Overview - Part 2
In this section, we will look at Adding Externalised Colors.
Note: this part isn’t essential and if you like you can head straight to Part 3: Single Image Gallery. You can always come back to this section later.
If you would like to learn more about this option you will need to download a copy of WinZip (free version time limited) and have a text editor available. I use XCode or BBEdit.
Note: if you aren’t familiar with the use of the Color Tool, please review the video below.
Note: Unfortunately exposed colors are not linked with Components. When you create a component, even if you have used the Color Tool to create exposed colors, they are not included in the component.
Edit Skin Configuration
1. Click on the Edit Skin Configuration button in the project window to open the Edit Skin Configuration window.
Note: The image on the left is what you will see in the Edit Skin Configuration window. The image on the right are colors I’ve exposed (figure #1 & 2)
Figure #1: No Exposed Colors
Figure #2: With Exposed Colors
Note: At this point there are two options, create your own exposed colors or use the supplied RPGT-externalcolor.txt file in the Tutorial folder > External Colors.
Adding the RPGT-externalcolor.txt file
Note: the first step is to expose the skin.xml file from the .ggsk file. To do so I’ll use the application, WinZip.
1. Right-click on the Simplex_RPGT_Skin.ggsk file
2. Select ‘Open With’ and select ‘Winzip.app’ (figure #3)
Figure #3: Open with Winzip
Note: If you are hesitant to edit the original file, it’s a good idea to make a copy before you use WinZip.
WinZip displays all of the files within the .ggsk file and we can see the skin.xml file (figure #4)
Figure #4: Exposed .ggsk files
3. Right-click and select ‘Open “skin.xml” ‘
Note: in my case it will, by default, open the file in Xcode. Alternatively you can use ‘Open With’ and select an application or drag the skin.xml to your desktop and then open it with your preferred text application (figure #5)
Figure #5: skin.xml open in Xcode
4. Scroll to the bottom of the xml code and place a return after the last </variable> tag, just before the </skin> tag (figure #6)
Figure #6: Add ‘return’ after </variable>
5. Open the RPGT-externalcolor.txt file into a text editor
6. Select all and copy (figure #7)
Figure #7: Copy all of the content in RPGT-externalcolor.txt
4. Paste the copied data into the skin.xml file (Figure #8)
Figure #8: Exposed color data added to the skin.xml file
6. Close the edited skin.xml file and update it back into the WinZip list (figure #9)
Figure #9: Update the WinZip file
7. Close WinZip
8. Open the Edit Skin Configuration
Note: The Edit Skin Configuration window should look like the example below showing all of the Exposed colors. (figure #10)
Figure #10: Updated exposed Skin colors in the Edit Skin Configuration window
9. Close the Edit Skin Configuration window and save the project
Note: This is the end of Part 2 move onto Part 3: Single Image Gallery
