent TV show
Container.SeasonThumb	Thumbnail Image of the parent TV show season
ListItem.Property(SeasonThumb)	Thumbnail Image of the parent TV show season, for use in dialogvideoinfo.xml
Weather.Conditions	Image of current weather conditions
Player.StarRating	Returns a value of 0 to 5 as a graphical display from images named rating0.png to rating5.png of the skin
MusicPlayer.Cover	Cover of currently playing album
MusicPlayer.Property(Fanart_Image)	Fanart image of the currently playing artist
VideoPlayer.Cover	Cover of currently playing movie
ListItem.Thumb	Shows the thumbnail (if it exists) of the currently selected item in a list or thumb control
ListItem.Icon	Shows the thumbnail (if it exists) of the currently selected item in a list or thumb control. If no thumbnail image exists, it will show the “Big” version of the icon.
ListItem.ActualIcon	Shows the icon of the currently selected item in a list or thumb control.
ListItem.Overlay	Shows the Overlay Icon status (compressed file, Trainer, watched, unwatched, locked) of the currently selected item in a list or thumb control.
Skin.String(name)	Returns the image or image folder set by the user via a Skin.SetPath(name) or Skin.SetImage(name) built in function. Allows skinners to have user-customisable images and multiimages.
System.ProfileThumb	Shows the Thumbnail image of the currently logged in XBMC user
Fanart.Image	Fanart image for the parent TV Show
Listitem.Property(Fanart_Image)	Fanart image for the selected item
Window([window]).Property(key)	Window property. (key can be any value, optional window can be id or name)
Window(Weather).Property(key)	The weather window has the following info images. Current.ConditionIcon, Day0.OutlookIcon, Day1.OutlookIcon, Day2.OutlookIcon, Day3.OutlookIcon, Current.FanartCode, Day0.FanartCode, Day1.FanartCode, Day2.FanartCode, Day3.FanartCode

Apendix IV: List of Built In Functions

Return to: XBMC Online Manual

• • Types of Media Sources
  • Sharing Media from Your PC
    • SMB/Samba/CIFS
    • UPnP
    • XBMSP
    • ITunes (DAAP)
    • FTP
  • NAS (Network Attached Storage)
  • TuxBox
  • User Profiles
    • Manually Edit Profiles
  • The UserData Folder
  • Special protocol
  • MythTV
  • RSS Feeds
  • RSS feed Control
  • Playlists
  • Advanced Configuration
  • Log file
  • Add-ons
    • Install Plugins
    • Install Scripts
    • Install Skins
  • USB Mass Storage in Xbox
  • Error Recovery Mode
  • Import - Export Library
• FAQ'S
  • What is XBMC & What Can it Do?
  • Using XBMC
  • XBMC for Xbox specific FAQ
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Troubleshooting
• XBMC's Inner Workings
  • Development Notes
  • Python Development
    • HOW-TO write plugins for XBMC
    • HOW-TO write Python Scripts
  • Skinning XBMC
  • List of Built In Functions
  • Web Server HTTP API
  • The XBMC Database
  • Audio Players
  • Video Players
  • Scrapers
  • HOW-TO write Media Scrapers
  • Regular Expression Tutorial
  • PAPlayer
  • MPlayer
  • DVDPlayer
  • Appendixes
  • References
  • Point Releases
  • HOW-TO's / Tips & Tricks
  • Mods to XBMC and Xbox
  • Disclaimer
  • Thanks

<<Edit this toc>>

The latest up-to-date list of built-in functions can be found in the function CBuiltins::Execute() in the source code file xbmc/interfaces/Builtins.cpp.

In addition to the following list, for most <onclick> and <onfocus> button actions in the skin you can also use the functions from Keymap.xml.

Example:
<onclick>VolumeUp</onclick>
<onclick>VolumeDown</onclick>

You can use parameters with all media windows, as can be seen here:

