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As with the RDF files, you should favor new files over changes to existing files. This will make it easier to carry your changes to a new release.

A third tier

The discussion of VIVO and Vitro shows how the two code bases are combined during the build process. Some VIVO sites keep their local modifications in a third layer. This layer (or tier) is combined with VIVO and Vitro during the build.

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The three-tier approach is a little harder to set up than the standard build, but it has the advantage of keeping all of your local modifications separate from the VIVO distribution. When the time comes to upgrade to a new release, there is no question about what files contain your local changes.

The two-tier build is fine, if your changes are limited to:

• Annotations on the ontology
• A custom theme
• Page management
• Language support

Three-tiers might be better if you will be using

• Custom list views
• Custom short views
• Custom entry forms
• Java changes

The VIVO Installation Instructions contain more details about how to set three tiers and there is a Git project template available.

Tool summary

Required skills

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