Chicken or the egg question...

This is a general question I thought I would throw out there...

When you build your MODx site...


* Build a complete working page/site in plane old (X)HTML and CSS, get it working first, looking pretty, making sure the pages validate and then add the MODx framework or...

* Build a rough skeleton page but get it into MODx as quickly as possible and then tweak the html and CSS as needed/required by the MODx functionality...

It would be interesting to see how members approach a project, which steps are taken, do folks follow a recipe or treat each project as a custom event etc...

I take a full Web page and use that for the template. Then I edit the template to replace menus with Wayfinder calls, the main content with [*content*], add search snippets and whatever else is needed for the home page. Then I usually just duplicate the home page and edit the pagetitle, content (putting in eForm calls, Ditto calls, whatever), TVs etc.

But that’s me; I’m pretty disorganized.

I do pretty much the same as Susan.
Get my layout set up as a template then add or vary page by page with TV’s, Chunks and Snippets as I need to.

Susan, thats good info, thanks.

After seeing all your insightful posts and dedication to this project the first thing that springs to my mind is "this woman is disorganized..."

Yeah, sure...

Some people have local SVN servers and use Eclipse to set up the site structure, then work on the template and individual page content and snippet code. That’s organized; but I’m too lazy to do all that.

I also prefer to get the page template setup first. Once the design testing is complete (ie6, ie7, gecko), then I import into MODx.

Normally I set up a backed-up system with all snippets I liked. Then after creating a rough standard template from the design I’ve made (photoshop->Texteditor/Css), I insert some pages with content for testing. Procedure varies from customer and my mood

I have always built the design first then filled it in with snippets on a page by page bassis. This has worked well. However, for a change I am currently building a site in reverse order, I am building all the content, snippet calls navigation and structure first then will develop the templates. There is no scientific reason for my doing it this way, I was just not inspired to work on the design template and to not waste time went ahead and built the content up.

On one side it is a bit odd to work backwords, but on the other it is great to have the content in place and see the ditto calls with real results. I think that this may save time in the long run...lets see

I look forward to hearing how this method worked for you...

... for a change I am currently building a site in reverse order, I am building all the content, snippet calls navigation and structure first then will develop the templates ...

Considering what’s the most important on a web site,... the content and navigation structure this sound to me to be the right way around (and not reverse way)

As I mainly work getting other people’s web site set up and running I aim to get all the content and navigation structure sorted out first ( on paper as well as in MODx ) using a simple text only template if possible. The advantage is that you are less restricted by the graphic design since it’s more likely that you’ve sorted out any inconsistencies and problems beforehand.

I said I aim,... in reality it often turns out to be a "battle" between looks and functionality