The share folder: demo images, files and seed data
This page is for designers whose theme comes with demo content or needs database tables. share/ is the place for
data that is installed once rather than read on every request.
What real themes keep there
| Theme | share/ holds |
|---|---|
cjw_themes_jumper | content-images/, content-files/ (images and files of its demo content) |
sevenx_themes_media | db_schema.dba and db_data.dba (the tables and rows of its layouts) |
A .dba file is the kernel's database-independent format: an installer turns db_schema.dba into tables for
the database in use (SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB and others) and loads db_data.dba into them.
Step by step
- Decide what the theme needs installed: images for demo pages, sample documents, extra tables.
- Put images and files below
share/content-images/andshare/content-files/(or names of your own, documented inINSTALL.md). - For tables, let a RAD wizard write
share/db_schema.dbawhen it offers it, or generate it from a database with the kernel's schema tools. Keep schema and data in separate files. - Explain in
INSTALL.mdhow the data is installed and what it creates. - Before every release, list what is tracked:
git ls-files share/.
Rules
- Only files you may distribute. Demo photos need a license that allows redistribution (Creative Commons for images).
- No personal data. Seed data never contains real customers, users, email addresses or passwords.
- No backups. Copies such as
db_data.dba.bakbelong in your own backup, not in the repository; add them to.gitignore(A .gitignore for themes). - Keep it small. A theme downloaded by every installation should not carry hundreds of megabytes of images.
- Review data changes row by row, not by diff: a
.dbafile is an array, and removing one row renumbers all rows after it.
Related pages
- Demo content for a theme
- Bundling content class packages
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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