Working through my new test site
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I have only been at this a couple of days now and I am slowly learning the C5 way of website building.
This is my test site so far. Nothing to sneeze at yet :)
http://67.20.76.108/~mcrancom/test/...
All I am doing is copy/pasting the code I already have for my current site with Yola.com (www.mcran.com)
In the test site, I set up an archives page with a few sub-pages each reflecting the year containing my shows.
Here are some of my questions:
1. How can I build a nice site wide navbar or nav block that will give vistors easy access to my pages?
2. How do I create aliases for the pages to display in the navbar?
3. When I get around to it, where can I save my css.style sheets that I will use for some of my pages and what is the path to these pages?
4. Is there a html editor I can use within C5 instead of having to use an external text editor like Geany, Bluefish, or any of the other Linux related editors?
5. How can I make all of my year pages look the same witrrhout having to edit each one of them seperately? I'd like a consistent look across pages as well as a one stop solution to change all selected pages at once.
I think that's it for now. I am still busy watching some of the C5 videos on Youtube to see if I can learn anything more. Thanks for the help!!
Expect more questions to come ;)
This is my test site so far. Nothing to sneeze at yet :)
http://67.20.76.108/~mcrancom/test/...
All I am doing is copy/pasting the code I already have for my current site with Yola.com (www.mcran.com)
In the test site, I set up an archives page with a few sub-pages each reflecting the year containing my shows.
Here are some of my questions:
1. How can I build a nice site wide navbar or nav block that will give vistors easy access to my pages?
2. How do I create aliases for the pages to display in the navbar?
3. When I get around to it, where can I save my css.style sheets that I will use for some of my pages and what is the path to these pages?
4. Is there a html editor I can use within C5 instead of having to use an external text editor like Geany, Bluefish, or any of the other Linux related editors?
5. How can I make all of my year pages look the same witrrhout having to edit each one of them seperately? I'd like a consistent look across pages as well as a one stop solution to change all selected pages at once.
I think that's it for now. I am still busy watching some of the C5 videos on Youtube to see if I can learn anything more. Thanks for the help!!
Expect more questions to come ;)
Thanks,
I will check that out. I have about 10 cocrete5 videos lined up for viewing
tomorrow so I can better understand C5.
Thanks again!!
Randy
On Thursday, October 31, 2013, concrete5 Community wrote:
I will check that out. I have about 10 cocrete5 videos lined up for viewing
tomorrow so I can better understand C5.
Thanks again!!
Randy
On Thursday, October 31, 2013, concrete5 Community wrote:
Thanks. Here is what I did. I watched the video, Share Content Across Multiple Pages. I followed along and went to Page Types-Left Sidebar Defaults and set up the left sidebar by adding some html code. The Navbar on top has my pages listed but I only want to
1. select some of those pages to display in the navbar.
2. The left sidebar looks fine with the code I added. I went back to my home page-edit and went to edit the left sidebar so that I could select the pages I want the defaults to appear on. In the video there is an option referring to child pages but I don't see that option when I edit menu when I edit the left sidebar.
One thing I can tell you is that I am starting to grasp the basics of C5 and the concept of using Blocks as well as the flexibility that goes along with it. I really hope I can get something going with my test site. Takes me a while to grasp concepts but I am still plugging away. :)
1. select some of those pages to display in the navbar.
2. The left sidebar looks fine with the code I added. I went back to my home page-edit and went to edit the left sidebar so that I could select the pages I want the defaults to appear on. In the video there is an option referring to child pages but I don't see that option when I edit menu when I edit the left sidebar.
One thing I can tell you is that I am starting to grasp the basics of C5 and the concept of using Blocks as well as the flexibility that goes along with it. I really hope I can get something going with my test site. Takes me a while to grasp concepts but I am still plugging away. :)
I figured out the navbar issue by going to my sitemapy and choosing not to sisplay certain pages in the navbar so that's a good thing.
I'm still not sure how to layout my show pages. This is not a Concrete 5 issue but me trying to figure out the best way to link to them on my web pages. Any ideas? I know you mentioned something in your initial response about going to the root etc.. but I am not quite clear how to get to the Root folder like you suggested.
Like I said, I'm still not sure how to layout my show pages.
There are two shows I need to list the yearly page shows. In Transition which is my radio show and has a page for each year. Each year has links to my previous shows for that year. I currently am using a table to display them.
Same goes for the other show called, I've Heard That Song Before.
I'm still not sure how to layout my show pages. This is not a Concrete 5 issue but me trying to figure out the best way to link to them on my web pages. Any ideas? I know you mentioned something in your initial response about going to the root etc.. but I am not quite clear how to get to the Root folder like you suggested.
Like I said, I'm still not sure how to layout my show pages.
There are two shows I need to list the yearly page shows. In Transition which is my radio show and has a page for each year. Each year has links to my previous shows for that year. I currently am using a table to display them.
Same goes for the other show called, I've Heard That Song Before.
Are there any other sourcess you would recomend for a beginner like me to a CMS like Concrete5?
