Starter sites to install with themes

Omeka S Themes
1

Is there a starter site to install for the Freedom theme, like the one shown in the screenshot of the theme? Consequently, are there starter sites for any theme (updated to the latest Omeka S version), or do we have to build from scratch?

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I’m also looking for this kind of start sites theme, I really need it

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Currently there is no a starter database/content to install but it’s a good idea, will work on it soon and add it to the Theme repository.

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Hi,

I saw this question and I thought it was intriguing, but I did have a follow-up question to get some clarification on what is really being asked for -

Are you talking about a starter Omeka S installation with a default site already configured like the screenshot or a way to create a site within Omeka S with the theme settings already configured?

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Hi @fackrellj,

The second: a way to create a site within Omeka S with theme settings already configured. In the same fashion as a starter site in WordPress that looks like the theme’s demo, with pre-built pages, menus, widgets, placeholder images… (also in the form of code snippets to be put in the CSS Editor, the HTML block, etc).
I am sure this could add to the experience of using the themes in Omeka S.

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This would be awesome. Here’s my use case.

An organization is managing a small consortium of digital collections. The consortium may include 10 members. Each member has at least one collection of items.

Ideally the organization would manage one Omeka S installation. Within the installation, the parent organization would have its own Omeka site. And within the same installation, each member would have its own site. When a new member joins, a site would created for them within this Omeka S installation. For consistency, all member sites would use the same theme, same pages (eg. home, about, team, contact, etc.), same block layouts within these pages, and same resource templates.

To save administrative time, and to ensure consistency, it would be helpful if each new member site could be added with some pre-built configuration.

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To some extent, this kind of starter set formatting is possible with the Copy Resource module. The whole point of this module is to allow for the creation of templates at all levels of content in Omeka S. Of course, it’s also useful for people who have to create many items with common description, etc.

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Oh wow. I didn’t know about this module. Thanks @SharonLeon . I’m going to try it out right now!

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Hi @adehner ,

The Copy Resource module is probably the best option if you decide to go that route.

I would also suggest looking at RefBytes Platform Manager for hosting and managing Omeka S. It makes it easy to manage and host multiple instances of Omeka S. To accomplish what you’re describing, you can create a base instance of Omeka S with all of the configuration options (e.g. theme, pages, templates, etc.) and then just copy it for each new member in the consortium. In our experience, it has helped to keep the instances separate. The only downside is that the items are not searchable in a single Omeka S instance. I’d be happy to share a video demoing the backend or answer any other questions if you’d like to know more.

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Thanks @fackrellj ! I’ll check it out. Even if the multi-site functionality isn’t a good fit, your hosting options may be useful.

I do want the organizational site to be able to access the resources in member sites so they can be highlighted, used in visualizations, etc. within the central-ish organizational Omeka S site. At the moment, the resources don’t need to be searched across sites. But I want to set up for that possibility.

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@adehner Copy Resources is a relatively new module, but an infinitely useful one.

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I might also say that there are a bunch of projects doing exactly what you suggest from a single Omeka S installation:

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Thanks for sharing these. Very cool.