mossdweller

This is the site: http://www.arborworksltd.co.uk I am trying to make a base template to transfer all the pages into - it's getting big and updating is a pain! Each page has a different background image to the sidebar and header sections. I want to make those areas editable but I just can't seem to make it work. Also, I need the keyword and description sections to be editable, for SEO. Any ideas would be most appreciated.

I think it really depends on what you are trying to do - css margins like that work well with images but if it's text which appears at the top of a page or under an image it might work but if it's text in paragraphs it might not work so well. There are so many ways of specifying styles that how you do it depends on what you want the end result to be. You want to try and keep everything as minimal as possible in the instructions because it saves space and loadtime so maybe when you've got it to work one way you can look back and see if you can do it more efficiently. I think that's where this code thing gets magicky.

Oh poo I can't remember! It's something I do on autopilot and my stuff is on my other computer so I can't even run through anything whilst paying attention! Duh! With graphics you have to set the anti-aliasing properties correctly so that the outline is smooth otherwise it starts bitmapping when you change size. It won't happen with a jpeg I don't think but it can with a gif. And if you are using text on a graphic to save a s a gif it is best to convert the text to outline format first because otherwise it gets really messy and doesn't resize at all well.

If it's a space you'd want to use frequently - like to separate sections or something - you could use a CSS id of "spacer" or something and set it to 40px and then use it in a <div> If it's individual to the bit you are styling you'd include it in the CSS for that bit like a particular piece of text. You might set that property in the CSS for the page <div> also.

You should phone them - some clients don't realise they have to actually supply some content for the site! I had one who thought I was going to write the site and source all the imagery and everything - without him having to tell me anything about himself or what he actually did! And it would just appear on the web like magic!

For a photo you would most likely use .jpeg and for a graphic image you would most likely use .gif but both can be saved in a .png which can be optimised in a range of formats to support a variety of images. Adobe Fireworks likes .png images but if you don't save them properly they can take up a lot of file space so watch out for that when you are choosing your options.

I have several Missing Manual books - mainly cos I just wanted to see how the "Cosmopolitan Farmer" site developed! They are all really good and easy to take in. Sitepoint books are brilliant - Rachel Andrew and Kevin Yank make light work of some mind boggling concepts! Friends Of Ed books I would also recommend. They all have online tutorials and download sections so you can work through projects and practice stuff. And there is loads more info on the sites and updates and all sorts. They also look a lot more satisfyingly knowledgable on your bookshelf than "PHP for Dummies" or whatever! I get Web Designer magazine because it's current and newsy but most of the tutorials are no good to me cos my software is too old!

It's horses for courses isn't it - depends what you want to acheive, what the site is for, how you might want to develop it etc. If you are just wanting to create a site for yourself or a mate or a club or a small business then many of these all in one package site builders are fine. I have known people create websites with MrSite or WebEasy that they are totally happy with and which work for them. And they have a prescence on the web without spending a lot of money to engage a professional designer or having to struggle with learning a programming language. If you are thinking of making a career of it, you probably wouldn't get far with anything like that because after a pretty short time you would want to do something beyond the scope of the software to manage. The lack of control would be too frustrating. WebPlus does have an editor you can use and template wizards to get you started so it might be a good transitional point between a WYSIWYG driven builder and a text editor. There is probably a free older version available on the Serif site too. I've got a good CSS editor on my other computer which actually previews what you have just done underneath so you can learn to code and watch it building itself at the same time - when you put the content in of course - only I can't remember what it is called! But Google away - there are lots to try and many have demos and many are free even and not bad. Check out what tools your web host is offering too.

I didn't mean my comment like that. I'm not saying it's OK to do things wrong - I welcome CSS because it is so fluid and versatile, but for someone used to drawing what they need or creating page layout in a grid system - I am even old enough to have done paste-up with COW GUM - it demands a different mind set to make the transition from creating something visually with shapes and colors and images where you want them to writing instructions which will produce the same effect. I think it's all a bit magic and weird still! Someone on here once commented it was like The Matrix. This person did say they were a CSS novice, so their use of tables is valid at this point and I just thought that remark about rewriting in CSS was cheeky given that. Maybe that's the ultimate plan anyhow.

