Packaging Your Skin

Distribution is something that's often overlooked in the world of software. Many developers either zip their files and assume their users will know what to do with them or use generic installers that can't always react properly to certain exceptions.

If you've already worked with Messenger Plus! scripts before, this section won't be a surprise to you as the exact same principle is used. Skins are distributed in what's called a Skin Pack. To create a skin pack, compress all the files of your skin into a zip archive using your favorite zip tool (such as Winzip) and change the extension of the file from ".zip" to ".plsk". That's all you need to do to create a working distribution package for your skin.

Directories and sub-directories can be used to organize the skin's files, however, SkinInfo.xml must always be at the root of the archive. If no skininfo file can be found, Messenger Plus! will consider the Skin Pack to be invalid. Skin Packs can be imported from the Messenger Plus! preferences and are also registered in the shell: double-clicking on a plsk file while being signed-in in Messenger will automatically trigger the display of the Import Skin window.

Note to webmasters: because Skin Packs are actually zip files with a different extension, some servers may detect the real file type and automatically send a ".zip" to your visitors, preventing them to properly import the file once it's been downloaded. On Apache, this problem can be fixed by adding an AddType directive in your .htaccess file. If you're experiencing the problem on a server that you do not control, just re-zip your plsk file to protect its extension inside a new archive or contact your server's administrator.

Although the only information required in your skininfo file is <Name>, it is recommended to take advantage of a maximum of other elements to improve the experience of your future users. All the information that's allowed for a skin is listed in the schema file of SkinInfo. Here are some of them:

Name. The name of your skin as displayed in every window of Messenger Plus! when needed. This name is also used to create the destination directory of your skin during importation. Do not specify a version number here.
Description. This text can be several lines long and is displayed during the importation of your skin.
AboutUrl. If you have a web site, specify it here. Users will have access to your site from the Import window and the Skin menu in Messenger.
Version. The version of your skin, to identify updates. It is displayed next to the name of your skin, as-is.
Screenshot. Before reading the name or the description of your skin, people will want to know what the skin actually looks like. A picture file can be specified here for that reason. It will be displayed in a square, resized if needed, and will be visible in both the Import Skin window and the Preferences panel. It's not very big so avoid adding screenshots of entire windows here.
Compatibility. This element is important as it informs Messenger Plus! about the version(s) of Messenger that are compatible with your skin. Versions specified here won't restrict any part of your skin from being loaded but will provide visual clues to the user if the skin is incompatible.

Here is an example of a skininfo file created for Test Skin that uses all the elements described above:

<SkinInfo>
    <Information>
        <Name>Test Skin</Name>
        <Description>This skin is for documentation purposes only.</Description>
        <AboutUrl>http://www.msgpluslive.net</AboutUrl>
        <Version>1.00</Version>

        <Screenshot>
            <File>screenshot.png</File>
        </Screenshot>

        <Compatibility>
            <MsgVersion Major="8" Minor="5"/>
        </Compatibility>
    </Information>
    
    ...
</SkinInfo>

Once a skin is packed properly, it can be redistributed without any constraint and by any means you judge appropriate. Remember to instruct your visitors to download the latest version of Messenger Plus! Live as well as Skin Packs are not recognized by older versions of the software. Also, if your skin uses features that were added in subsequent versions of Messenger Plus! and you want to prevent importation in incompatible versions, add a Version attribute to your <SkinInfo> element.

Here is the list of schema versions that can be used:

Messenger Plus! Live 4.50 : skin schema version 1.
Messenger Plus! Live 4.60 : skin schema version 2.

So, for example, if you used a DateRange restriction in your skin (added in Messenger Plus! 4.60) and want to make sure the restriction is always considered when the skin is loaded, you would have to define the root element of your skininfo file as:

<SkinInfo Version="2">
    ...
</SkinInfo>

If you've read all the sections of Skins Essentials, you now have the knowledge to create great skins with Messenger Plus!. When you'll feel comfortable enough using the system, go read about the Specialized Subjects. These additional sections will brief you about the cool features available to those who want to do more than the average developer.

Good luck!

Packaging Your Skin

See Also