Is SkinGraft a popular among MODx users?

Hi, this is Nick, writing from Tokyo, Japan.

Today I’d like to ask about a module "SkinGraft".

I think this module is really awsome, easy to install designing templates, so many MODx users, who don’t has a technical skill, can set up templates easily.

But in modxcms.com, there are few templates which are ready for SkinGraft ... only 9 templates are on the web.

So my questions are;

1) Is SkinGraft a popular among MODx users? How about you?
2) Will SkinGraft be a defalut module of MODx and will be ready when we install MODx package?
3) Are there any module like SkinGraft and easier than SkinGraft?
4) What is the problem about SkinGraft? Is this a stable module?

I am really wondering why people who use MODx aren’t aware of this awesome module, and there are few templates of SkinGraft.

I use it on my site, and all the templates that I am putting up on my site are SkinGraft-ready. But really, unless you’re going to have more than two or three templates, it’s not necessary. It’s kind of overkill to install a module merely to install one or two templates.

I believe that Revolution will have a template auto-installer, though.

Hello, Sottwell. Thank you for your comment.

Quote from: sottwell at May 25, 2009, 11:58 PM

I use it on my site, and all the templates that I am putting up on my site are SkinGraft-ready. But really, unless you’re going to have more than two or three templates, it’s not necessary. It’s kind of overkill to install a module merely to install one or two templates.

I believe that Revolution will have a template auto-installer, though.

I think that beginners of MODx will take an amount of time to understand how to install templates, so this module is really good for beginners.

One of advantages of WordPress is easiness of installing templates. Japanese users collects nice WP’s templates from all around the world and try to change their website’s and blog design.

So I think this module is very suitable for Japanese users, because with this module they can exchange their templates smoothly.

But I’m wondering whether there are some problems or demerits with this module.
If there is no problem, I would like to make some SkinGraft Ready templates for Japanese beginners.

(To tell the truth, I could install every SkinGraft-ready templates for my MODx Evo, but I couldn’t make an original SG package. I’m wondering what is the problem...)

The best way is to use the make package feature of SkinGraft. It will generate a skin.php file that you need to copy/paste from the SkinGraft page to a text editor and save.

Quote from: sottwell at May 26, 2009, 01:00 AM

The best way is to use the make package feature of SkinGraft. It will generate a skin.php file that you need to copy/paste from the SkinGraft page to a text editor and save.

Okay Sottwell, I didn’t intend to ask a technical support, but may I ask a favor?

For example I made a package with SkinGraft module and created a skin.php using simplebiz2, created by AMDbuolder.

Here is my zipfile, and I think it involves a skin.php, but my SkinGraft module don’t recognize as a validate SG file.

http://nick.heteml.jp/assets/simpbiz2.zip

Is there somthing wrong with my way?


Besides that, I will recommend SkinGraft for Japanese users.

Your skin.php file has extraneous carriage return after the closing ?> tag. Get rid of that and it works.

It’s also a good idea to name your SkinGraft archive so that it’s clear that it’s a SkinGraft-able template. I add .sg to the filename, such as template.sg.zip. I also make sure to archive it as a windows-compatible zip archive. I use a Mac, so I use an application called YemuZip that gives me options on how to create the archive.

Hello, Sottwell,

Thanks for your advise, but I can’t install my zip package in spite of removing return character...
Anyway, I somehow try again, and I will announce about SkinGraft amoung Japanese users.


Quote from: sottwell at May 26, 2009, 02:48 AM

Your skin.php file has extraneous carriage return after the closing ?> tag. Get rid of that and it works.

It’s also a good idea to name your SkinGraft archive so that it’s clear that it’s a SkinGraft-able template. I add .sg to the filename, such as template.sg.zip. I also make sure to archive it as a windows-compatible zip archive. I use a Mac, so I use an application called YemuZip that gives me options on how to create the archive.

Hm. When your zip file failed, I opened your .zip file, opened the skin.php file in my editor, deleted the extra line at the end (after the ?> tags), then re-zipped the package. It installed just fine. So maybe it had something to do with your zip program.

1) Is SkinGraft a popular among MODx users? How about you?

I’ve never considered it very popular which is why I never put the time into enabling my conversions. If there is a demand I will be happy to enable my conversions over the summer.

Oh, if you don’t mind please add the SG ready version to the repository for others or let me know and I will add it.

Thanks,
AMDbuilder

>Sottwell

After your advise, I try some way and found a strange thing.

When I download a SkinGraft ready template, like your "Chocolate", I can install the template package (of course, it’s a natural)

Then, I extract that and repackaged with Windows Xp’s default zipping program, and I tried to install again, but I couldn’t install the "Chocolate" package.

This is really strange thing. I tried other SkinGraft ready package and results are same.

This is really strange....



>AMDbuilder,

I like your templates and your works so much.
I like "Multi Flex" series and I once converted MultiFlex3 to MODx’ templates.
But I found you have done for MultiFlex series to MODx!
It’s really useful, and I would like to recommend your template works to Japanese users, and I also would like to repackage your templates to SkinGraft ready, but I have a trouble at very early stage...