Forum Activity for @ken-rich

My Developer Tools skin cloner is not working right

Ning To Jamroom

Hi Strumelia,

This update should help with part of your problem.

Version 1.3.2:
- New: Clone Skin now properly copies customized Templates, CSS and Images to new skin

For the rest, this might help.

If you look in your file folders on the server (cpanel - publicHTML/skins), you should find all the old versions of Ningja, and the current one. If you have monkeyed with those at the file level (not just ACP) and you wish to restore to a pristine condition, I think you can try - yoursite/marketplace/admin/tools

There is a tool for reloading skins, and an archive for restoring older versions. I don't think that part of your dilemma is problematic.

What may be trouble, is that you didn't keep a record of your CSS changes. If they were done at the ACP level, no problem. They are in a file you can copy with the PHPAdmin function of your cpanel. Takes 2 minutes to grab them.

However, if you have been tweaking things in the actual files (at the server level) and not keeping track, I don't know what to suggest.

Unfortunately (and this is the crux of the matter), in order to benefit from all of Jamroom's mods to Ningja, there are only two possibilities.

1) You can try to find out what Jamroom's mods were, and add them to your clone.

2) Alternately, you can download the latest Ningja version (which has their mods) and then add your personal mods to it.

What I suggested to Brian, is that it might be better for us to have the "changeset" info, so we can tweak our clones, rather than work in the opposite direction and add our mods to new Ningja versions.
updated by @ken-rich: 12/31/14 12:51:07AM

My Developer Tools skin cloner is not working right

Ning To Jamroom

Ah - now that we've settled that, it leaves me with a request. Here is a real life illustration to make the need apparent.

Lets say one has made dozens, perhaps hundreds of changes. Some on templates, some in CSS files on the server. I'm up to dozens already, so hundreds is not far fetched.

Then let's say Jamroom comes out with an update that changes just a couple things. It would be easier to add those changes to my clone, rather than have to reapply dozens (perhaps hundreds) of mods to the new skin version.

Therefore, something kind of similar to the JR4 "changesets" might be useful. Or at least a little more detail to what it is Douglas is doing in the new version(s). What I have been seeing in the skin "changes" description is a little "sketchy".

What I am saying is this. It would be nice to have it more "idiot proof", so we can update our clones with full confidence. Then we won't have to work in the opposite direction, and have to update the new version(s) with our growing list of mods.

My Developer Tools skin cloner is not working right

Ning To Jamroom


Hi Brian,

That helps but only if Jamroom makes changes that show in the templates, and on update they announce which templates were altered.

However, CSS and Javacript changes don't necessarily appear in the templates, so how are we supposed to get those, assuming that we want to "sync" to the new updates? That's one thing that confuses me, it's almost like a changeset still needs to be provided, but it isn't.


The thing that I find confusing is that it's not really an update for us. The update is only for the old version we cloned from, it's not affecting our renamed cloned skin. So it's not really an update for us.

Not unless we are provided with a changeset, and detailed instructions on how to manually apply the update. The "changes" description that currently comes with an update is pretty "sketchy" at best. Just short one line statements that are not detailed instructions.

So one would be forced to look through all the templates for changes, but the CSS and Javascript changes wouldn't show there. There is no way for us to stay in sync with those under the current system.

Therefore (as far as I can see), if one wants to stay in sync with the new Jamroom updates, "PLUS" maintain mods of their own, the only viable option is to reapply one's mods to the new skin version.

Does that make sense?

My Developer Tools skin cloner is not working right

Ning To Jamroom

Well I'm pretty sure it's just something we are not "getting" about the concept. Probably because we are not programmers.

Maybe it's something the staff finds so elementary and obvious, that they don't see the need to elaborate? Like forgetting to tell a tourist about the one way street, because you have driven it that way all your life and now it's second nature.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but it appears to be a "hole" in understanding the "mechanics" of how it all works.

My Developer Tools skin cloner is not working right

Ning To Jamroom

I'm kind of in the same boat here, since cloning was not working correctly (and I never really understood the process anyway). So I have been modding the originals too.

My "work-a-round" has been to save copies of the altered templates, and manually put back the changes that were made. Style settings in the CSS files are particularly problematic, since many of them are not accessible in the ACP, and have to be done at the server file level.

So, now that the cloning tool is supposedly working correctly, I'm confused (even after reading the above) as to how I am supposed to "freeze" all my current ACP and cpanel file mods to a new skin, and go forward with the correct procedure.

These 3 tricks are what I have been finding useful so far.

1) Instead of the old "changesets" of JR4 (which only overwrote some files), it seems ( on updates) every file is given fresh in a new skin folder delineated by version number.

So, if you I made new templates, stored images, or modified files, those are now (at the server level) in the old folder but can be easily copied to the new one.

2) A CSS file can be accessed by PHP admin (under skin settings), which will INSTANTLY restore (if copied to the new skin) ALL the ACP generated style changes.

3) Keeping a record of all my mods, allows me to write them back manually when necessary.

==============================

I'm hoping the cloning tool can make these tricks unnecessary, but I'm having trouble grasping the concepts involved.

I mean, where are the ACP template mods stored. If "frozen" into a clone skin, are they no longer stored but only visible with the comparison tool?

The updated skin becomes the new original, so now do we use comparison to see the mods generated by the update itself, plus our own mods?

In other words, are we supposed to manually look for and install all the new updates to our clone?

What if they involve javascript, or CSS, that doesn't show in the templates? I don't understand how that can work.

The only thing that makes sense to me, is to add my modifications to the new version. Then I don't have to worry about what Jamroom changed. What am I missing?
updated by @ken-rich: 12/30/14 12:52:22PM

How to show different artist name?

Using Jamroom


I've tried writing it as {$item.audio_alternate_artist} but that is invisible the same as every other attempt I've made. I'm still not getting anywhere with this one.

No Volume Control in Mobile View

Using Jamroom


I managed to overcome the CSS difficulties and now have Ningja running in both admin and profile sections, with NingNova in theactive sectin.

Some internal and inline CSS with "!important" resolved the issues. Still no volume showing on mobile players though.
updated by @ken-rich: 12/29/14 05:35:20PM

No Volume Control in Mobile View

Using Jamroom

OK - I must have misunderstood Paul. No worries, I'll get to it eventually. I just got a couple other things higher up on the list.

No Volume Control in Mobile View

Using Jamroom

Hi Brian,

As I indicated above, I can't run Ningja in the admin section (ACP) because it messes with the CSS in NingNova2.

I don't know what the technical term is, but I call it "cross-pollination" of the CSS.

Link colors change and block titles are effected in such a way as to put a flat rectangle in the 3D headers.

I haven't had a chance to investigate, but Paul mentioned that one is not supposed to effect the other like that. That is something Jamroom has a checking process for, if I am understanding correctly.

BTW - Merry Christmas...

No Volume Control in Mobile View

Using Jamroom

I am using Ningja in profiles, Elastic in Admin, NingNova2 in Active.

I can't put Ningja in Admin, because it creates CSS issues with NingNova2.