Questions about General Workflow, Creating Templates

Hello, I'm just thinking of getting started with TYPOlight -- and just have a few basic 'start-up' questions that would really help me get going... or know if this will work for me. :)

Templates/Workflow – My typical process when building websites in the past has been to create the html/CSS in Dreamweaver using images exported from Photoshop. I have a basic template that all pages are attached to, with a few variations throughout the site (variations as in: the homepage is visually slightly different; the member's area follows a different template; etc.)

Incorporating the CMS element - Can I structure the site the same initially? Is TYPOlight flexible in how to set up the general template/layout? I noticed in the Demo the ability to choose how many columns, the width of the columns, etc. I'd prefer doing that all in Dreamweaver and not having to set it up in TL -- is that possible?

The only resource I have found regarding this consisted of downloading an existing Typolight template and editing it... (http://dev.typolight.org/wiki/typolight ... mTemplates). I'm not wild about that idea, as things tend to get kind of messy fast, and I'd prefer starting from scratch and actually learning it. Is there a list somewhere of things that need to be 'mentioned' in the source code to tie things together?

I've used CMS tools like Interactive Tools CMS Builder, and tried Expression Engine once... every CMS is such a learning process :P

Setting up initial database/install of TYPOlight - Most of the sites i work on already exist and have to stay up while I'm working on the new site ... I'm wondering how difficult it is to set up everything in a test location only to move it later, or what the best approach for this would be. Can everything be set up in it's own directory hosted on the current site's url?

Thanks for any input/response! Looking forward to moving forward and learning this...
:D

Hi Margot,

Hope this answeres your questions:

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Templates/Workflow – My typical process when building websites in the past has been to create the html/CSS in Dreamweaver using images exported from Photoshop. I have a basic template that all pages are attached to, with a few variations throughout the site (variations as in: the homepage is visually slightly different; the member's area follows a different template; etc.)

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You can create as much page-layouts as you need and assign them if needed. You assign one default page-layout which is applied if no specific layout is assigned.

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Incorporating the CMS element - Can I structure the site the same initially? Is TYPOlight flexible in how to set up the general template/layout? I noticed in the Demo the ability to choose how many columns, the width of the columns, etc. I'd prefer doing that all in Dreamweaver and not having to set it up in TL -- is that possible?

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Yes, that is possible I think. Look at this http://www.typolight.org/how-to-use-...-template.html

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Is there a list somewhere of things that need to be 'mentioned' in the source code to tie things together?

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Not that I know of, but if you find it..... please add it to the wiki

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I've used CMS tools like Interactive Tools CMS Builder, and tried Expression Engine once... every CMS is such a learning process :P

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I've used Joomla, Wordpress and Typo3 before and I am really excited about TL cause it has many of the power of typo3 but with the ease of wordpress (for editors I mean). Basically, the most loved thing by me is that TL builds it's pages out of content elements instead of one static page.

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Setting up initial database/install of TYPOlight - Most of the sites i work on already exist and have to stay up while I'm working on the new site ... I'm wondering how difficult it is to set up everything in a test location only to move it later, or what the best approach for this would be. Can everything be set up in it's own directory hosted on the current site's url?

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This is really very simple. I create a site locally with wamp, changing the entry of my upcoming site in the host file (http://www.mydomain.com 127.0.0.1). Then when I move it to the public site, everything is exactly where I expect it....

Also, you can develop on an other domain like test.mydomain.com and change the domain entry in the rootpage later. Also read http://www.typolight.org/moving-an-installation.html

Hope this helps a bit

Paul

Afraid I don't have time to answer all of your questions right now but I will definitely hit this one:

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Is there a list somewhere of things that need to be 'mentioned' in the source code to tie things together?

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Look under /system/modules/frontend/templates/fe_page.tpl This is the file that you can copy/modify as many times as needed for your individual templates, which, as you also asked, can absolutely be created using your existing workflow; you don't need to generate them in TL directly. I prefer to build them out by hand and them integrate with the CMS as you do. In fact, that's the reason WHY I decided on TL after working with other CMS platforms; you don't have to cut any corners with your initial development in order to fit stuff into the CMS later

Anything along the lines of "$this->foo" can be used to tie your templates up with the values you enter in the backend. They should all be relatively self-explanatory... except $urchinId. If you are logged into the backend and simultaneously view the frontend, the Google Analytics code will NOT be included in the markup (I guess to prevent tracking pageviews of known users - I prefer Google's solution of setting up a cookie). This took me 30 minutes to figure out on my first project. :)

Thank you guys for your help! much appreciated.

