Advanced Guide

Deep dive into FM Skin Builder’s advanced features and technical details.

Who is this for?

The Advanced Guide is for skinners who want:

• Fine-grained control over which stylesheets are modified
• Understanding of how the tool works under the hood
• Power features like vector generation and debug exports
• Precision targeting for complex skins
• Technical knowledge to troubleshoot edge cases

If you just want to create skins, the User Guide has everything you need.

What’s in the Advanced Guide?

Architecture

How FM Skin Builder works internally:

• The CSS-to-Bundle pipeline
• Texture swapping system
• Caching mechanism
• How builds are processed

Great for curious users who want to understand the “why” behind the tool.

Bundle Structure

Understanding Football Manager’s Unity bundles:

• What bundles contain
• How stylesheets are stored
• How to scan and inspect bundles
• Finding variable names

Essential if you want to discover all available CSS variables or understand what you can modify.

Config and Mappings

Advanced configuration techniques:

• Per-stylesheet targeting
• Mapping files for precise control
• Texture mapping patterns
• Vector shape definitions
• Targeting hints

Use this when you need surgical precision in your modifications.

Advanced Features

Power user features:

• Debug exports (before/after comparison)
• Conflict detection and resolution
• Cache management
• Direct literal patching

For expert skinners who want maximum control and visibility.

Verification and Restore

Safety and validation tools:

• Previewing changes before building
• Using debug exports to verify changes
• Understanding what changed
• Restoring original files

Important for cautious users or when working on complex skins.

Do I Need This?

You probably don’t need the Advanced Guide if:

• You’re happy with how your skin looks
• Your CSS changes are applying correctly
• You don’t need to target specific stylesheets differently

You’ll want the Advanced Guide if:

• Some variables aren’t changing and you need to find out why
• You want different colors on different screens
• You’re creating very complex skins
• You want to understand the technical details
• You’re troubleshooting unusual issues

Advanced vs. User Guide

Getting Started with Advanced Features

If you’re new to the Advanced Guide, we recommend reading in this order:

1. Architecture - Understand how the tool works
2. Bundle Structure - Learn what’s in FM’s bundles
3. Verification and Restore - Use debug tools effectively

Then dive into specific topics as needed:

• Need precise control? → Config and Mappings
• Want all features? → Advanced Features

Technical Level

The Advanced Guide assumes:

• You’re comfortable with the basic features (covered in User Guide)
• You can navigate file systems and understand folder structures
• You have a text editor and know how to use it
• You’re willing to experiment and iterate

We don’t assume:

• Programming knowledge
• Unity engine experience
• Deep CSS expertise

Everything is explained with examples and practical use cases.

Ready to dive deeper? Start with Architecture to understand how FM Skin Builder works, or jump to a specific topic that interests you.