Why not a root level templates folder to hold new and archived templates?

Installing a new template would be as easy as unzipping and uploading a new folder under /templates in your web space, then going into Extensions → Templates and picking from a drop-down list.

All files needed by a template set would reside together

• /files
• /images
• /templates
  • /mistylook
    • /files
      • Scripts - .js, .swf, etc.
    • /forms
      • Presentation → Forms
    • /images
      • Graphics - .jpg, .gif, .png, etc.
    • /pages
      • Presentation → Pages
    • /plugins
      • Admin → Plugins, must be installed individually.
    • /style
      • Presentation → Style
• /textpattern

hcg_templates is a modified version of mcw_templates to work with the /templates folder.

hcg_templates-0.3.txt (26kb)

• Install via Admin → Plugins.
• Create the /templates folder on your web space.
• Make the /templates folder writable by the web server.

Features

• Import a complete template set - Pages, Forms and Style.
• Export out your templates for archive purposes or offline editing.

MistyLook is a ported template by TxP-Templates, modified for the /templates folder.

MistyLook 1.1 (62KB)

• Install via Extensions → Templates.
• In Presentation → Sections, set Uses page: & Uses style: to mistylook_default.
• In Presentation → Pages, copy the contents of mistylook_error_default into error_default.
• In Presentation → Forms, copy the contents of mistylook_search_results into search_results.
• In Admin → Preferences, set Automatically append comments to articles? to No.

Folder contents

• /templates
  • /mistylook
    • /forms
      • mistylook_aside.article.html
      • mistylook_comment_form.comment.html
      • mistylook_comments.comment.html
      • mistylook_comments_display.article.html
      • mistylook_content.article.html
      • mistylook_default.article.html
      • mistylook_files.file.html
      • mistylook_footer.misc.html
      • mistylook_head.misc.html
      • mistylook_header.misc.html
      • mistylook_navigation.misc.html
      • mistylook_plainlinks.links.html
      • mistylook_popup_comments.comment.html
      • mistylook_search_results.article.html
      • mistylook_sidebar.misc.html
      • mistylook_single.article.html
      • mistylook_static.article.html
    • /images
      • 404.gif, blockquote.gif, bullet.png, icon_feed.gif, link.gif, misty.jpg, profile.jpg, shadow.gif, shadow_top.gif, sideheadtop.gif, underline1.jpg
    • /pages
      • mistylook_default.html
      • mistylook_error_default.html
    • /plugins
      • hcg_templates-0.3.txt
    • /style
      • mistylook_default.css

Note: This template is included here as proof of concept, Marcus did the heavy lifting and I positioned it into place.

Once you have your naming scheme and basic structure down, converting an XTML template is a straightforward process. Templates converted from other systems require more time if you lack a working knowledge of said system.

Templates I've already ported to Textpattern, need adjusting to the /templates folder.

• 1024px, a template by Andreas Viklund
• Minima, a template by Douglas Bowman.
• TerraFirma, a template by NodeThirtyThree

One template a week, 52 a year - 10 join in, 520 templates on the web.

Textpattern Integrated Design Environment, download provided for those wishing to test the template mechanism.

txpide.zip (502KB)

Warning, this shouldn't be run on a production site

• Textpattern r2253
  • The latest 4.0.5 SVN code, set the Default Uses page: and Uses style: in Admin → Sections to the template you're working with.
  • The $essential_forms array in /textpattern/include/txp_form.php was changed to protect the forms used as system defaults and un-protect those that weren't.
  • The forms with check boxes beside them in Admin → Forms can be safely deleted, there's a /templates/default backup folder included.
  • The sorting of forms in /textpattern/include/txp_forms.php was changed by removing the order by type asc, it just sorts by form name.
• EditArea 0.6.4
  • A nice TextArea replacement, click Toggle editor underneath the editing areas in the Pages, Forms, Style and Plugins Edit tabs.
  • The code needed to activate EditArea was added to /textpattern/lib/txplib_head.php.
  • Included in the /textpattern/editarea folder, slimmed down a bit.
• hcg_templates 0.3
  • Included in the /templates/mistylook/plugins folder.
• MistyLook 1.1
  • Included in the /templates/mistylook folder.

Running a local testing or templating environment

• XAMPP for Windows, XAMPP Lite is all you need to run Textpattern.
• MAMP for Mac OS X, cause Apple can't set up a LAMP stack?
• Debian Etch for Linux, help test RC2 of the GUI installer.

Any questions, suggestions, whatever, join the discussion at the forum.

TxP IDE is launched…