1. Space to stare into 2. Pencil to nibble 3. Biscuits for when pencil gets too rank 4. Collection of paper articles - napkins, doughnut bags, backs of envelopes etc for site design and construction strategy 5. Collection of appropriate software and electronical machinery to make it happen 6. Puppy to cuddle in those Hmm! moments I like Dreamweaver and I'm not sorry!

Just because your company name might be whatever it is, doesn't mean you have an automatic right to a domain of the same name. However, if your company is limited and that name is the registered trading name of your company, then you do have a right to stop anyone else using that name to trade with themselves. Also, I think you may have a right to the domain if you can prove that the domain name was originally registered for the purpose of running your company website - they can't just take the name away and leave you homeless on the web because you want to switch hosts or designers. If the person insists on hogging the domain you could argue that their intent is malicious, which is grounds for Nominet or whoever to turn the domain over to you. What argument does the registrant give for not releasing the domain name to you? It sounds like there is a spiteful little row behind this!

I am with Heart. They are great, support is first class, never had any down time due to cock ups. Just upgraded their servers to big shiny new faster ones, loads of features available for you to include in packages and support for lots of useful other stuff. Also - if you make the odd cock-up with an admin thing while loading/editing the domain - like a really annoying php script that corrupts during upload for example! - they often pop in and sort it out for you, before you look like a plonker to your client! This will be my 3rd year with them. I am very happy. They are cool guys.

It's actually VERY useful indeed - I have the good old solid dogeared tea-stained version - and as it's completely geared up towards web design you only get really relevant stuff that you might actually need to know how to do for your website - rather than the other printy fluff that most Photohop books are full of.

I think it's important that whatever CMS you choose there is a good support forum and information base to draw on. There's nothing worse than sitting there with a bit of software kit and being completely down a hole info wise! Specially when it's a bit new and out of your depth. I am fiddling with Joomla at the moment. I have found a Dreamweaver extension that makes creating and editing Joomla templates a lot more straightforward. I also downloaded the Joomla server thing to test pages on. That has been very useful. I might look at this CMSMS because Joomla only seems like it ought to be really groovy, if you ever get over the headache!

I think that's a bit cheeky! Making the switchover from Tables to CSS is a quite a lot to take on - specially if you are a designer first and programmer somewhere further back down the list. I'm struggling with it right now. Having grown up designing for print I have kicked and screamed quite a bit! I like the new logo and header part, the site layout is clean and clear but I don't think it has much feeling of an idea about it - it reminds me of a blurb page for a software download. On the other hand it's very functional and versatile so it probably has lots of potential to develop which is always handy.

I am working on a shop at the moment - using StoreSprite - and it's the first one that me - as a designer rather than programmer, have been able to work out how to edit and configure straight off the template! All the CSS is on one file - you can just drag it into Dreamweaver or wherever and fiddle about till the cows come home, and there are only a couple of default template pages to edit and that's it! The back end bit is easy to uinderstand and customize and configure and TinyMCE can be integrated into it so you can do stuff on the fly. Lots of Payment gateways supported or they will builod one in for you for a nominal fee. Great Free Support Forum where they are totally on the case and really helpful even if you ask totally numpty stuff. No waiting days for a reply they are there in minutes usually. I really do rate this.

Thanks for the replies. I have issue 133 but I am hoping there is crucial info in 131 that will help. I did actually phone the mag and they said that as its a fairly recent issue the chances are it hasn't made it to their back issues list yet and they may have some, so fingers crossed.

Oh I really agree about noisy websites they totally aggravate me. My OH is a tree surgeon and obsessed with chainsaws, saw mills and land rovers and you wouldn't believe the racket in our house of an evening! All those type of related sites seem to find it obligatory to have some din going on in the background or when you click on a link. Horrendous! And I hate sites that have those **** little animated icons which dance about in the corner.

