Administrative and Maintenance Tools - Template Modification System

Template Modification System
Description
This modification allows easy management of template modifications.
Hack authors can define the necessary template modifications for their products.
When exporting a product, all template modifications assigned to this product
in MASTER style will be embedded into the product XML and imported on the
end-user vBulletin installation automatically if TMS is available.
Alternatively, it is also possible to create separate XML files for template modifications.
This way, 3rd parties can provide Template-Modification XML files for existing hacks.
Hack authors can also export standard template modification instructions as
textfiles to package them with their hacks, which allows users that do not
have TMS to also install them

In case the author defined modifications do not work (eg. the user uses a custom style),
the users can easily customize the modifications for their style(s).

TMS modified templates transparently, e.g. all Templates can still be modified
manually in style manager - they will appear unchanged there.


System Requirements
This Modification requires MySQL 4.1 or higher - it does not work with MySQL 4.0!
If you use MySQL 4.1 series, MySQL 4.1.10 or higher is required
If you use MySQL 5.0 series, MySQL 5.0.3 or higher is required
TMS 1.2.0 Beta 1 or higher requires vBulletin 4.1.5 or higher

vBulletin Compatibility
Versions up to and including 1.1.5 are compatible with vBulletin 3.6.X, 3.7.X and 3.8.X
Version 1.1.5 is partly compatible with vBulletin 4.0.X and 4.1.X
Version 1.2.0 Beta 1 or higher is compatible with vBulletin 4.1.5 or higher
vBulletin 4.1.11 or higher is currently not fully supported by TMS. If you use this version please apply the following patch: tms_patch120b4.zip

Branding:
Please note that TMS puts a small branding/copyright notice in footer - see readme.txt for further details.

Version History
1.2.0 Beta 4

• Bugfix: Database error when trying to add a template modification (this bug was introduced in TMS 1.2.0 Beta 3)

1.2.0 Beta 3

• Changed: Converted hardcoded text to phrases
• New Feature: Added doubleclick for editing style variables
• Bugfix: Database error when trying to add a template modification with an existing varname to a different style
• Changed: Fixed formatting of templateedits.php
• Bugfix: Fixed erors when manually modifying a template with template modifications

1.2.0 Beta 2

• Bugfix: Fixed errors in style variable editing code

1.2.0 Beta 1

• Changed: Ported to vBulletin 4.1
• New Feature: If an error occurs while trying to compile a template this error is now being disaplayed when trying to save the template modification
• New Feature: Styles variables used in templates can be edited via AJAX from the modify template screen

1.1.5

• Fixed Bug: Fixed incorrect variable type
• New Feature: Box 'Template-Modifications' (shown on editing a template) can now be collapsed/expanded

1.1.4

• Fixed Bug: Fixed HTML error/XSS in Template Modifications Manager

1.1.3

• Fixed Bug: Added missing phrase on ACP home

1.1.1

• Fixed Bug: Fixed Error with conflicting Template Modifications when importing a product
• Fixed Bug: Removed Pre-Selection of processing mode when adding new modifications
• Fixed Bug: Fixed Bug with zlib.output_compression AND vBulletin internal gzip being both turned on
• Fixed Bug: Display search results correctly
• Fixed Bug: Added missing phrase 'varname_x_already_exists'
• New Feature: Automatically rebuild template modifications after vBulletin Upgrade

1.0.0

• Changed: Several files renamed
• Fixed Bug: Fixed incorrect handling of product ids that contain only numbers
• New Feature: Search text can be search in template when editing a Template-Modification in Style Manager
• Changed: Multiple Template-Modifications can be loaded via AJAX
• First Release on vBulletin.org

1.0.0 RC 1

• Fixed Bug: All Bugs reported for Beta 4 have been fixed
• Changed: Display of modified Templates with HTML comments has been modified
• Changed: Debug-Mode is no longer required
• New Feature: It is now possible to export/import style-specific Template-Modifications

1.0.0 Beta 4

• Fixed Bug: All Bugs reported for Beta 3 have been fixed
• Changed: Sorting in Template Modifications Manager has been changed
• New Feature: When adding or editing a Template-Modification, the Template can now be displayed and searched via AJAX
• Changed: When exporting as Text, the original instructions (eg. insert below/above) are retained
• New Feature: It is now possible to test each Template-Modification
• New Feature: Testing improved. It is now being display if a Template is OK after applying a Template Modification
• New Feature: When editing a Template, it is possible to activate/deactvate multiple Template-Modifications
• New Feature: Template-Modifications can now also be exported and tested from withing Product Manager
• New Feature: Function to display a template with all Modifications applied.
  This function can also display embedded comments to make it easier to identify changed parts

