Miranda Skinning Guide

Hi guys,

By popular request, I sketched out a quick guide on how to get the iChat bubbles chat window and the AdiumX contact list look in Miranda. I have included links to all the plugins you need, some directions on how to install them, and then an outline of the steps you need to take to get the skins installed properly. My "beta testers" have followed my guide step-by-step and it worked perfectly for them.

So, please let me know if I need to clarify anything, or if some of my instructions are wrong, or you know of a better way of doing things. Please DO NOT ask me how to get another plugin working (like clist_nicer for instance), and if you want to install a different skin, go for it. It's not hard, just follow the same basic steps and you may need to tweak a few of the settings. Just play around with them 'til it looks right.

I will be updating the walkthrough with screenshots eventually (that is, when I can motivate my lazy butt to make some and post them in here).

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Here are a list of files to download, which you will need to get Miranda up and running.

Miranda 0.4.0.2: http://www.miranda-im.org

Full installer here if you don't want to use the web installer: http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/miranda....2.exe?download

Tabsrmm: http://tabsrmm.sf.net/alpha/tabsrmm-97test.zip

IEview: http://miranda-im.org/download/details.php...iewfile&id=1788

Modern contact List: http://miranda-im.org/download/details.php...iewfile&id=2103

PNG Image decoder: http://shpynov.nm.ru/additional/imgdecoder.zip

AdiumX Contact List theme: http://www.aqua-soft.org/board/showthread.php?t=30032

IEView iChat theme: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/19370238/

Step 1: Install Miranda

Choose the networks you want to install plugins for. For the purposes of this walkthrough, I'm just going to install AIM (since I have an account there).

All the other options you can just leave alone.

Install wherever you want (I'm assuming you'll install in c:program filesMiranda)

The installer will then access the internet and download the plugins you required.

Step 2: Install the additional plugins/themes needed

Put ieview.zip in your Miranda directory and unzip it there. You can delete the css and emots and docs folders it produces if you want, you don't really need them.

Extract clistmodernb.zip into your Plugins folder.

Extract the tabsrmm-97test.zip into your Plugins folder as well.

Extract imgdecoder.zip into your Plugins folder.

Then copy the tabsrmm_icons.dll file from the ICONSXP folder into your Plugins folder.

Create a MirandaThemes folder, and unzip the ichat and adiumx themes there.

If it's not already installed, go to ThemesAdiumXresources and copy the LucidaMacBold files into your C:windowsfonts directory.

Step 3: Enable plugins in Miranda

Start Miranda, and if this is the first time you started it, it will prompt you to create a profile and enter network information.

First thing to do is right click on the systray icon and go to "options" and then "plugins"

Make sure clist_modern.dll, tabsrmm_unicode.dll, and ieview.dll are all enabled (you can disable chat.dll if you don't want to do group chats. I don't, so I'll disable it for simplicity).

Exit Miranda and restart.

Again go to options -> message sessions -> message window

Look on the "Message Log" tab and enable "Use IEview as default message log"

Step 4: Load themes:

Go to messages sessions -> ieview plugin -> message log

Load the "ichat.html" file into the Template box (the file is probably in Themesthemeswhite_blue)

Go to customize -> skin, browse to the adiumx.msf file and apply it

You can resize the window horizontally to be a comfortable size

Click on the button on the upper right of the contact list and go to frames -> my contacts -> "title bar" and uncheck it

Go to frames -> status bar and uncheck "collapsed"

Go to contact list -> window and check "automatically resize"

Gap between frames to 0 pixels

Change the client area margins to:

Left 7

Right 5

Top 60

Bottom 6

Clicking on the blue bubble in the contact list will bring up "options"

Go to contact list -> row items -> extra icons and uncheck them all (I'm assuming you don't want these)

Go to contact list -> row items -> avatars and "show avatars" if you want to use them

Go to contact list -> icons and load the adium.dll file (located in Themesadiumresources) for the global and aim icons

Then, go to the Main Icons, and click on "import icons"

Find the adium closed and opened icons (same directory as adium.dll) and assign them for the group open and group closed icons

To customize the message window:

Go to message sessions -> message windows -> containers and ensure "use default" is checked

Load a message window, right click on the title bar and go to container options

Hide the toolbar and the status bar

Go to message sessions -> fonts and colors and change the input area background to white

Change the fonts to have the color you desire (probably black)

#343510

this looks great - thanks for this...

Is it normal for this installer to crash all the time? I only choose the AIM plugin to install , but it says it cant install it and the connection timed out. It does this every time...

suggestion?

