Bundling content class packages with a theme #

This page is for designers whose templates are written for particular content classes. A full view template for event is useless on a site that has no event class; shipping the class with the theme solves that.

A real example #

sevenx_themes_simple ships 20 content class packages in packages/, one per class, for example article-1.0-1.ezpkg, blog_post-1.0-1.ezpkg, event_calendar-1.1-1.ezpkg, frontpage-1.0-1.ezpkg and product-1.0-1.ezpkg. The file name is <package name>-<version>-<release>.ezpkg.

Step by step: make the packages #

1. On a development installation, create or adjust the content classes your templates need.

2. Open Setup > Packages > Create new package and choose Content class export (The package creator wizard). Tick one class, fill name, version and license, and finish. One package per class keeps them independent; one package for all is simpler to install.

3. Download each package from its page (Download), or export it on the command line:

   php ezpm.php export article -d extension/mytheme/packages

4. Check each archive: tar tzf extension/mytheme/packages/article-1.0-1.ezpkg | head lists package.xml and an ezcontentclass/ folder.

5. Commit the files and list them in INSTALL.md.

Step by step: what your users do #

1. Import a package: php ezpm.php import extension/mytheme/packages/article-1.0-1.ezpkg, or upload it on Setup > Packages > Import new package.
2. Install it from its page (Install). A class that already exists asks how to handle the conflict.
3. Clear the caches.

Write these steps into your INSTALL.md with your real file names.

Good practice #

• Use class identifiers that are unlikely to clash, or reuse the common ones (article, folder) on purpose and say so.
• Raise the package version when the class changes, and record it in the theme's changelog.
• Never export content that holds personal data as part of a theme.

Related pages #

• What an Exponential package (.ezpkg) is
• Exporting and importing with ezpm
• Packages guide
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.