External CSS - doh moment

[Simon TL]

Two things on external CSS files which may have other newbies like me stumped...

DON'T add the CSS file to the Additional Files List; leave Actinic to handle it

You can't just FTP the CSS file; it contains Actinic fields which only get dealt with when you preview or publish.

Forgetting either of these can mean all sorts of puzzling over lost formatting.

[jont]

So long as you dont have any Actinic variables in the external sheet I have found it best to add to the additional files as this prevents Actinic from compacting the code and makes reading and debugging on the fly on a live site much easier. Adding a plain standard CSS to the additional files should not make any difference to the display or content of the stylesheet.

The Actinic variables will only get parsed if uploaded via Actinic and not via FTP as you have discovered.

[Simon TL]

Why now?

My css file is no longer being parsed by Actinic. It was earlier today, but now it has stopped.

If I delete it from the server, it does get put back - but the pre-parsed version.

(I have tried a backup copy, but the same happens - so it must be Actinic that's twisted.)

Any clues, please?

[jont]

How are you linking to the style sheet in the outer layout?Have you got a copy listed in the additional files?

Inside Actinic add a /* comment block */ to the start of the CSS and upload... view the sheet and see if the /* comment block */ is there just to check it is the right copy being uploaded.

[Simon TL]

Thanks...

Jont

Confirmed that it is taking the right one.

Not in 'Additional Files'.

Code is:

<link href="jasmine.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />

Thanks...

[fleetwood]

Just had a similar experience (this is in 8.03)
I do think there is a problem with Actinic handling css in additional files.

1. Added css files to additional files.
2. Uploaded, and site looked all screwy.
3. Removed css files from addional files - no effect - still screwy
4. FTP'd the site and deleted the css. Reuploaded - no effect.
5. Resorted to a purge and refresh, and we are back to normaility.

I think the screwy effect was Actinic using the un-parsed copies of the css (as mentioned above), even after remove addional files and deleting the css via FTP.
I'm guessing there is a bug in there somewhere.

My css does include actinic variables , so I may try and remove these at some stage (as Jont suggests), and see if that resolves matters. It does however, still suggest something is not quite right with the way these files are handled.

Will report when I can replicate, but after a frustrating hour, I'm not going down that route tonight.

[skinnybloke]

Hi - I am having a similar problem in v8.05.

I have my css file linked in at the top of the Actinic stylesheet via @import url("myfile.css");

Actinic has suddenly started to ignore any changes I make to myfile.css after about 4 weeks of no problems. If I delete myfile.css it works as if the file still exists.

I have tried re-importing a snapshot but the problem still exists and myfile.css is not overwritten by the file in the snapshot.

I have created a new file myfile2.css and changed the actinic stylesheet to read @import url("myfile2.css"); but Actinic renders the pages without any of my css included.

I also have 2 other css files which are hacks for IE6 and IE7. These are added as additional files to Actininc. When I re-imported the snapshot these were not overwritten.

[skinnybloke]

aaarrggghhh - please ignore this. I just realised that I had opened up a test site and not my live site.