XF 1.2 Merging can only be done by hand

[florencia]

The custom template is out of date but has been edited more recently than the parent. Merging can only be done by hand.

what do I need to do to merge by hand? I'm not a code expert. There isn't any addon for this?

 

[Paul B]

You will need to compare your edited template with the default template and merge your customisations into it.

 

[florencia]

yes, but how do i merge it? i don't understand. can you do it for me?

 

[Paul B]

Copy your customisations to the new default template.

 

[florencia]

in outdated i have form.css and xenforo.css, i select all copy, fo to default and select all and paste it. but i still see them on outdated.

 

[Paul B]

Take a backup of your custom (outdated templates).
Revert the outdated templates.
Add your customisations back to the templates.

 

[mistypants]

When this happens to me I find using something like DiffNow very useful. However, it seems you're editing CSS templates -- it's a lot easier to customize the CSS through EXTRA.css.

 

[florencia]

the diffnow is very cool mistypants, thank you. I will try to find some info on how to work with extra.css - I just create this file and copy and paste the code I want to change and it will have priority over the other css templates?

 

[tommydamic68]

What happens if you just leave them as is and do not merge by hand ?

 

[Paul B]

They will remain outdated.

 

[tommydamic68]

They will remain outdated.

And what effects on the site?

 

[Paul B]

http://xenforo.com/community/threads/frequently-asked-questions.5183/#post-180455

 

[tommydamic68]

http://xenforo.com/community/threads/frequently-asked-questions.5183/#post-180455

I am still a bit confused on this. here is an example below, the changes appear highlighted in green in red? however the re dblock has no content there - what changed? a space? how do I now fix the template issue? remove the changes, save it and add back in after save?

 

[florencia]

good point. I was also confused. I just saved the templates without doing anything and the merge message now its gone. No idea what I did. Its very confusing to do all this manually. You have to be a full time developer to manage Xenforo and the styles, and addons, and upgrades and setting up pages with HTML code. I wish it was more like word press, specially the page editor wisiwig.

 

[tommydamic68]

good point. I was also confused. I just saved the templates without doing anything and the merge message now its gone. No idea what I did. Its very confusing to do all this manually. You have to be a full time developer to manage Xenforo and the styles, and addons, and upgrades and setting up pages with HTML code. I wish it was more like word press, specially the page editor wisiwig.

If you used the merge feature, I believe your custom changes would still be there but just merged into the new updated template. If you "reverted" the template only, any custom changes would not be saved.

 

[tommydamic68]

the problem here is, how do you distinguish templates edits from Xenforo updates, to add ons, from my own edits. Unless I was a computerized robot, how could you possibly know what changes I made a year ago. The system seems very confusing and not very adaptive…

 

[Paul B]

Only edited templates will ever be marked as outdated.
Therefore it will only ever be ones which you have edited.

Unless I was a computerized robot, how could you possibly know what changes I made a year ago.

Have you ever considered being a little more organized and taking notes?
How do you possibly run and maintain a site with no record of changes you have made?

 

[Martok]

the problem here is, how do you distinguish templates edits from Xenforo updates, to add ons, from my own edits. Unless I was a computerized robot, how could you possibly know what changes I made a year ago. The system seems very confusing and not very adaptive…

You mean, you don't add comments in with any changes you make in templates for ease of tracking and future reference?

*EDIT* Ninja'd by Brogan

I add comments in any templates for changes that I make (in fact I add a comment at the start and a comment at the end to show exactly what the edited code is). In addition I keep a separate record of all template edits, so that if there was a disaster and my site was unrecoverable, I could create them all again when starting from scratch.

 

[tommydamic68]

You mean, you don't add comments in with any changes you make in templates for ease of tracking and future reference?

*EDIT* Ninja'd by Brogan

I add comments in any templates for changes that I make (in fact I add a comment at the start and a comment at the end to show exactly what the edited code is). In addition I keep a separate record of all template edits, so that if there was a disaster and my site was unrecoverable, I could create them all again when starting from scratch.

Good idea @Martok - that should be in the instructions that came in the box...

 

[tommydamic68]

Only edited templates will ever be marked as outdated.
Therefore it will only ever be ones which you have edited.


Have you ever considered being a little more organized and taking notes?
How do you possibly run and maintain a site with no record of changes you have made?

Luck…?