Windows Media Player Format

Why Can't I Save as .WMZ?

Published on August 8, 2007 By Josephs In SkinStudio

Hello Everyone,

I'm needing some help with saving my WMP Skin in SkinStudio 5.
To start creating a Windows Media Player skin in SkinStudio, the only format I could select from the 'New File' menu was "Universal FreeForm Skin (UFF) for Windows Media Player", I judge this is normal. I then progress to create my skin.

However, it was only until recently where I decided to test the skin on Windows Media Player that I found there was no option to export/generate the skin file to an acceptable Windows Media Player format. I've found that my only option, .UFF files, definitly do not work with WMP, and I've made skins, like Flux and MediaPad for Windows Media Player before, however this time around, I'm unlucky.

The SkinStudio Toolbar is quite crude. The "Zip for Distribution" function suggests I can only save this file as .zip, .usz, .wba & .gui, yet I see no .wmz format which is the only function that anyone really needs to zip a skin for distribution. And the "Apply Current skin to System" button, which I am quite used to when making WindowBlinds skins, seems to do nothing.

The only ray of light i've found is in the "File > Save As.." menu, where I have 2 options of saving as "Universal Skin Format - Freeform" or "Windows Media Player". Obviously, I want to save the skin as "Windows Media Player" with hopes that SkinStudio will generate the Skinzip as a .wmz (or atleast functional with Windows Media Player), however, when ever I attempt to "Save As.." this format I get a wonderful error "Unable to Create Directory".

At this stage, it is impossible for me to actually create a functional Windows Media Player skin.
Does anyone have any suggestions to what I am doing wrong? Thanks for your help!
Regards,
Josephs

(Note: I am using SkinStudio 5.0.1 Build 1112 on Windows Vista Premium with Windows Media Player 11)

Comments

Cavan1

on Aug 08, 2007

The "Zip for Distribution" function suggests I can only save this file as .zip, .usz, .wba & .gui, yet I see no .wmz format

Save as a zip file then rename the .zip to .wmz.

Josephs

on Aug 08, 2007

Save as a zip file then rename the .zip to .wmz.

That doesn't work, because the SkinStudio Universal Skin Format exports (whether it's .zip, .usz, .wba or .gui) all of the skin files, being .BMP's or whatever, as well as the .uff file, which only SkinStudio reads.

Windows Media Player reads from .wms files, which is what SkinStudio should convert it's .uff files to, assuming it would export my skin as a .wmz. The syntax of the .uff code is different to .wms, .wms appears like HTML, .uff appears like what you see in the SkinStudio Code tab.

I'm sure if I had the option (which I've had at some point) to export the skin for Windows Media Player, it would convert the .UFF SkinStudio Code to functional .WMS Windows Media Player Skin Code. At this rate, i'm going to have to do the conversion by hand, which I'm not impressed with seeing as though I paid for ObjectDesktop..

Cavan1

on Aug 08, 2007

What if when skin is done, don't Zip for Distribution, just zip the folder skin is created in then rename that.

Josephs

on Aug 09, 2007

What if when skin is done, don't Zip for Distribution, just zip the folder skin is created in then rename that.

When we .zip for distribution, whether outside or inside of SkinStudio, it archives the the local folder that the skin contents are stored in. The local folder is specified within SkinStudio settings, and contains the .UFF SkinStudio reads and the corresponding files for use with the skin.

Once again, archiving these files will contain the .UFF and no .WMS.
I require that SkinStudio converts it's own generated .UFF to a Windows compatible .WMS, and unfortunately, I still cannot access this function.

I'm starting to think there's something wrong with SkinStudio, especially since I'm using Vista. It's a shame to see SkinStudio 6 wont support Windows Media Skins.

I guess, if we can't find a solution, my best option is to try and compile the theme on a Windows XP system.

purplefreak3

on Oct 20, 2011

Old topic but did anyone ever find a solution to this problem? Have the same problem with it unable to create the directory.

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