Theme change on-the-fly (variables based on date and time of the day, weather, etc.)?

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Mntz Offline
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Question  Theme change on-the-fly (variables based on date and time of the day, weather, etc.)? Post: #1
I think you all know the clocks/lights with colored led's that change color every now and then.
Is it, at the moment, possible to create this effect in xbmc?
I have this idea to bring skins more alive.
For example take the Zest mockups.
At noon you would see
[Image: homemock.jpg]

and in the evening/at night you would get
[Image: homemockwinter.jpg]

So the skin changes automatically with the hour.
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Jezz_X Offline
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Post: #2
Probably easily done with an auto run script at the start but you would still notice it reloading
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Nuka1195 Online
Skilled Python Coder
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Post: #3
Couldn't the script just change a skin setting.

If the skin was designed right. Then it should be seemless.

For python coding questions first see http://mirrors.xbmc.org/docs/python-docs/
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MikeBeecham Offline
Team Plex
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Joined: Apr 2007
Post: #4
hmmm pretty interesting idea. What would be nice would be to have the colours fade from one to the other, instead of a quick snap change?

Possibilities for the future, perhaps?
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Freddo Offline
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Post: #5
or make time a visability condition, that'd do it, and the skin could change in realtime too.
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aka013 Offline
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Post: #6
Great Idea. You should give the option to change by night and day but also in smaller increments like OS X. Every 10 minutes or so. Kind of like a slide show. Again Great Idea. Smile
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Gamester17 Offline
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Lightbulb  Automaticly change theme based on time-of-day (and/or the weather)... Post: #7
it be cool to have it based on the time-of-day, (or way cool; the weather), so it gets lighter color themes during the day and darker color skin during the evening and even darker during the night, (if it could be tied into the weather it should automaticly change to a lighter skin if it is sunny outside and a darker one if it is raining, and could have like a white theme if it was snowing, all to 'set the mood' based on the weather)

Rolleyes
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MikeBeecham Offline
Team Plex
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Post: #8
this would be such a great interactive function of the skin...probably something that no-one else does.

I hope a coding brain can get round this?
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Gamester17 Offline
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Post: #9
if JM or someone implements something like this then hope it gets added via the Built In Functions API (xbmc/Util.cpp) and/or the HTTP API (xbmc/lib/libGoAhead/XBMChttp.cpp) so not only skinners could use it but python and web-interface scripters can use it as well

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MikeBeecham Offline
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Post: #10
it would be especially good for skins that have total colour changes, as opposed to just elements that change colour, such as buttons, etc.

Mntz is right about looking at skins, such as Zest, clearity, etc because it is feasible to create different colour schemes easily for them which would work in conjunction with the time-fade
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