Defix Hi-End (skin) v2.0.5 (Last updated: November 24th 2021)

[Aminifu]

Hi Denis,

I failed to say in my last post (#44) that I'm still using v2.0.5 with Winamp. I returned to v163_Beta with WACUP.

Anyway, I don't see any difference when enabling the "Animated timer counter" option in v2.0.5. What is supposed to happen?

I don't see the failure to update the song title in the info box in v2.0.5 when the albumart is the same as the previous song. So, I assume this issue is only in v163_Beta. I don't expect (or want) you to try to fix this in the older version. The playing song titles are correctly shown in the main player window and the currently playing song is correctly highlighted in the playlist editor window.

[MarkRH]

I've been playing around with your skin (200 and 205) and I noticed that in the playlist window, it will frequently show no album art or it will show it for a moment then I get the No Cover Art image. The Album Art window always shows it.  I have a folder.jpg file in all my album directories.

Version 150 of the skin seems to always show the album art in the playlist window.

[Aminifu]

... The Album Art window always shows it.  ...

I'm a bit confused, I don't see an album art window in all of the Defix Hi-End versions I have tried. How do you enable it?

[MarkRH]

I'm a bit confused, I don't see an album art window in all of the Defix Hi-End versions I have tried. How do you enable it?

It probably isn't part of the skin.  I just right-click on the player and select the album art window.  Probably need the Album Art General Plug-in installed to see it. 

Mark H.

[Aminifu]

Strange, I don't see it in the context menu. I know how to add a .maki file and a .xml file that would add an album art window and place the enable/disable command on the context menu. However I use version 163_Beta and like the way album art is used in the 2 info boxes in the playlist editor window, so I don't need a separate album art window.

The gen_classicart.dll plug-in (which I have enabled) is for adding an album art window to classic skins.

[MarkRH]

Here's my context menu.  I see the Album Art option with every skin I have: https://i.imgur.com/tIMQB4u.png

Here's what the Album Art window looks like with the 205 skin: https://i.imgur.com/QYde6Jz.png

With the 150 Skin, it's just a general looking window.  If I disable the gen_classicart.dll plugin, then I loose the Album Art menu selection and the window as well for any skin.

[Aminifu]

Ok, the only thing I can think of, for me not having what you do, is we are not using the same gen_classicart.dll. I'm using version 1.20 that was modified by dro to work better with WACUP. However, your info report says you are using the same version. In my preferences, WACUP plug-ins are listed with a WACUP logo, Winamp plug-ins with a Winamp logo, and 3rd party plug-ins with a question mark. Gen_classicart.dll has a WACUP logo.

If dro sees these posts maybe he can explain why we get different results with gen_classicart.dll. At this point, I don't want to disturb him with a PM about this.

Some of the modern skins I use didn't have standalone album art windows. I added the files I mentioned in my last post to add an album art window that uses the basic frame of the skins I want it in. If I disable my gen_classicart.dll, then I loose the Album Art window in my classic skins and the context menu command, while my modern skins with standalone album art windows are not affected (they still have the window and the context menu command).

[Aminifu]

Hi MarkRH,

After doing a little research, version 1.1 of gen_classicart.dll (last version developed for Winamp) appears to work as you have described. Are you sure that is not the version you are using?

[dro]

It might be that the option in the plug-in to hide it's window under a modern skin is enabled. Also mark is using an interim build of the plug-in for testing out a display issue fix.

-dro

[MarkRH]

Okay,

I've been using the 32bit WACUP to play with these skins and it is using the classicart.dll that came with it which is 1.20. The test one that Dro gave me is in the 64bit version which is version 1.20.2.  Never had a problem with the album art window in the 32bit version.

[dro]

Two builds is getting confusing to keep track of what's what at times. I'll have to re-read this thread when I get back on the PC as I'm struggling to otherwise envision what's going on unless it's a setting conflict nor can I remember what the skin is offering without being able to double-check it.

-dro

[Aminifu]

It might be that the option in the plug-in to hide it's window under a modern skin is enabled. Also mark is using an interim build of the plug-in for testing out a display issue fix.

-dro

Once again dro has the answer. The option to hide under a modern skin is enabled in my configuration, so gen_classicart.dll v1.20 is able to add a standalone album art window to classic and modern skins. If enabling this option is not the default, I forgot I did it long ago to prevent double windows in modern skins that already had one.

Now I have to decide to keep the mods I made to some of the modern skins I use or let some have an extra album art window.  Since the affected skins would have 2 Album Art commands in their context menus, it is easy to close one of them.  The window added by the plug-in has a darker image (maybe a dark filter overlay is being used). I don't know if there is a way to brighten it. 

[dro]

The window added by the plug-in has a darker image (maybe a dark filter overlay is being used). I don't know if there is a way to brighten it. 

That's a bug with the plug-in which due to a few other things changing (ironically things running a bit faster) only recently started happening & is due to the not found handling being incorrectly applied when artwork is retrieved. That's one of the things in the test build of the plug-in mark is using.

As for the option, it's enabled by default as unless I add in a known list of skins, there's no reasonable way that I know off at the moment to be able to determine if the modern skin provides it's own window or not. So by just hiding it by default it prevents potentially having dual windows (from the plug-in & from the skin). Ideally I'd just prefer to have it set to use the plug-in irrespective of the & the skins that have their own window to be either edited to not provide one (easier with the bundled skins) or some form of patching to automatically prevent it being created if running under WACUP.

-dro

[Aminifu]

Controlling the extra album art window with the extra command in the context menu currently works for me. I do run the risk of overloading the context menu, since some modern skins add more unique commands of their own. Removing the standalone window from the skins that have their own or blocking them somehow is probably a better way to go.

Beyond the overload risk, I have been dealing with the issue mentioned before elsewhere. I'm talking about the OS not providing a way to scroll a context menu that gets clipped at the bottom. In my case, the clipping is not because the menu is behind the taskbar. I can see the bottom part of the menu, that is displayed, on top of the taskbar.

[Aminifu]

Yesterday and today the images in the standalone album art windows provided by the gen_classicart plug-in have been normal. It appears that the bug that causes the images to darken is not triggered all the time.

I have disabled the standalone album art windows in the skins I use that provide their own to prevent double Album Art commands in the main context menus of these skins.