Installing and modifying themes in Omeka S?

Hi all!

I cannot seem to find the proper answer to my question anywhere, so I am hoping for some help from you all.

I’m currently working on an online digital repository for some archival materials. My supervisor and I have created our website with Omeka, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out how to change the theme or modify the site to make it look “nice” in any way. I am very much new to this software so forgive me if I sound like a complete idiot but I’m getting quite frustrated here.

I downloaded some different themes through the Omeka S site, but even after I download them and extract the files, there is never an option for a different theme when I go back to the “theme” tab to edit my website. For the record, I am using a Mac computer which I am also not used to at all as this is just my work computer - don’t know if that makes a difference.

Please help! How do I get the themes that I downloaded to ACTUALLY appear in the themes tab when I edit my site?

Thanks in advance!

To be clear, you’ve installed the themes in the /themes/ directory of your Omeka S install, but when you go to the themes tab for the site you’re working on, they do not appear?

Actually no, I have not done that. I have no idea how. I’m really sorry, this is my first time ever using Omeka and I’m not catching on to it as easily as I thought I would. Would you mind providing me with a step-by-step of how to do this?

The theme folders you download from the Omeka S website need to go in the /themes folder in your Omeka S installation. Assuming you Omeka S site is hosted somewhere online, you’ll either need a FTP client or the ability to log in through your webhosting’s portal. You have to be able to access the file structure of the Omeka S installation in order to add themes.

Once you’re there, the step by step is not very different from what it is for Omeka Classic:

  • Open FTP client
  • Navigate to Omeka S installation;
  • open themes folder;
  • upload the zipped theme you downloaded to the themes folder;
  • unzip the theme.

I am experiencing this! (Omeka-S 1.3.0) I just uploaded the Cozy, etc. Theme, changed owership/group/permissions to/for Apache, and they are not showing up when I go to Site → Some site → Theme. All I see there is the Default theme.

How to install new Themes and have them show up?

Mark

When you go to /yoursite/themes in your ftp or ssh client, do the folders for Cozy etc show up, and what are the folders named?

They are named this:

$ ls -la
total 4
apache apache 156 Mar 25 16:16 centerrow
apache apache 156 Mar 25 16:16 cozy
apache apache 139 Oct 3 09:45 default
apache apache 139 Mar 25 16:06 InterAsianCouncil
apache apache 0 Oct 3 09:45 README.md
apache apache 139 Mar 25 16:06 Symonds
apache apache 156 Mar 25 16:16 thedaily

But only “default” shows up in the Omeka-S interface.

I’m having the same issue; unzipped theme folders appear in /yoursite/themes but do not appear in the Theme tab. I also tried reuploading and unzipping, to no avail.

I checked another site I manage, and they do appear there, so it’s not consistent.

@mcyzyk The ls output from your post seems to be missing the permissions part, can you include that?

@glparker389 Can you provide the same or similar output?

File permissions issues or the unzipped themes being simply in the wrong place on the server are the most likely explanations I can think of here.

Thanks, John!

Here is that info:

$ pwd
/opt/omeka-s/themes
$ ls -la
total 4
drwxr-xr-x 8 apache apache 116 Mar 25 16:16 .
drwxr-xr-x 9 apache apache 4096 Oct 3 09:45 …
drwxr-xr-x 5 apache apache 156 Mar 25 16:16 centerrow
drwxr-xr-x 5 apache apache 156 Mar 25 16:16 cozy
drwxr-xr-x 5 apache apache 139 Oct 3 09:45 default
drwxr-xr-x 5 apache apache 139 Mar 25 16:06 InterAsianCouncil
-rw-r–r-- 1 apache apache 0 Oct 3 09:45 README.md
drwxr-xr-x 5 apache apache 139 Mar 25 16:06 Symonds
drwxr-xr-x 5 apache apache 156 Mar 25 16:16 thedaily

Thank you! I don’t know how to use terminal commands to list the directory; the attached screenshot is the best I can do.

In the meantime, I’ve asked our tech support team to review permissions for these files … they don’t provide Omeka-specific support, just server support …

A quick update: I was attempting to install the themes in the wrong folder. So, at least for me, the problem was … me! Sorry for all of this …

John,

Same issue with Modules!:

$ pwd
/opt/omeka-s/modules
$ ls -la
total 8
drwxr-xr-x 4 apache apache 59 Apr 2 15:41 .
drwxr-xr-x 9 apache apache 4096 Oct 3 09:45 …
drwxr-xr-x 8 apache apache 4096 Apr 2 15:39 EasyInstall
drwxr-xr-x 5 apache apache 91 Apr 2 15:39 FileSideload
-rw-r–r-- 1 apache apache 0 Oct 3 09:45 README.md

No modules show up in the Admin Web interface.

Just to rule out the same cause as glparker, /opt/omeka-s is actually where your live Omeka S install is located? That’s not a common location for web content but if you configured it manually it’s possible of course.

the Reply of Shame:

You are correct. There are actually two instances of Omeka-S installed on our server, and the one I was working on was not the live one. Crazy, huh?

Apologies!

All is well now,

Mark