Upgrading to v8

[jont]

The actinic.css is editable ... in design mode select it from the bottom of the list from the "select page type" dialog.

All the key pages are selectable there eg: customer emails, search pages etc

The code editing at the moment is being handled internaly by Actinic with a basic html editor .... the ability to edit the templates directly in DW... save and then preview back inside Actinic has been lost which is a real shame IMHO

[jont]

I am having serious problems with the css - it looks like when the site is upgraded serveral css files are created which define conficting properties.

I have found v8 will ignore original v7 css files if they are attached to the original Act_Primary as standalone files (eg: myfile.css) as well as the actinic.css.

The v8 actinic.css features a theme specific css file @imported via the actinic.css .... the theme.css is viewable in the site1 folder

[Mark H]

The code editing at the moment is being handled internaly by Actinic with a basic html editor .... the ability to edit the templates directly in DW... save and then preview back inside Actinic has been lost which is a real shame IMHO

I know it's very early days, but the lack of integration with DW (which has been improving to date) means that the two sites we are currently developing (and, I suspect, many of the great example sites which appear on Actinic's own site) couldn't be done in V8.........

[jont]

The workflow does seem a little difficult at the moment .. but this may be due to thinking like v7 to be fair ..... need to spend more time with the design side of v8 to get things working more efficiently ... need a v7/v8 switch on my head to operate the two

[pinbrook]

its a completely different mind set, you need to forget everything you already know. Moving design elements around is more difficult due to less monitor space

Can you undock all the different page views, I'm felling very cramped on one monitor, I'd lke to spread out over 2 [EDIT] yes you can

[RuralWeb]

The actinic.css is editable

It is now full of "actinic variables" though and you have to edit it in the basic editor within Actinic

[Mark H]

I can understand Actinic concentrating (from a business point of view) on the majority of users who would benefit from being able to make use of a better/easier set of predefined designs which are modified within Actinic, but for instance on one of our new sites we have devised a way of replacing the product descriptions/images etc. with an interactive Flash file fed by NQVs and customvars (all run from a client friendly spreadsheet) - I'm sure we will all have our own views on that approach, but it does look mindblowing and actually has improved accessibility and potential SERPS appeal. As much as I would like to I'm not sure I'm going to be doing that in V8.

[cdicken]

It is worth taking a look at the 'Beta Testing Guide' (see THIS THREAD) to explain how all the new design features work.

The idea is that you can click on anything in the preview in the 'Design' tab in Actinic, and you get the code for it appearing straight away. You can either customise it here, or copy and paste it into Dreamweaver to customise it.

I love the new editor - and have saved me so much hunting around trying to find out where a bit of HTML is coming from. You now just click on the thing you want to change, and all the code is there straight away.

[RuralWeb]

the ability to edit the templates directly in DW... save and then preview back inside Actinic has been lost which is a real shame IMHO

If this is true, and I suspect it is, then V8 is a step backwards One of the best features of Actinic is (was) its integration with DW and why Actinic would force us to use an html editor is beyond me - I for one will NOT take the step back.

They have, I think, tried to produce a "design" capability within Actinic and removed the Template manager/DW capability - this is fatally flawed as most designers use DW etc not notepad.

As jo says the screen is now very cluttered, with V7 all the design was separate in DW.

[cdicken]

As much as I would like to I'm not sure I'm going to be doing that in V8.

Take some time to learn about user definable variables. They are much easier to use than customvars. You just create them in the library (Design | Library | Variables) and then include them into your design by clicking where you want the variable to be inserted in the preview in the Design tab, and then right-click in the code and select 'Insert Variable'. You can then insert your custom variable (rather than typing CUSTOMVAR:WHATEVER into the template).

Anyway, as I say, everything you could do in v7 you can do in v8 - and more besides. There will be a learning curve though - but not a very big one.

[cdicken]

Can you undock all the different page views, I'm felling very cramped on one monitor, I'd lke to spread out over 2

Jo - the screen is completely configurable. Just drag the panels where you want them to be.

If you click the title bar on one panel and then drag it onto the title bar of another panel, the two panels will 'tab' on top of each other and you can switch between them. You can also drag them onto other monitors.

[RuralWeb]

copy and paste it into Dreamweaver to customise it.

You are joking I hope.

Editing html code direct may be your idea of fun but its not mine. Why has the link with DW been broken????

[Mark H]

Thanks Chris - you know that we are all supportive of Actinic otherwise we wouldn't be here, but many have spent literally years learning how to manipulate previous versions and we get a little jittery if major changes appear - I hope you are right. We are pushing V7 probably further than it ought to go, but we have a big investment in it and at the end of the day we want the order processing, product tree, etc etc, otherwise we would probably have "gone bespoke". I look forward to seeing how it pans out

[cdicken]

Malcolm - please hold off posting for about 15 mins. I need to repond to all your points in one post, but it is going to take me a while.

[Jan]

I am pretty sure that you can still edit using Dreamweaver, in fact I recall being told that the Dreamweaver interface has been greatly improved - there is a check box on installation to install the dreamweaver link and if you did this a guide on how to do this should have been installed.

Regards,