Theme Catalog

Installing a theme

Once you have downloaded a theme from the Addons online store, it's up to you have it installed on your PrestaShop site.

Installing using PrestaShop's theme installer

This is the recommended method, as it preserves all the blocks' positions on their respective hooks.

PrestaShop has a native theme importer, which you can reach from the "Themes" page, under the "Preferences" menu. Click the "Add new theme" button at the top of the screen (not the "Add new" button above the list of themes, which is used to create a new theme). This screen presents you with 3 methods to install (or "import") a new module: from your computer, from a public website, or from your own FTP server. It also gives you a method to create a new theme from scratch.

Importing a theme

Whatever the method, the process remains the same: indicate the location of the theme's Zip archive, then click "Next".

A quick summary is displayed in the next page, indicating what that importer is about to do.

Click "Next" again to validate your choice. The theme is now installed, and PrestaShop asks you if you wish to install modules that were imported along with the theme, what you would rather do with the current modules configuration, and how you would like the images configuration to be taken into account.

Click "Next" one last time. A final confirmation page presents you with all the changes applied to your PrestaShop site. Click "Finish" to end the process.

Installing using a FTP client

This method is not recommended, but is still available. Use with caution: your blocks might not have the expected position on their respective hooks.

To install a new PrestaShop theme via FTP:

1. Unzip (decompress) the theme archive file (.zip). This should result in at least one new local folder, /themes, containing your theme's folder(s).
2. Using your FTP client, place the theme's folder (as found in the local /themes folder) online in your PrestaShop /themes folder. Pay attention NOT to upload that folder in another theme's folder (which can happen when drag-and-dropping items). Upload the whole folder, not just the files it contains.
3. (optional) If the theme's archive contains a second /modules folder, it means your new theme comes bundled with modules that are specific to it, or necessary for it to run properly. Using your FTP client, place the folder(s) found in the local /modules folder online in your PrestaShop /modules folder. If your online PrestaShop install already has a module of the same name, try to only keep the most recent version of the two (the one with the most recent files). If unsure, keep the version bundled with the theme, as it is the most likely to work best with it.
4. Go to your back office, in the "Themes" page under the "Preferences" menu.
5. Select the new theme in place of the current theme, by clicking on the radio button then clicking "Save".
6. Your theme is now in place.
7. (optional) If the theme came with modules, activate them on the back office's "Modules" page, then configure them if need be.

Many themes come with an accompanying Install.txt file, which gives you instructions. Make sure to follow them in order to not forget anything.

Once configuration is complete, be sure to test the theme immediately, every page of it, to confirm that it works as planned. Do try to make a full order, from A to Z – you wouldn't want to miss orders just because you didn't notice the theme was incomplete!

Exporting a theme

Exporting a theme is very useful when you want either to back the theme up for safety, and create an archive of the theme for a friend or in order to make it available on the Addons marketplace (http://addons.prestashop.com/). Not only does it generate a complete Zip archive of your theme, but it also adds many information in an XML files, which is very useful both when uploading to Addons, and when importing to another PrestaShop site.

Just as for theme importation, there are two ways to export a theme: using PrestaShop's own exporter, or using the one from the Theme Installator module:

• PrestaShop's exporter: click on the "Export theme" button at the top of the "Themes" page (in the "Preferences" menu).
• Theme Installator's exporter: open the module's configuration page, then go to the "Export a theme" section.

Select a theme and click on "Export this theme". A configuration form appears where you can set the exported themes parameters: author, theme name, compatibility version, attached modules (if any), etc.

Once all the parameters are correctly set, click on "Generate the archive now". You will quickly get a file to download from your browser. Save it on your hard-drive, then give the save file a proper name. From there on, you can easily share this theme, and if it is your own creation, you can start selling it on PrestaShop's Addons website at http://addons.prestashop.com/.