What tools are needed to make a Joomla templete?
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- Kola
- Rocketeer
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Hi there.
Im interested to know what process it takes to make Joomla themes and what sort of tools are used?
Anyone willing to shed any light on this or is it top secret? - SCIENTIFIC FACT - Santa's sleigh, weighed down with all those presents and traveling at supersonic speed to get to every households in one night, would encounter such massive air resistance that the entire contraption would burst into flames and be vaporised within 4.26 thousandths of a second :]
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- damo
- Elite Rocketeer
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this is for joomla 1.0:
dev.joomla.org/content/view/1136/79/ - www.c3p0.se - sweden
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- Kola
- Rocketeer
- Posts: 96
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Thanks m8, thanks loads more info than I thought Id get. Brilliant.
I have heard using Dreamweaver to create templates is the easiest way of all. Is this correct. On glancing DW isn't mentioned in the totorial you linked to. - SCIENTIFIC FACT - Santa's sleigh, weighed down with all those presents and traveling at supersonic speed to get to every households in one night, would encounter such massive air resistance that the entire contraption would burst into flames and be vaporised within 4.26 thousandths of a second :]
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- Dan L
- Elite Rocketeer
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Dreamweaver is great, but only as a coding tool. I like it because it's what I'm used to, but any code editor that supports on-the-fly colour coding of scripts would be just as good. I never use the designer mode, or even use it to preview layouts because you can't rely on it for accuracy.
There are easy ways to make templates, but making good templates is a challenge. For example, you could make a design up in Fireworks then get the software to export the entire layout, then just slap in your module code and voila! One working template that looks the biz, but under the hood it's a pile of old crap...full of tables, no flexibility, no collapses etc etc.
To do it well, you will need to know CSS inside and out...and know how to take advantage of it when coding your HTML. An understanding of PHP and logic statements is a must for creating collapse and dimension calcualting routines.
If you're fairly new to HTML/CSS, dive in at the deep end and learn to construct your entire layouts by hand using DIVs, it will help in the long run, and trust me, they give you far more control over layouts that tables do.
The bottom line is that you will inevitably have to get your hand dirty with code; there's no dream solution out there that can make these things for you. - Toolbox Digital | Dribbble | Forrst
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- Kola
- Rocketeer
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Hey Dan,
Thanks for the detailed answer.
I am determined to learn XHTML and CSS. So much so I have invested in some Lynda.com DVDs. I find these are an excellent way to learn. I also like to tinker to perfect any newly learned skills so figure the best project to make a start wirth would be to try and design or most likely seriously edit a template.
I didnt mean to use Dreamweaver as a WYSIWYG type editor I was meaning for the editing of code etc. Its just I have dreamweaver so may as well put it to some use.
For example, you could make a design up in Fireworks then get the software to export the entire layout, then just slap in your module code and voila! One working template that looks the biz, but under the hood it's a pile of old crap...full of tables, no flexibility, no collapses etc etc.
What are 'tables' and 'collapses' and what are 'dimension calculating routines'?
Also what are 'logic statements'
Im currently aiming to get a good basic knowledge in the following order and then work on all aspects from there.
CSS
XHTML
PHP
(Already have a decent knowledge of FW and Joomla)
Is the above a good work plan? I would hate to waste my time :/
Thanks again for the top advice m8.
Kola - SCIENTIFIC FACT - Santa's sleigh, weighed down with all those presents and traveling at supersonic speed to get to every households in one night, would encounter such massive air resistance that the entire contraption would burst into flames and be vaporised within 4.26 thousandths of a second :]
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- Dan L
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 1453
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Im currently aiming to get a good basic knowledge in the following order and then work on all aspects from there.
CSS
XHTML
PHP
Yes I would say that was about right...CSS & XHTML obviously go pretty much hand in hand, although when CSS is primarily used, the XHTML is generally pretty lean anyway and most of the magic is done in CSS...
What are 'tables' and 'collapses' and what are 'dimension calculating routines'?
Also what are 'logic statements'
Well you know what tables are I'm sure - I mean HTML layout tables: <table></table> etc - this is how websites are exported from Fireworks. The other bits I'm just referring to using PHP to calculate different template layouts based on active modules, pages etc - so collapsing columns and various content area widths. Not the most important aspect but will need to be included at some point. - Toolbox Digital | Dribbble | Forrst
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- Kola
- Rocketeer
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I take it those term I quoted will all become apparent at the PHP phases.
Pleased you agree with the order and what I am doing things in. Its always good to have someone whose made it in this industy's (I have seen your website) opinion.
Thanks again Dan - SCIENTIFIC FACT - Santa's sleigh, weighed down with all those presents and traveling at supersonic speed to get to every households in one night, would encounter such massive air resistance that the entire contraption would burst into flames and be vaporised within 4.26 thousandths of a second :]
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- CG Icon
- Hero Rocketeer
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When I started to toss together a website a year back I had no idea what I was getting into,, but a year later and my site finally almost being done ( jan 1 I hope )...it has come to me that in order to do what I want, I need to learn the language,,
being an artist speaking the language of visual communication I know to learn a second language is going to be difficult.,,,
but to do what I want to do I need to learn,, so thanks for posting a complete answer..
my site right now may look good,, but under the hood its a mess ( an at least I know that ) so next year is going to be all about not only looking good,, but running good as well.
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