Drupal 6 Theming What’s new and how it’s better

Are we near Theming Nirvana? Theming Nirvana is when it is considered easy for designers to create new themes, and there are many themes for random Drupal users to choose from.

Theming Nirvana is when it is considered easy for designers to create new themes, and there are many themes for random Drupal users to choose from.

Drupal 4.5: Theming Hell Only had .theme files and theme function overrides.

Only had .theme files and theme function overrides.

Drupal 4.6: Theming Purgatory Xtemplate just didn’t do it for us.

Xtemplate just didn’t do it for us.

Drupal 4.7: Theming Limbo PHPtemplate helped, but having only page, node, block, and comment templates is weak.

PHPtemplate helped, but having only page, node, block, and comment templates is weak.

Drupal 5: Still Theming Limbo I guess it’s not really limbo if you’re not stuck there for awhile.

I guess it’s not really limbo if you’re not stuck there for awhile.

Drupal 6 • Info files make obscure configuration obvious • 31 templates available and growing • Serious drive toward separation of logic and presentation • Better _phptemplate_variables() • Theme inheritance • Pure CSS themes • Theme engines have all this, too.

• Info files make obscure configuration obvious

• 31 templates available and growing

• Serious drive toward separation of logic and presentation

• Better _phptemplate_variables()

• Theme inheritance

• Pure CSS themes

• Theme engines have all this, too.

Info files

More templates • More granular control over your content. • Logic is separated from presentation. • Data has already been sanitized meaning fewer inadvertent security holes.

• More granular control over your content.

• Logic is separated from presentation.

• Data has already been sanitized meaning fewer inadvertent security holes.

forum-topic-list.tpl.php

forum-topic-list.tpl.php

Logic

aggregator-item.tpl.php

Separation

phptemplate_variables()

Theme inheritance A sub theme sets ‘base theme’ in info file A sub theme gains all style sheets A sub theme gains all templates A sub theme gains all functions in template.php A sub theme should never use phptemplate_* functions Safest way to ‘tweak’ a theme and still be able to upgrade the theme

A sub theme sets ‘base theme’ in info file

A sub theme gains all style sheets

A sub theme gains all templates

A sub theme gains all functions in template.php

A sub theme should never use phptemplate_* functions

Safest way to ‘tweak’ a theme and still be able to upgrade the theme

CSS only themes Core page.tpl.php theme based on zen Uses well-named classes to identify areas A theme with just an .info file will create an ugly site but with clean XHTML that can be manipulated

Core page.tpl.php theme based on zen

Uses well-named classes to identify areas

A theme with just an .info file will create an ugly site but with clean XHTML that can be manipulated

Theme engines Smarty, PHPTal, LOLTheme Register an extension -- .smarty Register a renderer – smarty_template_render() Discover templates on behalf of the theme Load a template.php file on behalf of the theme

Smarty, PHPTal, LOLTheme

Register an extension -- .smarty

Register a renderer – smarty_template_render()

Discover templates on behalf of the theme

Load a template.php file on behalf of the theme

Are we near Theming Nirvana? Not everything templatized Not a complete enough set of well-named classes Not enough direction for contrib modules in how they create their HTML Not enough direction for contrib theme authors Poor infrastructure for finding themes on drupal.org

Not everything templatized

Not a complete enough set of well-named classes

Not enough direction for contrib modules in how they create their HTML

Not enough direction for contrib theme authors

Poor infrastructure for finding themes on drupal.org

We are merely Enlightened Maybe Nirvana in Drupal 7

Care to contribute? Help participate and clean up our XHTML CSS Help create a set of well-named classes to use across Drupal Help create templates that do not yet exist

Help participate and clean up our XHTML CSS

Help create a set of well-named classes to use across Drupal

Help create templates that do not yet exist