Skinning for OpenATV 8.0 — the network screens
The network area is a substantial skinning example in OpenATV 8.0. It combines two independently focused lists, mixed row layouts, icon glyphs, dynamic colours, configuration forms and asynchronous status changes. Work through the advanced skinning unit first; this unit then applies those concepts to the current network screen contracts.
The pinned source revision is the reference throughout. The chapters explain how to build these screens and how to port an existing skin to their current component and data contracts.
Read in this order
Section titled “Read in this order”| Chapter | What it explains |
|---|---|
| Screen map and ownership | All 24 network screen classes, names, components and inherited contracts |
| The XML list pipeline | List, XmlMultiContent, Listbox, named indexes, modes and rowtemplate |
| Network overview | adapterList, savedList, fixed headers, focus and the three/six-colour palette |
| Wi-Fi layouts | Saved profiles, scan columns, glyphs, long SSIDs and activation feedback |
| Shares and mounts | Host/share rows, credentials labels, configured mounts and current state |
| Forms, tests and auxiliary screens | Setup lookup, services, DNS, information, logs and restart progress |
| Porting an existing skin | Practical replacement strategy and a test matrix |
| Examples and source reference | Six native examples, downloadable code and source coverage |
What changes for a skinner
Section titled “What changes for a skinner”The main overview is NetworkOverview. Its data comes from the Python network manager and is packaged into named tuple fields. A skin draws those fields; it does not poll a network interface itself. The same layout accommodates Ethernet, Wi-Fi and VPN rows. Saved Wi-Fi connections form a second list for the selected wireless adapter.
Instead of fixed image filenames for every state, the current built-in layouts use the enigma2icons font. Instead of assuming one row shape throughout a list, the overview and share browser use a row selector at tuple position zero. Header rows and ordinary rows can therefore occupy the same list while drawing different fields.
These network templates use generic XmlMultiContent, not the channel list’s specialised ServiceListTemplateParser. Both use XML, but their field names, colour handling and component ownership differ. Reusing the channel-list XML unchanged will not create a network layout.
The six illustrations use the native receiver renderer with controlled example data. They demonstrate layout and state presentation without changing adapters, scanning neighbouring networks or exposing saved credentials. The user-facing network chapter remains the place for connection and server configuration instructions.