1.1 Final & 1.2 Manual Skin Install

[Planet IBX]

**This will work with V1.2 Beta 1 - Beta 2 & RC1.**

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I had decided to install a new skin on my forum and I was very excited about it :P Unfortunately that was also the day that I first learned what "Safe Mode" was and why it had to be turned off. My host had my safe mode turned on, so I couldn't install a skin automatically in the ACP.

Not to be discouraged I set out to find directions for installing a skin manually. I did find a set of directions but I don't think they were written for version 1.1 final, because all kinds of things in the directions didn't seem to match up with my 1.1 final board. Some of these directions were very confusing and I often wondered if I was going to see my forum go up in smoke with the very next mouse click :ermm:

I swore on that day that when I learned how to successfully install skins manually, that I would write an EASY TO UNDERSTAND instruction manual for the beginner on how to install skins. In keeping with that promise, here are those instructions written specifically for version 1.1 Final. Enjoy :D






Version 1.1 Final Manual Skin Install


For this tutorial I will assume that you just installed IB 1.1 final, and that you are new to this thing called "installing skins manually" and also that you have no other skins but the default skin.

You should first download the skin that you wish to install. Now go ahead and unzip the .zip file, you will then be left with a set-ÏxÓ.tar file ( where ÏxÓ is your skins name). After you unzip the tar file you should have the following files:

<span style='color:blue'>macro.txt
readme.txt
stylesheet.css
templates.html
templates_conf.inc
Images (directory)
wrapper.html

Now use your FTP program and open up the "style_images" folder for your forum. Create a new directory and name it "2". Open it up and upload all of the images from the "Images" folder from you new skin. When it is all done uploading you can close down your FTP program and the next thing that you will need to do is to go to the Admin Control Panel on your site and click on Skins & Templates and then on Manage Skin Sets. Under the heading of "Create New Skin Set" make sure that the listing for "Base new skin set on..." is set to "Invision Power Board" and then click on the "Create New Skin Set" button.

It will now create a new skin set for you. Now in the "Create Skin Set" box find the heading labeled "Skin Set Title" and re-title what is already written in there with your new skin name.

Now click on Skins & Template/Manage Board Wrappers and at the bottom you will see where you have the option to browse, click on the browse button and go to where you unzipped your tar file and find the wrappers.html file, select that file, then click on the Create new wrapper button. Leave everything else on the page alone.

Next go to Skins & Template/Manage HTML Templates, and click on the Browse button and select your templates.html file, then click on Create new Template Set button.

Next click on the "Go To:Manage Template Set" link and look for the heading "Current Unallocated Template sets" and click on the hit "edit properties" link for the template we just did.

Now you will have 4 fields to fill out. The information in these fields are in the Templates_conf.inc file. They are:

Template Set Name, Template set author name, Template Set author e-mail, and Template set author web page. Fill these out accurately and click on the "Edit Templates Set Details" button.

Now go to Skins & Template/Manage Style Sheets, and at the bottom click on the Browse button and locate the stylesheet.css file and click on the "Upload new stylesheet" button.

Next click on the "Go to: Manage Style Sheets" link and then click on "edit" and find where it says "Stylesheet Title" and re-name your stylesheets to its new name. Now click on the "edit stylesheet" button.

Click on Skins & Template/Manage Macros and find the Browse button. Select your new macro.txt file, and click on the "import Macro Set" button. Then click on the "Go to: Manage Macro Sets" link and then click on "edit" and where it says "Macro Set Title" re-name your new macro to your new macro name by clicking on the "Edit Macro Title" button.

Finally click on Skins & Template/Manage Skin Sets, and click on the edit link for your new skin.

You will now see the following headings:

Skin Set Title, Use Templates, Use Macro Set, Use Image Directory, Use Stylesheet, and Use Wrapper. Select the names that you renamed your new skin items to (above) in each category (except for the wrapper heading because you cannot rename the wrapper. Set the wrapper to "New Wrapper" or anything other than "Invision Board StandardÓ). Now click on the "Edit Skin Set" button.

Congratulations, now you can enjoy your new skin :good: </span>

Planet IBF :D

[M3NF]

Thank you for this we can add it to our help files database in our support forum, Thanks for your time and nice job.

[Aristia]

A note to all, please do check that you remember to re add the designer's copyrights on a manual install. Can often be found in the wrapper you got from the .tar and it is in the wrapper that it is easiest for you to replace.

The code goes at the bottom of the wrapper, just above the /body and /html tags,and here is the code for use on manual imports of skins made by NBSdesignz:

<table align='center'>
<tr>
Ü<td align="center"><a href=http://www.nbsdesignz.com>
<img src='http://www.nbsdesignz.com/images/affiliatebuts/ourbuts/nbslogo.gif' border='0' alt='Skin by www.nbsdesignz.com'></a></td>
</tr>
</table>

NBS copyrights go inside the templates, but on a manual install, we are happy for you to put them in the wrapper instead :)

[Aristia]

Sometimes, your safe mode may not allow you to upload. In which case, you will need extract the .tar, then do the following in AdminCP > Skins & templates:

Manage board wrappers:
Create new wrapper based on invision default and name it the same as the skin you are importing. Then open the wrapper (that was from the .tar) and copy all of the text inside. Open your newly created wrapper on the board, and replace all the text with that which you just copied. ...Click "Create Wrapper"

Manage Stylesheets:
Create a new stylesheet based on invision default and name it the same as the skin you are importing. Then open the stylesheet (that was in the .tar) and copy all the text inside. Open your newly created stylesheet and replace all the text with that which you just copied. ... Click "Create Stylesheet"

For the images:
In the extracted .tar, there will be a folder called "images". Name it the same as the skin you are importing, and via ftp, upload that folder to the "style_images" folder which is found in the forum's root.

The Macros and Templates option will be unavailable for simple install due to their nature on the adminCP.

Manage skin sets:
Create a new skin set based on invision default, the next screen will give you the option to give it a name. Then you must select the resources to use in this set.
Templates and macros are left alone. Use the drop down boxes to choose the image folder you uploaded, the stylesheet you created and the wrapper you created. ...Click "create skin set"

You should now be able to use your skin!
--Do remember the author's copyright to save you getting into alot of trouble.