[gmarco]

At the first I have tried to start my custom layout reading classic or lily (also because the wiki is not so much) but I find a them a bit more difficult to read and begin with than others layouts.

So I test a lot of others and at the end I have used the "Elen" layout to begin to study OUF because I have find it easier for me to begin and to understand even if the "self" construct is a thing I have to approch better ...

I simplified it a lot (also removing the things that Phanx and p3lim pointed me in the string management because I really didn't understand them :-) and then begin to rewrite my own simple layout :-)

For example... the border in this case is quite simple:

-- [other code here]
 
local backdrop = {
    bgFile      = mediapath .. "back.tga",
    insets = {top = -1, left = -1, bottom = -1, right = -1},
}
 
local backdrop2 = {
    bgFile      = mediapath .. "back.tga",
    insets = {top = -1, left = -1, bottom = -1, right = -1},
}
local statusback = {
    bgFile      = mediapath .. "statusbar.tga",
    insets = {top = 0, left = 0, bottom = 0, right = 0},
}
 
-- [other code here]
 
local cPlayer = function(self)
        self:SetSize(250, 40)
 
        self.Back = CreateFrame('Frame', nil, self)
        self.Back:SetPoint('TOPLEFT', self)
        self.Back:SetWidth(250)
        self.Back:SetHeight(51)     
        self.Back:SetFrameStrata('BACKGROUND')
        self.Back:SetBackdrop(backdrop)
        self.Back:SetBackdropColor(0.05, 0.05, 0.05)    
                
        --: HEALTH BAR :--
        self.Health = CreateFrame('StatusBar', nil, self)
        self.Health:SetPoint('TOPLEFT', self)       
        self.Health:SetWidth(250)
        self.Health:SetHeight(25)           
        self.Health:SetBackdrop(statusback)
        self.Health:SetBackdropColor(0.165,0.165,0.165)
        self.Health:SetFrameStrata('LOW')   
        self.Health:SetStatusBarTexture(statusbar)      
        self.Health.frequentUpdates = FreqUpdate
        self.Health.Smooth = cSmooth
        self.Health.colorClass = false
        self.Health:SetStatusBarColor(START_green[1],START_green[2],START_green[3])
                
        --: POWER BAR :--
        self.Power = CreateFrame('StatusBar', nil, self)
        self.Power:SetPoint('TOPLEFT', self.Health, 'BOTTOMLEFT', 0, -1)
        self.Power:SetHeight(25)
        self.Power:SetWidth(250)
        self.Power:SetBackdropColor(0.15,0.15,0.15)
        self.Power:SetFrameStrata('LOW')
        self.Power:SetStatusBarTexture(statusbar)
        self.Power:SetStatusBarColor(0.28,0.28,0.28)
        self.Power.frequentUpdates = FreqUpdate
        self.Power.Smooth = cSmooth
        self.Power.colorClass = false
        self.Power.colorPower=true
 
    --:: PG NAME ::--   
        self.Info = self.Health:CreateFontString(nil, 'OVERLAY')
        self.Info:SetPoint('LEFT',self.Health,'LEFT', 5, 0)
        self.Info:SetAlpha(1)
        self.Info:SetFont( START_font , START_fs , '')
        self:Tag(self.Info,'[name]')        
        
        --: HEALTH TEXT NUM :--
        self.Health.Text = self.Health:CreateFontString(nil, 'OVERLAY') 
        self.Health.Text:SetFont( START_font , START_smfs , '')
        self:Tag(self.Health.Text,'[gmarco:curhp]')
        self.Health.Text.frequentUpdates = FreqUpdate
        self.Health.Text:SetPoint('RIGHT',self.Health,'RIGHT', -5, 0 )
        
        --: POWER TEXT :--
        self.Power.Text = self.Health:CreateFontString(nil, 'OVERLAY') 
        self.Power.Text:SetFont(START_font, START_smfs, '')
        self.Power.Text.frequentUpdates = FreqUpdate
        self:Tag(self.Power.Text,'[curpp]')
        self.Power.Text:SetPoint('RIGHT',self.Power,'RIGHT', -5, 0)
        
        self:RegisterEvent("UNIT_THREAT_SITUATION_UPDATE", check_threat)
 
-- and then castbar etc etc ....

As you see :

self.Back:SetHeight(51) = self.Health:SetHeight(25) + 1 pixel from healthbar and powerbar + self.Power:SetHeight(25) .

The countour I think is made by:
insets = {top = -1, left = -1, bottom = -1, right = -1}

The result of this frame can be seen in my answer in the other link above.

Please let me know :-)