#1195 open
peters@slx-online.biz

Help with subtheme creation

Reported by peters@slx-online.biz | August 27th, 2014 @ 03:50 PM

I am trying to create a subtheme, think I've followed the guidance, but it doesn't work. I need the subtheme page to have two side-by-side containers with text modules at the top, or a two column text module would be ideal, followed by a normal container with text module.

I am probably missing a trick, I started by trying to create the subtheme with two containers at the top, copy attached. It was located in themes\simpletheme\subthemes and is available when you create a page, but all I see is the default page layout.

I'd be grateful for some guidance.

Thanks.

Comments and changes to this ticket

  • peters@slx-online.biz

    peters@slx-online.biz August 27th, 2014 @ 03:55 PM

    Here's a screen shot of what I'm trying to achieve.

  • peters@slx-online.biz

    peters@slx-online.biz August 29th, 2014 @ 07:50 AM

    Thank you. After a day of trial and error I am almost there, your input helps explain some of the mystery. The problems arise because it is difficult, sometimes impossible, to find what you are looking for in the documentation. Here's an example, it's where I've got to but I can't find the information to fix this last problem. This is my sub-theme file.

    From the screenshot you can see that I have two columns, and it looks like each column has a text module. But as you can see the right hand text is below the left hand text. Much messing about later I think my problem is that both text modules are in the left hand column, and the 'right hand one' is only where it is because of CSS "fleet-txt-right. So I have searched the documentation to find out how I specify a text module in the second column of a two column module without success. My code currently looks like this:

    <?php expTheme::module(array("controller"=>"container","action"=>"showall","view"=>"showall","source"=>"@page","scope"=>"sectional"));?>
    "container","action"=>"showall","view"=>"showall_Two Column","source"=>"@twocol")); ?>
    "text","action"=>"showall","view"=>"showall","source"=>"@fleet-img-left")); ?>
    "text","action"=>"showall","view"=>"showall","source"=>"@fleet-txt-right")); ?>


    <?php expTheme::main(); ?>

    Brief History

    <?php expTheme::Module(array("controller"=>"text","action"=>"showall","view"=>"showall","source"=>"@history")); ?>

    The CSS:

    .fleet_container{overflow:hidden;border:#8b0000 2px solid; margin:0 0 10px;padding:10px;} .fleet-txt-right{float:right;display:block;margin:0 0 0 350px;width:330px;} .fleet-img-left{float:left;width:330px;} .fleet-img-left p{margin:0;padding:0;}

    Please can you tell me how to create a text module in the right hand column? Thank you.

  • peters@slx-online.biz

    peters@slx-online.biz August 29th, 2014 @ 07:52 AM

    That didn't format correctly. I'll attach the actual file.

  • peters@slx-online.biz

    peters@slx-online.biz August 29th, 2014 @ 12:05 PM

    Thank you for getting back to me. I'm not after help with styling, but hard coding modules. I started with the index.php file created automatically by Exponent during installation, which I copied into vehicles-tb.php and then tried to customise it. Therefore all of the header info stuff you mention was not created by me. I can try and work through your suggestions later.

    If I understand you correctly, I can only hard code a two column container but not hard code a text module under each column. which is what I tried to do. That's OK, I can manage that but I couldn't find anywhere in the documentation where it says I can't do that. I will remove my attempt at adding text modules.

    I take your point on adding 'div's - thanks.

  • peters@slx-online.biz

    peters@slx-online.biz August 30th, 2014 @ 09:01 AM

    I seem to have one more problem. Now when I use the template I have created, every page is the same. If I change one page it changes the others. Sorry, can you please tell me what I am doing wrong? Thank you so much for your help. (Perhaps some more documentation changes - define how the variables work in exptheme::module).

  • peters@slx-online.biz

    peters@slx-online.biz August 31st, 2014 @ 08:07 AM

    Thanks, now working. I was unable to find the page that you mention searching for information on building sub-themes. Perhaps some cross-reference from sub-themes to hard coding modules would help. Also looking at that page, it's not clear how to configure the variable parameters - controller, action, view, source. You need to have somewhat more knowledge of how Exponent is built to be able to know what to do here.

    Thank you for your help!

  • peters@slx-online.biz

    peters@slx-online.biz September 1st, 2014 @ 08:08 AM

    Going back to your advice on the header information, and using my test site, I set normalize true and commented out the 3x YUI resets. This lost my theme. I have had to leave the three YUI resets in place to ensure the theme loads.

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