I was just wondering how easy it is to use pre designed website templates ? Is it as easy as say buying a wordpress template where you just fill in the content, or is there more involved in installing them and setting them up? Does anyone have any expertise using them that can give me the skinny ?
HTML/CSS templates are easy to use if you know your way around markup. These templates are different from Wordpress themes, which not only have their own markup and stylesheets, but may also have their own functions. Note that standard templates are just made of markup, stylesheets, and images used. Without a content management system, you can't just "fill in the content" easily without delving into code. If you'd like to be able to update your own website, either: - use a CMS with a theme made especially for that CMS, or - use a CMS and hire a web developer to code a theme for it based on a run-of-the-mill template, or - use a CMS, hire a web designer to design a theme for it, and hire a web developer to code a theme out of the design. Hope this helps!
It does, it helps a lot. So what are some of the common, non-blog , CMS's that I could use to apply a pre-made Flash/CSS Template that I would get from a service like Template Monster, for instance. I understand needing an "engine" to run the thing, but only know it in blogs, or commerce scripts like BANS, AOM, and such. What do you use to run a website.
Ive used pre made templates before, to make changes i was using the provided PSD, also editing the CSS file and swapping some images that were in place for stock images that i purchased. By that time the template begins to look a lot less like the original and i got what i needed, without having to try and build a design of my own. This was for small html sites, not any types of CMS.
yes, you need a photoshop skills to change some text, photos, etc. you can do nothing to the css, but at least you will need to change some layout of it.
That's what I was thinking...maybe a 5 or 6 page site. Nothing much bigger than that. That sounds easy enough, thanks for your help.
Wordpress. You mentioned that you need a 5- or 6- page site. Wordpress is typically used for blogs, but due to its support for pages, it can also be used for content-managed brochure sites. If your pages contain only text and images, Wordpress will do. However, if you need a database and/or lots of custom interactive features, Wordpress would be pushing it. For more complex purposes, you should check out Drupal or Joomla.
pre made templates still need some customization when you buy it. at least you know how to edit raster and vector images, xhtml and css, and for wordpress you got to learn install and setting it up. plus add the hosting phase where you will have to choose if your going to host your webpage yourself or sign up for an account on hosting services.
Yeah, I have a lot of wordpress sites. I know how to work well with that, but I was looking for something with a little more dynamic presentation. I just can't find a wordpress theme that has the look I need for this project, and I have been looking at them and buying them for other projects for years.
I think if you start with a premade website template then it is a lot easier. You can see how everything works in the code and what effect it has. Then by making small changes you quickly get the hang of it. From what I have seen in a matter of a few days you can add images, pages, tables, links etc. It all depends what kind of template you get - if you get a working website template then by backward engineering it you can figure most things out in no time.