diff --git a/public/src/templates.js b/public/src/templates.js
index 2331fdf145..f538a048f6 100644
--- a/public/src/templates.js
+++ b/public/src/templates.js
@@ -17,27 +17,27 @@
 		path = require('path');
 	} catch (e) {}
 
-	templates.force_refresh = function (tpl) {
+	templates.force_refresh = function(tpl) {
 		return !!config.force_refresh[tpl];
 	};
 
-	templates.get_custom_map = function (tpl) {
-		if (config['custom_mapping'] && tpl) {
-			for (var pattern in config['custom_mapping']) {
+	templates.get_custom_map = function(tpl) {
+		if (config.custom_mapping && tpl) {
+			for (var pattern in config.custom_mapping) {
 				if (tpl.match(pattern)) {
-					return (config['custom_mapping'][pattern]);
+					return (config.custom_mapping[pattern]);
 				}
 			}
 		}
 
 		return false;
-	}
+	};
 
-	templates.is_available = function (tpl) {
-		return $.inArray(tpl, available_templates) !== -1;
+	templates.is_available = function(tpl) {
+		return $.inArray(tpl + '.tpl', available_templates) !== -1;
 	};
 
-	templates.prepare = function (raw_tpl) {
+	templates.prepare = function(raw_tpl) {
 		var template = {};
 		template.html = raw_tpl;
 		template.parse = parse;
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
 			.replace('.' + options.settings['view engine'], '');
 
 		if (!templates[tpl]) {
-			fs.readFile(filename, function (err, html) {
+			fs.readFile(filename, function(err, html) {
 				templates[tpl] = templates.prepare(html.toString());
 
 				return fn(err, templates[tpl].parse(options));
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
 		}
 	};
 
-	templates.getTemplateNameFromUrl = function (url) {
+	templates.getTemplateNameFromUrl = function(url) {
 		var parts = url.split('?')[0].split('/');
 
 		for (var i = 0; i < parts.length; ++i) {
@@ -86,9 +86,9 @@
 		// should be named something else
 		// TODO: The "Date.now()" in the line below is only there for development purposes.
 		// It should be removed at some point.
-		$.get(RELATIVE_PATH + '/templates/' + tpl_name + '.tpl?v=' + Date.now(), function (html) {
-			var template = function () {
-				this.toString = function () {
+		$.get(RELATIVE_PATH + '/templates/' + tpl_name + '.tpl?v=' + Date.now(), function(html) {
+			var template = function() {
+				this.toString = function() {
 					return this.html;
 				};
 			};
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@
 		});
 	};
 
-	templates.load_template = function (callback, url, template) {
+	templates.load_template = function(callback, url, template) {
 		var location = document.location || window.location,
 			api_url = (url === '' || url === '/') ? 'home' : url,
 			tpl_url = templates.get_custom_map(api_url.split('?')[0]);
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@
 		apiXHR = $.ajax({
 			url: RELATIVE_PATH + '/api/' + api_url,
 			cache: false,
-			success: function (data) {
+			success: function(data) {
 				if (!data) {
 					ajaxify.go('404');
 					return;
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@
 				template_data = data;
 				parse_template();
 			},
-			error: function (data, textStatus) {
+			error: function(data, textStatus) {
 				$('#content, #footer').stop(true, true).removeClass('ajaxifying');
 				if (data && data.status == 404) {
 					return ajaxify.go('404');
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@
 
 			var template = templates[tpl_url].parse(template_data)
 
-			translator.translate(template, function (translatedTemplate) {
+			translator.translate(template, function(translatedTemplate) {
 				$('#content').html(translatedTemplate);
 
 				templates.parseTemplateVariables();
@@ -170,14 +170,14 @@
 	};
 
 	templates.parseTemplateVariables = function() {
-		$('#content [template-variable]').each(function (index, element) {
+		$('#content [template-variable]').each(function(index, element) {
 			var value = null;
 
 			switch ($(element).attr('template-type')) {
 				case 'boolean':
 					value = ($(element).val() === 'true' || $(element).val() === '1') ? true : false;
 					break;
-				case 'int': // Intentional fall-through
+				case 'int':
 				case 'integer':
 					value = parseInt($(element).val());
 					break;
@@ -196,15 +196,15 @@
 		}
 	};
 
-	templates.flush = function () {
+	templates.flush = function() {
 		parsed_variables = {};
 	};
 
-	templates.get = function (key) {
+	templates.get = function(key) {
 		return parsed_variables[key];
 	};
 
-	templates.set = function (key, value) {
+	templates.set = function(key, value) {
 		parsed_variables[key] = value;
 	};
 
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@
 	};
 