Don't be nervous, just dive in the water's fine!

The shopping cart I am trying to set up is Click Cart Pro. You have to pay for a licence for it, which is about £200. I chose this one because it has been modified specifically for use in the UK, in theory, and it integrates well with the Post Office, Parcel Force etc and a number of British payment gateways, plus several UK accounts software packages. All in all it seems ideal if I can get it to work, but I am finding it hard because it I didn't realise the way these carts are constructed would be so vastly alien to me! The online support for this software is also rubbish! I have a tutorial from Web Designer magazine, which I am finding helpful, but I am missing the middle issue! Typical! Oh, when you install most of these cart scripts they go "live" on your site and they have sample products in so you could load up several carts if you have enough MySql database files and run demos to find which you like best. From my point of view it is lack of experience, knowledge and general stupidity which is holding me up on the cart building. Once I get my head round how it actually works I think it will be straight forward. I am geting stuck over editing the "skin" more than inputting the data.

I am a reseller for Heart as well and I have found them to provide excellent service and support. Always notify of any maintenance or scheduled downtime and altogether very reliable. Their customer support is great and they have even provided excellent help in solving third party issues and some real numpty problems!

It depends how you define "easy"!!!!! I am in the process of building a shop and it has been "difficult"! The database information seems pretty straightforward and the payment gateway is simple to input, once you have defined how you wish to take payment, and most cart scripts seem to have loads of payment and shipping modules available and that is all database information stuff. There are masses of cart scripts to choose from as well. What I have found nigh impossible to get my head round is how you adapt the existing basic template to remotely resemble anything like the rest of the site your shop is part of! I haven't even been able to input my clients' logo so far! Let alone change the colour of the template or add any graphics! Now that is the bit I am finding really difficult. Because all that info seems to be in a database thing too, and I was expecting an html page which you could edit the appearance of, but it's not! Some carts just use "click to buy" buttons, which you can insert into existing html pages, which sidesteps the problem I am having. The buttons act like forms in a way, they carry all the processing information. If the site is small or you don't need a lot of funtionality, perhaps you could look at doing it like that too. Before you start shopping around for solutions, make a list of exactly what you need for the shopping cart to do because it will save a lot of time and aggravation.

Well, you know how Sod's Law creeps up and kicks your butt every so often - this has just happened to me! I get this mag and I read it and fiddle about with the tutorials and file it and store it for reference and actually probably don't refer to it half as much as I ought, but sometimes I just find it too baffling. Anyway, I have been really struggling with an ecommmerce script called Click Cart Pro and it was such a pig to install and configure and there is no manual for it and the online support forum is so disorganised it's almost criminal really, cos they charge you about £200 for the license - any way - gripe, moan, gripe. I realised there was actually a tutorial for CCP in the Web Designer mag and so I unfiled the respective issues for a read and... Oh Bum! Where is issue 131? It's possible the magazine came to grief in some way when we moved, got eaten by a JRT, or has become a PaperFX novelty pencil case, courtesy of one of the kids! But it is deffo not where it should be and I am deffo up a certain creek, paddle-free. Now I know I did have it, but I don't have it now, it just isn't there! And although I can download the tutorial files from the magazine website, they are not much use to me without the printy bit that explains what to do. So I try to buy a copy of the issue, but, oh look! They have sold out! So, does anybody have a copy of Issue 131 of Web Designer magazine that they have either totally finished with and would like to sell/send me, or perhaps somebody could scan the relevant tutorial pages and email them to me? It would really help, although I am actually questioning whether I am doing the right thing to spend £200 on a shopping cart with such crud support and information available from the company. Hmmmm!

Oh no Thomas, you can't win! Or maybe - you can beat them!

Hi Snowy Think you may be right! I have only been here less than two weeks and I feel tons more confident with what I am doing on the web. Your course sounds very comprehensive too.