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2.2 Creating your own skin

Before creating your own skins you should have some basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP and Javascript.

2.2.1 Resources

There are fine books on these subjects and you will find a lot of information on the web. The web is probably

your best source. If you're not familiar with HTML, CSS and Javascript please visit the following web sites:

• http://www.w3schools.com

• http://www.htmldog.com

• http://jquery.com

2.2.2 Tools

What is a craftsman without a good set of tools. Below you'll find a list of tools that will help you with skin

development.

PrintShop Mail Web demo version

Download and install the demo version of PSM Web on your local machine. This allows you to develop your

skins offline without the risk of interfering with your production environment. The demo version is limited

regarding printing and previewing PrintShop Mail documents but has a fully functioning user interface. A demo

version can be downloaded from the Objectif Lune web site (www.objectiflune.com), PrintShop Mail Web is

part of the PrintShop Mail Suite.

Design

Before you start creating a skin you should have a visual theme which determines the look & feel of your web

site. This can be the design of your current corporate site, your customers web site or a new design. You'll

probably start your design in an application like Adobe Photoshop ending up with a bunch of sliced images

(background images, icons, button backgrounds etc). On the web you can find several samples and

downloadable .psd files which will get you up and running in no time.

Text editor

There are several specialized CSS editors available. The PSM Web style sheet documents are a combination of

CSS and PHP so we advise you to use a text editor like Notepad++. This is an open source editor (a Notepad

replacement) that support coding in several programming languages. The application runs under the MS

Windows and can be downloaded for free at the following location: http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/