Template Monster: Public Service Announcement

Sure all templates will be validated. That was an old one, but all our new templates are validated.

UGH! I still a TON of inline styles, vspace="0", spacer.gif, hardcoded manufacturers and currencies in the header ... and I can hardly wait to see what happens if you start turning the options on and off in the admin ...

to Kim. Hello, you can just install our theme and change any option in admin area. All of them are working fine.

"Choose your language", "Manufacturers:", "Currencies:" in header were in design, so we implemented them into theme. I don't see any problems with doing this. If customer doesn't like it, he may select another theme.

Spacer.gif is a file that makes html code more stable in different browsers.

Thank you for you post, but is here anything else to correct?

fellis:

Spacer.gif is a file that makes html code more stable in different browsers.

That tells me all I need to know about your understanding of the current state of design on the web.

ROTFL

Rob

I'm sure that you know that there are many ways in html to code any document. some webmasters use floats, some position:absolute etc.

There is a way that is based on using spacer.gif (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacer_GIF)

In our templates we use several coding technologies.

I will be very pleased if we will discuss just our theme and its functionality, but not the way of our coding. I promised that after you aprove http://info.template-help.com/test_zencart_template we will create only w3c validated themes.

Can you post here what can be inproved in this theme, or does it work fine and we can start to create improved zencart themes?

felis until you stop using old code and practices then the3re really isnt much to talk about,

ok re-code this theme and make it validated.

this road has been well travelled,

you have a complete staff of designers,
someone there must be able to use up to date coding practices,

please look at ANY of the templates avalable at
(sorry, site offline)

these would be GREAT models for your designers to look at

Merlinpa1969 thank you. I lookes this site many times. Some themes are good-looking, but the problem is that all of them have the same layout - header 3 columns and footer. they have the same product listing, product info pages etc.

templatemonster.com team want to give a big variety of layouts to their customers. Now we know how to do it with modifying stylesheets and with override system.

we will create one more theme for this forum (w3c validated and with a proper file structure) as a start point. Hope you will like it. but it will be based on one of our recent templates.

you can give ANY look you want,
just use current code,

and 1 x 1 gif is NOT good practice,

Please correct me if im wrong but dont some MAJOR search engines penalize for the use of hidden gifs?

once again I pointe you to that site to use for a code model NOT a graphical platform,

and just for the record, your demo template is header footer and 3 center columns

fellis:

to Kim. Hello, you can just install our theme and change any option in admin area. All of them are working fine.

"Choose your language", "Manufacturers:", "Currencies:" in header were in design, so we implemented them into theme. I don't see any problems with doing this. If customer doesn't like it, he may select another theme.

Spacer.gif is a file that makes html code more stable in different browsers.

Thank you for you post, but is here anything else to correct?

Just want to confirm... if your client uses this template, and they add/remove/change manufacturers or currencies, how will the top header change for them, without them going into the file to manually change, if its not zen cart code?

Can we see the files for this test template?

I haven't used a spacer gif since I've used tables, I can't believe that you guys are using them with divs. That's just hilarious. Even if you read your wikipedia article, you can see they refer to it only with tables. Did you even read this part??

The use of spacer GIFs has declined due to the prevalence of CSS for laying out web pages, which achieves the same effect by changing the margin or padding on a given element. CSS is preferable as it, if used properly, reduces unnecessary code in a web page. Blank 1x1 GIFs are still occasionally used to fix a PNG rendering bug in Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 5.5 - 6.

From what I can see, there are no .png files in your site.

fellis:

Merlinpa1969 thank you. I lookes this site many times. Some themes are good-looking, but the problem is that all of them have the same layout - header 3 columns and footer. they have the same product listing, product info pages etc.

templatemonster.com team want to give a big variety of layouts to their customers. Now we know how to do it with modifying stylesheets and with override system. <snip>

fellis,

Sorry, but I'm not sure I understand the problem with the standard header, 3-col, footer layout. Looking at your demo templates, you have most with that basic layout. So for these templates, the problem doesn't exist - right?

Looking further, second most common would be header, 2-col, footer. Still I'm not sure I see the problem. :huh:

The left/right columns can be turned on/off via the admin. Further, the width can be adjusted easily for the left/right columns (and sideboxes). So for most of your ZC templates, the existence of the hdr, 3-col, footer works from the start. For your other templates, include simple instructions that once the template is activated from the admin, go to layout settings and change Column X Status - Global = ON/OFF.

Within common/tpl_main_page.php, there are instructions for template designers on turning any of these on/off for any specific page(s). You're designers could make settings here, and this eliminates admin settings by your customer.

