# TWiki Skins _Skins overlay regular templates to give different looks and feels to TWiki screens._
**<scriptname>.<skin>.tmpl**
. Skin files may also be defined in TWiki topics - see [[TWikiTemplates]] for details.
To start creating a new skin, copy the default [[TWikiTemplates]] (like `view.tmpl`), or copy an existing skin to use as a base for your own skin. You should only need to copy the files you intend to customise, as TWiki can be configured to fall back to another skin if a template is not defined in your skin. Name the files as described above (for example `view.myskin.tmpl`.
If you use [[PatternSkin]] as your starting point, and you want to modify the layout, colors or even the templates to suit your own needs, have a look first at the topics [[PatternSkinCustomization]] and [[PatternSkinCssCookbook]].
For your own TWiki skin you are encouraged to show a small 80x31 pixel [](http://twiki.org/) logo at the bottom of your skin:
``
The standard TWiki skins show the logo in the `%WEBCOPYRIGHT%` variable.
**_%X% Note:_** Two skin names have _reserved_ meanings; `text` skin, and skin names starting with `rss` have [[hard-coded meanings|Main/WebHome#HardCodedSkins]].
The following template files are used for TWiki screens, and are referenced in the TWiki core code. If a skin doesn't define its own version of a template file, then TWiki will fall back to the next skin in the skin path, or finally, to the default version of the template file.
(Certain template files are expected to provide certain TMPL:DEFs - these are listed in sub-bullets)
- `addform` - used to select a new form for a topic
- `attachagain` - used when refreshing an existing attachment
- `attachnew` - used when attaching a new file to a topic
- `attachtables` - defines the format of attachments at the bottom of the standard topic view
- `ATTACH:files:footer`, `ATTACH:files:header`, `ATTACH:files:row`, `ATTACH:versions:footer`, `ATTACH:versions:header`, `ATTACH:versions:row`
- `changeform` - used to change the form in a topic
- `changes` - used by the `changes` script
- `edit` - used for the edit screen
- `form`
- `formtables` - used to defined the format of forms
- `FORM:display:footer`, `FORM:display:header`, `FORM:display:row`
- `login` - used for loggin in when using the TemplateLoginManager
- `LOG_IN`, `LOG_IN_BANNER`, `LOG_OUT`, `LOGGED_IN_BANNER`, `NEW_USER_NOTE`, `UNRECOGNISED_USER`
- `moveattachment` - used when moving an attachment
- `oopsaccessdenied` - used to format Access Denied messages
- `no_such_topic`, `no_such_web`, `only_group`, `topic_access`
- `oopsattention` - used to format Attention messages
- `already_exists`, `bad_email`, `bad_ver_code`, `bad_wikiname`, `base_web_missing`, `confirm`, `created_web`, `delete_err`, `invalid_web_color`, `invalid_web_name`, `in_a_group`, `mandatory_field`, `merge_notice`, `missing_action`, `missing_fields`, `move_err`, `missing_action`, `no_form_def`, `no_users_to_reset`, `notwikiuser`, `oversized_upload`, `password_changed`, `password_mismatch`, `problem_adding`, `remove_user_done`, `rename_err`, `rename_not_wikiword`, `rename_topic_exists`, `rename_web_err`, `rename_web_exists`, `rename_web_prerequisites`, `reset_bad`, `reset_ok`, `save_error`, `send_mail_error`, `thanks`, `topic_exists`, `unrecognized_action`, `upload_name_changed`, `web_creation_error`, `web_exists`, `web_missing`, `wrong_password`, `zero_size_upload`
- `oopschangelanguage` - used to prompt for a new language when internationalisation is enabled
- `oopsgeneric` - a basic dialog for user information; provides "ok" button only
- `oopslanguagechanged` - used to confirm a new language when internationalisation is enabled
- `oopsleaseconflict` - used to format lease Conflict messages
- `lease_active`, `lease_old`
- `preview` - used for previewing edited topics before saving
- `rdiff` - used for viewing topic differences
- `registernotify` - used by the user registration system
- `registernotifyadmin` - used by the user registration system
- `rename` - used when renaming a topic
- `renameconfirm` - used when renaming a topic
- `renamedelete` - used when renaming a topic
- `renameweb` - used when renaming a web
- `renamewebconfirm` - used when renaming a web
- `renamewebdelete` - used when renaming a web
- `searchbookview` - used to format inline search results in book view
- `searchformat` - used to format inline search results
- `search` - used by the `search` CGI script
- `settings`
- `view` - used by the `view` CGI script
- `viewprint` - used to create the printable view
`twiki.tmpl` is a master template conventionally used by other templates, but not used directly by code.
