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Theme Authors: Theme Approval Guidelines

Started by Gary, September 27, 2007, 10:15:40 PM

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Dannii

Quote from: IchBin™ on June 21, 2008, 04:44:45 PM
A change and addition to the guidelines has been made. Please make sure you are following the guidelines. Thank you.
Would you mind detailing the change?
"Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise."

forsakenlad

The two points have been modified like this:

- Themes must not violate copyrights
Authors of themes that make use of resources created by others need to make sure they are respecting the license of those items. If a license for an item you want to use is not posted, you must contact the creator and obtain permission. If a copyright violation is reported about a theme you have posted, the theme will be removed until you fix the infringement. Repeated instances may result in a permanent ban from posting themes.

-Use of Simple Machines default artwork
You have permission to use the artwork that is bundled with SMF for use in custom themes for the system. Use of the artwork in other software must be approved by Simple Machines LLC.
Eren "forsakenlad" Yaşarkurt
SMF Friend & Former Team Member

Antechinus

I have a question about attribution. I'll soon be submitting OutlineMulti and I've used some brushes from places like Brusheezy.com

These are free for non-profit use but some of them are under Creative Commons, so require the creators to be given credit. I'm fine with this, in fact I think they deserve it, but as it's a multicolour theme (eight variations currently) there are a few people needing credit and it'd make a pig's breakfast of the standard copyright area in the footer.

Would it be cool to put the attribution in theme.info.xml so that the linkbacks were displayed with the theme details on the selection page under Profile/Look and layout preferences/Current theme ?

There's plenty of space here and it could look cool while still giving credit where it's due.

Thanks.  :)

forsakenlad

Well I believe that would be ok. Creative Commons doesn't state that the credit should be visible on all the pages of the application. Mostly an included text file giving credit is ok too.
Eren "forsakenlad" Yaşarkurt
SMF Friend & Former Team Member

Antechinus

Cool. Personally I'd rather put it in theme.info because that way the public can see the credits, which is after all the whole idea. Otherwise only the admins get to see them. It'll only add another clean line of text under the existing theme description anyway.

IchBin™

You better make sure thats all they require though. :)
IchBin™        TinyPortal

Antechinus

Good point. If they require linkback on every page I'll think of some alternative way of displaying it. One possibility would be to have all the credit links shown on a pop-up that's clickable from a single link in the footer.  Anyway I'll ask and see what they say. There'll be some way of keeping everyone happy.

One other point had occurred to me as well. I'd like to use a couple (not many) of custom language strings. I know these are meant to go in their own Mods file but if possible I'd prefer to not introduce this as one of the things that's great about Outline is that many mods will install without editing since it's closely based on the default. If I have it right introducing the extra file will mean more messing around for anyone who wants to mod the theme.

Would it be permissible to code them into the theme itself, as long as I provide details of exactly where they are and what the standard string is (in case people would rather use that)?

If that's not ok I'll leave the strings standard and provide info on what I'd use myself and where to put it. Personally I can't support any language other than English anyway.


Deaks

we actually do prefer them going into languages/ThemeString.language.php (example ThemeStrings.english.php)

for this you just need to add

/* Call to Theme String for language's  */
loadLanguage('ThemeStrings');


into the index.template.php most people put it after

/* Show sticky and lock status seperate from topic icons? */
$settings['seperate_sticky_lock'] = true;


so it looks like

/* Show sticky and lock status seperate from topic icons? */
$settings['seperate_sticky_lock'] = true;

