Installing themes

Superlite themes can be installed from the theme library or manually from a ZIP package.

Once a theme has been installed, it appears under Appearance and can be previewed, activated and used to rebuild the public website.

Installing a theme does not change your pages, media, navigation or SEO information.

Opening themes

Open Appearance in the Superlite administration interface.

The installed themes are shown here together with information such as the theme name, version and preview where one is available.

From this section you can also access available themes and theme updates.

Installing a theme from the theme library

Open Appearance and go to Add themes or Updates.

Superlite retrieves the themes that are currently available for installation.

Select the theme you want to install.

Superlite downloads the theme package, checks it and installs the files in the theme directory.

After installation, the theme becomes available under Appearance.

Installing the theme does not automatically mean that it becomes active.

You can review it before deciding to use it on the public website.

Installing a theme from ZIP

You can also install a theme manually if you have received a Superlite theme as a ZIP package.

Open:

Appearance → Templates → Install theme from ZIP

Select the ZIP file from your computer and upload it.

Superlite checks the package before installing it.

A valid theme package must contain the files and theme information required by Superlite.

If the package is invalid or requires a Superlite version that is not installed, the installation may be rejected.

Theme compatibility

Themes can specify a minimum or compatible Superlite version.

For example, a theme may require a particular Superlite release because it uses functionality introduced in that version.

If your installed version of Superlite does not meet the requirement, update Superlite before installing or activating the theme.

Do not ignore compatibility warnings. A theme built for a newer CMS version may depend on functions that do not exist in an older installation.

Previewing an installed theme

A theme can include a preview image.

When a preview is available, you can open it from the theme listing before activating the theme.

The preview shows the intended visual style of the theme.

It is not an exact preview of your own website. Your site will use your own pages, navigation, images and settings when it is rebuilt with the theme.

A theme can also work without a preview image.

Activating a theme

After installing a theme, select it under Appearance and choose the activation option.

Superlite then uses that theme when generating public pages.

Because a theme can affect the appearance of the entire website, activating it should normally be followed by a full rebuild.

Use:

Activate and rebuild

when this option is presented.

Superlite then generates the public website again using the newly selected theme.

What happens to your content

Installing or activating a theme does not replace your content.

Your pages remain stored separately from the theme.

The same applies to:

• Media
• Navigation
• SEO information
• Redirects
• Site settings that are not specific to the theme

The theme receives this information when Superlite generates the public website.

This is why the same website can be rebuilt with a different theme without recreating the pages.

Theme specific settings

A theme can provide its own settings.

After installing and activating a new theme, review the available settings under Appearance.

Depending on the theme, these can include options such as:

• Logo
• Accent colour
• Header settings
• Footer settings
• Other presentation options

Different themes can provide different settings.

If you switch to another theme, settings that belong only to the previous theme may no longer affect the public website.

Updating a theme

Superlite can detect newer versions of themes that are available through the theme repository.

Open Appearance and go to the available updates.

If a newer version exists, Superlite can show that an update is available.

Choose the update option to install the newer version.

The update replaces the files belonging to that theme but does not replace your site content.

Rebuilding after an update

A theme update can change templates, CSS or other files used to generate the website.

After updating a theme, rebuild the site so that the generated public files use the new version.

If the update only affects files that are served directly, the visible change may already be available, but rebuilding is still a useful way to make sure the generated site matches the installed theme version.

Updating a theme manually

A newer version of a theme can also be installed from a ZIP package.

Use the theme installation function and upload the new package.

The package should use the same theme identity and a newer version number.

Superlite can then replace the installed theme files with the updated version.

Your pages and media are not stored inside the theme and should therefore remain unchanged.

Theme versions

Each theme has its own version number.

This is independent of the Superlite version.

For example, you can have one version of Superlite installed while using version 1.2.0 of a particular theme.

Theme version numbers help Superlite determine whether an update is newer than the version already installed.

They are also useful when troubleshooting because they make it possible to identify exactly which release of a theme is being used.

Theme previews after an update

A theme update can also include a new preview image.

If the theme developer has added or replaced the preview, the new image should become available in the Appearance section after the update.

The preview is part of the theme package and does not affect the actual content or design settings of your website.

Testing a new theme

Before making significant changes to a live website, review the theme preview and available settings.

After activation and rebuild, check the important parts of the public site.

Pay particular attention to:

• Main navigation
• Homepage
• Page content
• Images
• Headings
• Footer
• Mobile layout
• SEO metadata where appropriate

Themes can present the same content in different ways, so it is useful to check more than one page after switching.

Switching back to another theme

Installed themes remain available unless they are removed.

If a new theme does not work as expected, open Appearance and activate another installed theme.

Rebuild the website using that theme.

Because the content is stored separately, switching back does not require you to recreate your pages.

Removing a theme

A theme that is no longer needed can be removed where this option is available.

Do not remove the currently active theme.

Activate another theme first and rebuild the website.

Removing a theme deletes the theme files, not the pages and media stored by Superlite.

Only remove a theme when you are certain that you no longer need that version.