NatSkinFAQ

The documentation of NatSkin is crap. I'm lost!

If you need help there are a couple of options:

• Create a support request on TWiki:Support/WebHome.
• Explain the problem on TWiki:Plugins/NatSkinDev.
• Join the #twiki IRC channel and ask for help.
• Contact the WikiRing in case you need professional support.

In any case helping out improving documentation, fixing bugs, helping others with the same problems is very welcome.

Why does NatSkin depend on so many extra plugins?

Because some things can't be done with the inventory being shipped with standard TWiki. A lot of the plugins once have been an integral part of the NatSkinPlugin and then been externalized into plugins of their own for the greater benefit. This tendency is still ongoing.

It does not work (on my TWiki/Cairo installation).

NatSkin once supported TWiki-2 (Beijing), TWiki-3 (Cairo) and TWiki-4 (Dakar) but has dropped support for Beijing and Cairo since version 3.0. If you still need NatSkin on a legacy TWiki installation then try NatSkin v2.9999, NatSkinPlugin v2.9998.

Why are there so many template files?

NatSkin does not build upon the standard templates/skin of TWiki as it differs substantially in the way it is broken up into components. Therefor every function of the core engine will use a *.nat.tmpl file. Infact, the NatSkin templates are created to provide an independent base for further template modifications. See the discussion on TWiki:Codev/ConsolidateSkinTemplates.

Can I disable offsite link detection?

No. Missing feature to make this feature optional.

I can't change the colors of TWikiTables using the TablePlugin.

Yes, this is a known issue. NatSkin styles TWikiTables matching the selected style and thus overrides the html attributes the TablePlugin sets. This can only be resolved by teaching the TablePlugin css. In addition it must be able to distinguish global defaults, being overridable by the skin's css, from user-defined table properties. See the discussion at TWiki:Codev/CompleteCssControlofTWikiTables.

Why is the sidebar switched off during edit?

In case you use STYLEBORDERS = thin NatSkin will automatically disable the sidebar during edit not to narrow the text area even more. Try a different setting for STYLEBORDERS and you will have the sidebar during edit showing the help information again.

I can't finish editing!

Most probably you clicked on "Save" which saved your changes but keept you in the edit process. If you want to save&quit click on "Done". Have a look at a comparison of the topic actions in the next FAQ.

Why are the topic actions named differently compared to standard TWiki?

Here is a comparison of the differences:

NatSkin	PatternSkin	Description
Preview	Preview	preview changes after editing
Cancel	Cancel	abandon changes and exit
Undo	n/a	abandon changes and continue editing
n/a	Quiet Save	save changes "quietly"
Save	Checkpoint	save changes and continue editing
Done	Save	save changes and exit

NatSkin's tries to be at least a bit closer to the terminology known from standard desktop applications.

Does NatSkin support QuietSave?

This TWiki feature confuses more than provide any added value and has thus been removed from the edit page to simplify the interface.

Why are there different actions in the attachment table?

The table column of the attachments table has the title "Actions". In standard TWiki, the only thing that you can do per attachment here one action: "manage". The things that you can do with attachments is

1. changing their properties (comments, attributes),
2. moving (which is used for deleting also) and
3. creatinga link to it in the topic text.

NatSkin tries to ease the standard use cases making them accessible with less mouse clicks, meanwhile not cluttering the interface. That's why there's "props, move" and not only "manage".

How do I create a custom style for NatSkin?

How do I create a custom header art?

How do I restrict the possible choice of styles and variations?