Mini Mods - Templates in files (useful for development)

Hi devs/designers, did you get tired with modifying templates in vB admincp? I did, so I made this mod, which enables you to store files in [forum_root]/!templates/[tempate_name].html so you can edit them with your favourite HTML editor and you dont have to put them back into admincp after each edit.

Warning:
This mod is for dev purposes only and because the templates are compiled every time you reload the page, it slowes down the forums a bit (nothing significant on dev machine, but significant on production machine with many users).

Enjoy it and gimme feedback

[ChurchMedia]

Cool! I've been thinking that a mod that will export/import the individual templates at text files would be great, but this seems like it would be even better!

Just so I understand -- You enable this mod and work on the HTML files -- Then disable it so that VB will use the templates and NOT the HTML files -- Is that right?

[Boofo]

Is there any way to modify this to store template as files only and not have them re-compiled? Chen did a hack way back in vb 3 something, I think, that stored the template as files just so you had a backup copy of them in case the forum went bye-bye somehow. More for archival purposes.

[cermi]

Originally Posted by ChurchMedia

Just so I understand -- You enable this mod and work on the HTML files -- Then disable it so that VB will use the templates and NOT the HTML files -- Is that right?

Yes, just don't forget to copy the content of the html files to vB templates in admincp otherwise your vB templates wouldn't be changed.

The idea of the mod is simple:
after loading the templates from database by vB, it reads all the files in the !template folder and rewrite the templates in $vbulletin->templatecache

Originally Posted by ChurchMedia

Cool! I've been thinking that a mod that will export/import the individual templates at text files would be great, but this seems like it would be even better!

Yea, I might add this feature too (in future), so you won't have to make the initial database->files and final files->database copy. (But 2 copies are still better than copy after each change )

[cermi]

Originally Posted by Boofo

Is there any way to modify this to store template as files only and not have them re-compiled? Chen did a hack way back in vb 3 something, I think, that stored the template as files just so you had a backup copy of them in case the forum went bye-bye somehow. More for archival purposes.

Well, you rewrite the template system, which wouldn't too difficult.
But for backup purposes you can use the standard vB export/import style feature, can't you?

[Boofo]

I just want to back up the templates. All of them.

[cermi]

Originally Posted by Boofo

I just want to back up the templates. All of them.

Or backuping the template table in db?

[Boofo]

Ok, I can see where this is going. A simple "no" would have sufficed.

[Remi]

Is this working on 3.8.0

I have installed it, but I can't see any files or errors

nothing is happening at all

[Sparky McSmith]

Wow. This is beautiful!!! Seriously. Great work Cermi - a simple, elegant solution to one of the biggest annoyances when customizing styles.

FYI - this works for vBulletin 4.0 just fine.

Thanks again!