Owen Leonard wrote:
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.
Yes, the above diff technique is one I have used for years, as an experienced programmer. I would not recommend the approach for others.
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.
Internationalisation and language neutrality are accomplished by requiring all text strings to be placed into a database of some sort, and only references to these strings by a stringID permitted in templates and source code.
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.
If you have a look at the Zen Garden of CSS <http://www.csszengarden.com/> and the ccs./edge site <http://meyerweb.com/eric/css/edge/index.html> you will see that (a) the content for Koha can be written in style- or display-neutral templates/XHTML (that is incidentally language neutral) and (b) use of CSS can be used to brand the Koha page to your own look and feel. But, this takes a lot of work and a lot of experience with CSS ... experience that I am slow to come by meself! cheers rickw -- _________________________________ Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services Any belief that can't stand up to objective scrutiny is hardly worth having. -- LJ McIntyre