In our Admin (ACP) page for managing skin templates, there is now a template compare button which is described in documentation here:
www.jamroom.net/the-jamroom-network/documentation/jamroom-admin-handbook/2394/using-the-compare-tool-to-keep-cloned-skins-up-to-date
By default, when we look at the skin templates, we will be looking at the following URL
/core/skin_admin/templates/skin="your skin"
When we land on this page, the box at upper right shows the current active skin, and the skins menu at left also shows the current active skin, under the menu category "General". At this point, the skin is being compared with itself. As a result, the compare buttons are all faded out because nothing is different.
(It might be useful, as guidance, if the box at upper right could have a fixed label, such as "Choose other skin for comparison". The skin selected in this box is the skin being used for comparison, while the skin in the menu at left is the skin that will be changed if we decide to "save changes" using the compare tool).
So what is the next step?
In my case, my most recent clone was created on 5th May 2018. When I select the Ninja skin in the "Choose other..." box at upper right, every template is different from the corresponding template of the current Ningja skin, which I have kept up to date.
If I "Save changes" in every instance, using the compare tool, will this convert my active skin to the Ninja skin, and delete all customisations?
The compare tool is certainly useful for highlighting templates that have changed, but it does not discriminate between:
(1) templates that have changed because the original JR source skin has changed (and only because of this).
(2) templates that have changed because the cloned skin has been customised (and only because of this).
(3) templates that have changed because the original JR source skin has changed AND the cloned skin has been customised.
Can the compare tool be color coded to make these distinctions? e.g. (1) = green, (2) = red, and (3) = yellow.
Then, as someone who cannot judge what the template codes actually do, or give time to this, I could safely press the green buttons and save the changes, and ignore the red buttons (stop - go no further!).
In the case of the yellow buttons, I would know that the situation is complicated, and could ask for technical support to decide whether or not to save the changes.
--
PJ Matthews, Kyoto
Migrated from Ning 2.0. Now at Jamroom 6 beta and using Jamroom Hosting for The Research Cooperative (researchcooperative.org)
updated by @researchcooperative: 08/14/19 09:11:50PM
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