Pattern skin

Creating your own look

If you want to make more changes than the themes on this page allow, you have the option to change CSS files and templates to make changes (small or large).

Template customization

Pattern Skin Customization - how to configure page elements.

Style sheet customization

Pattern Skin Css Cookbook - how to customize the visual style.

Changing graphics

The original Photoshop files of the skin graphics (mainly background images) are attached to Pattern Skin Graphics.

Top, Bottom and Left Bar customization

Most will customise top, bottom, and left bars.

• Topic System.WebTopBar defines the content of the top bar. If this topic does not exist the topic System.WebTopBarExample will define the top bar. Foswiki does not ship with a WebTopBar topic so by creating this topic as a copy of WebTopBarExample and customizing the copy, you will not later risk that upgrading Foswiki will overwrite your top bar. The top bar is common for all webs.
• Topic System.WebBottomBar defines the content of the bottom bar. If this topic does not exist the topic System.WebBottomBarExample will define the bottom bar. Foswiki does not ship with a WebBottomBar topic so by creating this topic as a copy of WebBottomBarExample and customizing the copy, you will not later risk that upgrading Foswiki will overwrite your bottom bar. The bottom bar is common for all webs.
• Topic WebLeftBar defines the content of the left bar. Each web has its own WebLeftBar. If this topic does not exist the topic WebLeftBarExample will define the left bar. Foswiki does not ship with WebLeftBar topics so by creating these topics as copies of WebLeftBarExample and customizing the copies, you will not later risk that upgrading Foswiki will overwrite your left bars. You can choose to display the WebLeftBar on the right side of the screen.

See these topics for more information: Web Left Bar Cookbook, Web Left Bar Example, Web Left Bar Login, Web Left Bar Personal Template, Web Left Bar Search, Web Left Bar Webs List, Web Top Bar Example, and Web Bottom Bar Example.

Installation

Note: You do not need to install anything on the browser to use this skin. The following instructions are for the administrator who installs the skin on the server where Foswiki is running.

Note 2: PatternSkin is included with Foswiki by default. Use the following instructions only if you are upgrading PatternSkin.

• Download the ZIP file from the Skin Home page (see below)
• Unzip PatternSkin.zip in your Foswiki installation directory
• Test if installed
• For skin activation see System.Skins

To set pattern skin as default (site wide) skin, use these settings in Main.Site Preferences:

• Global skin styles. To change the look of the site, point these variables to custom CSS attachments.
  • Set FOSWIKI_LAYOUT_URL = /pub/System/PatternSkinTheme/layout.css
  • Set FOSWIKI_STYLE_URL = /pub/System/PatternSkinTheme/style.css
  • Set FOSWIKI_COLORS_URL = /pub/System/PatternSkinTheme/colors.css

• Themes that add upon the global skin styles. Choose from the Theme Browser at Pattern Skin.
  • Set PATTERNSKIN_THEME_VARIANT = /pub/System/PatternSkinTheme/variant_foswiki_noframe.css
  • Set PATTERNSKIN_COLUMNS = /pub/System/PatternSkinTheme/column_left.css

• The topic that defines the main and meta navigation. See Pattern Skin Horizontal Navigation Example. Not defined for default pattern skin.
  • Set PATTERNSKIN_NAVIGATION_TOPIC =

• Overriding styles that add upon the global and theme styles. Enabled by default but empty to prevent browsers from fetching %USERLAYOUTURL%-style URLs.
  • Set USERLAYOUTURL =
  • Set USERSTYLEURL =
  • Set USERCOLORSURL =
  • Set WEBHEADERART =
  • Set WEBHEADERBGCOLOR =

Troubleshooting

If you have set the SKIN setting to pattern and you still don't see the layout as on the screenshot, a few settings in may have been disabled.

Check these preference settings here:

• FOSWIKI_LAYOUT_URL = /pub/System/PatternSkinTheme/layout.css
• FOSWIKI_STYLE_URL = /pub/System/PatternSkinTheme/style.css
• FOSWIKI_COLORS_URL = /pub/System/PatternSkinTheme/colors.css
• SKIN = macospolplatform

If FOSWIKI_LAYOUT_URL or FOSWIKI_STYLE_URL don't give a value or point to non-existing files, check in Default Preferences and in Site Preferences that the following preferences do exist and that they are set to on:

   * %SYSTEMWEB%.PatternSkin settings:
      * Set FOSWIKI_LAYOUT_URL = %PUBURLPATH%/%SYSTEMWEB%/PatternSkinTheme/layout.css
      * Set FOSWIKI_STYLE_URL = %PUBURLPATH%/%SYSTEMWEB%/PatternSkinTheme/style.css
      * Set FOSWIKI_COLORS_URL = %PUBURLPATH%/%SYSTEMWEB%/PatternSkinTheme/colors.css

NOTE: customization of these values should be done in Main.Site Preferences

If this still does not work, contact the administrator who installs skins.

For further troubleshooting and feedback, go to http://foswiki.org/Support/PatternSkin.

All PatternSkin topics

• Pattern Skin Theme
• Pattern Skin Theme 2009
• Pattern Skin Theme Fat Willy
• Pattern Skin Css
• Pattern Skin Css Cookbook
• Pattern Skin Css Cookbook Center Page
• Pattern Skin Css Cookbook Edit Table Style
• Pattern Skin Css Cookbook Fonts
• Pattern Skin Css Cookbook No Left Bar
• Pattern Skin Css Cookbook No Top Bar
• Pattern Skin Customization
• Pattern Skin Graphics
• Web Bottom Bar? (not distributed with Foswiki)
• Web Bottom Bar Example
• Web Left Bar (not distributed with Foswiki)
• Web Left Bar Cookbook
• Web Left Bar Example
• Web Left Bar Login
• Web Left Bar Personal Template
• Web Left Bar Search
• Web Left Bar Webs List
• Web Top Bar? (not distributed with Foswiki)
• Web Top Bar Example