Is Concrete5 only for businesses or can I as an individual use it for my personal site? I just want to make sure I am not getting over my head. There are some concepts I really like about Concrete5. It's just a matter of grasping them and running with it.
I am still trying to do some stuff in Yola that I end up hitting a wall like trying to make changes to certain pages and being able to modify just those pages once without having to modify each page. This is probably my biggest issue at the moment and I am hoping with some guidance I can use Concete5.
Look forward to Concrete5 users comments! Thanks!
Is Concrete5 only for businesses or can I as an individual use it for my personal site? I just want to make sure I am not getting over my head. There are some concepts I really like about Concrete5. It's just a matter of grasping them and running with it.
I am still trying to do some stuff in Yola that I end up hitting a wall like trying to make changes to certain pages and being able to modify just those pages once without having to modify each page. This is probably my biggest issue at the moment and I am hoping with some guidance I can use Concete5.
Look forward to Concrete5 users comments! Thanks!
concrete5 is a well rounded cms for individuals and businesses. there are allot of pre-built solutions(site-builders) but there are only designed for 1 thing. concrete5 fits the needs of many but leaves the building to you. So building a site in concrete5 can seem like a challenge but in the long run your site will be better for it there is far much more you can do with concrete5 then you could with a pre-built solution.
the biggest learning curve for most people is learning the basics of html but after you will find that building things concrete5 is extremely simple with very little limits
http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp...
while you don't need to know how to code to build a site in the long run knowing the html basics will help you trouble shoot and customize your site to your needs. (when you get stuck feel free to ask on the forms)
the biggest learning curve for most people is learning the basics of html but after you will find that building things concrete5 is extremely simple with very little limits
http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp...
while you don't need to know how to code to build a site in the long run knowing the html basics will help you trouble shoot and customize your site to your needs. (when you get stuck feel free to ask on the forms)
Hi Sheldon!
Thanks for getting back to me. You mentioned HTML. I have no issues at all with HTML. Most of the pages on my current site I built using tables ( for tabular data ) no layout construction ;) .
The main problem I have had for years is how to display all the radio shows I have done as well as the playlists. I have used various forms of tables etc.. I want to make sure that victors can navigate effectively between the shows and playlists. I'm happy with my Interviews and resources page. I used tables for that and it is easy to maintain.
This is why I am trying C5. I want to see if I can do what I need. I know I can. It's just a matter of figuring out how to proceed with C5. I love the idea of blocks. All I need is some guidance on how to proceed with what I need to do. It's not C5. It's me wrapping my head around the basics. Once I understand, I usually take off like a rocket and dig into the possibilities with C5.
When I watch some of the videos, they seem to be using older versions of C5 so it throws me off a bit.
Hope this clarifiTes things in regard to HTML and to an extent CSS which I am still getting my feet wet with.
Regards
Randy
http://www.mcran.com
Thanks for getting back to me. You mentioned HTML. I have no issues at all with HTML. Most of the pages on my current site I built using tables ( for tabular data ) no layout construction ;) .
The main problem I have had for years is how to display all the radio shows I have done as well as the playlists. I have used various forms of tables etc.. I want to make sure that victors can navigate effectively between the shows and playlists. I'm happy with my Interviews and resources page. I used tables for that and it is easy to maintain.
This is why I am trying C5. I want to see if I can do what I need. I know I can. It's just a matter of figuring out how to proceed with C5. I love the idea of blocks. All I need is some guidance on how to proceed with what I need to do. It's not C5. It's me wrapping my head around the basics. Once I understand, I usually take off like a rocket and dig into the possibilities with C5.
When I watch some of the videos, they seem to be using older versions of C5 so it throws me off a bit.
Hope this clarifiTes things in regard to HTML and to an extent CSS which I am still getting my feet wet with.
Regards
Randy
http://www.mcran.com
I just took the w3schools HTML quiz. I got 85%. 17 out of 20 right and I did it at 6 in the morning still waking up. My wife thought I was crazy. :) . So now I feel better regarding C5, like I said, I would just need some help to get started.
it sounds like you'll be fine then :)
I would explore using the auto-nav to your advantage then instead of creating tables with links. On a few of my sites i do this by creating layouts with couloms and creating an auto-nav block to display only sub pages of a page
it will flow very much like a table but you don't get the nice lines. however on the plus side you don't need to update and add links after creating a new page with your content on it. (unless you wanted to add a description next to the link for that you want to look into the composer tool)
using composer
.. what you might want to do in the long run is create a pagetype for your recordings. set the area for title, discprition, file or link to recording, maybe an extra content block -> set these area to work in the composer
then create new recording pages within the composer and use "page-list" to display your pages
there are customized page-lists in the market place
http://www.concrete5.org/marketplace/addons/page-list-title/...
page list is like the auto-nav but for pages+descriptions or pictures
http://www.concrete5.org/documentation/how-tos/editors/setting-up-a...
http://www.concrete5.org/documentation/how-tos/designers/styling-th...
if you goggle (concrete 5 composer) you can find some videos like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lak79yufoD8...
