Feature Request: Templating System (cleaner & seamless)

[Tanner Williamson]

I would like to request that the templating system be reworked for easier creation, distribution, and installation of custom themes.

I would like to suggest that the templating system in any upcoming upgrades (ie 4.0 series) use a revised file / folder scheme.

At the time, if one wants to make a custom Theme, or modify an existing one, it is necessary to dig into multiple locations, multiple folders, and to resolve and (if necessary delink) any CSS includes.

Many other threads have discussed how updates and upgrades to customizations are overwritten (unless manually backed up, and then reinstalled afterwords). This causes problems for users who want to customize a theme, but then upgrade later.

-New File/Folder/Directory Structure for Theme(s).
-Each theme in it's own folder would contain an informational file

Theme Version/Revision
Theme Author
Theme Author's URL
Theme for Sub Sonic Version
Theme Special Requirements: ie Flash, Silverlight, etc.
Theme Support URL: (either a theme specific thread on subsonic forums, or authors website.)
optional Theme Suggestions URL: a thread on the subsonic forum dedicated to the specific theme, allowing users to collaborate with the theme author for improvements.

-Each Theme would include two preview thumbnails, a 160 x 120 thumbnail, and a 800x600 preview image in .png format. These would be displayed when using the new Subsonic GUI Theme browser.

-Theme code structure could be stored within an html or .XML formatted file, in accordance with expected subsonic design characteristics.

-Themes would have their styles defined within .css files. Multiple styles would be allowed for each theme, and optionally have additional presets created and stored, and these could be identified by uniquely named .css files within each themes directory.

Standard multimedia formats could be utilized and referenced from the themes template and .css files, including but not limited to: swf

-Themes would be able to be installed by a .tar, .tar.gz, or .zip file, containing the proper folder structure within the archive, and would be able to be uploaded via the web interface in the themes management.

Also, after putting in the new theme's files, it is necessary to add the theme to the themes .txt file listing the available themes.

What I would like to suggest, is a simple /themes directory.

A /themes directory, could effectively allow each theme's files to be contained within it's own folder.

This would allow users, to easily create and develop new themes, as well as to install them very easily, by simply installing the new theme by copying one folder and it's contents into the /themes directory. This would encourage an accelerated rate at which themes are developed by 3rd parties.

Subsonic could be re-written to check the /themes folder, and each sub folder within, for the appropriate theme descriptor file for each theme, and the theme descriptor file could contain information such as the theme name, version / revision, author's website, available sub-theme color / style customizations, etc.

I hope all of that was tailable, as my thoughts were a bit scattered when brainstorming all the things I wanted to include with this suggestion. Comments and other's ideas welcome to this suggestion!

[deriksen]

Second this!

[Tanner Williamson]

Bump up for some feedback. Still looking forward to a dev response on this.