2.2 theme template debacle

so, templates are now themes in nopCom 2.2? is this correct?

is there a DECENT site out there that has some FREE themes that one can use as a guide to tweak and or customize. b/c all the themes/templates for 2.2 seem to cost moola - and the ones that don't - well, they're just not too terribly good. i'll obviously modify it a great deal but it'd be nice to have a good start.

i do like this one.
http://www.n-theme.com/products/34-photovideo2_20.aspx

but, i don't want to pay 65 bucks for it.

my site is http://mikesoffroad.com but the version on that domain is 1.9

i hope someone can offer some feedback and in a short time. Thanks a ton for all of your input - i welcome it. thank you again!

hemjesti wrote:

If search or look through the community add-ons you will find some themes. I did a quick search for you and found the topic below. I went to the demo site and the theme looks pretty good. It appears it is for 2.0, but it wouldn't require much rework to get it up to 2.3

https://www.nopcommerce.com/boards/t/1563/brightorange-theme.aspx

i see that url, i downloaded that zip file, but i'm still wondering if there are resrouces out there that offer 2.2 themes.

Also, i can't find in the admin area where to select a theme - am i just missing it? I haven't downloaded the documentation for 2.2 yet but will here in just a moment, perhaps it's in there.

is there any place that explains restrictions on the themes/templates of 2.2?

I'm assuming that the content areas are still labeled the same way? Like, ThreeColumn.master etc. ???

i found the means to change my theme........ man, i looked right over it the first time. If it were a snake it would of bit me. sorry for the moron moment. ;-)

hemjesti wrote:

No problem it happens to all of us.

There are no restrictions on nopCommerce themes like the ones that exist for plugins. The only thing to remember is that between versions anything can change. CSS class names, view locations, and the HTML structure. So before you use a theme designed for 2.0 you will want to ensure that all pages look as expected when switching to the 2.1+ versions.

i don't suppose that the cat that's graced us with the awesome nopCommerce has included a "list" of items (classes, id's, page names etc.) that have been changed, modified or otherwise deprecated? to make our designer/developer lives a lil easier? hmmmmm?

i suppose if i upload a css, and it doesn't work, i'll know what to look for. :-) thank goodness for dev environments!

hemjesti wrote:

These changes are not that frequent. I just wanted to be explicit that the only concern with taking a 2.0 theme and applying it to 2.1+ has the potential to look different. It would also be a huge time killer to document every HTML and CSS change from a development perspective (useful for concerned clients, but the value-added isn't significant).

You can however review the revision logs here: http://nopcommerce.codeplex.com/SourceControl/list/changesets.

You might be interested in is using a tool like WatiN to develop automated tests to ensure your website is behaving as expected. It is free and easy to use for experienced .NET developers.  http://watin.org/

You could write tests that verify mission critical elements contained within your website work according to specification.

wooooooow - now THAT'S probably the most helpful piece of info i've ever gotten off of a forum. Thank you a TON for that info and the links especially.

Thank you - i'm going to give it a once over and see what i find.

Just to finalize this. If/when i create a new theme - i can create a name for it, and upload it to the app-themes dir and the upload the images to the images folder and then select it from the drop down in the general settings?

just asking while i have someone lookin' at my posting.

hemjesti wrote:

You can store the images folder in your new theme folder. The folder structure of your theme would look something like the structure below. Then you would only have one step to move the files onto the server plus it is easier to package a theme this way if you had a web farm or distribute themes (e.g. free downloads or paid downloads).

/hemjesti-theme
+ theme.config
+ /images/
++ logo.jpg

Once you've uploaded your theme you might have to restart the application (the drop down list is cached on initial load). Once you see your theme in the drop down you can select it, save, and the public store will have a new look.

your awesome man - i feel like i should ask you to send me an invoice or something. Great help. i greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again - i'll let'cha know when i get it updated.