How to convert vB3 colour schemes to vB4?

[Mukashi]

While my forum is rather large, we've always used relatively basic styles on our forums, mainly because the vast majority of our people have little knowledge (if any) of coding, or of CSS. Mostly of them make use of only small sets of colours in broad sweeping strokes, and we've always been happy for how easy it is to make a very uniform looking skin with a minimum of fiddling. I doubt any of our skins would have more than 10 colours different from the base skin, for a matter of fact. Most 5 or less if you're not counting font colours for Normal Link, Visited Link and Hover Link

Despite this however....we seem to be having an embarrassingly difficult time trying to convert these over. In fact, despite weeks of trying, since the first vB4 beta we installed to now (all thankfully on a separate test forum), we haven't even managed to get one skin to look right. We aren't even trying to make any template or image changes at this point, just to copy over colours. It's starting to seem that something only entered once in vB3 Main CSS needs to be entered ridiculous numbers of times in vB4's stylevars to achieve the same effect. While the system is very powerful, and allows greater levels of customization....we're honestly stumped for translating over a very simple skin that just doesn't need this kind of customization.

Has anyone else here had any similar issues? Has anyone here managed to find a way to translate basic colour schemes like these over painlessly? If not, would anyone have any advice for how we could reduce the pain and the burden in any way?

[Dygear]

We are in the same boat brother. I did some more extensive edits to my board, but nothing outside of simple CSS changes. Finding it very frustrating to convert the style from vB3 to vB4.

[Mukashi]

Is there any particular reason a script couldn't be created to automatically convert a vB3 colour scheme to the vB4 stylevars? I understand it's a new system and all, but how hard must it be for them to set something up so value X in a Main CSS field sets value Y in fields A, B, C, D, E & F for stylevars?

[mikey1991]

It's good idea, I dunno if it's feasible, I'd suggest that importer idea to the vB.com team (like Jerry, creator of ImpEX)

[Mukashi]

As I understand, it's been suggested, and they've said several times they're not going to do it.

[Dygear]

Originally Posted by Mukashi

As I understand, it's been suggested, and they've said several times they're not going to do it.

And that is both sad, and silly.

From an energy expenditure point of view, the many, many installs that vB has to not support a tool like this is just wasteful, and I think spiteful of a community that is quite frankly keeping them in business. Consider this, I have only edited the CSS variables within my 3.8.X theme. I then have to do that for EVERY single instance of that within the new template system. So what did take me an hour, is now going to take me 5. Times that by the number of installs, add on to each install the amount of time, and money, and general resources like food it takes up. We are talking about a colossal amount of waste here because the vB devs can't be bothered to properly support their own product. This is a farse.

While I wrote that, I'm not an eco nut as one would be lead to believe. However, I can apparently paint anyone on the far side of eco friendly. I will in my next post paint the vB dev team as the 'third biggest killer' should they keep crap this up. I wonder how much bad PR I can generate before they ban me?

[Mukashi]

You're certainly not the only one who feels that way. I know style changes are coming in 4.0.1 and 4.0.2. I can only hope they change their mind and give us an easier way to convert skins over then.