Hi Every1
I´m in the midst of creating my very own template for my modx driven website, which up till now has been running as a test and using a standard template.
Now I have a question or two in this regard.
1)
When making a template, with the different dynamic and static content - how do I then go about things when I want to use a template
on my subpages that is slightly different?
2)
Do I simply make a variation of my first template and assigning different content - or do I use TemplateVariables (TV) for this matter?
On my frontpage I have three areas:
- One to the left containing some static out
- Content in the middle
- Dynamic random output to the right
On my subpages I wish to use:
- 2nd level wayfinder menu in the left column
- middle content is still normal content
- to the right I might want to have two areas containg either dynamic content in both or dynamic in one and static in the second right area
Can you please provide me some input in these matters, since I´m very much a newbie yet in regards to MODx?
//Carsten
You don
You can create different templates for different page types within your site. You can also deploy Template Variables if that kind of flexibility works with the site you are building.
This is one of the nice things about MODx: you have very flexible options and there no real rules you have to follow. I always find its a good idea to get the rough pages/design working as a static system and then go about creating the MODx templates and TV’s from that. Once you get the hang of it you can skip this step, but I find having the dual static and MODx thing going during projects really helps with experimentation and testing.
Hi Photo
Thanks for your swift reply.
As I read it you recommend taking it step by step to go about this and finding the solution that workx for me.
I think this sounds as a good idea since I´m still a newbie.
So I think I will start out doing two templates at first and then how this is working out.
//Carsten
You don
Are you using a local hard drive testing ground? I find this really, really helps with learning MODx. You can create as many installs of MODx as you like and then experiment to your heart’s content.
If you have access to a live server you can also deploy a live work-in-progress site. If you get stuck it can be very useful to post the URL as folks here can then actually see the issue(s) you are struggling with.
With creating and using templates you can do just about anything. Its one thing to follow the cutting edge of site design and development practice but I find its a good idea to create a system that is within your "comfort zone": create a template system that works for you.
At first the templates, chunks, snippets, and TV’s concept of MODx can be a little confusing, but after a little study this combination is just fantastic. It saves time in the long run. In some cases its like cooking. Some like to follow the recipe with strict measurements. With MODx you can create "fusion food" without the measuring spoon. With a little experience comes knowing when to use TV’s and chunks etc.
Most of my sites use different templates to keep radically different page structure separate. You can also create separate chunks for the head code which is nice for keeping style sheets separate and manageable. This is not the only way of course. The thing to keep in mind is you need to build the structure in a way that you can follow the code today and later on. Remember that it can be easy to lose track of code once you have been away from it for a while.
Sorry for the confusion.
What I meant is that its great working on a local system using MAMP or WAMP etc as you learn MODx.
If you have questions then its a good idea to post the relevant code here for others to see. Posting bits of code can be helpful but sometimes forums members need to see the actual site in its current state (with the issues in question). To do this the site needs to be "live" on an actual server with a URL that you can point folks to.
Quite often folks think that there is some kind of MODx issue at fault, but in many cases its specific browser issues (usually IE), Javascript issues or some CSS things that need sorting out. Most of the MODx issues involve getting MODx snippets to behave in a custom manner. For some this is the hardest part. It is for me...
Any decent CMS will take some study. There is no way around this. My view with MODx is that the user Community is its biggest feature. Getting people to adopt any system takes communication which comes in many forms. Right now I feel that the user community communication is better than the documentation. This is slowly changing though. My hunch is that there will soon be the day when the written documentation, demonstrations, tutorials etc will match the willing contribution of the user community...
MODx is very flexible as you can choose many different approaches
http://modxcms.com/forums/index.php?topic=30777.0
http://modxcms.com/forums/index.php/topic,34511.msg209785.html#msg209785
Check out Tools -> Configurations -> Site -> Site Status
