I am replying to this thread because there is no other discussion of how to create template clone extensions, and because this thread is BOTH outdated and wrong.
AbanteCart is designed to be customizable. If you want to customize the look of your AbanteCart site, the proper way to do it is to clone the Default template into a new template extension, and then customize the clone.
In theory, template extensions are protected from future software updates. If you just modify the Default template layouts, your customizations will be overwritten during future software updates.
SOME PROBLEMS:
1 - The 1st page of this thread is so outdated that you cannot use it. The admin actions described on the 1st page cannot be performed on the current admin interface.
2 - The page 4 Oct 2016 rvalani instructions for creating a cloned template extension are more relevant for current versions of AbanteCart, but they are still not correct nor complete.
3 - If you try to create a clone template extension, you cannot get timely or intelligent support from this forum.
4 - There is no AbanteCart documentation in the User Manual that describes how to create a clone template extension.
A PARTIAL SOLUTION:
I partially succeeded in creating a clone template extension.
Here are the steps I used:
1.) Install Extension Development Tool from github dot com/abantecart/
b. Use the green box to download zip file. Unzip the file into a new folder in your work area. It will have 3 versions of the developer_tools. Choose one.
c. In the chosen version: Open the /code/extensions/ folder. You will see a developer_tools folder.
d. Copy the developer_tools folder to your AbanteCart extensions folder.
e. Go to the site backend Extensions / All Extensions tab. Locate developer_tools and click the button that looks like a play button to install the tools.
f. Then set the status of the tools extension to ON.
g. If successful, you will now have a new "Extension Developer Tools" tab in the System section of your backend.
2.) Clone the default template (this will simultaneously create a new extension):
a. Go to Design / Templates on your backend. You will see all available templates. Clone the Default template by clicking its double-square clone icon.
b. Select Clone to Extension.
c. Select Full Clone type so that it will include CSS, Javascripts etc.
d. Choose a Name (Title) and unique identifier, then click the Clone Template button.
3.) Assign the new template clone to the new extension:
a. Go to Extensions / All Extensions - locate the newly created extension.
b. Click the Edit button to edit the new extension, click the Additional Settings tab.
c. On the upper left, select the new clone from the dropdown menu (hover = "Edit Template Settings").
d. Scroll down and click Save.
4.) Set the storefront to use the new template:
a. Go back to Design / Templates, click the "on / off" radio button of the new template to set it as the active storefront template.
5.) Theoretically, step 4 will cause your storefront to use your new clone-template extension. Theoretically, you can go to Design / Layouts, choose the new template, then click the Save icon, and your store frontend would be built from the new template. Theoretically, you can go to Design / Layout and start making changes to any layout you see in the dropdown menu, and then click the Save icon, then reload the frontend and you would see your layout changes. Then, theoretically you would smile and start customizing the layouts and maybe even the css file associated with the new template, and soon, your site would look like your site instead of looking like the Default AbanteCart template.
MORE PROBLEMS:
1 - Step 5 above does not work. When you finish Step 4, you can make changes to the new template and Save, but the changes will not show up on your frontend. You can navigate away from the Layout page to any other part of the admin backend, then return to Design / Layouts, and when you return, you will see that the system has reverted to the Default template. There is no way to select your new template and then have it stay selected. It's really weird. If I choose a template and then Save, I expect the system to continue to use my template, not revert back to using its default template every time I leave the Layout page.
2 - Step 3b above simply takes you to the same place as Design / Templates / Edit button. You cannot do anything here to force the AbanteCart system to begin using your new template. Instead, it just reverts back to the old Default template every time you visit the Design Layouts page.
MORE SOLUTIONS?:
On another thread (topic,5433.0.html); josmun had exactly the same problem. His ultimate solution was to create 3 clones, and then voila!, he said it started working! Okaaay.
Basara and other AbanteCart admins said nothing else. There was no discussion of what was wrong or how to fix it. I think that the user is now supposed to repeat the clone process until something works, and then be happy. I guess.
After losing way too may hours on STEP 1 of trying to make Abantecart work, I decided to try the josmun approach. I cloned the Default AGAIN. This is what I discovered: When I TURN ON clone2, the Design / Layouts page is now stuck on CLONE1. ! :-)
Example: goto Design / Template. Use the radio button to TURN ON Clone2. goto Design / Layouts, look at the dropdown box for 'Select template'. It says Clone1.
Click the dropdown box, change it to Clone2, or to Default, then click the Save button. Navigate anywhere else within admin backend, then go back to Design / Layouts. The dropdown box will say Clone1. IT REVERTED BACK TO CLONE1!!
Here is the best part: If I make Clone2 the active template in Design / Template, my frontend now shows the changes I made to the layouts for Clone1.
So, as near as I can tell, if you want to customize AbanteCart by cloning the Default template into a new extension, you must clone the Default once, then make all of your customizations to the layouts of Clone1, then Save, then clone the Default template AGAIN, then select the Clone2 template as the active template, and only then will the Clone1 customizations show on the frontend.
I do not know yet whether you can make additional Clone1 layout changes after you have activated Clone2.
I cannot think of a reason to build an AbanteCart site. How can I know if it will work?
I'm not stupid.
I did all the steps.
Is AC broken?
Is the team burned out and losing enthusiasm?
Is AC dead?
Maybe the developers only have time to work on AC a few hours per month?
If that is so, then all of the documentation needs to make that very clear up front. It should say something like this:
"AC is broken, and we can only work on it a few hours per month, so don't think that you can download it and build a site in a few days. If you need a functional site built within a reasonable timeframe, you need to choose a different cart."
Because right now, AC is being promoted as a good cart. I downloaded it and started working on it one week ago, and I have made zero progress. That is not acceptable! I didn't choose AC because i wanted to spend 2 months building a 4-day site. Do you guys get that?
Can anyone here explain what I am seeing, or how to fix it?
