XF 1.2 Style updates and template comparisons

[Code Monkey]

How are style updates supposed to work with this new feature in XF 1.2?

When updating a style I expected to get template change notices and would be able to merge them. Instead the old style was completely wiped out by the style update with no template changes listed. All changes were gone. I notice styles don't have version numbers. It's a real pain if this is how it is supposed to be.

 

[Code Monkey]

This is how I see it.

1. Xenforo releases an update.
2. You wait to update till you make sure your addons and styles are compatible.
3. You update XF.
4. You update any addons that need updates and you will see template changes and you can merge templates.
5. You update the style when the style creator releases an update. At this time, you are not shown the template changes. It wipes out the old style.

It seems to me it has all to do with styles not keeping version numbers in XF.

It also seems to me from comments here that basically, there is no need to update styles anymore. Step 5 can be skipped. You can just do the template merges when you update XF and be done with it.

Thanks for the informative comments. I think I got it now. Things that need to be done are different now that there are template comparisons.

 

[TPerry]

Yes but then when you update the style when it's updated you don't get that. And I'm not "on about" anything and this is not a complaint. I am simply asking questions about XF so I can better understand what I need to do. That's what this forum is for right?

Simple solution is as @Russ outlined

Install your premium style base (if it has one)
Install the premium style itself
Make a child style off the premium style
Make all you mods to the child style you created off the premium style

When an update for your premium style comes out, just overwrite the premium (and base if necessary). Your child style will warn you of any template differences needing to be merged.
This has been working since 1.2 BETA and using PixelExit's styles on 2 forums I have.

 

[Code Monkey]

Simple solution is as @Russ outlined

Install your premium style base (if it has one)
Install the premium style itself
Make a child style off the premium style
Make all you mods to the child style you created off the premium style

When an update for your premium style comes out, just overwrite the premium (and base if necessary). Your child style will warn you of any template differences needing to be merged.
This has been working since 1.2 BETA and using PixelExit's styles on 2 forums I have.

Yes I understand that. But it's a workaround not a solution. The style system should work directly with the new comparison feature IMO.

I'll probably do that from now on. But I am wondering if it's better to just update XF and then do the style changes directly then. If you are going to do it for a child then you might as well skip the style update and do the merges right when you update XF itself.

 

[TPerry]

Yes I understand that. But it's a workaround not a solution. The style system should work directly with the new comparison feature IMO.

Actually it depends on which end you look at it from. For folks coming from other software it is a paradigm shift. If you've been working with xenForo long it actually makes more sense. This way you can have multiple child styles off your original premium one (say one pink, one green, one blue, one for Christmas, one for halloween ad nauseum) and you are only going to have to worry about updating the prime base and premium style and the (if necessary) perform simple merges. I actually prefer this method over some of the other forum softwares I have used.