Styles for Dummies

[Jawelin]

Hi.
I'm completely a newbie at styles matter...
So, before starting, I would know something to avoid stupid mistakes, almost possible.
I would create a second style for my board with new images, new colors and of course different button sets.
I have also already installed (but not activated with a link to users) the drop down box hack for choosing the style, as is on forumhome of this board... along with +20 of other hacks...

Well. My questions are:
1) As my board is open and fully functional, I would expect I could work at the new style without conflicting with the default one. When finished, could I swap the default and the new one style numbers to make '1' the new one ?
2) The new style should include all new templates or could I reuse almost all of the previous one ? I modified for hacking or my personalizations about an half of them, and definitively wouldn't duplicate everyone: otherwise, when I'll install new hacks I should mantain two series of templates. And it'll uncomfortable.
3) Have you - professional hackers/webmasters - a simple checklist of the exact sequence of the operations to do when startin with a new style to add to default ?

Thank you and sorry for such silly questions, but the title of topic speaks well !

[Jawelin]

*BUMP*

Nobody ? Listen and remeber!
If I'd make some mistake, my questions about will be many many more !

[merk]

Ill have a go at explaining

The basic explination of a 'style' is that it is made up of 'replacement variables' and 'templates'.

You can create a new style, (which it can automatically create a new replacement vars and template sets too), which you can work on without disrupting the users, simply create it, work out what ID it is(from mouseover links in the admin cp is the easiest way.., then add &styleid=idnum here, to view it while your devloping.

Keep in mind that the style can be changed also from the usercp in options, so users can change to it as well(not that it should matter).

Basically, a replacment variable is something like {backgroundcolor}, and what happens with these, as the page is created (from templates, ill explain a bit furthur down), {backgroundcolor} is replaced totally with a value you specify, for example #000000, making it easier to modify colours without having to edit templates. The replacement vars dont have to be surrounded by {}, and can be anything, sometimes handy to replace swear words with nice words, depending on your board

Templates, are, what makes each page. they are just that, templates.

For example, with the index.php page, it uses the forumhome template, and calls all the other forumhome_ templates that are required(it also calls headinclude, header, footer), and puts them where there it is indicated in the main forumhome($header $footer, etc).

It takes a bit of getting used to, but just hacking around, changing a few things, youll learn pretty quick.

Keep in mind that you cant just create a new template say, johnstemplate, and use $johnstemplate to put it where you want it, its a bit more complicated to add templates :\

I almost forgot, with styles, you dont have to have seperate templates and replacment variables for each style. You can use the same template set, and have different replacement variables, or vice versa. What this allows is that you can have the same forums(same look with html) but with different colours(which is what i normally do), or same colours with different looks.

To make what you have modifed styleid1, you have to Styles>Modify - 'Properties' on the style without [remove] on the end(thats styleid1), and change the template and replacement variables to the ones you created and modified..

Sorry if its all over the place/and or too indepth, i have the hiccups as i write this, so its a bit hard to concentrate and make a decent structured post

I hope that helps, but just as much as it helps it might make it worse :stoned:

[Jawelin]

First of all, thank you so so much for your time and your extensive explanation.
First step, this is exactly I would do: create a new style with only new colors and buttons.

So, I asked myself how to make the new style see the 'default' templates (as said, by now I wouldn't manage parallel templateset and replicate modifications each time...).

Ok for replacements to make color differences. But what about buttons ? I think I should modify templates, is it true ?
Thnx

[merk]

Actually, for images, its replacement variables as well.

If you create 2 directorys for the images(its a good idea to copy all images up to the new directory, then override the ones youve created, ive always managed to miss a few :\), go into the second replacement variables, and modify {imagesfolder} to suit the new directory name.

Hope this helps.