%TOC% %STARTINCLUDE% # <a name="TWiki_Skins"> TWiki Skins </a> _Skins overlay regular templates with alternate header/footer layouts; topic text is not affected_ ## <a name="Overview"> Overview </a> Skins are customized [[TWikiTemplates]] files. You can use skins to change the look of a %WIKITOOLNAME% topic, for example, the layout of the header and footer. Rendered text between header and footer does **_not_** change. You can also use skins to define an alternate view, like a view optimized for printing. ## <a name="Defining_Skins"> Defining Skins </a> Skin files are located in the `twiki/templates` directory and are named with the syntax: <code>**<scriptname>.<skin>.tmpl**</code>. For example, the **Printable** skin for the `view` template is `view.print.tmpl`. ## <a name="Activating_Skins"> Activating Skins </a> A skin can be activated in two ways: * Define the `SKIN` Preference variable in [[TWiki/TWikiPreferences]], one of the [[WebPreferences]], or in a user - %WIKIUSERNAME% - topic. * `Set SKIN = print` * Add `?skin=name` to the URL, for this example: * %SCRIPTURL%/view%SCRIPTSUFFIX%/%WEB%/%TOPIC%?skin=print (for the print view skin) * %SCRIPTURL%/view%SCRIPTSUFFIX%/%WEB%/%TOPIC%?skin=plain (for the plain view skin that has no header and footer) The <code>**?skin=name**</code> URL parameter overrides the SKIN Preference value. -- [[PeterThoeny]] - 14 Jul 2001 <br />