Refinement of Template from 1C-Bitrix Marketplace
A template from the 1C-Bitrix marketplace is a starting point, not a finished product. After installation, typical task list: add blocks for business specifics, remove unnecessary sections, adapt color scheme and typography to brand guidelines, connect custom components. It's important to do this so you don't lose changes on template update from vendor.
Template structure and what you can safely change
A template in Bitrix is stored in /local/templates/TEMPLATE_NAME/ or /bitrix/templates/TEMPLATE_NAME/. Structure:
header.php — top of page
footer.php — bottom of page
styles.css — main styles
script.js — template scripts
components/ — component templates
images/ — template images
page_templates/ — page templates
Files in /local/templates/ are not overwritten by updates. If template is purchased and in /bitrix/templates/, the first step — copy it to /local/templates/ and work with the copy.
Component templates in components/ override standard templates — that's where layout changes happen without editing core.
Common refinement tasks
Header/footer changes — editing header.php / footer.php. Usually change logo, navigation, add new blocks. Dynamic data is pulled through CMenu for menus, COption for parameters, global variables $USER, $APPLICATION.
CSS refinements — added to separate custom.css file in template folder and connected in header.php. Don't edit vendor's original styles.css — it will be overwritten on update.
Component adaptation — copying component template from /bitrix/components/ to /local/templates/TEMPLATE_NAME/components/ with subsequent editing of template.php.
Adding new pages and sections — through page_templates/ add new page types that editor selects when creating a section.
Typical problems
Purchased template with responsive layout on Bootstrap, but project needs components the template doesn't include — catalog with filtering, personal cabinet. Need to write templates for these components in the style of purchased template. This is the main work volume for refinements.
Another common situation: template uses outdated practices (inline styles, tables for layout, jQuery) — in such cases partial refinement turns into rewriting.
Timelines
Visual edits (colors, fonts, logo, banners) — 4–16 hours. Adding several new blocks or sections — 1–3 days. Developing component templates in the style of purchased template — 3–10 days. Deep reworking with re-layout of key pages — 2–4 weeks.