as "single" page says.. If it's a page which is unique it's a single page and it's something like a news entry layout which you use several types you can create a page type

Thanks, Remo. I have unique content but it would be nice if I could select a page type to use as the layout instead of the default, but it's not possible. So I was a little confused which one I should use, page type or single page. Does that sound bizarre? For instance, I may have a page type for Members that handles requests for member restricted content. It's not that big of a deal, though. I can just include a file that handles it at the top of the single pages to simplify maintenance. Just wondered if I'm utilizing the single pages and add type correctly. It seems like page type would be more of a layout than about content. I'm I on the right track? Thanks! Michelle :)

sorta. A good example would be to say make a "corporate database" pagetype which uses request parameters that would load in some page_type specific data even though there could be multiple instances of the page_type depending on where you put them in the site. A singlepage can accomplish the same thing, but a pagetype can have several instances that could look entirely different based on the request "the pagepath/-/carrots/5 etc"

Say if you have a baseball player stats site, you can have hundreds of baseball players living under team sites, you'd need to use a page-type and the controller to serve up the correct data based on the URI.

That make sense?

Yea, there's a fine line between those two. I usually find that page types can handle everything a single page can with extra flexibility, like being able to change the design and potentially adding more of the same if needed. So I tend to prefer page types. The only problem is that unless you use advanced permissions, you could end up with users creating pages that shouldn't be there.
Anyway, lately I've been finding myself using more and more special blocks inside a generic page type than anything else.
I guess at the end of the day you'll follow your own coding style...