**_%X% Note:_** Make sure templates do not end with a newline. Any newline will expand to an empty `` in the generated html. It will produce invalid html, and may break the page layout.
### Partial customisation, or adding in new features to an existing skin
You can use recusion in the TMPL:INCLUDE chain (eg twiki.classic.tmpl contains `%TMPL:INCLUDE{"twiki"}%`, the templating system will include the next twiki.SKIN in the skin path. For example, to create a customisation of pattern skin, where you _only_ want to remove the edit & WYSIWYG buttons from view page, you create only a `view.yourlocal.tmpl`:
%TMPL:INCLUDE{"view"}%
%TMPL:DEF{"edit_topic_link"}%%TMPL:END%
%TMPL:DEF{"edit_wysiwyg_link"}%%TMPL:END%
and then set `SKIN=yourlocal,pattern`.
Because [[ClassicSkin]] and the default templates use the same Template definition names, you can over-ride the edit links in them (or any skin derived from them) using the same `view.yourlocal.tmpl` (just set SKIN=yourlocal,classic either in %USERSWEB%.TWikiPreferences for globally, or a Web's Webname.WebPreferences for a particular web)
## Variables in Skins
You can use [[template variables|Main/TWikiTemplates#TemplateVariables]], [[TWikiVariables]], and other predefined variables to compose your skins. Some commonly used variables in skins:
Variable: | Expanded to: |
---|---|
%WEBLOGONAME% |
Filename of web logo |
%WEBLOGOIMG% |
Image URL of web logo |
%WEBLOGOURL% |
Link of web logo |
%WEBLOGOALT% |
Alt text of web logo |
%WIKILOGOURL% |
Link of page logo |
%WIKILOGOIMG% |
Image URL of page logo |
%WIKILOGOALT% |
Alt text of page logo |
%WEBBGCOLOR% |
Web-specific background color, defined in the [[Main/WebPreferences]] |
%WIKITOOLNAME% |
The name of your TWiki site |
%SCRIPTURL% |
The script URL of TWiki |
%SCRIPTURLPATH% |
The script URL path |
%SCRIPTSUFFIX% |
The script suffix, ex: .pl , .cgi |
%WEB% |
The name of the current web. |
%TOPIC% |
The name of the current topic. |
%WEBTOPICLIST% |
Common links of current web, defined in the [[Main/WebPreferences]]. It includes a [[Main/WebHome#GoBox]] |
%TEXT% |
The topic text, e.g. the content that can be edited |
%META{"form"}% |
[[Main/TWikiForms]], if any |
%META{"attachments"}% |
[[Main/FileAttachment]] table |
%META{"parent"}% |
The topic parent |
%EDITTOPIC% |
Edit link |
%REVTITLE% |
The revision title, if any, ex: (r1.6) |
%REVINFO% |
Revision info, ex: r1.6 - 24 Dec 2002 - 08:12 GMT - Main.admin |
%WEBCOPYRIGHT% |
Copyright notice, defined in the [[Main/WebPreferences]] |
%BROADCASTMESSAGE% |
Broadcast message at the beginning of your view template, can be used to alert users of scheduled downtimes; can be set in [[Main/TWikiPreferences]] |
Macro | Description |
---|---|
ATTACH:files:header |
Standard title bar |
ATTACH:files:row |
Standard row |
ATTACH:files:footer |
Footer for all screens |
ATTACH:files:header:A |
Title bar for upload screens, with attributes column |
ATTACH:files:row:A |
Row for upload screen |
ATTACH:files:footer:A |
Footer for all screens |
Macro | Description |
---|---|
ATTACH:versions:header |
Header for versions table on upload screen |
ATTACH:versions:row |
Row format for versions table on upload screen |
ATTACH:versions:footer |
Footer for versions table on upload screen |
Tag | Description |
---|---|
%A_URL% |
viewfile URL that will recover the file |
%A_REV% |
Revision of this file |
%A_ICON% |
A file icon suitable for representing the attachment content |
%A_FILE% |
The name of the file. To get the 'pub' url of the file, use %PUBURL%/%WEB%/%TOPIC%/%A_FILE% |
%A_SIZE% |
The size of the file |
%A_DATE% |
The date the file was uploaded |
%A_USER% |
The user who uploaded it |
%A_COMMENT% |
The comment they put in when uploading it |
%A_ATTRS% |
The attributes of the file as seen on the upload screen e.g "h" for a hidden file |