Kodi Skin Not Saving Changes and Solutions

I’m a noobie to Kodi and I have experienced several “skin” related issues with Confluence and Xonfluence skins. I’ve only been doing this for 2 weeks but there are some things that I was unaware of by just watching the Youtube videos. Below I have identified the problems that I encountered and the solutions:

Problem #1: Changes to Confluence and Xonfluence skins sometimes revert back to the default settings. The changes made to the skin are lost permanently. This problem occurs most frequently when the user does a “hard exit” from the Kodi program by using the Firestick remote Home button or if Kodi kicks the user out.
Solution: Install the Skin Helper Service Skin Backup Program addon from the repository. After changes are made, use this addon to save the skin settings. When the skin settings get lost, use the program to restore the settings.

Problem #2: Changes to the Xonfluence skin revert back to the default settings. The Skin Helper Service Skin Backup program will restore the skin settings but it is only temporary. After each exit, the skin goes back to default.
Solution A: There is a bug with the Xonfluence skin Exit button on the Firestick. Using the Power function at the bottom of the screen shows a Shut Down menu with 2 options: 1. Skin and 2. Exit. When the user selects the Exit option, nothing happens and the Koki system does not exit. The user is forced to use the Firestick Remote Home button but this option does not save the settings. You can add an "Exit" submenu option to the Xonfluence skin for the System category on the ribbon.

Here are the steps to add the Exit submenu option:
1. Go to the System category on the main ribbon and select it.
2. Select the Skin settings (top of the screen) and select it.
3. From the Skin Settings – General window, navigate to the Sub-menu choices option.
4. Move to the right where its states “Select menu item:” This is where ribbon categories can be selected for editing on the sub-menus.
5. Press the remote until “System Submenu set” is indicated. Each time you press the remote, it will switch to each category on the ribbon.
6. Navigate to the bottom of the Submenu items.
7. On an empty Submenu item, press the remote. A window will appear that allows you to select a menu item.
8. Select Shutdown menu item. Two options will appear in a window: 1. Shutdown menu and 2. Exit.
9. Select the “Exit” option and select Done with the remote.
10. Get out of the Skin Settings and go back to the main Kodi screen.
11. Under the System category, a new Submenu item should appear that says “Exit”.
12. Press the Exit submenu option in order to get out of Kodi. The skin changes should now be saved.
13. Go back into Kodi and verify. If you see the “Exit” option under the System category then your most recent skin changes have been saved. Always use this System Submenu Exit option after skin changes and the changes should be saved. I have not seen these “Exit” instructions anywhere on videos or Google searches in order to save the skin settings. But maybe I was looking in the wrong place.

Solution B: I have read that skin settings can also be saved by switching to another skin and then back to Xonfluencce. I tried this and it worked for me but I do not know how reliable that option is. I just tried it for the first time earlier tonight.

Final Thoughts: After making skin changes, I would save the skin with the Skin Helper Service Skin Backup addon. Next, I would try to switch skins and then go back to Xonfluence again and see if your changes are still there. Lastly, I would use the Systems Exit Submenu option in order to exit the application. If switching skins fails to save, you can always restore the skin and try the Exit option again. This worked for me.

Quote from vitorp07

Didn't you want to post this in the Kodi forum instead?

Honestly, I am not sure if I posted in the wrong place or not. I will take a look and investigate the appropriate forum. Thank you.
[hr]

Quote from Klojum

Welcome to the LibreELEC club.

A few things...

- Whenever there are problems or bugs with Kodi, we request you to upload your kodi.log of your htpc box, so we have a general idea what is going on

- The Pulse CCM build you have installed seems to offer loads of extra streams of Movies, TVshows and/or Sports channels which are deemed illegal by the Kodi team. So unless you can prove us wrong, supports stops here.

Understood. I will edit my post appropriately. My intent was to provide a bug workaround…I was not looking for support. I thought someone might find it helpful since I found limited information on it via Google searches. But thank you for making me aware.

Quote from vitorp07

Did you tried LibreELEC before posting this?
Why would you want to add "exit" option to the button/shutdown menu, this is not Windows or Ubuntu.

If you need to restart Kodi without rebooting LibreELEC use the following command instead;

Code

systemctl restart kodi

Quote from vitorp07

I don't want to sound like an a$$ here, but maybe the best and easiest solution would be to choose another "skin".
One that is compatible with Kodi 17(Krypton) if you are using that.

And AFAIK you can't install LibreELEC on the Firestick, which is why i asked if you tried LibreELEC before posting your thread.
So if the problem/bug is Kodi related it would have been better to post your thread in the Kodi forum to help Kodi users.

