Creating Skins
==============

1. Introduction
---------------
  Skins can make 'gDeskCal' look pretty. :)

  This document is meant for people who want to create new skins for 'gDeskCal'
  and therefore need some knowledge about its skin system.



2. Anatomy of a Skin
--------------------
  A skin is a directory containing a definition file 'skin.xml' in XML format
  and a set of images. The name of the directory will also be the name of the
  skin.
  Images may be in any format that GTK 2 can handle but it is recommended
  to use PNG because it features smooth alpha-blending.



3. The Format of 'skin.xml'
---------------------------
  Take a look at the 'default' skin which is part of the 'gDeskCal'
  distribution. Its skin file is meant as a reference for creating skins and
  should be self-explanatory.



4. Where 'gDeskCal' Looks for Skins
-----------------------------------
  The program knows about two places where to look for skins:

   * the 'skins' subdirectory of the place where it is installed

   * the user specific 'skins' subdirectory located in '~/.gdeskcal'



5. Distributing Skins
---------------------
  After creating your new skin, you should distribute it, so that other people
  can enjoy it.
  Skins should be distributed as gzipped tarballs because this is the format
  that 'gDeskCal' is able to install via drag and drop.

  E.g., if you have your skin in the directory 'MySkin' you can use 'GNU tar'
  for creating an archive:

    $ tar -czvf myskin.tar.gz MySkin


  If you want to put your new skin on the 'gDeskCal' web-site, you may contact
  me at 'martin@pycage.de'.
  Please do not send e-mails larger than 50 kB without having my permission.



Have fun and let the flood of skins begin!