Calling All Theme Developers!!!

Attention all developers!!!

• Do you have some nice designs that you would like to share, but are unsure about diving into all the .thtml files to create a complete theme?
• Are you interested in being part of the development of one of the fastest growing plugins for Geeklog?! 
• Want to cure cancer and develop world peace?!!  (okay, we can't promise that! ...But we can promise peace of mind to site admins not wanting to edit their theme by hand! :-)

As Chameleon nears another release, we are asking for your help!  We are looking for contributions of theme elements (called stylepacks) to be included in future releases of Chameleon!  Don't delay!  Contribute your style code today!  Read on for more details...

We are excited to see what contributions the Geeklog community can create.  Over the years, we have seen some great looking theme elements for Geeklog, and we believe that now is the time to roll up the best into one giant (tar) ball of goodness!

The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2008.  Once received, we will review the submissions and include the best stylepacks in the next release of Chameleon!  Here's some info to get started:

Stylepacks

What are stylepacks you ask?  They are snippets of CSS which change the look of a particular aspect of the Chameleon theme.  For instance, you could create a Menu stylepack, (similar to one of the 12 that are included in the current release), or you could create a Block stylepack, or if you are up for a challenge, you could create an entire Color Scheme stylepack!

How do I add a Stylepack?

You can grab the latest development snapshot of Chameleon at http://www.glfusion.org/chameleon-svn-nightly.tar.gz.  Once you install it in your development environment you will notice an additional tab to the right in the Chameleon admin interface titled Add StylePack.

Here you can select a Style Type, (Menu, Left Block, Right Block, or Color) and give it a Name and Description. Check the Manual Entry checkbox and then click Save.

This will create the necessary entries in your database, and also create a new folder for you to FTP your .css and thumbnail files into under the layout/chameleon/styles// directory.

Once the structure is setup, copy one of the existing styles' .css files into your new folder and start developing your new stylepack!  Once you have it tweaked to perfection, and have created the appropriate thumbnail image for the Chameleon Admin screen, zip up your new stylepack folder, along with the name and description, and send it  to us at glfusion.org! It's that easy!!!

Questions?

We're confident that you'll be able to find you way around Chameleon easily, but in the event you need some support while creating a stylepack, don't hesitate to post your question in the gllabs forum. We promise we'll get back to you right away.

You can also talk with other developers from around the world, live over the internet!  All you need is a microphone and speakers hooked up to your computer, and install the free TeamSpeak client and join our voice chat server at gllabs.instantts.com:8427.

The gl Labs team hosts this service free of charge, with the intent to boost productivity and help foster camaraderie among the Geeklog community.  We might not always be available to voice chat, but if you contact us in advance, we can definitely setup a time to talk.  Feel free to use it amongst your dev team today!

Welcome to the Developer Community at gl Labs

We focus on enhancing the Geeklog CMS through providing plugins, themes, add-ons, core code modifications, and more. We believe in thinking differently, in an open environment where all ideas are welcome.

Our resources are available to anyone that has an interest in enhancing Geeklog.  Many times we hear folks say, “I wish I knew PHP and could help.”  Well, now is your chance!  It’s true that most code development is done in PHP, but there are many other areas where your skills and interests are needed.

From plugin and theme creation, to graphic design, documentation, translation, and testing; your ideas, opinions, even evangelism and moral support are greatly needed.  The opportunities for involvement are endless and we have a home for anyone who is interested in helping out.  So jump in, share your ideas and bring your projects, roll up your sleeves and let's build something great together!  If you share the same ideals, and would like to join, just signup at glfusion.org and let us know you'd like to be part of the dev community!