TcxCustomLookAndFeelController.SkinName Property

Specifies the name of the active skin in an application.

Declaration

delphi

property SkinName: TdxSkinName read; write;

Property Value

Type	Description
TdxSkinName

The name of the active skin. The specified skin is in effect when the NativeStyle property is set to False.

Refer to the Remarks section for detailed information on available options.

Remarks

Use the SkinName property to apply a built-in or custom skin to all controls if the NativeStyle property is set to False. The LookAndFeel.SkinName property of an individual control has priority over the SkinName property.

Built-in Skin Name List

To apply a built-in skin to an application, assign one of the following skin names to the SkinName property:

Vector Skins

Vector skin elements consist of SVG images that render sharply regardless of the current monitor DPI.

Tip

We recommend that you use vector skins for an application that targets multi-monitor and high-DPI environments. If a vector skin is active, you can also use the SkinPaletteName property to switch between color palettes available for the skin.

Raster Skins

Raster skins consist of bitmap-based skin elements. The application stretches these elements at high monitor DPI, which may result in blurry UI elements. Raster skins do not support palettes.

Design-Time Skin Selection

Select the TdxSkinController component, click the drop-down button for the SkinName property in the Object Inspector, and select any skin in the displayed list.

Code Examples: Apply a Skin and its Palette

The following code example applies the WXICompact skin and its Sharpness palette to an application:

Delphi
C++

delphi

dxSkinController1.BeginUpdate;
  try
    dxSkinController1.UseSkins := True;
    dxSkinController1.NativeStyle := False;
    dxSkinController1.SkinName := 'WXICompact';
    dxSkinController1.SkinPaletteName := 'Sharpness';
  finally
    dxSkinController1.EndUpdate;
  end;

cpp

dxSkinController1->BeginUpdate();
  try
  {
    dxSkinController1->UseSkins = true;
    dxSkinController1->NativeStyle = false;
    dxSkinController1->SkinName = "WXICompact";
    dxSkinController1->SkinPaletteName = "Sharpness";
  }
  __finally
  {
    dxSkinController1->EndUpdate();
  }

Alternatively, you can call the SetSkin procedure:

Delphi
C++

delphi

dxSkinController1.BeginUpdate;
  try
    dxSkinController1.NativeStyle := False;
    dxSkinController1.SetSkin('WXICompact', 'Sharpness');
  finally
    dxSkinController1.EndUpdate;
  end;

cpp

dxSkinController1->BeginUpdate();
  try
  {
    dxSkinController1->NativeStyle = false;
    dxSkinController1->SetSkin("WXICompact", "Sharpness");
  }
  __finally
  {
    dxSkinController1->EndUpdate();
  }

Custom Skin

To use a custom skin, do the following:

Launch the Skin Editor to create a new skin.
Call the dxSkinsUserSkinLoadFromFile, dxSkinsUserSkinLoadFromFileByIndex, dxSkinsUserSkinLoadFromFile, or dxSkinsUserSkinLoadFromStreamByIndex global function to load a skin from a SKINRES file or stream.
Assign the 'UserSkin' string to the SkinName property at runtime.

Code Example: Load and Apply a Custom Skin

The code example below loads a custom skin from a SKINRES file and applies the loaded skin to an application. If an attempt to load a custom skin is unsuccessful, the code example applies the WXICompact skin and its Sharpness palette to the application.

Delphi
C++

delphi

uses
  dxSkinsDefaultPainters; // Declares the dxSkinsUserSkinLoadFromFile function
// ...
begin
  dxSkinController1.NativeStyle := False;
  if(dxSkinsUserSkinLoadFromFile('MySkin.skinres')) then
    dxSkinController1.SkinName := 'UserSkin'
  else
  begin
    dxSkinController1.SkinName := 'WXICompact';
    dxSkinController1.SkinPaletteName := 'Sharpness';
  end;
end;

cpp

#include "dxSkinsDefaultPainters.hpp" // Declares the dxSkinsUserSkinLoadFromFile function
// ...
  dxSkinController1->NativeStyle = false;
  if(dxSkinsUserSkinLoadFromFile("MySkin.skinres"))
    dxSkinsController1->SkinName = "UserSkin";
  else
  {
    dxSkinController1->SkinName = "WXICompact";
    dxSkinController1->SKinName = "Sharpness";
  }

Limitations

You can load and apply custom skins only at runtime. At design time, you can apply only built-in skins.

Interaction with VCL Styles

The DevExpress Skin Engine and the VCL Styles technology are not compatible because they rely on different UI element rendering mechanisms.

Important

We do not recommend that you use Embarcadero RAD Studio® VCL Styles in any application project that uses DevExpress controls.
We strongly recommend that you use only DevExpress skins to ensure the best possible appearance of DevExpress-powered VCL applications.

Default Value

The SkinName property’s default value is an empty string.