These instructions were made for sites that originally created a template set by making a full copy of the default template set1), instead of using the Create Main Template Set tool within the admin at Design > Template Sets. If you used that tool to create your template set, then you should not need to follow these instructions2), as they were already done for you by the tool.
Again, I want to make it clear that these instructions are not normally needed, as they re-produce something that the software would normally do for you. They are only needed when the steps the software does for you are somehow accidentally bypassed.
First, make a backup of your template set so that you have a copy of all the files, in case anything goes wrong during these instructions. You can do that in your admin panel at
Design > Template Sets, by clicking on the
download button next to the template set. Or just download using
FTP. <
In your
custom template set
3),
delete the following folders using
FTP4):
<
In your
custom template set
5), in the folder
external/css/, delete all the files
except for theme_styles.css, primary_theme_styles.css6), and secondary_theme_styles.css7). <
In your
custom template set
8), edit the file
external/css/theme_styles.css and look at the top of the file. Does the first line have something that looks like this on it?
/* $Rev:12345$ */
The number will be different. If it DOES have that line at the top, then replace the line with the below, filling in the "Rev number" in your file for # below:
@import url('../../../default/external/css/theme_styles.css');
/*
* Leave first line of this file intact to make software updates easier!
*
* File manually copied using Rev: #
*/
<tip c h>Note: The most important part of what you are adding to the theme_styles.css file, is the first line, the one that starts with "@import…". The lines below that are "CSS Comments", they do not have any affect on the actual "styles" of your website, they are there for information purposes9).</tip>
<
In your
custom template set
10), look to see if you have the file
external/css/primary_theme_styles.css. If you do, follow step #4 above, but for the
primary_theme_styles.css file. In the text you replace, use this instead of what is listed in that step:
@import url('../../../default/external/css/primary_theme_styles.css');
/*
* Leave first line of this file intact to make software updates easier!
*
* File manually copied using Rev: #
*/
<
In your
custom template set
11), look to see if you have the file
external/css/secondary_theme_styles.css. If you do, follow step #4 above, but for the
secondary_theme_styles.css file. In the text you replace, use this instead of what is listed in that step:
@import url('../../../default/external/css/secondary_theme_styles.css');
/*
* Leave first line of this file intact to make software updates easier!
*
* File manually copied using Rev: #
*/
<
For most sites, you are almost finished! If, however, you know that you have customized one of the files that you deleted in one of the steps above, you have a little more work to do. For each system, module, or addon template you have customized:
Copy the customized template back into your cleaned up custom template set, re-creating the folder structure for the parent folders.
Only copy customized templates!12) <
If you are following these instructions after an update, check to see if the customized template needs compatibility changes for the version you have updated to. You can find general tips for doing that in
Geo Updates & Customized Templates. <
For every software update you perform in the future, you will need to
keep your customizations updated. The
most likely time you will need to adjust your customized templates, is during a feature release
13). The linked page has more information about the "best way" to do this.
<
In the admin at
Design > Template Sets, make sure the template set you have just "cleaned up" is set to be used. Then test it by going to the front side and making sure everything looks correct. Test the main parts: register a test user, place a test listing, view the listing make sure it displays correctly for your site. Don't forget to delete the test listing once you are done with it. Most of the time, no style adjustments are needed, but it is still best to double check
14) <