Layout Reference
From WeatherPanel
Layout files are used to customize the look and feel of WeatherPanel. These files commonly end with the extension .wpl. The files themeselves are simple text files, and can be edited using any text editior, such as NotePad. The encoding of the file should be ANSI or UNICODE (big endian). Unicode is recommended because it supports all international characters, but not all text editors may support the Unicode encoding.
Contents |
Basics
The layout file consists of a series of commands that tell WeatherPanel where to place the various elements that make up the display. Each command begins with a semicolon (;), followed by the name of the command in ALL CAPS. Some commands span several lines, and there should not be more than one newline between each line in a command.
Position
Many commands require a position in the following formant:
x,y where,
- x is the horizontal position
- y is the vertical position
x and y can be simple arithmetic expressions, and include the two constants W (the width of the display area), and H (the height of the display area). For example W-10 is equivalent to 230 in portrait mode (the width is 240), and 310 in landscape mode (the width is 320).
NOTE: W always equals 240 in portrait mode and 320 in landscape mode whether using a VGA or a QVGA device, it appears that the software doubles the number for VGA devices after the arithmetic expression is done so if you have an image 100 pixels in width you wish to always place at the right side of the screen in QVGA mode it would be W-100 while in VGA mode it would be W-50 (half the width of the image).
While this can be somewhat confusing, it maximizes compatability between WPL files made for either a VGA or QVGA device. If the software didn't do this when you opened a WPL file made for a VGA device on a QVGA device, all of the spacing of icons, text, ext. would be double what it would show on a VGA device, and if you did the reverse everything would be overlapping on the VGA device.
Bounding Rectangle
Some commands require a bounding rectangle in the following format:
x,y,w,h where,
- x,y are the same as above
- w is the width of the rectangle
- h is the height of the rectangle
Colors
Colors are specified using R-G-B where,
- R is the red component (0-255)
- G is the green component (0-255)
- B is the blue component (0-255)
Hex colors can be converted to RGB values using converters, such as the one found here. To specify the color of the text used in the Today Screen, the keyword TODAY can be used instead of specifying a R-G-B color.
Sections
The today screen section is split into three parts. First is the “;CUSTOM” section then the “;CURRENT” section and finally the “;FORECAST” section. See WeatherPanel Sections for more details.
Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| General | |
| DEBUG | Used to place a square around text commands to see placement |
| TEXT text bounding rectangle font | the text command. See Text Substitution Parameters. |
| IMAGE filename or image parameter position | Used to display a graphic. See Image Substitution Parameters. |
| HEIGHT height | This is used to define the Height of the layout. |
| TIME bounding rectangle font | Time, either update or current, that users chooses in settings |
| GRAPH options bounding rectangle | Display a graph of weather conditions. See Graph Options. |
| COMPARE-GRAPH | |
| WINDOW | |
| Sections | |
| CUSTOM width | |
| CURRENT width | |
| FORECAST width | |
| Buttons | |
| SETTINGS | Where to place the settings icon |
| UP | This is the Up arrow icon. Used to cycle through Cities. |
| DOWN | The Down arrow. Used to cycle through Cities |
| NEXTDAY | Advance to the next day |
| PREVDAY | Go back a day |
| CLOSE | Close button for popups |
| REFRESH | Refresh button |
| Set / Modify State | |
| RESET-STATE | |
| CURRENT-FORECAST | |
| SET-CURRENT | |
| FORECAST-day number | |
| SKIP-FIRST-FORECAST | |
| Conditionals (IF-'conditional'-BEGIN) (ELSE) (END) | |
| CURRENT | |
| CURRENT-ACTUAL | |
| HOURLY | |
| FORECAST | |
