Re: Re: HomePage configuration
>Thank you for responding.
No problem.
> >... I would use a "Tiki" file for the homepages, that is, either create a
> wiki page to be your home page ...
>I'm sorry, but I'm having trouble understanding this. I know I can create another page linked from the HomePage, e.g., PublicHomePage, but I'm not sure how to assign that new page to a specific URL that I can then reference as the public site.
In General Preferences (tiki-admin.php?page=general), you can select "Use URI as homepage" and then indicate the address of the file. This will be your site's homepage. Or you can select a Tiki section for the home page. I'm not sure what the default list is that shows up for this item. On my site I see Wiki, Articles and Custom Homepage listed along with a blog and an image gallery. Anyway, you could choose one of these types to be the home page, as well.
>I also understand that from the Admin->Wiki page, I can specify a different name for the HomePage, but I don't see how that solves my problem either.
Right, you need to go up a level, so to speak, to decide even whether or not you want a wiki page as your home page.
>If I create a new file in the tiki directory, I'm not sure what that file should be called, what contents are expected, and how I associate it with the tikiwiki HomePage.
Well, you'd designate it as your home page in Admin General Preferences as I described above. Now, this file could be anything, so the question is what you want to offer to your visitors. What Tiki content features do you want to use?
>None of the standard themes apply, so I will create my own.
I assume you are familiar with the suggested procedure for making a new Tiki theme; i.e., start with an existing theme and modify it. But if it's function that you want to control rather than appearance, I think you should look more at the configuration possibilities for various user groups rather than at themes, which are really more for determining page layout than site functionality.
>I didn't think I could use the same theme for the admin and public pages as there won't be a login option from the public pages.
The log-in box is just a module, and it can be configured so that Anonymous visitors don't see it. (Check the Modules menu item under Admin (Click me!). You could enable the log-in module for your Admin and other member groups but not for public viewers. Of course this could be problematic if you or another "admin" person comes to the site without a cookie set or session active; then you'd be anonymous as well and would see no login box. In this case you'll want to remember this address: tiki-login_scr.php. But is a log-in form on the public index page really objectionable?
> Without a login, you can act on user preferences and display different themes or pages, so I think they have to be distinct.
I'm not sure what you mean here.
>There is also interesting information of the admin pages that I wouldn't want on the public pages
Right, but this is in the realm of permissions, not themes. Have you looked at Tiki's permissions system to see how this works? See "Groups" in the Admin menu. Public visitors don't see Tiki admin pages, by default. And anything you add to the site can be made inaccessible to the public. Again, the permissions system is the key here; are you clear on how to use it?
-- Gary