then is there another way, with the standard install to change joomla templates/menu options... basically administer the slave site?

it's installed, it's using an independant db table prefix.... I now just can't figure out how to do anything with it.

When you create slave site, by default they have independent admnistration.
Therefore their menu, articles, default templates, ... is specific to each slave site.

I don't see the relationship with the objective to unzip the administration directory as this is not related with the DB content (table prefix) where is saved the menu, articles, ....

So explain what you want to do and why you want to unzip the administration directory (php files and folders).

What I want to do is access an administrator section to my slave site. Which, I'm gathering, I'm supposed to be able to do, but for whatever reason, my slave site (while working wonderfully) has its administrator's directory symlinked to my master site's administrator directory.

This was why I suggested the unzip, I thought maybe the symlinked admin directory was normal. Is this a setting I missed? I just want to go to my slavesite/administrator and manage my slave site(s).


ross

This is normal that the administration directory is a symbolic link to the master as the concept is to share all the PHP code (files and folders).

When you are in the back-end of a slave site and that you administrate the slave site, you modify the DB content and in a very few cases the files on the disk.
The case where the back-end write files in the administration directory is the case where an extension write its own configuration in a file instead of in the DB (because they still use the Joomla 1.0 way to save the config).

This is not because you have the administrator directory linked that you can not go in the slave back-end (admnistration).
The only thing is that a slave site can not install extensions that are not already installed on the master website.

So this is still not clear why you want a specific unzip of the adminsitrator directory as can with linked administrator directory manage the back-end of the slave site.

If you just want a tool to deploy a full joomla (unzip) a complete independent joomla that will not allow benefit of the maintenance of a single joomla, then you can put several unziop to do that but you will lose the maintenance benefit because JMS will not do syncrhonisation of the files that you will have unziped.

All I want is to set the joomla template of the slave site, which seems to be different than my master site, but I can't change that. When I do change it... it changes the template of the master site, and not the slave.

Is there a way to change this other than modifying the joomla database itself?


ross

This is true that you can not install specific themes (templates) for the back-end.
The only possibility is to install in the master website all the possible themes that you want for the back-end .

The feature to allow install specific back-end themes (templates) does not exists as I have already replied to another customer in the forum.
Event if you unzip the "administration" directory, this will not help you as JMS will not give the slave site back-end the autorisation to replace or install the back-end themes (templates).

At the origin, JMS is not designed to have specific back-end themes for each slave site.
You can just select default back-end templates amoung all those installed in the master website.

If you want to do such things this mean that the administration directory can not be a symbolic link and that it should be a physical directory with inside many symbolic link except the one for the templates folder.
In the templates folders you will have to replication (duplicate) a basic set of admin themes.
In addition, you should modify JMS to accept install specific themes for the admin.

So as you have understood, have specific back-end themes is not present in JMS.
You can only have specfiic themes (templates) for the front-end.