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We will review it and check if it contain a special installation or special framework.

Completed the template testing on the latest version (1.2.77 & patches 1.2.78)

The Artisteer templates work well
I can install global and local templates into a slave (create template directory and use "special copy")

Discovery only works if you DON'T create a local template directory. It works fine as long as you use a symbolic link to the template directory in the master.

Issue 1: If I create a new global template and want to deploy it to the master so all slaves can use it, I cannot if I also want them to have slave site specific options for their templates.

Issue 2: Using the Discovery method requires access to the Extensions Manager which is a security issue for me. Even if I modify security etc to limit them to access only Discovery (which is not currently possible by design) they will still discover the components etc I have uninstalled from their site. Can we manage template installation from JMS Multi Site like we do components, modules, etc?

Note: If you setup in your template to create a local template directory you do not need to set the "create deploy directory if it does not exist" option. It will create the directory even if not set.

If you want that a specific slave site be able to install a template, you need to setup the JMS Template rule with the "template folder" = {deploy_dir}/templates

In this case, if you make a copy of the templates directory, you will have a physical directory for your slave site and it will be possible to your slave site to install any joomla templates.

This "discover" functionality is something introduced by joomla when they decided to save some template information into the DB when it is installed. Therefore the joomla templates are not more automatically detected like in joomla 1.5 and must be "discovered".

I tested with the template rule and without. I can send you the use cases I used to test the templates, but lets suffice it to say I tested all possible permutations I was directly interested in.

I can get local templates working, using the template rule etc. What I have an issue with at the moment is a specific use case:

"Slave created using both templates from Master and locally installed templates (special copy for template directory & {deploy_dir}\templates set for template/theme directory) now needs to use a new template installed in the master"

Minor edit here: Actual template directories will work like this:

Master only contains default templates as part of version 2.5
Slave site will be setup as above, symbolic to master templates with local template directory
Next Slave site will be based off first Slave, same template config. This will put a symbolic link to all templates in teh master & the first Slave site (I confirmed this works as expeced)
The second slave site will also have local directory with local template capabilities.

All of this works as I desire, except for teh Discovery issue.

This is where I would expect to use discovery, but since the Discovery functionality looks to the template directory, if I have a locally created directory it will not traverse up to the Master. Now if I don't have a local templates directory (symbolic link) it will locate the newly installed template and I can install it.

I have not tested, but thinking that if I create a symbolic link manually in the template directory of the slave pointing to the new template it might work. This is only feasible as a temporary workaround at best.

Bigger issue is the use of Joomla's Discovery capability opens a security risk, allowing Slave owners access to the Extensions Manager. I would rather avoid this.

A better solution would be to add the installation of templates to your "tools" tab. Provides more positive control and eliminates the need to give slave site owners access to the Extensions Manager

Concerning the idea to create a symbolic link in the templates directory, you can do it.
This is one of the scenario that you have with JMS when you setup a rule with action = "special copy" and "template folder" = {deploy_dir}.
So you will discover the other templates.

Concerning your request to have a new "templates" tab in the JMS Tool, we will have a look to add that in a new version of JMS (1.3).

ok, thanks