Creating new site design, then Actinicifying it

[Jeremy]

Hi

I apologise if this subject has been covered previously, but I couldn't find anything in the Help files of FAQs that covered it.

I have been running a V6 site for some time (www.magazineexchange.co.uk) which has been through various evolutions and updates over the years, but is very much still based on an original set of Actinic design templates. Although I have done all the work myself (and some of the templates are pretty heavily modified now), I am definitely not a 'techie' person, and don't really want to become one.

The site is very 'old-tech' in appearance, and I have finally got around to commissioning a professional designer to create a complete new 'look' for the whole site which will be entirely different to the current design. Unfortunately this designer has no experience with Actinic-based sites, and I am unsure how to take her 'clean sheet of paper' design and turn it into a working V6 site - in other words, how do I create a new set of working Actinic templates for a site design that bears no relation to any of the original templates that Actinic supplies?

Hope the question makes sense - if anyone can give me some advice I would be very grateful

Many thanks

Jeremy

[jont]

If you have not already paid the designer I would consider finding an Actinic designer - integrating a standard HTML/CSS template into Actinic is not for the feint hearted - especially if you are not a technie as you suggest.

Did you ask the designer to make it Actinic compliant? If so this may be a way out of the contract.

If you want to go down the DIY route the easiest option is to open the Act_Primary.html, Act_BrochrePrimary.html and Act_PrimaryCheckout.html templates in turn (saving before modifying) then copy and paste the new design code into the bottom of the Atinic template ... then a matter of moving the various Actinic codes (NETQUOTEVARS) to the desired position in the new layout ... saving and preview under Actinic a little at a time tomake sure youhave not killed anything. Once all working in the new part delete the old design from the top of the page.

[Jeremy]

Thanks for the reply. Obviously (since I knew they would be of limited use) I haven't asked the designer to supply 'normal' html templates - at the moment I am just paying her to produce a basic graphic design (supplied in PDF form). Naturally she wants to go the next step and supply something more valuable, and so has offered everything as Dreamweaver templates (because Actinic led her to believe that a Dreamweaver template could be turned into an Actinic template). I was pretty sure this wouldn't work, so instead she has offered CSS templates, again because she was told these would work with Actinic. I wasn't sure about this as I have no experience of CSS, but I take it from your reply that this isn't a good approach either?

My reason for posting was to see if there was a 'smart' solution to this problem, which presumably must be very common for anyone designing a new site without using existing templates - or is that simply not done?

Thanks

Jeremy

[jont]

Normal HTML pages can be converted into Actinic pages as I outlined above - a standard external page design can be used and the various Actinic code added into it to make it work. It is far simpler to copy the new layout into the existing templates and copy and paste the Actinic stuff into the new layout area rather than building up from scratch - that would be a hardcore job for even the Actinic team!

Unlike standard HTML designs (CSS simply works alongside HTML / XHTML to style the page with colours, font types etc) for websites Actinic works by compiling many templates into the Master templates (typically the 3 I mentioned above)... that is the overall theme of the site. If she has also created product layouts these need to be converted into Act_ProductLine.html ... similarly if there are section designs these need to be converted into Act_SectionLine.html... plus a myriad of other templates and ID text that may require altering / tweaking.

Alas there is no quick "1 button" solution for converting external designs into Actinic designs ... with knowledge of HTML and specifically Actinic it is very possible to make this work.

If you already have the design you are happy with it may be worth approaching an Actinic Designer (or even a Actinic programmer) to see if they will convert it into Actinic for you

[I-CC]

Your designer is correct in so much that it can use DW and the extensions for Actinic and that it can also use CSS, but being able to do it and fully integrating into DW and with CSS is another matter and it will take more than a auto import to get most designs working within Actinic I am afraid.

Maybe get her to download a copy of v7 as a trial and see if she can employ it in some basic term within the software to see how well it will work (if she is willing that is)...

But - bottom line afraid is that although DW is mentioned and extensions exist, it is not so great that it can convert a super-smashing DW design into a fully fledged Actinic template site (one for the wish list which will never be I am afraid)...

[richardh9999]

I'm looking for an Actinic Designer

If you already have the design you are happy with it may be worth approaching an Actinic Designer (or even a Actinic programmer) to see if they will convert it into Actinic for you

I would like to find a good, creative Actinic Designer who could take my site (www.worldofenvelopes.com) and raise it to a more professional standard ... and then help me develop several more associated sites.

Anyone interested, please contact me ASAP !!

[pinbrook]

bottom line afraid is that although DW is mentioned and extensions exist, it is not so great that it can convert a super-smashing DW design into a fully fledged Actinic template site

I'll endorse everything stated above. Once you have the design in pdf/graphis mode it is better to pass it over to a designer who has experience with Actinic templates. The job wll be completed in much less time and will work.

Unless your designer wants to learn templating in his own time, or of course you are happy to pay your designer to learn!