[StepOnFrog]

I've finally found a thread that goes into more detail than simple 'you need to go into your admin cp -> styles -> etc, etc...', or 'you need to learn HTML and CSS, etc, etc.

This thread has actually been more informative than you could possibly imagine.!

That would be a major problem for any coder. You don't know what parts of design can and can't be coded, you don't know how different design elements work with other elements.

No, you're absolutely correct! However, with respect to this quote, a porgrammer/coder would work with the designer to come to a final conclusion of how the designer wishes their design to look. What you have implied is that the coder wants all the work, including graphics... I'm sorry, but I've always been taught to work with the team, and not on my own as the ultimate designer/programmer. It's as though you are saying 'I'll do all the work, regardless of it being what you want, or not!' - bad for business.

I would expect no less than being able to send designs to the coder, and the coder responding with elements of the design areas that either work well, need more work and editing, or won't work at all. Some people call this method 'sketches', or 'outlines'.

As for the ability to design and code skins for one's self, I personally feel it is a closed subject to only those who know how to do the task. Of course, we need to know languages and vB templates, CSS and such... but, for those who are able to take on the challenge of designing and coding skins from scratch, there is still nothing that instructs on how to perform even the simplest of tasks; much like a member's only club.

However, imagine if everyone could design and code their own skins...

If its a custom work, it would cost much more than software. Why? Because its a custom work. Its only for 1 person, so designer receives money only once. vBulletin is sold to thousands of customer, so vbulletin team receives payments thousands of times and that's why its cheap, and the same reason is why commercial styles are cheap.

... this last quote would be less correct, because there would be more choice of coder, and, hence, less cost due to competition between coders/designers. Skins would still be pricey, though, but not as expensive as is now... competition is healthy.!

The reason I've posted this? I've searched everywhere, and for a very long time, for instruction on how to design my own skin for vBulletin. The problem is that when someone posts a question, and there are many, of where and how to start learning how to design one's own skin, the replies are single sentence responses with things like 'you need to learn XHTML', 'you need to learn 'DHTML', 'you need to learn HTML & CSS', 'you need to learn how to use photoshop', and even a response that stated 'you can't!' If you don't believe me, just go and do a search, you'll then realise how much lack of answer there is.

And, the final problem is that users, judging from their posts, want to design their skins with dynamic or fluid borders around their forums, with nice gradients, pretty little icons and wonderfully eyecandy colours and textures.

The majority reply to users who want instruction on how to create wonderfully eyecandy forums is that the user should go into AdminCP --> Styles, etc --> Create New Style, and so on.... A simple misunderstanding of what the user is asking for.

... the user wants to know how to design the wonderfully eyecandy forum skins/styles, and not simply change the CSS of a new style based on the Default vB style.

I'm shocked that, with so many intelligent and talented coders and designers using vB, and designing vB skins, there is still no instruction or 'how to' for designing skins the way the user has been asking for since, at least, I first downloaded and installed vB 3.4. That's a very long time, indeed.! I expect the general lack of response to designing and coding skins will encompass more time than can be crammed into a human life-span.!