keep the original file in your home directory... and then simply use a copy in /var/www/koha/<whichever path is requires>/ then after the upgrade copy the original back to the koha path.
Yes, that is the trivial case: just replace the new files from the distro with your templates.
But what if (subtle) changes have been made to the templates in the new version?
This is an issue that continues to arise for folks who want to modify templates or develop their own. Currently, there is no simple way to track changes between versions with regards to the templates. The only reliable method is to diff the current and previous version of the standard template (default and npl /should/ always be up to date), and apply the relevant differences to your custom template. Anyone who is interested in developing their own custom template is welcome to contribute it to the project. This might be helpful because you could then use Koha's versioning system to manage the history and updates to your templates. It's my understanding that some large projects use a system wherein all pieces of translatable text are separated out from the template in a master variables list which can then be updated independently of the templates. Koha has a translation script which I suppose could also be used to alter terminology within the same language. Regardless, translation of strings is only one aspect of the template customization process. I think all web applications require a lot of care and attention on the part of template developers. There's just no simple way to automatically update a custom template to conform to changes to the scripts. -- Owen -- Web Developer Nelsonville Public Library http://www.athenscounty.lib.oh.us