Placing a skin in the center of screen

[Senzai]

Here's my skin so far, I've been trying to follow the Tips and Tricks http://docs.rainmeter.net/tips/screen-position-variables but my skin just sits in the top left left hand corner no matter what I do.

Code: Select all

[Background]
Meter=Image
ImageName=bg.png
W=729
H=729
ImageAlpha=150
WindowX=((#SCREENAREAWIDTH# / 2) - 365) 
WindowY=((#SCREENAREAHEIGHT# / 2) - 365)

Here's bg.png if it helps http://i.imgur.com/aC4OBXg.png it's just a red circle.
Right-clicking on the skin and saying refresh would show changes to the WindowX and WindowY properties and reposition the skin right?

[ScoobSTi]

WindowX and WindowY only apply to Rainmeter.ini, which contains info on the current loaded skins. They don't belong in the skin's code itself, which is why it isn't working. So now you have two choices, either placing the skin in the center by using the skin's code or by Rainmeter.ini.

Personally, I'd do it in the skin's code, so that it'll always be centered. To do that, change "WindowX" to just "X" and "WindowY" to just "Y".

[jsmorley]

Here's my skin so far, I've been trying to follow the Tips and Tricks http://docs.rainmeter.net/tips/screen-position-variables but my skin just sits in the top left left hand corner no matter what I do.

Code: Select all

[Background]
Meter=Image
ImageName=bg.png
W=729
H=729
ImageAlpha=150
WindowX=((#SCREENAREAWIDTH# / 2) - 365) 
WindowY=((#SCREENAREAHEIGHT# / 2) - 365)

Here's bg.png if it helps http://i.imgur.com/aC4OBXg.png it's just a red circle.
Right-clicking on the skin and saying refresh would show changes to the WindowX and WindowY properties and reposition the skin right?

You can't use WindowX and WindowY in a skin. Those are settings that are contained in Rainmeter.ini, and for the most part are controlled automatically when you drag a skin on the screen. You also don't want to use the X and Y of a meter to try and set the position of a skin on the screen. However, what you can in the skin is:

Code: Select all

[Rainmeter]
Update=1000
OnRefreshAction=[!Move (#SCREENAREAWIDTH#/2)-100 (#SCREENAREAHEIGHT#/2)-50]

[MeterBackground]
Meter=Image
W=200
H=100
SolidColor=255,0,0,255

Note that there are NO spaces in the formulas in the OnRefreshAction. Bangs are sensitive to spaces in things, unless they are strings and enclosed in quotes. If you really want the prettier formatting for the formulas, you could use:

OnRefreshAction=[!Move "(#SCREENAREAWIDTH# / 2) - 100" "(#SCREENAREAHEIGHT# / 2) - 50"]

http://docs.rainmeter.net/manual/bangs#Move
http://docs.rainmeter.net/manual/skins/rainmeter-section#OnRefreshAction

[jsmorley]

Personally, I'd do it in the skin's code, so that it'll always be centered. To do that, change "WindowX" to just "X" and "WindowY" to just "Y".

That would be a mistake. The entire skin would "grow" to accommodate the meter being set at an X and Y position in the context of the entire skin, and would in any case only be in the middle of the screen as long as the entire skin was positioned in the absolute top left corner of the screen.

Don't forget, X and Y in a meter are relative to the skin, not relative to the screen.

This skin demonstrates what you would get using X and Y in the meter:

Code: Select all

[Rainmeter]
Update=1000
BackgroundMode=2
SolidColor=0,0,0,100

[MeterBackground]
Meter=Image
W=200
H=100
X=(#SCREENAREAWIDTH#/2)-100
Y=(#SCREENAREAHEIGHT#/2)-50
SolidColor=255,0,0,255

3-17-2013 9-05-16 PM.jpg

[Senzai]

You can't use WindowX and WindowY in a skin. Those are settings that are contained in Rainmeter.ini. You also don't want to use the X and Y of a meter to try and set the position of a skin on the screen. What you can in the skin is:

Code: Select all

[Rainmeter]
Update=1000
OnRefreshAction=[!Move (#SCREENAREAWIDTH#/2)-100 (#SCREENAREAHEIGHT#/2)-50]

[MeterBackground]
Meter=Image
W=200
H=100
SolidColor=255,0,0,255

Note that there are NO spaces in the formulas in the OnRefreshAction. Bangs and Actions are sensitive to spaces in things, unless they are strings and enclosed in quotes. If you really want the prettier formatting for the formulas, you could use:

OnRefreshAction=[!Move "(#SCREENAREAWIDTH# / 2) - 100" "(#SCREENAREAHEIGHT# / 2) - 50"]

http://docs.rainmeter.net/manual/bangs#Move
http://docs.rainmeter.net/manual/skins/rainmeter-section#OnRefreshAction

Thank you for the links to the documentation, that works perfectly
I really should've seen that WindowX and WindowY were for Rainmeter.ini
Is there any reason that I would need Update=1000 if it's literally just a background image and nothing else?

[jsmorley]

Thank you for the links to the documentation, that works perfectly
I really should've seen that WindowX and WindowY were for Rainmeter.ini
Is there any reason that I would need Update=1000 if it's literally just a background image and nothing else?

Update=1000 is the default, I just always add it due to force of habit more than anything else. I just always add:

[Rainmeter]
Update=1000

to all skins when I start them, as when I am scrolling around later in the skin in my editor, it gives me a nice visual indication that I am at the top.

Anyway, what you really want if the entire skin is just that one meter is Update=-1. That way the skin will only update once when loaded or refreshed and then just sit there minding its own business and using no resources at all.

[ScoobSTi]

That would be a mistake. The entire skin would "grow" to accommodate the meter being set at an X and Y position in the context of the entire skin, and would in any case only be in the middle of the screen as long as the entire skin was positioned in the absolute top left corner of the screen.

Don't forget, X and Y in a meter are relative to the skin, not relative to the screen.

Oh right, forgot about that.

[rabitailleow]

Hello, I am new to this... But what do all of you mean by skin code?

EDIT: Nevermind. I got it.

[CodeCode]

Hello, I am new to this... But what do all of you mean by skin code?

EDIT: Nevermind. I got it.

This might help: https://docs.rainmeter.net/manual/bangs/#SetWindowPosition

Code: Select all

[Raonmeter]
Update=1000
OnRefreshAction=[!SetWindowPosition "50%" "50%" "0%" "0%"]

[balala]

This might help: https://docs.rainmeter.net/manual/bangs/#SetWindowPosition

Code: Select all

[Raonmeter]
Update=1000
OnRefreshAction=[!SetWindowPosition "50%" "50%" "0%" "0%"]

In fact with this OnRefreshAction the skin isn't placed exactly to the center of screen. This way the upper left corner of the skin will be in the center of screen. To move it in center, replace the last two parameters of 0% (AnchorX and AnchorY) with 50%: OnRefreshAction=[!SetWindowPosition "50%" "50%" "50%" "50%"]. This way you get the center of skin in the center of screen.