1.0.0 Beta 3

• Fixed Bug: All Bugs reported for Beta 2 have been fixed
• New Feature: Simplified adding Template-Modifications by allowing to select how to handle replacement text (eg. replace or insert above/below)
• New Feature: Each Template-Modification can now be disabled
• Changed: Testing Template-Modifications has been reworked:
  Column ordering can now be set through vBulletin Options; column headers are clickable to sort results
  Output has been separated by styles
  It is now possible to test only selcted products
• New Feature: TMS now integrates with 'Style Manager' and 'Product Manager'
• New Feature: The language can be selected when exporting Template-Modifications
• New Feature: Weh TMS gets deactivated, all Template-Modifications will be deactivated too
• New Feature: Display of Template-Modifications while editing a Template in Style Manager has been improved:
  It is now being display if a Template-Modification could be applied
  Template-Modifications can be edited via AJAX

1.0.0 Beta 2
First public Beta

[Videx]

No, I wasn't asking if you could carry edits from 3.x to 4.x; obviously that would be impossible. I was just wondering about 4.x upgrades. When I went from 4.08 to 4.1.2 it showed me the templates that it could and couldn't merge code and as I recall that's what this mod was supposed to do, but never really did it very well.

[Phaedrus]

Originally Posted by Videx

No, I wasn't asking if you could carry edits from 3.x to 4.x; obviously that would be impossible. I was just wondering about 4.x upgrades. When I went from 4.08 to 4.1.2 it showed me the templates that it could and couldn't merge code and as I recall that's what this mod was supposed to do, but never really did it very well.

Nah, what this mod does is allow you to create changes to your templates without going into each style and making the changes manually. saving the changes when you upgrade and continuing to apply them. It allows you to test each of the mods you make to the templates to see if they work, and continues to apply them after upgrade without even one change. It does it wonderfully.

I was able to upgrade in 3.x version after version without all the template revert, change. When making changes you simply go to the Master Template this mod adds, you go to the template you are going to change, you add the code it looks for select the "add after" "add before" "delete" "replace" selection and put in the changed code below.

This then goes into all the styles, and makes the changes on the fly without even one iota of speed degradation. This keeps your styles templates clean and unchanged entirely, making upgrades within the same vbulletin platform very easy.

I'm not talking about style migration from 3.x to 4.x. This functionality does not exist in 4.x any more than it has in any previous versions of vbulletin.

This mod is definitely worth it, especially if you add mods often.

[Videx]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

This functionality does not exist in 4.x any more than it has in any previous versions of vbulletin.

Clearly you're wrong there. They've made big changes to upgrades in vb4. This last one told me exactly which templates it merged with my custom code, which were successful merges and which weren't, and gave me the option to edit and compare the files side by side. A huge change from vb3.

All of which may be off topic for this particular thread, except that more than one person has said they don't want to upgrade to vb4 until this functionality is included. From what I saw with the 4.1.2 upgrade, it is included.

[Phaedrus]

Originally Posted by Videx

Clearly you're wrong there. They've made big changes to upgrades in vb4. This last one told me exactly which templates it merged with my custom code, which were successful merges and which weren't, and gave me the option to edit and compare the files side by side. A huge change from vb3.

All of which may be off topic for this particular thread, except that more than one person has said they don't want to upgrade to vb4 until this functionality is included. From what I saw with the 4.1.2 upgrade, it is included.

If this did what you are saying then it would be included. It doesn't. This simply creates an overlay system that allows the changes to be made without direct changes to templates making merges and comparisons unnecessary.

Believe me, using both 4.1.2 without the mod and with it is miles different (I have done both now, with my test upgrade on a test board). This is better.

1. This allows you to make changes in a Master Template that applies to every style without changing the actual templates.
2. These changes will continue to work unless the template changes so your search string no longer exists. In upgrades there will be no template matches to change, the ones that don't work simply will not apply.
3. Those that do no longer work are easy to find by simply running a test against them, then you can view and find a different search string to apply the "add before" or "add after" etc. to...

While changes to 4.x were large, it certainly did not add the functionality of this mod. I am glad it still worked with my RL upgraded version.

I am not "clearly wrong", you are simply incorrect as to what this mod actually does. However, if you believe that you get the same functionality then I have no dog in this fight. I felt crippled without it on the test site and I'm very glad it is working now. It most definitely wasn't the same thing, nor did it give me the same capabilities with just 4.1.2 without the mod.

[Phaedrus]

Did they fix the bug in the newest release? (Please)...

[cellarius]

No, that bug has not been fixed yet. Please vote for it in the tracker:
http://tracker.vbulletin.com/browse/VBIV-7378

Or directly by clicking this link (you'll need to login at vb.com):
VOTE!

[Boofo]

Is this still usable in 4.1.3 then?

[cellarius]

Originally Posted by Boofo

Is this still usable in 4.1.3 then?

With minor limitations because of the bug I linked: Yes. I used it since vB4 alpha 1 and it's basic functionality is intact. I wouldn't want to modify vB4 without it.

[Boofo]

Isn't that bug also in stock vb ? I get it sometimes where it goes to a white page and says something about child nodes when I do something wrong in a template edit (like no ending if statement for instance).

[cellarius]

Jap, of course, that's a bug in sstock vB that needs to be fixed. The bug in vB affects TMS and has been reported ages ago. Sadly, 1300+ installations (counting those registered on vBG.org, too) have not been enough to varrant a little fix until now...