Perhaps you could clarify some more why this doesn't mesh? :smile:

A comment about your ZC templates (I own one)...most, if not all, are designed for 800 resolution screens. While this has the highest compatibility for visitors, more sites are starting to use 1024 or even higher. With the template code and css for your ZC templates, it is very difficult to make those adjustments without breaking the whole design. Something I ask you to consider, is simplifying this for customers to adjust. Perhaps validated html/css will move in this direction? :thumbsup:

In regard to various features that are normally set in admin and not by code: if you want left/right column on, off or a certain width, or certain sideboxes on or off, etc.,instead of hardcoding them and making it difficult for users to change, they are stored in the database; you should be able to include a bit of SQL that can be pasted into admin > Tools > Install SQL Patches during template installation to give the initial settings your designer wants. Then if the customer has different desires, they can change settings easily.

Another possible path is to test if a given setting is on default (meaning the customer has not purposely set it) and if so give it the value your designer thinks is good. If the customer has set a specific value, let them have it their way. A good example of this would be the length of a title or description - I have seen a number of people struggling to get these back to Zen Cart's usual length where the TM template cuts them short.

fellis:

Merlinpa1969 thank you. I lookes this site many times. Some themes are good-looking, but the problem is that all of them have the same layout - header 3 columns and footer. they have the same product listing, product info pages etc.

templatemonster.com team want to give a big variety of layouts to their customers. Now we know how to do it with modifying stylesheets and with override system.

we will create one more theme for this forum (w3c validated and with a proper file structure) as a start point. Hope you will like it. but it will be based on one of our recent templates.

Fellis,

You state that all of the layouts in the link Merlinpa1969 provided you were all the same layout. The reason for that is because they have all of the columns turned on. In admin you can turn the right or left column off by not having any boxes defined in them. This is why you need to stick to the Zen Cart override system so that the customer can manipulate the template without having to delve into the code itself.

Creating a template without following the Zen Cart system isn't going to fly no matter what you try to create. You have to have it so that it works with zen cart or no true Zenner will give it a second thought.

I applaud you're trying to work with us, but to be honest it seems like you're fighting us at the same time so that you can say, "Hey, I tried", and then still sell templates that simply won't work.

You understand that if that happens, your customers will simply be sent back to you and your problems will only grow.

Listen to the one's telling you whats wrong and stop arguing with them and you'll be pleased at the response you get from the referrals you will be getting from this forum.

Waiting to see positive results.

JP

Sorry, but i'm not arguing with any of you. Thank you all for information you provided.

If you installed the theme provided by us (http://osc.template-help.com/contest_zen.zip), you must notice, that any sidebox, column, manufactor, currency - any element is editable from admin area, and you shouldn't modify the core files (exeptions are only block in header - you can't turn them off:().

so as I undestand, we must recode the theme without any spacers, make it validated. And then we will discuss it's usability.

Yes Fellis, please do.
As for the comment about 800x600 designs. We use it as a standard because according to our stats around 5% of people are still using this resolution. However, you are right - since all manufacturers already stopped producing 14 inch displays it is time to provide people with 1024x768 designs. We are going to open such category soon on the website.

P.S. Regarding the default ZC theme. Is there any way to replace these ugly default products pictures? (Like those ones: http://osc.template-help.com/test_zencart_template/images/samples/1_small.jpg
and http://osc.template-help.com/test_zencart_template/images/call_for_price.jpg). I think they make the whole design looking not really good. Maybe we can contribute the set of properly designed product pictures to the community and this can become a part of standard ZC package? I think people should like this change. Please let me know what do you think.

Tmonster,

I have been hard and down on the TM company....But if you can actually produce templates that adhere to the structure/functionality of Zen Cart this would be a "Great Benefit" to the whole community. If not as has been stated, when they come here we will send them back to the provider.

On the design width - These should/could be css based "fluid designs" or ones that contract/expand based upon a percentage to fit the resolution...or at the users option can be set to a fixed width and all via the stylesheet.

Is there any way to replace these ugly default products pictures?
If you have loaded the demo products set and looked this is more for a visual tutorial on many of the features/settings attainable with Zen Cart through to admin and attributes, etc. I agree that they are not very attractive but do serve the intended purpose.

One could always include product images sets and a sql file for the products they have seperate from the default demo products.

concerning "fluid designs" - we have a category on templatemonster.com - we named it "stretched". We know how to code this sites.

But i must say that not all our customers (less then 10%) prefer streched sites. Thats why we optimize all our design to 800x600 and going to provide 1024x800 category as Tmonster mentioned.

So I think even if admin area alows to set up site width we shouldn't create all designs as fluid, because it's more difficult job for a designer.

So I think even if admin area alows to set up site width we shouldn't create all designs as fluid, because it's more difficult job for a designer.
Got your head stuck in the sand again!!!

This makes your templates versatile and able to fit customers wants...

This is not an admin setting but is a xhtml/css issue. It is only response to this in the stylesheet and one that I have seen several of your templates that do not respond to this:

#mainWrapper {
	background-color: #ffffff;
	text-align: left;
	width: 750px;or 75% - or 95% - or 100% - or 900px  etc  etc
	vertical-align: top;
	border: 1px solid #9a9a9a;
	}

Optimizing is one thing - making them so that one can not set this is another