First, I am using Kodi 16.1 not Kodi 17. Second, the skin is just a piece of software. All software in the professional world requires testing, bug tracking, bug fixes, and bug workarounds. It’s the nature of the beast (as they say). The testing period of the software development life cycle can be quite extensive depending on the software development environment that you are in. In the professional world, we do not have the option to just use other software products…we are required to find solutions (some temporary and some permanent). I guess I have a different mindset since I worked with (and was responsible for) software that processed billions of dollars of revenue. Third, I did (in fact) use a different skin for a while but I found the Xonfluence skin to be the most attractive. It’s my personal preference even though it’s not perfect. Others may prefer the Xonfluence skin as well and maybe they would love to have a solution to the problem that I encountered which is why I posted the solutions in the first place. There is a method to my madness. This post isn’t for you (or your benefit) but it is for someone else…maybe someone will stumble upon it. Fourth, in regards to LibreELEC going on a Firestick, I do not know if it does or does not…again…I am unfamiliar (remember the word “noobie” and “I’ve been fooling with this for 2 weeks”…that whole jazz? So why would I post here? The answer is that I did a Google search for Kodi skin problems and this link came up first and again…I am unfamiliar. But here is my theory…if this came up first in a Google search then maybe someone will find this answer quicker than sorting through forums as you suggest. Many people find solutions by doing Google searches and looking at the first links that pop up. I don’t know but I will visit other forums and share this information there as well…thank you for the suggestion.

Quote from trogggy

I've used xonfluence since the first version, and ccm before that. I've used it on windows, android, openelec and now libreelec on a ton of different machines. In all that time I have never, ever had settings just disappear.

That's great. I'm glad that you did not have my experience. But if you were to do a Google search, then you will find people who lost their skin changes. It happened to me...not once, not twice, or three times. But it happened to me 7-10 times with Xonfluence. Did you use the Xonfluencce skin with the Firestick on Kodi 16.1 or Kodi 17? The issue is that the Power button does not exit the Kodi program when "Exit" is selected with the remote...or it takes entirely too long. I do not know but I did find a solution that worked in my case. In fact, I lost skin changes once with Kodi 17 using Confluence (not Xonfluence) and that surprised me because Confluence comes with the Kodi software. Luckily, I had already used the Skin Helper backup program and was able to restore everything easily. In reality, there are 2 issues with the Xonfluence skin: 1) Poor logic on the Skin edit screen and 2) A bug with the Power off button. The Skin Edit screen should save your skin settings immediately when you exit that screen but it does not...at least not permanently. The skin changes do not appear to save permanently until you exit the program properly.

Quote from trogggy

What does this have to do with libreelec?
The issue has been discussed in the xonfluence thread on the kodi forum. There's nothing to suggest it's a skin problem.

I guess you don't read too well. I did a Google search for "Problems with Kodi skin changes" and libreelec came up FIRST in my Google search results. The title on this page states "Just enough OS for Kodi". I am new to the Kodi software (I guess you didn't read that either). I do not know what it states on the Xonfluence thread of the Kodi forum (again I am new to Kodi) and it has no relevance. You are incorrect when you state "there is nothing to suggest it is a skin problem". If you make a change to the skin (as I did) and the skin Power button does not allow you to exit properly (like in my case) and when you exit and return then your skin no longer has the changes that you made to it (like in my case) then it is definitely a skin problem. If this problem repeats itself 7-10 times (like in my case) then that is a skin issue. The source of the problem may reside elsewhere (however doubtful that may be) but the skin stability is directly affected. I provided a solution that works regardless of where the problem originates.

The exact phrasing that you use will dictate your particular results. The phrasing that you used is distinctly different than whatever I used at the time and (quite frankly) I do not remember the exact phrasing that I did use.

Consider the following Google search queries and the results:

1. “xonfluence not saving skin settings” will place libreelec at #2 in Google search results on the FIRST page.
2. “kodi not saving shortcuts” places libeelec at #5 on the FIRST page results
3. “kodi changes not saving” places libeelecc at #4 on the FIRST page results
4. “kodi addon shortcuts not saving” places libeelec at #6 on the FIRST page results
5. “lost skin changes kodi” places libeelec at #2 on the FIRST page results
6. “[url=https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j…149760088,d.eWE]settings for Kodi goes back to default after a reboot[/url]” places libeelecc at #1 on the FIRST page results
7. “[url=https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j…149760088,d.eWE]Home Screen Changes Not Saving[/url]” places libeelecc at #1 on the FIRST page results.

And again…I do not remember the exact phrasing that I used. And a quick little side note: Your query "Firestick Kodi not saving settings" places libeerec at #8 on the FIRST page results. You get the picture.