What Happens To Customization When Upgrading?

[jayg]

Hi,

If I were to perform heavy design customization to the design of my 68 Classifieds site, what if any risks are there to all the design customizations I've made when trying to upgrade to a newer version of 68 Classifieds as new versions become available?

Thanks,

Jay

[Eric Barnes]

If you are going to create a brand new design I would recommend creating a brand new template folder that way your changes will not get touched during an upgrade.

If you go that route then upgrading should be easy. We also include a file change log with new releases so you can see if any files you have altered have been changed.

Now if you are going to edit the php files then I would recommend trying my best to use plugins or modules. That way it would be seperate from the core. But if you must alter one keep your own changelog file so you can see what all changes you made when upgrading.

[jayg]

Originally Posted by Eric Barnes

If you are going to create a brand new design I would recommend creating a brand new template folder that way your changes will not get touched during an upgrade.

If you go that route then upgrading should be easy. We also include a file change log with new releases so you can see if any files you have altered have been changed.

Now if you are going to edit the php files then I would recommend trying my best to use plugins or modules. That way it would be seperate from the core. But if you must alter one keep your own changelog file so you can see what all changes you made when upgrading.

Thank you for the quick response Eric! Everything you've said seems completely reasonable, but I have to ask, by creating a new template, does that allow me full modification control over where web page elements like where search results, side bar information, top menus, etc (all design elements of page) go?

I wouldn't want to touch core functionality in the php files that makes 68 Classifieds tick, but I would want to make heavy changes to the UI to make it look like the vision I've already started designing.

- Jay

[Eric Barnes]

by creating a new template, does that allow me full modification control over where web page elements like where search results, side bar information, top menus, etc (all design elements of page) go?

Yes by creating a new template folder you have full control over the complete design. Also I should mention our template system works off a layered approach. Meaning if it can not find a template in your template then it will revert to the default. So for instance if you just wanted to change the layout.tpl file then all other templates would be pulled from the "default" folder.

Also here are a few great resources in terms of templates:
Template design tutorial!
Modifying the default template in version 4.1.x

You can also see our site showcase for some other examples:
Site Showcase | 68 Classifieds Blog & News
Most of those look like just design changes to me.

[jayg]

Thanks for the information Eric! Very helpful.

Jay