A follow up question regarding moving the installation... I'm working on a Mac. Am i capable of using my Mac as the local server? Or should I put it on my FTP server right away and just use a test domain? Is it as easy to move if I move it from one url to the permanent url later?

Or "store" it in a sub-directory of the live site (like www.mydomain.com/new)? MYSql still confuses me a lot -- but i'm slowly ;) catching on. And if I enter all the content, i won't have to reenter it, right? (i'm sure, but just double checking.. :) I've had issues with messing up paths before (like moving things up into the root of the site when they were stored in sub-directories previously and that was a nightmare.)

Does the basic TYPOlight install have to be installed in the root directory of the site? or can it be in a folder?

thanks again! and I won't be such a newb in the future, i hope... ;)

Margo - I would simply install TYPOlight in a folder on the live server, as you mentioned. This will limit the number of variables you have to juggle (i.e. getting LAMP running locally, etc.). You could do everything locally if you wanted though.

To move a site from one server to another, you simply need to move all files and the database. Then, update any db and path variables that have changed in /system/config/localconfig.php.

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Originally Posted by Ben

Margo - I would simply install TYPOlight in a folder on the live server, as you mentioned...

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Hi, I know it was some time that you dicussed these issues, but I hope I can still pick it up right from here on the issue of installing TL into a folder NOT in the root. Thid did not work for me. I installed TL locally first into a folder in the root directory, but install.php was not found. Installation into the root worked nicely.

What id that I need to do to make the installtion work in a subfolder of the site?

Thanks.

There may be a better way of achieving what you are after.

Why is it you need to install in a folder rather than the root?

The reason why I would like install TL in a subdirectory is twofold:

1. In my local installation I have some 10 different portal installations installed in a "parallel" fashion which makes it easy to work on them without having them uninstall.

2. On a live site, I could test the TL portal in a subdirectory and then move one level up with a minimal and very consistent upgrading of the URLs in the config file(s).

Thanks

This is the way of working that I find works for me. I always have a number of sites under development and I find this to be the most time efficient.

I have a number Typolight development sites for example:

http://cms-2.doublespark.eu

Here I have set up various templates, and installed all the extensions I usually use, and critically have working examples of each.

When I start developing a new site I duplicate the MySQL database and the root folder, change a couple of settings in the localconfig.php file, and I have a working installation up and running, just requiring different graphics, css etc, but everything including blogs, catalog etc work immediately.

I used to set everything up on a local server 1st, now I work directly on my hosted server. The reason for this is I found it too time consuming and complex maintaining a local and hosted server that are configured identically. And, if they are not then you can get everything developed and tested locally, but when you transfer to your hosted site things break. My hosted server is also backed up off-site every 6 hours, so no worries there.

Rather than work in a folder of a domain, I find it far better to work in a subdomain.

For example we are current re-developing this site:

http://www.peterboroughgreyhounds.com

The development version is found in a subdomain:

http://dev.peterboroughgreyhounds.com

I find this an ideal way to work. Once the development site is signed off, all I have to do is transfer the files across, no changes to make, even the db connection details remain the same. I find you just get too many problems when working in a subfolder, and like to keep my dev and live sites in exactly the same environment. Time sorting out issues is time better spent elsewhere.

Even with cheap hosting you usually get unlimited subdomains.

Not developing on a local site has other advantages:

- You can give the client regular updates on progress
- Other people for example a copywriter can login and sort the text rather that rather than send you a doc file
- You can login and work form anywhere
- Etc etc

Give it some though, this process has certainly saved me some pain, and much time :D

Thanks for your detailed response. As a matter of fact, I agree with you. Your approach makes sense, indeed.

In my particular case, my clients have a diversity of hosting arrangements. In other words, I do not host the sites I develop. Hence, the local development is the way to go for me.

Thanks again.