All skins are placed in the skin folder. Each skin must be in its own subfolder. The actual skin file is a normal .ini file with several sections that define the skin layout and values. A subfolder may contain several .ini files, but only one .ini file per folder can be active. This allows you, for example, to supply localized skins or different variations of some skin.

The skin's ini file is divided into several parts. All the general settings are put under the [Rainmeter] section, details about the are placed in the [Metadata] section, and the variables in the [Variables] section. Then follow the measures (which collect data) and meters (which display data). While it is not necessary to place the sections in this order, it is the convention that is observed by the vast majority of skin authors.

Note: While you can put sections in any order you wish, it is important to understand that Rainmeter reads and executes measures and meters in the order they are in the skin .ini file. This is important in particular for positioning of meters relative to each other.