- this is just a suggestion there is more then 1 way to tackle this but im guessing the composer is what you will like
I would explore using the auto-nav to your advantage then instead of creating tables with links. On a few of my sites i do this by creating layouts with couloms and creating an auto-nav block to display only sub pages of a page
it will flow very much like a table but you don't get the nice lines. however on the plus side you don't need to update and add links after creating a new page with your content on it. (unless you wanted to add a description next to the link for that you want to look into the composer tool)
using composer
.. what you might want to do in the long run is create a pagetype for your recordings. set the area for title, discprition, file or link to recording, maybe an extra content block -> set these area to work in the composer
then create new recording pages within the composer and use "page-list" to display your pages
there are customized page-lists in the market place
http://www.concrete5.org/marketplace/addons/page-list-title/...
page list is like the auto-nav but for pages+descriptions or pictures
http://www.concrete5.org/documentation/how-tos/editors/setting-up-a...
http://www.concrete5.org/documentation/how-tos/designers/styling-th...
if you goggle (concrete 5 composer) you can find some videos like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lak79yufoD8...
- this is just a suggestion there is more then 1 way to tackle this but im guessing the composer is what you will like
Thanks Shelsdon!
I am very persistent when it comes to something and after hearing from some friends and musicians who have been to my site, I finally came up with something simple, and manageable. I just have to appy some CSS and a few other things but the funtionality and look is there and this has been what I was after for years and though wasn't possible.
You click on the Archives tab on my site and then one of the years I have added so far. I love keeping things really simple both for the visitor and for me. This will be very simple to maintain and I can forget all that stuff about linking pages etc... I now have my one page solution. Coded myself for a newbie and it works!!
Randy
http://www.mcran.com
I am very persistent when it comes to something and after hearing from some friends and musicians who have been to my site, I finally came up with something simple, and manageable. I just have to appy some CSS and a few other things but the funtionality and look is there and this has been what I was after for years and though wasn't possible.
You click on the Archives tab on my site and then one of the years I have added so far. I love keeping things really simple both for the visitor and for me. This will be very simple to maintain and I can forget all that stuff about linking pages etc... I now have my one page solution. Coded myself for a newbie and it works!!
Randy
http://www.mcran.com
Have a look at this new add-on for your archives. It's built for sermons but that would be easily modified. The block fields are sermon-based but the display can be generic.
http://www.concrete5.org/marketplace/addons/sermon-series/...
http://www.concrete5.org/marketplace/addons/sermon-series/...
That is a really nice add on. I'll have to play around with it and see how best I could use it.
Thanks so much!!
Randy
Thanks so much!!
Randy
The add-on I suggested is a glorified version of what you are doing now.
What SheldonB is suggesting above is the 'proper' way to design a concrete5 site. His suggestion allows you to build a common skeleton page (a Page Type) that gets filled with archival assets. This allows you to make structural changes to one PHP file that instantly show up on all the archive pages you have already built. Also, for example, you could include a photo gallery on the page to display photos of the day Elvis dropped by the studio. If the gallery is empty for a specific day then it simply won't show up.
What SheldonB is suggesting above is the 'proper' way to design a concrete5 site. His suggestion allows you to build a common skeleton page (a Page Type) that gets filled with archival assets. This allows you to make structural changes to one PHP file that instantly show up on all the archive pages you have already built. Also, for example, you could include a photo gallery on the page to display photos of the day Elvis dropped by the studio. If the gallery is empty for a specific day then it simply won't show up.
Thanks mhawke!!
I will be exploring C5 again this week. I'll add my new code to the archives page as well as take a look at the add-on you suggest.
Has much as I have enjoyed Yola over the past few years I am finding more and more that I can do more with code. I'm still very green in this area but I am more convinced now that C5 might be a way better fit for me as well as more flexible.
I will be exploring C5 again this week. I'll add my new code to the archives page as well as take a look at the add-on you suggest.
Has much as I have enjoyed Yola over the past few years I am finding more and more that I can do more with code. I'm still very green in this area but I am more convinced now that C5 might be a way better fit for me as well as more flexible.
3. Follow my instructions for #5 to copy your theme before making any changes to these...
The main.css and typography.css files contain the css for the entire theme.
5. navigate to dashboard > page types > and modify the page type you want to use so every time a page is created it will take the design of the defaults!
You may want to create some new page types...
First and foremost, before you make any edits to the core of the theme you should copy your concrete/themes/greek_yogurt folder to ROOT/themes
From this point on ALWAYS make your edits in the ROOT/themes folder!!!
now, in your root/themes/greek_yogurt folder simply copy a page type file, such as left_sidebar.php and call it year_2012.php for instance. Then do that again and save it as year_2013.php etc...
now back in the dashboard > page types dialogue, click "add a page type".give them names like "Year 2012" and the handle MUST match the filename like: "year_2012"
now you can modify the page type defaults for each category and when a new page is created you get what you asked for!!