/* Call to Theme String for language's  */
loadLanguage('ThemeStrings');


and the ThemeStrings.language.php would simply say

<?php
// Version: 1.1; ThemeStrings
$txt['something'] = 'Your Strings set out like this';
?>



not that difficult really :)
~~~~
Former SMF Project Manager
Former SMF Customizer

"For as lang as hunner o us is in life, in nae wey
will we thole the Soothron tae owergang us. In truth it isna for glory, or wealth, or
honours that we fecht, but for freedom alane, that nae honest cheil gies up but wi life
itsel."

Rumbaar

Darn wish I'd had that knowledge when I created mine, I use includes to pull the default Modifications.english.php into my custom one.  But ThemeStrings method is much better.  I might have to go back and 'fix' mine.  Thx RunicWarrior.
"An important reward for a job well done is a personal sense of worthwhile achievement."

[ Themes ]

Antechinus

#49
Awesome. That'll rock and wont cause any dramas with mods. Thanks Runic. I'll do it that way.
I'll get emails out to the creators of the brushes as well so there's no holdups on that front.

ETA: And who's the nutter that thought of the magic llama?   ;D

Deaks

the llama has been out longer than ive been a member it has been around before smf
~~~~
Former SMF Project Manager
Former SMF Customizer

"For as lang as hunner o us is in life, in nae wey
will we thole the Soothron tae owergang us. In truth it isna for glory, or wealth, or
honours that we fecht, but for freedom alane, that nae honest cheil gies up but wi life
itsel."

Antechinus

Quote from: RunicWarrior on July 25, 2008, 08:02:46 PM
we actually do prefer them going into languages/ThemeString.language.php (example ThemeStrings.english.php)

for this you just need to add

/* Call to Theme String for language's  */
loadLanguage('ThemeStrings');


into the index.template.php most people put it after

/* Show sticky and lock status seperate from topic icons? */
$settings['seperate_sticky_lock'] = true;


so it looks like

/* Show sticky and lock status seperate from topic icons? */
$settings['seperate_sticky_lock'] = true;

/* Call to Theme String for language's  */
loadLanguage('ThemeStrings');


and the ThemeStrings.language.php would simply say

<?php
// Version: 1.1; ThemeStrings
$txt['something'] = 'Your Strings set out like this';
?>



not that difficult really :)
I'm getting something really weird with this. I'll start a separate thread for it.

Antechinus

#52
I'd like to make a request of the Theme Approval team. Would it be possible to check theme zips for Thumbs.db files before approving them? These can bloat a theme zip quite substantially, which makes a difference for people on either slow, dialup connections or on satellite connections that charge ruthlessly for excess usage. Go on. Ask me how I know. ;) 

All it'd require is a quick look in the images folder and a message to the theme author. Apart from the upload and download side of it I just have an aversion to unnecessary rubbish in my server and desktop, so I always delete the Thumbs.db files from anything I zip or rar.

PS: Oh yeah, the weirdness mentioned in my previous post was just a parse error. All fixed now.

Antechinus

Got another question: if I submit a theme for approval how stupid a browser does it have to function with?
Reason I'm asking is because the work I'm doing at the moment is all based on Outline and it turns out (just found out today after checking Browsershots.org) that IE_5.5 messes up Outline's layout.

Can I assume that any theme that is fine with IE6 will be ok for approval, as long as it functions with other browsers as well?

Gary

I personally only check the big four, with their latest versions (with Firefox being the exception as I still use Firefox 2), Opera, IE 7 (Because of using Vista) and Safari.
Gary M. Gadsdon
Do NOT PM me unless I say so
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Antechinus

Ok, thanks. Those ones are no trouble at all and even most of the obscure ones are fine.
Stand by for more work.  ;D

Antechinus

Question re OutlineOmega: when I get the compliance sorted do I just upload another copy on the same page or do I have to notify someone somehow?

Smoky "Rider" Blue

you upload and then reply to a previous response from them ;)
**Take the time to remember friendships and family.. Sometimes it's all we have, and missed very much**

forsakenlad

Same page :) And please continue theme approval discussions for spesific themes through personal messages.
Eren "forsakenlad" Yaşarkurt
SMF Friend & Former Team Member

Antechinus

Ok. I was under the impression that I was not supposed to pm the team. Under what circumstances do you accept pm's without any penalty?

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