# Best way to modify topics/show.html.erb
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/best-way-to-modify-topics-show-html-erb/82478
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [March 8, 2018, 4:24am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/best-way-to-modify-topics-show-html-erb/82478 "2018-03-08T04:24:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Magnetidog](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Magnetidog)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2018, 4:24am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/best-way-to-modify-topics-show-html-erb/82478/1 "2018-03-08T04:24:42Z")
We need to customize the topics/show.html.erb file to add some custom functionality. I have edited the template locally and all works fine, but I would like to know if there is a standard/preferred way to edit those files without them being rewritten at each upgrade.
How do you guys normally handle it?
Thanks.
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2018, 1:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/best-way-to-modify-topics-show-html-erb/82478/2 "2018-03-08T13:56:02Z")
You need to create a plugin. There are some tutorials available here.
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### Author:  [@Magnetidog](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Magnetidog)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/best-way-to-modify-topics-show-html-erb/82478/3 "2018-03-08T14:18:58Z")
Thanks Jay, I am going that route in fact - but the plugins I could find actually overwrite the template in full, which is not much different from creating a git branch for myself.
For people searching for this in the future, this might help you overwrite the html.erb file:
> [@Example Plugin: Custom Activity Summary Template](https://meta.discourse.org/t/example-plugin-custom-activity-summary-template/69016?source_topic_id=61653):
>
> Hey everyone, I have created an example plugin to override default Activity Summary (digest) template: [https://github.com/muhlisbc/discourse-custom-activity-summary-template](https://github.com/muhlisbc/discourse-custom-activity-summary-template) Screenshot: [[image] ](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/muhlisbc/discourse-custom-activity-summary-template/master/custom-digest1.jpg)[[image] ](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/muhlisbc/discourse-custom-activity-summary-template/master/custom-digest2.jpg) The main purpose of this plugin is to show how to override default .erb templates on Discourse. I hope this helpful for someone.
But I will dig deeper, maybe some automated search and replace after each update might do the trick in my case as the edits are not extensive.