Coding a PhpBB Skin...

[Captain Tycoon]

Ok, well i couldn't find any good tutorials that will show how to code a design to work in Photoshop. I don't have the slightest idea where to start Can you help?

[dojo]

Well ...

First we make a unique layout in Photoshop.

Then we merge the layers and save the flatten file as something different. NEVER save over the layered version, you'll hate yourself. Always have the "sources" and the flat design.

We open Dreamweaver or Notepad .. We start creating tables and think about the css options for the body. We'll then use them to integrate on the css for the subsilver theme.

Create a HTML design of the forum and the you'll just add the code into the template files.

I always work with subsilver, since it's the default skin and the "norm" for further modifications that are installed. The files that control my design:

overall_header.tpl (in templates/subsilver) - headers
overall_footer.tpl (templates/subsilver) - footer
index_body.tpl (templates/subsilver) - the index file.

These are the main ones. You can modify other pages, by opening them and making the changes.

I have a problem with subsilver and that would be the fact they still keep the css code in the overall_header.tpl file. That's not ok since even if I make changes on the subsilver.css file, they are not seen. That made me delete the CSS tags in the overall_header.tpl and put the following code into the header:

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="subsilver.css">

I save all my css tags in the file called subsilver.css (or maybe another name if I want, making the change in the overall header too (subsilver turns into thenameofmytheme) ...

Then open images and change them, make changes in the css you just defined and enjoy your unique design.

This is for phpBB 2.0 .. didn't yet work on 3.0, but I hear it kinad works similar.

[Providence]

That's nice indeed. I have never worked on PHPBB skins ( I never tried ). I only changed images.

[dojo]

That's the first step

I also started from there, then made some small header changes and then, before you knew I made my own themes