karni64 wrote:Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the forums but a long time Rainmeter user.
I have always wanted to create my own rainmeter skins but have just recently gotten serious about doing so. The only problem is that I cannot seem to figure out just what I need/need to know to begin creating them.
I am not looking for tutorials here, as i can figure most of it out once i know what i need.
So:
-Do i need to know lua? (any other languages eg c#)?
-Are there any absolute beginners guides to creating skins?
-What software do i need?
...basically, just what exactly do i need to know to get started?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Torrey.
You don't need to know any programming languages, Rainmeter is its own thing, based on pretty simple .ini files that are basically Measures with options that "get stuff" and Meters with options that "show stuff". You will find that dipping your toes into Lua later will be something you might want, but it is not needed, certainly not to get started.
You don't need any software except a decent text editor. I highly, highly recommend Notepad++. If you try to do this with the Notepad that comes with Windows, you will end up hating life and just becoming a bitter, half-crazed burden on society.
To get started, I would recommend skimming through this:
http://rainmeter.net/cms/Rainmeter101
Then actually DO at least the first of the tutorials at the end. Getting an idea of what Rainmeter is and isn't from the start makes it all go a lot easier.
After you do the tutorial, then I would probably go to:
http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/skins/sysmonitor/rainmeter/?order=9
Poke around and find a couple of skins you like. Start simple. Don't get some huge suite of skins that replicates Iron Man's Jarvis HUD or Spock's console on the Enterprise. Just get some nice skin that shows some system statistics and maybe an RSS feed or simple weather display. Now, tear it apart. Change it. Break it. Figure out how to fix it.
Keep
http://rainmeter.net/cms/Manual_beta handy at all times. In fact, spend 15 minutes and just scan through every page in it. Don't try to assimilate it all, but just let it wash over you. Do pay some attention to the sample skins in the Meters section.
Now come up with an idea for some skin you would like. Get started, maybe using some skin from deviantART as a beginning, then when you get stuck (and you will) just jump on here and start a dialog with the community. A lot of folks will be delighted to help you out, as long as you are not asking them to do it for you.
Enjoy it. If you take a couple of days to wrap your head around it, Rainmeter can be a lot of fun.