#343515

The installer crashes? Try just installing without any protocol plugins, and then download the AIM one and install it manually.

#343517

I installed w/o any plugins this time - now I get the same error but with clist.zlib , it says error: 'Timed out when connecting' or something. It can only get like a quarter of the way and it crashes...i've gotten the installer from many diffrent hosts as well...maybe just a connection problem/?

#343528

My guess would be your connection is messed up...like, the installer can't get through on the internet to be able to download the plugins. Do you have some sort of firewall that would prevent this?

#343530

I have SP2's firewall thing, but it doesn't pop up with that window saying whether to unblock / allow etc etc, and my computer gets internet from going through a router (lan in other words). But I can access downloads, internet, email, all that w/o any problems....I'll check my sp2 firewall settings tho.

#343543

I get a similar problem and can't connect to find my contacts...

#343561

I think I found a little mistake:

Step 4: Load themes:

Go to message sessions -> message window

Look on the "Message Log" tab here, and enable "Templates"

Load the "ichat.html" file into the Template box (the file is probably in Themesthemeswhite_blue)

Isn't it Message Sessions -> IEView Plugin that gets you to the right Message Log tab?

Also, where is this: " Go to customize -> skin, browse to the adiumx.msf file and apply it" I'm a little lost at that step.

#343567

ah - I fixed my issue, I just used the full installer as opposed to the web installer.

#343573

Damn, i totally have the same problem. I want to install miranda once again (on good hope) and just now this very moment it has problems connecting to the miranda server. It's been over an hour.. I just can't install it! It's certainly not a connection, firewall, or anything else problem here at my pc, because i can surf normally and all the rest.. The previous time i installed miranda it went without any problems. So Miranda fix your server!

#343578

ah - I fixed my issue, I just used the full installer as opposed to the web installer.

D'oh, why didn't i thought about that

#343580

Thanks rappo, I think I left out a line in there ;-)

@ntchemist: what protocol are you trying to connect with? Like, if you are trying with AIM, you need to make sure you download the new protocol I linked to, the TOC2 one.

#343582

miranda can find a connection for neither aim or msn...and I have already dowloaded all the plug ins necessary... I will try the full installer

Edit, Full installer fixed it...

#343592

Nice, glad to see a guide finally produced.

Good job!

-NC

#343657

Thanks rappo, I think I left out a line in there ;-)

I think you got me a little wrong

Go to message sessions -> message window

Look on the "Message Log" tab here, and enable "Templates"

Go to messages sessions -> ieview plugin -> message log

Should just be:

Go to messages sessions -> ieview plugin

Look on the "Message Log" tab here, and enable "Templates"

The templates checkbox is in the IEView options section.

#343661

Also, I'm having a bit of a problem with the clist_modern plugin. I activate it then restart Miranda, but nothing changes and the plugins option shows that clist_classic is activated.

#343666

Thanks NC. After I helped about the 12th person set it up by IM, I figured it might be easier to just type the steps out and post it up here.

@Rappo: you're right, I actually needed to delete a line, not add one ;-)

@Pandemas: I added the link, thanks.

@Rappo: try closing Miranda, delete the other clist plugins, and just leave the clist_modern.

#343679

@ppoppe: thanks for the tutorial

How about adding a little tuto showing people (including me) how to get status notification working? I can't seem to get it working, email notification works but not status notification

Thanks in advance

#343683

@Rappo: try closing Miranda, delete the other clist plugins, and just leave the clist_modern.

Miranda won't start up when I do that

#343687

@duyvan: are you wanting a popup to notify you of status changes, or do you just want the icons to blink or something?

#343688

I tried loading clist_nicer and that wouldn't work either... I guess I'll reinstall Miranda.

EDIT: Yeah... that worked

#343689

@ppoppe: yes i wanna use a popup plugin.

#343705

rappo: Do you have any other clists? I have only 2 clists and modern works fine.

Nah I don't know what the hell was going on, but reinstalling fixed it.

#343711

@duyvan82: I have never used any of the popup plugins, but I will consider installing one and giving it a try, and if I can figure it out, I'll add it to my little tutorial. I'm already planning to add a little postscript about this one plugin, called "updater" that will ensure you have the latest and greatest version of all the plugins you have installed.

@Pandemas, I'm willing to bet you missed a step, check out the last line in Step 3 that talks about enabling the ieview message log.

#343717

i donst seem to be able to get those emots to work, it want .asl file in ieview settings but those emots from pe8er r .msl ... this is what i get

#343809