...
This will enable anyone to translate the theme into his own language, using the internal translation tool, which you can find in the PrestaShop back-office, under the "Tools" tab and its "Translation" sub-tab. In the "Modify translations" section, use the drop-down menu, choose "Back Office translation", then click on the flag of the language you wish to translate strings into. All the back-office strings will then be displayed, and the strings for your theme are those whose sections are not prefixed with "Admin*".
Having data sent to a theme
PrestaShop uses a 3-tier architecture, in order to clearly separate concerns: it uses...
- a presentation tier: the user interface.
- an application tier: controls the data flow from and to the other two tiers. Also called "business tier".
- a data tier: the databases themselves.
(schema)
Thanks to the l() function, the hello.tpl file can display text in the user's language of choice.
Best practices
Here is a non-exhaustive list of best practices that you should follow when creating a theme:
- Do not mix XHTML and PHP code.
- Do not mix XHTML and CSS code, put the CSS code in a separate
.cssfile. - Always validate your XHTML and CSS code using the W3C validators: XHTML validator, CSS validator.
- Do not make SQL queries from a PHP controller ({{.php file at the root of PrestaShop); prefer the use of existing methods from the PrestaShop classes, or create new methods for these classes.
- Always check if a method you need does not already exist in the available classes.
- Always make sure to produce a clear and readable code, making it easy to maintain for anyone.
- Do comment your code, in English.
- When editing the theme on a production site, always first put the shop in maintenance mode via the back-office.
- Use modern browsers, such as Firefox, Google Chrome or Opera, and make sure your friends do too.
- Whenever possible, use CSS sprites (follow-up article.
- If you wish to thank PrestaShop team for its hard work, please consider donating, or spread the good word!
Creating your own theme
PrestaShop's default theme
The default theme was conceived in a neutral style, and as such can be use for just about any type of shop, independent of the industry. Moreover, this theme does its best to conform to web standards, as established by the W3C, and has been optimized to display efficiently in all major browsers.
That being said, you might want to have a theme that is really tailored to your website or online activity, rather than having the same theme as thousands of online shops. This is were you need to build your own theme – and the easiest way to do it is to use the default theme as a solid groundwork, or at least as inspiration.
First step towards your own theme
All currently-installed themes are found in the /themes folder, where your own will soon be too. the default theme is located in the /themes/prestashop sub-folder. This is the folder from which you will build your own theme.
That being said, it is highly discouraged to directly change the files for the default theme, the reason being that this could introduce news bugs and no way to go back. You need to keep the default theme intact, so that you can switch between your theme and the default one in order to find out if the issue you are seeing is tied to your theme, or to a bug in another part of PrestaShop.
The first step will therefore be to make a copy of the /prestashop sub-folder, and give that copy a unique name, for instance the name of your own theme or website. This way, the default theme remains intact.
File structure for a theme
When creating a theme, you have to think up front of all the various pages and pieces of information that your theme has to handle correctly, in order to offer a complete experience to your customer. Here again, the default theme is a good way to get inspiration, both in the variety of files it features and behaviors it caters for, but also in its code, which you can dive into in order to better understand how a theme works.
File or folder | Description |
|---|---|
preview.jpg | This image is used as a preview in the "Theme" selector in the "Preferences" > "Appearance" sub-tab. This image is mandatory, as without it the them cannot be selected. It should obviously reflect the theme's design, and not its logo or designer's name... |
404.tpl | Used when the requested page is not found (HTTP error 404). |
address.tpl | Used when adding or editing a client street address. |
addresses.tpl | Used when listing a client's street addresses. |
authentication.tpl | Used when identifying a user, or creating a new user account. |
best-sales.tpl | Used to list all best sale. |
breadcrumb.tpl | Used to find the navigation path, or breadcrumb trail. |
category.tpl | Used to list all products in a given category. |
category-tree-branch.tpl | Used only by the Category block. |
category-cms-tree-branch.tpl | ... |
cms.tpl | Used for informational pages ("Tools" > "CMS" sub-tab). |
contact-form.tpl | Used by the contact form. |
discount.tpl | Used when listing all discount tickets for a single client. |
errors.tpl | Used when displaying errors. Potentially called by all of the pages. |
footer.tpl | Page footer. |
guest-tracking.tpl | Used when a visitor has no know account on the site, but wants his order to be tracked – and therefore needs to create an account or log in. |
header.tpl | Page header |
history.tpl | Used when lsiting the order history of a client. |
identity.tpl | Used when a client edits his/her personal information. |
index.php | Blank file, prevents visitors to view the content of the folder. |
index.tpl | Welcome page. |
maintenance.tpl | Used when the site is in maintenance mode. |
manufacturer.tpl | Used when listing all products from a single manufacturer. |
manufacturer-list.tpl | Used when listing all manufacturers. |
my-account.tpl | Weclome page for a client's account. |
new-products.tpl | Used when listing the products that were last added to the cart. |
order-address.tpl | Used during the order process: Step 1, choosing the addesses (delivery, billing). |
order-carrier.tpl | Used during the order process: Step 2, choosing the carrier mode. |
order-confirmation.tpl | Used during the order process: Last step, confirming the order (after payment). |
order-detail.tpl | Used to display the content of a client's order. |
order-follow.tpl | Used when a client needs to ask for a product return. |
order-opc.tpl | ... |
order-opc-new-account.tpl | ... |
order-payment.tpl | Used during the order process: Step 3, choosing the payment mode. |
order-return.tpl | Used to display a client product return details. |
order-slip.tpl | Used to display a client's credit slips. |
order-steps.tpl | Order process progress bar. |
pagination.tpl | Used by all pages that list products. Displays the pagination button, enable to skip to the next/previous page of products. |
password.tpl | Used when a client needs to change his password. |
prices-drop.tpl | Used to list all current promotions. |
product.tpl | Used to display details for a single product. |
product-list.tpl | Used by all pages that list products. Displays the actual products list. |
product-sort.tpl | Used by all pages that list products. Displays a menu enabling to sort and filter products. |
products-comparison.tpl | ... |
scenes.tpl | Used to display a scene's details within a product category. |
search.tpl | Used to list results from a search query. |
shopping-cart.tpl | Used to list products in a client's cart. |
shopping-cart-product-line.tpl | Used to display from a single cart row. |
sitemap.tpl | Used to display the site map. |
store_infos.tpl | ... |
stores.tpl | ... |
supplier.tpl | Used to list all the products from a single supplier. |
supplier-list.tpl | Used to list all suppliers. |
thickbox.tpl | Used to zoom a products's picture. |
/cache | ... |
/css | Contains all style sheet files for the theme. The |
/img | Contains all of the theme's images. You should replace these images with your own adequate creations. If you do not know what to make of it, you should leave the original files. |
/js | Contains all of the theme's JavaScript files. Scripts JavaScript utilisés dans le thème. Unless you know exactly what you are doing, you should leave these files alone. |
/lang | Contains all translation files. These are generated by the back-office translation tool, and should not be edit directly. If a translation needs editing, go to the back-office, "Tools" tab, "Translation" sub-tab, "Modify translation" section, and choose "Front office translations". |
Customizing the default theme
...