How to create a rmskin file to package Rainmeter skins
An RMSKIN file is how Rainmeter skins are distributed. If you’ve made a skin for your own personal use and you don’t intend to publish it, you don’t really need to make the RMSKIN file. The INI file can be used just as effectively. The benefit of an RMSKIN file is that it packages all the files that the skin needs in order to work. You never have to worry about missing a file when you use an RMSKIN file which is why, even if you don’t intend to publish a skin, using it is a good idea. Here’s how you can create a RMSKIN file for a Rainmeter skin.
Create a RMSKIN file
The Rainmeter app can create a RMSKIN file. You don’t need anything other than this one app to do the job. You will have to make sure that all the files for your skin have been moved to one folder. Additionally, the files must be placed correctly e.g., additional files that a skin needs must be put into a folder called @Resources. If you don’t create this folder, it is possible that the RMSKIN file that’s created will fail to install.
Once you have the folder set up, open Rainmeter and on the Skins tab, click the ‘Create .rmskin package’ button.
In the window that opens, enter a name for the skin, a name for the author, and the version number. Click the Add skin button. In the window that opens, select the ‘Add custom folder’ option and select the folder that you created for your skin earlier. Click Add to return to the main screen and click Next.
On the screen that follows, you don’t really have to change anything. If you like, you can change where the package is saved to but moving the file later isn’t exactly a problem.
Once the RMSKIN file has been created, you will then have to install it. This file is now ready to be shared with whoever you like.
Compatibility
When you create an RMSKIN file, you have the option to set minimum compatibility for the skin. This allows users to know if the skin will work on their system and with the version of Rainmeter they have installed. It’s not going to make the skin compatible with anything. That’s up to you to do. If you can’t test your skin on an older version of Rainmeter and/or Windows, always set the version you developed it on as the minimum version needed to run the skin.