• Opening Windows and Dialogs
  

All Platforms

Reboot	Cold reboots the system (power cycle)
ShutDown	Trigger default Shutdown action defined in System Settings, Default Powerdown on Xbox and Quit on Linux / OSX / Windows
Powerdown	Powerdown system
Quit	Quits XBMC (same as Dashboard on Xbox)
Hibernate	Hibernate (S4) the System (not working on Xbox due to hardware limitations)
Suspend	Suspends (S3 / S1 depending on bios setting) the System (not working on Xbox due to hardware limitations)
RestartApp	Restarts XBMC
Minimize	Minimizes XBMC
Credits	Runs the Credits
Mastermode	Runs XBMC in master mode
ActivateWindow(window[,dir,return])	Opens the given window. The parameter window can either be the window's id, or in the case of a standard window, the window's name. See here for a list of window names, and their respective ids. If, furthermore, the window is Music, Video, Pictures, or Program files, then the optional dir parameter specifies which folder XBMC should default to once the window is opened. This must be a source as specified in Sources.xml, or a subfolder of a valid source. For some windows (MusicLibrary and VideoLibrary), the return parameter may be specified, which indicates that XBMC should use this folder as the "root" of the level, and thus the "parent directory" action from within this folder will return the user to where they were prior to the window activating. On Xbox, the special command ActivateWindow(MyFiles,autodetection) opens the filemanager with the autodetected Xbox in the left hand pane.
ReplaceWindow(window,dir)	Replaces the current window with the given window. This is the same as ActivateWindow() but it doesn't update the window history list, so when you go back from the new window it will not return to the previous window, rather will return to the previous window's previous window.
TakeScreenshot	Takes a Screenshot
RunScript(script[,args]*)	Runs the python script. You must specify the full path to the script, (or use Q:\Scripts\Scriptname.py on Xbox). As of 2007/02/24, all extra parameters are passed to the script as arguments and can be accessed by python using sys.argv
RunAppleScript(script[,args]*)	RRun the specified AppleScript command
RunPlugin(plugin)	Runs the plugin. Full path must be specified. Does not work for folder plugins
Extract	Extracts a specified archive to an optionally specified path. ! REQUIRES ABSOLUTE PATHS !
PlayMedia(media[,1])	Plays the media. This can be a playlist, music, or video file or an Url. The optional parameter ",1" will start a video in a preview window, instead of fullscreen.
SlideShow(dir [,recursive, [not]random])	Starts a slideshow of pictures in the folder dir. Optional parameters are "recursive", and "random" or "notrandom" parameters. The "recursive" parameter starts a recursive slideshow, adding images from sub-folders. The "random" and "notrandom" parameters override the Randomize setting found in the pictures media window.
RecursiveSlideShow(dir)	Run a slideshow from the specified directory, including all subdirs
ReloadSkin()	Reloads the current skin – useful for skinners to use after they upload modified skin files (saves power cycling)
RefreshRSS	Reload RSS feeds from RSSFeeds.xml
PlayerControl(command)	Allows control of music and videos. The command may be one of Play, Stop, Forward, Rewind, Next, Previous, BigSkipForward, BigSkipBackward, SmallSkipForward, SmallSkipBackward, Random, RandomOn, RandomOff, Repeat, RepeatOne, RepeatAll, RepeatOff, Partymode(music) or Partymode(video) or Partymode(path to .xsp file), and Record. Play will either pause, resume, or stop ffwding or rewinding. Random toggles random playback, Repeat cycles through the repeat modes, Partymode(music/video) toggles the appropriate partymode, defaults to music if no parameter is given, besides the default music or video partymode you can also pass a path to a custom smartplaylist (.xsp) as parameter. Record will work to record shoutcast streams (only?).
Playlist.PlayOffset	Start playing from a particular offset in the playlist
Playlist.Clear	Clear the current playlist
EjectTray()	Either opens or closes the DVD tray, depending on its current state
AlarmClock(name,command,time[,silent])	Pops up a dialog asking for the length of time for the alarm (unless the parameter time is specified), and starts a timer. When the timer runs out, it'll execute the built-in command (the parameter command) if it is specified, otherwise it'll pop up an alarm notice. Set silent to true to hide the alarm notification.
CancelAlarm(name)	Cancel a running alarm
Action	Executes an action for the active window (same as in keymap)
Notification(header,message[,time,image])	Will display a notification dialog with the specified header and message, in addition you can set the length of time it displays in milliseconds and a icon image.
PlayDVD	Will play the inserted CD or DVD media from the DVD-ROM drive.
RipCD	Will rip the inserted CD from the DVD-ROM drive.
Skin.ToggleSetting(setting)	Toggles the skin setting ?setting? for use with conditional visibility tags containing Skin.HasSetting(setting).
Skin.SetString(string[,value])	Pops up a keyboard dialog and allows the user to input a string which can be used in a label control elsewhere in the skin via the info tag Skin.String(string). If the value parameter is specified, then the keyboard dialog does not pop up, and the string is set directly.
Skin.SetNumeric(numeric[,value])	Pops up a keyboard dialog and allows the user to input a numerical.
Skin.SetPath(string[,value])	Pops up a folder browser and allows the user to select a folder of images to be used in a multi image control else where in the skin via the info tag Skin.String(string). If the value parameter is specified, then the file browser dialog does not pop up, and the path is set directly.
