The LOTRO Skin Editor allows you to edit a skin in a GUI environment. You no longer need to worry about editing the XML files directly, you can make your changes visually, and save them.

Required dependancies:
.NET 4.0 - you can get it here if you need: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa569263

Click on the install button and follow the instructions.

SlimDX - You will need the .NET 4.0 installer here: http://slimdx.googlecode.com/files/S...02 011%29.exe

Once you have both of those installed, you should be able to run the editor.

FOR THE LOVE OF.......
PLEASE, back up any skin you may not want to ruin. This version is stable, but it does not mean that there could still be a bug that might cause a skin to no longer function properly.

Using the editor
Once you open a skin for editting you select which panel you want to edit with the pulldown list on the right side of the screen. Then you can select which element to edit using the treeview selector. Finally you can then modify the properties for the selected element. Yes, you can even select new image files for an element that supports them.

Some elements can show multiple images. If you see a property named SelectedImage in the property panel, that means there are mutliple images available. There will also be a property named NumberOfImages that will let you know how many you can choose from.

Keyboard Shortcuts
D - previous image (for elements that have multiple images)
F - next image (for elements that have multiple images)
, - previous image (for elements that have multiple images)
. - next image (for elements that have multiple images)
A - show/hide the currently selected Panel
S - show/hide the currently selected Element
H - hide all visible Panels

Arrow Keys
You can use the 4 arrow keys to move whichever element you have selected. Hold down <shift> while moving to go faster.

A note on selecting new image files. If the file already exists within the skin's main folder, then it will maintain any sub-folder paths within the xml output. If you select an image from outside the skin's folder, it will copy the file to the folder, prompting if you wish to overwrite any existing file. It will only add the files to the base folder though, there is no option to add it to a sub-folder at this time.

Note on drawing
I have come to the conclusion that the game client will not draw elements outside the bounds of its parent element. Normally, the Skin Editor will draw items outside the bounds of the parent, which is why some elements may appear to repeat even when they don't in the game. I have added a toggle that will stop drawing outside the bounds of the parent. Click on the 'Emulate Client Drawing' check box to turn it on/off.

Saved XML Data Changes
I have changed the way I save data to the xml file. Previously, I was writing every single panel to the SkinDefinition.xml file, which makes the XML files much larger than they need to be if only couple of panels have been modified.

Now, I will only save panels that already exist in the SkinDefintion file, AND panels that have been modified since the skin has been loaded.

For example, if you have a skin that only modified the layout of the toolbox. You load the skin, change the toolbox a bit and click save. The SkinDefinition file will only have the toolbox xml code in it. Now, you modify both the Avatar Panel and Opponent Panel, then click save. What happens now is you will get a notice that these panels have been modified, and you need to select which panels to save. So if you do not want to keep the Opponent Panel changes, but do want the Avatar Panel saved, you select only the Avatar Panel, and click save. Now the SkinDefinition file will have both the toolbox and the Avatar Panel xml code in it.

NOTE: If you already saved all the panel data into the XML file, the application will continue to save all the panels. You will need to edit the XML file manually to remove any panels you do not want in the file.

Change Log
Ver 0.19
-added keyboard controls, arrow keys can be used to move the currently selected element, hold Shift to go faster
-added dragbar functionality. hidden drag bars show/hide with CTRL-\. Panels can now be moved using the drag bars.
- added 'End Travel' panel, which implements Text Button element
- modified how element properties are displayed.

Ver 0.26
- moved default panel data to external files, check the README included in Panel Data folder to implement your own panels
- added checkbox, and tabbed panel functionalities
- added better error checking when loading skins

Ver 0.29
- added additional resolutions
- added 2nd type of tab button (single button like the kind on the deed log)
- , and . keys can now be used to cycle through images in a multipanel. (minimap border for example)

Ver 0.32
- fixed issue with editing property values
- settings should now be conserved when running new version
- close buttons on panels will now hide the panels when clicked

Ver 0.33
- no longer saving custom scrollbar widget data, since it causes issues in game

Ver 0.54
- D and F keys to cycle images
- A key to toggle panel Visible
- F key to toggle element Visible
- now searches subfolders for more SkinDefinition files
- element properties now update properly after pressing keys
- all panels now start invisible
- skins list now updates after a 'save as' event

Ver 0.61
Added
- emulate client drawing
- remember which panels are visible at start
- hide all visible panels button and hotkey
- reload button in menuStrip1
- expand/collaspe buttons for element navigation
changes
- now only save xml code for selected panels in the skin definition file (please read the section above about this)
- change the background color for the progress bar when a skin has been modified

Included Panels
Every panel in the SkinDictionary from the V3B4 ArtPack from Turbine. If a panel is missing, it means it is not editable (that I know of)

Missing Panels (don't have an entry in the skin dictionary)
This is a list of Panels that are not in the skin dictionary but are definitely in game:

Hobby Panel
Skills Panel
Titles Panel
Biography Panel
House Panel (from Character Window)
Reputation Panel
The War

Panels that break in game.
This is a list of panels that when saved in the SkinDefinition file cause the UI in game to not function properly. It mostly appears to be a problem with resizable windows.

- GamePlay_Undocked_AltBar
- GamePlay_Undocked_CtrlBar
- GamePlay_Undocked_ExtraShortcutBar1
- GamePlay_Undocked_ExtraShortcutBar2
- GamePlay_Undocked_ShiftBar
- PaperItemPanel (wallet)
- Social_Field
- ItemAdvancementManager_Window

As I add some panels to the application, I am finding that there are no suitable art asset names for elements I know should be drawn. For example, in the Trait Panel, there are a number of background images that I know should be drawn, but I cannot find the art asset name for them. I hope that future releases of the Art Pack from Turbine will help resolve some of these issues. It is also possible that I simply overlooked the correct name, so please let me know if I did. Thank you.

PLEASE, use the Bugs and Features buttons to the right(above) to submit bugs and feature requests. It will be easier to track them that way.

Thanks and enjoy
Dhor