Customizing SMF > Graphics and Templates

calling home from within a theme

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Arantor:

--- Quote ---That's why I'm asking for the official answer. I don't want to spend time doing something that would let to disprove my work.

--- End quote ---

It is doubtful you will receive an official answer until you actually try it. If you were to ask about everything that isn't in the rules, you'll be waiting until Hell freezes over because the rules are deliberately not that strict.


--- Quote ---Are you saying that the theme/mod may be dissaproved because someone 'feels' some sort of functionality is not necessary? Are you for real now?
--- End quote ---

No, I'm asking you if you feel the functionality is actually necessary. Most people don't update a theme much after it's been installed unless the theme is buggy, and even then they come back here to report the bug and see if there's been an update.

Plus there are a lot of issues related to updating themes so people don't bother - and thus having a 'has this been updated' check is often unnecessary.

The 'is it really necessary' stage is important because it's balancing a trade-off. If there is a problem with the theme, people come back here, and it reflects on SMF and its team, especially if they approve something that is potentially dangerous.

What happens if your site is compromised and people get their forums hacked? (This is not entirely a hypothetical question. It can and has happened before) Are you going to be the one who the users come after for help? No, they're going to come here and not really after you. On the basis of that, the team are the ones who have to make a judgement call whether this should be done.

There's no rule for it because it's not possible to write a rule book for every single thing that someone could or could not do. Thus a little intelligence is applied, and if there is code that generates a security risk, it's going to fail approval. And if that code is a lot of work for a feature that is impractical and no-one is going to use it, is it worth the effort?

Here's the thing: I've been on the approval team, seen some insanity in what people do and I'm trying to help you avoid burning a lot of time and effort on something that probably won't be appreciated in the real world out here, rather than your black and white hypothetical one.

Orangine:

--- Quote ---It is doubtful you will receive an official answer until you actually try it. If you were to ask about everything that isn't in the rules, you'll be waiting until Hell freezes over because the rules are deliberately not that strict.
--- End quote ---
Now you're making me cry. After all it's just a simple question, I'm still hoping someone will jump in and say 'hell yeah, just do it'.
Thanks for your time thou:)

Arantor:

--- Quote ---Now you're making me cry. After all it's just a simple question, I'm still hoping someone will jump in and say 'hell yeah, just do it'.
Thanks for your time thou:)
--- End quote ---

You mean the time I spent after you asked me if I was for real?

It's not a simple question, that's the point. I personally think you're looking to burn a lot of time on something that really isn't necessary, but if you feel you need to (because you think you're going to update it a lot and don't give two hoots about the inconvenience on users), go do it. How you go about it may be a secure method, it may not, but we won't know until you try it.

(Hint: SimplePortal updates quite regularly. I do not think it is likely your theme will do so as regularly, and I do not think people will be willing to update their theme as regularly as SimplePortal does.)

Orangine:
So far the plans are extensive, and I want to roll the updates over time. And as for the SP 'regular' updates:
2.3.3 released Nov 5th, 2010
2.3.4 released Nov 25th, 2011
2.3.5 released Mar 27th, 2012

Regularly - yes. Often - no.

Arantor:
*shrug* I can remember when it was more regular.

Here's the thing: people customise their themes. They will not want to keep reinstalling their theme which will require them to reinstall the mods they have onto those themes. Also, people get their site looking a certain way, they don't want it to change, they want it to stay how it is.

The history of how people use themes on their sites does not agree with your plan, and it will put people off over time, rather than encourage them to use your work.

Someone uninstalling and updating SP is a relatively minor task. Someone updating their theme potentially makes a LOT more work for users. (It was not all that long ago, for example, that mods had to update index.template.php to add a menu button. Now imagine that people have to re-edit their theme every time you do an update, for every mod they have like that.)

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