Skin.Theme	Cycles the skin theme. Skin.theme(-1) will go backwards.
Skin.SetImage(string[,value])	Pops up a file browser and allows the user to select an image file to be used in an image control elsewhere in the skin via the info tag Skin.String(string). If the value parameter is specified, then the file browser dialog does not pop up, and the image path is set directly.
Skin.SetLargeImage(string[,value])	Pops up a file browser and allows the user to select an large image file to be used in an image control else where in the skin via the info tag Skin.String(string). If the value parameter is specified, then the file browser dialog does not pop up, and the image path is set directly.
Skin.SetFile(string,mask,folderpath)	Pops up a folder browser and allows the user to select a file off the xbox harddisk to be used else where in the skin via the info tag Skin.String(string). If the mask parameter is specified, then the file browser will only search for the extension specified (.avi,.mp3,.m3u,.png,.bmp,etc.,etc.). If the folderpath parameter is set the file browser will start in that folder.
Skin.SetBool(setting)	Sets the skin setting ?setting? to true, for use with the conditional visibility tags containing Skin.HasSetting(setting). The settings are saved per-skin in settings.xml just like all the other XBMC settings.
Skin.Reset(setting)	Resets the skin setting ?setting?. If ?setting? is a bool setting (ie set via SetBool or ToggleSetting) then the setting is reset to false. If ?setting? is a string (Set via SetString, SetImage, or SetPath) then it is set to empty.
Skin.ResetSettings	Resets all the above skin settings to their defaults (toggles all set to false, strings all set to empty.)
Mute	Mutes (or unmutes) the volume.
SetVolume(percent)	Sets the volume to the percentage specified.
Dialog.Close(dialog[,force])	Close a dialog. Set force to true to bypass animations.
System.LogOff	Log off current user.
System.Exec	Execute shell commands.
System.ExecWait	Execute shell commands and freezes XBMC until shell is closed.
Resolution	Change XBMC's Resolution.
UpdateLibrary(database,[path])	Takes either "video" or "music" as a parameter to begin updating the corresponding database. For "video" you can additionally specify a specific path to be scanned.
CleanLibrary(database)	This funtion will perform a number of 'cleanup' tasks on your video database and can be run if you have moved, deleted or renamed files. Takes either "video" or "music" as a parameter to begin cleaning the corresponding database.
PageDown	Send a page down event to the pagecontrol with given id.
PageUp	Send a page up event to the pagecontrol with given id.
LastFM.Love	All songs that can be submitted to Last.fm can be loved, optional parameter (false) = direct loving without confirmationdialog.
LastFM.Ban	Only songs that are playing on last.fm radio can be banned, optional parameter (false) = direct banning without confirmationdialog.
Container.Refresh	Refresh current listing.
Container.Update	Update current listing. Send Container.Update(path,replace) to reset the path history.
Container.SetViewMode(id)	Set the current view mode (list, icons etc.) to the given container id.
Container.NextViewMode	Select the next view mode.
Container.PreviousViewMode	Select the previous view mode.
Container.SetViewMode	Move to the view with the given id.
Container.NextSortMethod	Change to the next sort method.
Container.PreviousSortMethod	Change to the previous sort method.
Container.SetSortMethod	Change to the specified sort method.
Container.SortDirection	Toggle the sort direction.
Control.Move(id,offset)	Will make a Container with the "id" specified in the command move focus by "offset".
Control.SetFocus(id,position)	Will make a list with the "id" specified in the command gain focus at "postion" number in its list. Alias SetFocus(id,position)
Control.Message(id,message,[windowid])	Sends a given message to a control in a given window (or active window if omitted). Messages can be movedown, moveup, pagedown, pageup, click.
SendClick(windowid,id)	Sends a click to a control in a given window (or active window if omitted).
LoadProfile(profilename)	Load the specified profile (note; if locks are active it won't work).
SetProperty(key,value)	Sets a window property for the current window (key,value).
PlayWith()	Play the selected item with the specified player core.
LIRC.Stop	Removes XBMC as a LIRC client.
LIRC.Start	Adds XBMC as a LIRC client.
LCD.Suspend	Suspends LCDproc.
LCD.Resume	Resumes LCDproc.
WakeOnLan(mac)	Sends the wake-up packet to the broadcast address for the specified MAC address (Format: FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF or FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF).
ToggleDebug	Enables/disables debug mode .

Xbox Only

Dashboard	Runs the dashboard, as specified in the GUI Settings (Xbox specific)
RunXBE(xbe)	Runs the xbe. Full path must be specified (Xbox specific)
BackupSystemInfo	Creates bios, eeprom, systeminformation backup to /system/systeminfo/ (Xbox specific)
System.PWMControl()	RGB PWM Control for SmartXX v3 and OPX (Xbox specific) system.pwmcontrol(#ColorA,#ColorB,action,xTime) ColorA & ColorB: #rrggbb-> from #000000 up to #FFFFFF [e.g. #FF0000 is Red, ##FFC0CB is Pink..] xTime: in msec, 0=off min.=1 max.=no max limit action: "fade": will fade only once in xTime, from ColorA to ColorB! A->B "fadeloop": will fade in loop in xTime, from ColorA to ColorB! A->B, A->B, A->B "faderepeat": will repeat fade (ping-pong) in xTime steps, from ColorA to ColorB. A<->B "blink": will blink from ColorA to ColorB in xTime. A-B-A-B-A-B "switch": will switch only once from ColorA to ColorB in xTime "none" or EMPTY: Switch to a Color! Alternate use: system.pwmcontrol(#Color)