Re: Why does editing the "tiki.tpl" file not work for me?
The place you put your edit might be the problem. As far as I know, div dir="rtl" somehow enables right-to-left languages and may not be displayed directly. Try putting your edit within div id="tiki-main".
Also, you may need to refresh the page or flush the caches (System Admin - tiki-admin_system.php) before seeing the effect of edits.
-- Gary zukakakina.com