If you'd like to create a new theme simply click on the Create New/Import Theme button towards the top of any page described in this article to get started.
Clicking on the checkbox next to a theme will disable it and prevent its use by anyone on the forum. Hovering your mouse cursor over any of your themes will give you button links to each of the theme's settings pages. Clicking on the x icon next to a theme will prompt you to delete the theme. Note that you cannot disable or delete the theme currently set as your forum's default.
Clicking on a theme's name will take you to its Theme Settings page which contains multiple tabs with different options to customize certain aspects of your theme. Towards the top you'll also have the option to save your settings on each of these pages via the Save Theme button, create a new theme with the Create New/Import Theme button, choose to set a theme as the forum's default, or disable the theme from use on the forum.
Settings:
- Theme Name - The name of this theme that will show everywhere that the theme is referenced.
- Theme Description - An internal description for the theme for others to see if you export the theme for another forum.
- Forum Title - Changing the option in this drop-down determines whether you want your forum's logo to be an image, styled text, or nothing at all.
- Version - Changing the version number allows you to keep track of multiple versions of the same theme.
- Change Log - A brief overview of any changes you've made to this theme since the last time it was exported; This will show up prominently in the Theme Library.
- Permissions - Permissions allow you to restrict who can use this theme.
- Rate this Theme - Only available on themes installed from the Theme Library. Opens a dialog that allows you to leave a review for the author of the theme.
- Delete Forum Theme - Remove this theme from the forum. Remember that once a theme is gone it cannot be recovered unless you exported it to your computer beforehand.
Images:
Every image and icon in this section can be replaced with custom icons. You can either choose to link to an image online or you can upload your own image directly to the theme. Be aware that uploading images will take up considerable file storage space in the forum's Themes section. After an existing default image has been replaced you can always revert back to it by clicking the Default button that appears next to the current image. Clicking on the pencil icon next to an image's name will allow you to change how it's referred to across the forum.
- Forum Logo - This will be the logo that is displayed when you choose to display the forum title in the Settings tab.
- Thread Icons - Each image here represents the various icons that show next to your forum's threads depending on their current status.
- Forum Icons - Various icons throughout your forum that show in a multitude of places.
- Group & Rank Stars - Stars associated with member and staff groups and ranks. You can replace current stars, rename them, and add custom stars.
- Smiles - Emoticons you can use in your posts on this particular theme. Changing the name of a smiley also changes the text you need to type into a post to show that smiley. You can also add your own custom smileys alongside the existing defaults. When choosing a name for a smiley try to avoid generic words and go for a name someone wouldn't normally type. For example, if you have a smiley called "dance", it would show up anytime someone had the word dance in their post. A better solution would be to add punctuation around the smiley's name (such as -dance-, *dance*, or :dance:) to prevent matches on common words.
- Wysiwyg / BBCode Buttons - Images used for the reply page formatting buttons.
- Custom Theme Images - You can upload your own images here for use anywhere on your forum. Once you've uploaded an image you can get its URL by clicking on its preview to open it, right-clicking the image, then choosing to view its properties and copying the address to the image file. Images uploaded in this section also receive their own layout template variables that can be referenced inside any layout template in their respective theme.
Groups & Ranks:
You can change the colors of each of your member groups for this particular theme as well as which stars they use in this tab.
- Group
- Default - The default color of the group and its associated star type and count as specified in the Member Groups section of the admin area.
- This Theme - You can change the color of the member group on this particular theme, the amount of stars it uses, and which star image is associated with the group.
- Rank
- Default - The default star image and count associated with this posting rank.
- This Theme - You can change how many stars each rank has and which images they use.
Clicking on the Load default group settings or Load default rank settings link beneath each category of settings will reset every rank to what you specified as your forum's default color and star settings in the Member Groups area.
Export
This tab allows you to export this theme for use either on other forums or the Theme Library. Everything listed under the Themes section of your admin area will be exported along with the theme, the most notable inclusions being:
- Name
- Description
- Version
- Change Log
- Custom CSS
- Custom Templates
- Custom Images
- Custom Visual Editor Structure
When exporting a theme, you are presented with two options. The first option, Export to Computer, lets you quickly and easily save a local copy of your theme to a file on your own computer. The second option, Export to Library, walks you through the steps necessary to add your theme to the Theme Library.
Export to the Theme Library
If you've never exported an item to the Theme Library you'll be presented with only one option: Add a New Theme. Here you'll have a chance to review the information that will be displayed about your theme in the Library. We recommend adding a descriptive name and taking some time to accurately describe your theme in the description as this will increase both the visibility of your theme and the chances that other users will want to install and try your theme. When exporting a theme to the Theme Library you are required to attach at least one picture of your theme. The image will look best at 960 pixels by 560 pixels, and must remain under 1 MB in size. Don't forget to add up to five relevant tags to your theme as this will let other users filter the library to find your theme easier.
After you submit your theme, you will be taken to a success page with a link to your new library item. However, to ensure the highest standard of quality we review all library entries before they are made publicly available, meaning that the link you've just received does not actually go to the theme's library information page immediately upon submission. As soon as your theme has been reviewed you will receive an email notifying you and the link will become active. If your theme is not accepted during the library review process you will receive an email notifying you of this fact along with the reasoning behind the decision.
Export to the Theme Library
If you've never exported an item to the Theme Library you'll be presented with only one option: Add a New Theme. Here you'll have a chance to review the information that will be displayed about your theme in the Library. We recommend adding a descriptive name and taking some time to accurately describe your theme in the description as this will increase both the visibility of your theme and the chances that other users will want to install and try your theme. When exporting a theme to the Theme Library you are required to attach at least one picture of your theme. The image will look best at 960 pixels by 560 pixels, and must remain under 1 MB in size. Don't forget to add up to five relevant tags to your theme as this will let other users filter the library to find your theme easier.
After you submit your theme, you will be taken to a success page with a link to your new library item. However, to ensure the highest standard of quality we review all library entries before they are made publicly available, meaning that the link you've just received does not actually go to the theme's library information page immediately upon submission. As soon as your theme has been reviewed you will receive an email notifying you and the link will become active. If your theme is not accepted during the library review process you will receive an email notifying you of this fact along with the reasoning behind the decision.