Skinning system improvements

[Sebastien Penet]

Hello,

IPB has a great skinning system. However, as time goes by, our skins at Skinbox become more and more complex and we feel limited on some points. I may have other suggestions in a very near future but here are a few ones.

1. I18n
Some of our skins include some additional text which is hard-coded because we have no choice. What I would like is the ability to embed a language pack in the skin set file which would be automatically installed. This would make our lives easier when dealing with non-English-speaking clients: no need for the clients to spend a lot of time to go through all of our templates or no need for us to find a workaround (such as having a javascript file as a language file...).

2. Hooks
Some advanced functionality may require hooks in order to work, even if they are still presentation-related: for example, we have a background picker on some skins. It would be great for us to use a little php to help users to set up their desired backgrounds. However, the users which would need that kind of help will mess if they have ten things to install... That's why it would be cool to be able to embed hooks as well.

3. Apps
In the same way, I would like to be able to embed a full IPB app in the skin set itself in order to provide users with a configuration interface. I know we may use settings to do this, but I think an IPB app would be more flexible. It could be a special app, accessible through the dropdown in the skin list. This would lead to wordpress-like theme admin. I would love to be able to do that.

In fact, what I would like is a new way to import skins. Like a "Import skin installer package" thing. And this installer package could embed any IPB element: hook, app, skin, setting, etc.

4. Remote install
Finally, I would also love to have a remote install thing. It could be the exact same process as now, but instead of clicking browse to select the skin zip, the user would just type the skin install url. This url would leave ALL size limits for exported skins. In fact, these size limits - which are due to php - make the install process of our skins harder again... For some skins, we cannot give the user the imageset and the skinset only, we need to add a third file with the backgrounds inside. So the user has to put the backgrounds in the right directory himself.


Thanks in advance for reviewing my suggestions, I hope you will be able to include at least some of them in the future :)
S. Penet.

[Taylor J]

I have to say I am loving some of your ideas, especially the last one, but what would make that better is if they link changed everytime they installed it so they couldn't just give it out for other people to install.

[Sebastien Penet]

That's what I thought. Basically, IPB would just append imageset.xml.gz and skinset.xml.gz to the given url. The fact that you need a link that changes everytime is not up to IPB, this is more in the way you code your website. We just need IPB to load two urls based upon the url typed by the user on the new import screen.

[Taylor J]

True true, but I would need it lol, still don't have a frontend to my website.

[Graeme S.]

1. I18n

Some of our skins include some additional text which is hard-coded because we have no choice. What I would like is the ability to embed a language pack in the skin set file which would be automatically installed. This would make our lives easier when dealing with non-English-speaking clients: no need for the clients to spend a lot of time to go through all of our templates or no need for us to find a workaround (such as having a javascript file as a language file...).

For the time being, you can also use replacements. I use replacements for custom text-bits and stuff, and people find it a lot easier to change replacements rather than going through template code.

[bfarber]

Honestly, how many skinners need to simultaneously install hooks, applications and language files? This seems a pretty niche thing, so you might be better off just building a small "installer" script that you distribute with your skins that uses our apis to install everything from your external script.

[Olivier Turbis]

For the time being, you can also use replacements. I use replacements for custom text-bits and stuff, and people find it a lot easier to change replacements rather than going through template code.

That's a VERY good idea actually

[Sebastien Penet]

Honestly, how many skinners need to simultaneously install hooks, applications and language files? This seems a pretty niche thing, so you might be better off just building a small "installer" script that you distribute with your skins that uses our apis to install everything from your external script.

You are right, we may be the only ones. But providing some help for others may lower development costs and then open the way to more complex skins (which clients will love).

What about the remote install thing? This one could benefit to everyone: clients (to update their skin easily) and skinners (to import skins quickly).

[Olivier Turbis]

Come one, devs :) can't you see we're begging.