 	//modified from https://github.com/psychobunny/dcp.templates
-	var parse = function (data) {
+	var parse = function(data) {
 		var self = this;
 
 		function replace(key, value, template) {
@@ -252,7 +252,6 @@
 		var template = this.html,
 			regex, block;
 
-		// registering globals
 		for (var g in templates.globals) {
 			if (templates.globals.hasOwnProperty(g)) {
 				data[g] = data[g] || templates.globals[g];
@@ -363,7 +362,14 @@
 	module.exports.__express = module.exports.render;
 
 	if ('undefined' !== typeof window) {
-		window.templates = module.exports;a
+		window.templates = module.exports;
+
+		window.onload = function() {
+			$.when($.getJSON(RELATIVE_PATH + '/templates/config.json'), $.getJSON(RELATIVE_PATH + '/api/get_templates_listing')).done(function (config_data, templates_data) {
+				config = config_data[0];
+				available_templates = templates_data[0];
+			});
+		}
 	}
 
 })('undefined' === typeof module ? {
diff --git a/src/middleware/index.js b/src/middleware/index.js
index e97eb358f0..fd336cbe3d 100644
--- a/src/middleware/index.js
+++ b/src/middleware/index.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 var templates = require('./../../public/src/templates'),
 	translator = require('./../../public/src/translator'),
+	utils = require('./../../public/src/utils'),
 	meta = require('./../meta'),
 	db = require('./../database'),
 	auth = require('./../routes/authentication'),
@@ -128,6 +129,42 @@ module.exports = function(app, data) {
 	middleware = require('./middleware')(app);
 
 	app.configure(function() {
+
+		utils.walk(nconf.get('base_templates_path'), function(err, baseTpls) {
+			utils.walk(nconf.get('theme_templates_path'), function (err, themeTpls) {
+				var tpls = [];
+
+				baseTpls = baseTpls.map(function(tpl) {
+					return tpl.replace(nconf.get('base_templates_path'), '');
+				});
+
+				themeTpls = themeTpls.map(function(tpl) {
+					return tpl.replace(nconf.get('theme_templates_path'), '');
+				});
+
+				baseTpls.forEach(function(el, i) {
+					var relative_path = (themeTpls.indexOf(el) !== -1 ? themeTpls[themeTpls.indexOf(el)] : baseTpls[i]),
+						full_path = path.join(themeTpls.indexOf(el) !== -1 ? nconf.get('theme_templates_path') : nconf.get('base_templates_path'), relative_path);
+
+					tpls.push({
+						relative_path: relative_path,
+						path: full_path
+					});
+				});
+
+				async.each(tpls, function(tpl, next) {
+					fs.writeFile(path.join(nconf.get('views_dir'), tpl.relative_path), fs.readFileSync(tpl.path), next);
+				}, function(err) {
+					if (err) {
+						winston.error(err);
+					} else {
+						winston.info('Successfully compiled templates.');
+					}
+				});
+			});
+		});
+
+
 		app.engine('tpl', templates.__express);
 		app.set('view engine', 'tpl');
 		app.set('views', nconf.get('views_dir'));
diff --git a/src/routes/api.js b/src/routes/api.js
index 8f3cbc44d0..575a91bad6 100644
--- a/src/routes/api.js
+++ b/src/routes/api.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 var path = require('path'),
 	async = require('async'),
 	fs = require('fs'),
+	nconf = require('nconf'),
 
 	db = require('./../database'),
 	user = require('./../user'),
@@ -22,10 +23,15 @@ module.exports =  function(app, middleware, controllers) {
 		app.get('/user/uid/:uid', middleware.checkGlobalPrivacySettings, controllers.accounts.getUserByUID);
 
 		app.get('/get_templates_listing', function (req, res) {
-			utils.walk(path.join(__dirname, '../../', 'public/templates'), function (err, data) {
-				res.json(data.concat(app.get_custom_templates()).filter(function(value, index, self) {
-					return self.indexOf(value) === index;
-				}));
+			utils.walk(nconf.get('views_dir'), function (err, data) {
+				data = data.concat(app.get_custom_templates())
+						.filter(function(value, index, self) {
+							return self.indexOf(value) === index;
+						}).map(function(el) {
+							return el.replace(nconf.get('views_dir') + '/', '');
+						});
+
+				res.json(data);
 			});
 		});
 
diff --git a/src/routes/index.js b/src/routes/index.js
index 624eb7d19f..d10f94c0a6 100644
--- a/src/routes/index.js
+++ b/src/routes/index.js
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ module.exports = function(app, middleware) {
 
 		app.get_custom_templates = function() {
 			return custom_routes.templates.map(function(tpl) {
-				return tpl.template.split('.tpl')[0];
+				return tpl.template;
 			});
 		};