Creating Delta Snapshots

Enable the 'Delta API' and 'Delta UI' modules and navigate to admin/appearance/delta in your browser. Here you will find the list of Deltas and links to the UI for creating your first Delta snapshot.

1. Click the link labeled +add. At this page you will define the basic settings for your Delta snapshot.
2. Give it a title. Be sure to be as specific as you want so you will know what each title is when interacting with other modules.
3. Give it a description. This will be displayed in the list of your subtheme’s Delta snapshots. It is here to explain the purpose of this Delta snapshot.
4. Next, set which theme should be used as the basis for your Delta. This will typically be the Omega subtheme you are working with.
5. Select a parent template. **DEPRECATED** For now this setting is not used so it can be left at -none- and ignored.
6. By default, “Only override different values” is selected. For most use-cases, you will want to leave this setting alone. If you have a reason to set it otherwise, you will know why.
7. Click Save.

Once you have created a new Delta snapshot, you will see it listed at admin/appearance/delta with all other Delta snapshots you have created.

A “Delta snapshot” is best described as a carbon copy of your base theme configuration settings at the time of the Delta snapshot’s creation. It allows you to create unique page layouts as stand-alone, editable templates of your original base theme settings. Elements like grid settings, zone and region configuration, and more are modifiable per Delta snapshot. This allows your site to display an infinite number of unique and fully customizable page layouts each with a distinct set of configuration settings. Delta snapshots are available to be used by other modules; such as the Context module, which allows you to apply those snapshots based on conditions that you define.

While that may sound somewhat complex, it’s actually quite simple. Using a Delta snapshot, you can customize a layout for your “Home” page, re-arranging and re-sizing regions, enabling certain javascript libraries (such as slideshow libraries) and even enabling a region that is usually disabled. All this can be done without any effect to the rest of the site.

Have you ever wanted the ability to change your subtheme page layouts or settings on specific pages (like the home page)?

Then you will want to use the Delta and Context modules. These modules make complicated page structure changes possible through the theme settings user interface (UI).

The Delta module allows you to create different versions of your subtheme’s configuration settings. We call these versions, “snapshots.” Delta's primary responsibility is to create, read, update and delete "snapshots" of your theme settings.