Hi!

This may be the time to begin to deliver Basic with a STARTERKIT like Zen and Fusion? With an increasing number of users and D7 coming up this would be a good help for developers to separate their own modifications from the Basic theme. And just like everything else we like about Basic this could be stripped down to an absolute minimum of only three files:

  • basicstarter.info. Very much a copy of the basic.info but with the name = basicstarter and the new line base theme = basic. There's only one css-file: stylesheets[all][] = mystyle.css
  • mystyles.css whith only one style to start with: the Region Colors with a comment on how to override the original ones in basic/css/styles.css
  • README.txt that tells you to move the STARTERKIT outside the Basic folder. How to override tpl-files by copying them form the Basic theme folder. And where to read more about sub-themes: http://drupal.org/node/225125.

Bad things can happen when using PluginManager or Drush to update sites. It's good to separate Basic from the modifications.

All best / Henrik

Comments

kiphaas7’s picture

kiphaas7 commented

Not really. Once you remove the project line in your info, update won't recognise it as basic anymore.

hs@henrikstrindberg.se’s picture

hs@henrikstrindberg.se commented

Right, and you also also want the version number line and the core line. But they will already be there if you copy and modify the basic.info file. Change the name line, add the base theme line, exclude the stylesheets and include your own, add regions and skins if you're using skinr 6.x-1.5...

Anonymous’s picture

Anonymous (not verified) commented

A subtheme is easy enough to make, and there is plenty of documentation about this. Some user don't want to make a subtheme. I'm not convinced it's really necessary.

hs@henrikstrindberg.se’s picture

hs@henrikstrindberg.se commented

You are doing great with Basic! The updates are one reason for me not touch Basic but to use subthemes.

Reusability is another reason. There are styles and regions that I always add to Basic. Easy if I keep them in a subtheme. Complicated if I work the way the Basic README file describes ("UPDATING BASIC").

imclean’s picture

imclean commented

The focus of Basic theme is a little different to something like Zen. Once you've modified the theme it's no longer Basic, it's your theme. If it does what you want it to do there's really no need to update it with another Basic install.

If you'd like some additional features you can always copy them from the latest Basic release, but generally it isn't necessary.

There's also no need to leave the version in the .info file unless you're going to be using your theme as a starting point for other themes.

I'm also not convinced subthemes are the best way to go for Basic.

jm.federico’s picture

jm.federico commented

May I say I love this theme and I use it the way it is recommended, I just change it to my hearts content and forget it is basic anymore!

I worked with ZEN for a while and although a goos theme, it became to bloated for me!

Great theme!!!!

SteveK’s picture

SteveK commented
Status: Active » Closed (won't fix)

I'm closing this issue because the purpose of Basic is to grant ownership of the theme to its creator - not the drupal maintainers :)