Disable Default Skins & Customize Skinmanager: A Feature Request

Hello everyone,

I'd like to discuss a potential enhancement for Skinmanager that I believe would greatly improve its usability and customization options, especially in light of recent Jellyfin updates. As a user who has updated my Jellyfin server to version 10.11.2, I've encountered some compatibility issues with existing skins, which are primarily designed for version 10.10.7.

The Challenge: Skin Compatibility and Clutter

Currently, Skinmanager includes all available skins by default. While this offers a wide range of choices, it can lead to a cluttered and confusing experience, particularly when many of these skins exhibit visual glitches or are simply incompatible with newer Jellyfin versions like 10.11.2. The primary issue is that many of the default skins appear broken or exhibit visual glitches on Jellyfin 10.11.2. While I understand that KefinTweaks (which Skinmanager relies on) is currently optimized for Jellyfin 10.10.7, it highlights the need for a more flexible skin management system. This lack of compatibility can make the interface look unprofessional and negatively impact the user experience. Moreover, having numerous skins available, many of which are unusable, creates unnecessary clutter and makes it harder for users to find the skins that actually work and appeal to them.

Proposed Solution: Selective Skin Activation

To address this, I propose the implementation of a feature that allows administrators to selectively enable or disable individual skins within Skinmanager. This would give us greater control over the skins available to users, ensuring a cleaner and more consistent experience. The core idea is to provide administrators with the ability to choose which skins are available to users. This could be implemented through a simple checkbox interface within the Skinmanager settings, allowing administrators to easily enable or disable individual skins. By allowing administrators to curate the list of available skins, we can ensure that users only see skins that are compatible, visually appealing, and meet the desired aesthetic standards. This not only improves the user experience but also reduces the likelihood of users encountering broken or glitchy skins.

Benefits of Selective Skin Activation:

• Improved Compatibility: Ensure users only see skins that are compatible with the current Jellyfin version.
• Reduced Clutter: Eliminate broken or unwanted skins from the selection menu.
• Enhanced User Experience: Provide a cleaner and more streamlined browsing experience.
• Greater Control: Allow administrators to curate the available skins based on their preferences.

Enhanced Customization: Beyond Skin Selection

In addition to selective skin activation, I'd also like to suggest enhancing the customization options available for individual skins. For example, I envision a scenario where I could choose a single skin (such as Scyfin) and then further customize its appearance through options like:

• Color Scheme Selection: Allow users to choose from a predefined set of color schemes or define their own custom colors.
• Toggleable Static Left Drawer: Provide an option to enable or disable a static left drawer for improved navigation.
• Eliminate Skin Dropdown Menu: When only one skin is active, hide the skin selection dropdown menu for a cleaner interface.

Example Scenario: Scyfin with Customizations

Imagine being able to select the Scyfin skin, choose a dark color scheme, enable a static left drawer, and then hide the skin selection menu because Scyfin is the only active skin. This would provide a highly customized and streamlined experience tailored to individual preferences. This level of customization would allow users to create a truly personalized Jellyfin experience, maximizing their enjoyment of the platform.

Technical Considerations

I understand that implementing these features may require modifications to the Skinmanager code and potentially the underlying KefinTweaks scripts. However, I believe that the benefits of these enhancements would far outweigh the development effort. Specifically, the implementation could involve:

• Modifying the Skinmanager settings page to include a list of available skins with checkboxes for enabling/disabling them.
• Updating the KefinTweaks scripts to dynamically load only the enabled skins.
• Adding new customization options to the Skinmanager settings page for individual skins.

These modifications would require careful planning and execution to ensure compatibility with existing Jellyfin versions and minimize the risk of introducing new bugs. However, with proper testing and quality assurance, I am confident that these features can be implemented successfully.

Conclusion: A Call for Enhanced Skin Management

In conclusion, I believe that implementing selective skin activation and enhanced customization options within Skinmanager would significantly improve the Jellyfin user experience. By allowing administrators to curate the available skins and providing users with greater control over their appearance, we can create a cleaner, more consistent, and more personalized platform. I hope that the developers will consider these suggestions and explore the possibility of implementing them in future releases.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

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