developing for clients

[triggerhippie]

Hi all,

silly question but need to be clear before starting.

I have in my posession Business v6.0.2 (upgraded) with 2 licence keys: Business and Catalog and a clients own cd for Catalog.

My question is - can I develop a snapshot of the clients site with my catalog licence key and my installation and have them import the snapshot into their install of their catalog with their licence key, or do I have to design, develop their shop using their licence key?

blimey - just describing this is difficult enough lol.

Also are there any problems with installing both my licence keys for using both Business and Catalog ? on my win2k pc?

Newbie question but saw a post about this and I got a bit panicked as I have already started to design a site using my licence key for the client - and thought it would be simple enough for them to simply enter their own licence key irrespective of what key it was created under....

Lastly - as I dont have developer (tooooo expensive at the moment) - how do others design their own, lets say templates for use on future sites? - do you customize a simple template and then copy the whole 'site1' folder somewhere for future use as a starting base? or is there another way to do this (using dreamweaver to death and setting up so it looks in 'site1' as the root for editing what I have called 'ACTINIC SITE1' )

Just like to know the tricks others use for designing changes.

Many thanks - and when I get my script error cleared on checkout I'll be burning the midnight oil to catch up

[cdicken]

can I develop a snapshot of the clients site with my catalog licence key and my installation and have them import the snapshot into their install of their catalog with their licence key, or do I have to design, develop their shop using their licence key?

No, you can export a snapshot from your installation and then import it into your client's - even though you may use different license keys.

Also are there any problems with installing both my licence keys for using both Business and Catalog ? on my win2k pc?

Yes.

how do others design their own, lets say templates for use on future sites?

When I do a new design, I start from one of the clean layouts and then add in my own graphics and any extra variables (NETQUOTEVARs) I need to make my site work. To back this up (without Developer's ability to create custom themes) simply take a whole site snapshot and then use this site as a place to start for your next design.

[triggerhippie]

Thanks for advice - thats good to hear about me being able to design in my licenced version of say Catalog and then snapshot this and send to my cleints for import into their (different licence) version of Actinic Catalog.

However it seems very odd that I can't install both Business AND Catalog onto my machine for future devloping of client sites depending on their particular preference ??? i.e Business or Catalog.

Are 'we' sure this is correct as the CD seems to have installed both in seperate folders and without any seeming problems ??

Could you clarify this? please

Also good idea is the snapshot method of design - to be able to re-use a snapshot as a start to developing another clients site (if you dont have the change to get developer at £1000+ - wheres the incentive guys for developers to go down the Actinic route?? IMHO.

I have been creating custom themes from a simple theme base and adding the details in the .ini file in the themes folder and seems to sort of work quite nicely'ish - but your suggestion about snapshot sounds better and safer ...will do

[cdicken]

Whoops - serves me right for not reading the question properly.

the 'Yes' in my previous posting was to say 'Yes it is is possible to have Business and Catalog on the same PC'. You would actually do this by licensing a Business and a Catalog site (with the appropriate keys) within the same installation.

Sorry about that.

[triggerhippie]

Pheew - thansk for clearing that one up - I read as well but doesn't always go into my thick cranium lol - kind of like web site visitors hehheh