Build a .hmskin file

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michal_novomesky
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Build a .hmskin file

Unread post by michal_novomesky »

It seems .hmskin file has ZIP compression method so it can be easily decompressed and see all the files present in the skin.

I can create a .hmskin file using H&M > File > Save as.

Is there a way to build a .hmskin file via a Command line? Compression to ZIP does not work, H&M can't open it.

Reason why I'm asking: Version control, it's better to store de-compressed files in VCS (to see also updates to the skin) rather than .hmskin which is a binary file.
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Tim Green
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Re: Build a .hmskin file

Unread post by Tim Green »

michal_novomesky wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2024 1:46 pm It seems .hmskin file has ZIP compression method so it can be easily decompressed and see all the files present in the skin.

That is correct.
Is there a way to build a .hmskin file via a Command line? Compression to ZIP does not work, H&M can't open it.
There is no command line option for this. Simply storing a project in a zip with the extension .hmskin won't work, because skins have different content and different XML.
Reason why I'm asking: Version control, it's better to store de-compressed files in VCS (to see also updates to the skin) rather than .hmskin which is a binary file.
You can work with "unpacked" skins. I do this all the time: Just unzip the skin to its own folder and change the extension of the project.hmxp file it contains to .hmskin. You can also change the filename if you like. Just remember to change it back to project.hmxp before you repack it, otherwise it won't work. The only thing that doesn't work with unpacked skins is displaying the preview image when selecting it in Help+Manual.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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