This will optimize the way b2evolution is handled by the webserver (if you are using Apache). These files are not active by default because a few hosts would display an error right away when you try to use them. If this happens to you when you rename the files, just remove them and you’ll be fine.

Readers can choose a new skin by using the skin switcher integrated in most skins.

You can change the default skin used for any blog by editing the blog parameters in the admin interface. You can also force the use of the default skin for everyone.

Otherwise, you can restrict available skins by deleting some of them from the /blogs/skins folder. You can also create new skins by duplicating, renaming and customizing any existing skin folder.

To start customizing a skin, open its ‘_main.php‘ file in an editor and read the comments in there. And, of course, read the manual on evoSkins!

That means, blogs are accessed through ‘index.php‘, which loads default parameters from the database and then passes on the display job to a skin.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to use the default DB parameters and want to, say, force a skin, a category or a specific linkblog, you can create a stub file like the provided ‘a_stub.php‘ and call your blog through this stub instead of index.php .

Finally, if you need to do some very specific customizations to your blog, you may use plain templates instead of skins. In this case, call your blog through a full template, like the provided ‘a_noskin.php‘.

You will find more information in the stub/template files themselves. Open them in a text editor and read the comments in there.

Either way, make sure you go to the blogs admin and set the correct access method for your blog. When using a stub or a template, you must also set its filename in the ‘Stub name’ field. Otherwise, the permalinks will not function properly.

Some of these blogs have a special role. Read about it on the corresponding page.

You can create additional blogs or delete unwanted blogs from the blogs admin.