I'm so frustrated with XOOPS these days, that I'm seriously thinking about switching to something else. This smarty theme/template system is terrible.

I found a clean template/theme set, installed them, and I get the blank screen of death. When I turn on PHP De-Bug, I get the error message below. It's still seeking out the hacks that I made in my original theme, so it's absolutely refusing to let me change themes. The system is obviously pulling information from a cache file (NOT THE CACHE FOLDER, because I deleted all the files in there) or a database. I've been asking for three months now, where the heck is it seeking this information.

This error message comes up regardless of what NEW Theme and Template Combination that I use. I've tried using the default set, reuploading the a clean default set, using a different clean template file etc. It will allow me to change templates, but REFUSES to recognize a new theme. What's worse, I can't delete the other 3 themes in my theme folder either, because I'll get blank pages as well. It seems to be LOCKED INTO THE THEME DIRECTORY STRUCTURE and the THEME that's in place. I need to be able to change to a current theme in order to upgrade my news and newbb modules.

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Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_dummy.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_dummy.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_dummy.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_dummy.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_block_comments.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Aimenu_block.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_dummy.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Notice [PHP]: Use of undefined constant _MB_NEWBB_VIEWS - assumed '_MB_NEWBB_VIEWS' in file modules/newbb/blocks/newbb_new.php line 63
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Anewbb_block_new.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_block_user.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_dummy.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_block_waiting.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_dummy.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Axoopsheadline_block_rss.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_dummy.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Asystem_block_newusers.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Anews_by_topic.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [PHP]: fetch(/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Anews_by_topic.html): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 690
Warning [PHP]: fetch(): Failed opening '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/db%3Anews_by_topic.html' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/share/pear') in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 690
Warning [Xoops]: Smarty error: problem writing '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/obscene_v3_3c^theme.html.' in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 589
Warning [PHP]: fetch(/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/obscene_v3_3c^theme.html): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 684
Warning [PHP]: fetch(): Failed opening '/usr/home/eclipse/public_html/templates_c/obscene_v3_3c^theme.html' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/share/pear') in file class/smarty/Smarty.class.php line 684

Sounds like the folder permissions are incorrect.

On a Unix server, the folders cache, uploads and templates_c need to have full permissions 0777.

on a Windows server, make sure they have write permissions.

See also these faq's...
https://xoops.org/modules/smartfaq/faq.php?faqid=251
https://xoops.org/modules/smartfaq/faq.php?faqid=128

That's it!!!!! I've been working for hours on this for the last few months, and it turned out to be a simple permissions problem :) Everything works now! Of course I have to do some hacking to fix the formatting issues, but yep, it was the Permissions.