Geeklog Forums

There's posting here that supposedly contains a number of "themes" for GL.

I say it that way because here's a quote from the posting:

QUOTE


This is the old set of standard themes (Classic, Clean, Digital Monchrome, Gameserver, Smooth Blue, XSilver, Yahoo), updated and ready for use with Geeklog 1.3.10 and 1.3.11.

END QUOTE

Note that it not only is plural, but it even mentions specific themes by name, exactly 7 of them.

So I download the file, extract it and find an undifferentiated batch of dozens of files. Undifferentiated in that there are no folders that indicate they represent 7 themes.

In looking at the files I see some with the word "gameserver" in their name. And there are none with a single one of the other 6 themes promised in the message that offers the download.

So the first question that comes to mind is, "What do I really have here?" Looks like a single theme. Yet the download promised 7. Are there 6 other downloads somewhere?

Then I open the extentionless "READ ME" (way too much fun finding an editor for it) and information that it is for the XSILVER theme. So is this the XSilver theme or the Gamesmaker theme? Who knows. Nothing in the file makes that clear.

And of course, there's not a screen shot in a thousand miles. Among other things it mentions black text against a dark background. Another design by a 14 year old who thinks black on blue is so kewell?

By now I'm skeptical that there's joy at the end of these murky activities. But, in for penny, etc. . . . I do the upload, in line with the installation advice in the readme.

QUOTE

Option 2. Extract package locally and upload the theme folder "XSilver" into
your layout directory.

END QUOTE

That it. So that should be all I have to do if the instructions are complete and accurate. That's another example of what I mean about the problems of literal reading. I'm naive enough to think that an instruction is supposed to have both characteristics.

So having done exactly that, having followed that instruction exactly, I should now be able to open GL and find this new theme being used.

You, dear reader, being wiser and more experienced, know better . . . Nothing at all happens when I reopen the GL site. Same old Professional theme.

So I look at READ ME option #1. It suggests that I should be able to click on preferences and find this new theme as one of the choices. Maybe it was "assumed" that I would know that also applies to Option 2.

Of course that's not true. The Preferences screen, even after refreshing, mentions not a word about a choice of themes.

Am I disappointed? Yes.

Am I surprised? No.

Over the years I've gotten all too familiar with software installation instructions that are poorly written, incomplete, inaccurate and misleading. This is just another time wasting example.

Maybe my having posted this will help someone else avoid the same waste of time and effort.

Of course I am still bemused by the 6 themes that are supposedly in the download. I wonder if it was ever true?

There are 7 themes in that tarball and they are neatly separated into 7 directories.

Check the options in whatever you're using to unpack the tarball and make sure it unpacks directories as well.

bye, Dirk

Dirk,

Thank you for the heads up. I had used JustZipIt, an otherwise excellent and free tool (http://free-backup-software.net/index.htm) that has always worked well for me - until now.

Based on your response I extracted the download again, this time using WAR - and discovered you are exactly right.

I'm hoping that the installation instructions are more effective than those I got the first time.

Thank you for your help.