Templates

Templates are web pages, which are incomplete because they have no content. They can be imported from an existing web page or created from scratch. Different parts of the template, called regions, can be filled with eCrowds assets such as menus or blocks. Regions are defined between two percent signs. %%header%% would define a region named header. The beauty of using templates is that a web site can be built very quickly, and it will have a uniform look and feel throughout all the pages.

Note: When importing content from a URL (for creation of a "Custom" template), the source of the page is copied directly into the content text field. External files will function perfectly well, but it is recommended to integrate all your site's assets into eCrowds. All links, images, files, stylesheets, or javascripts should be imported as a File.

Creating a new Template:

To create a new Custom Template:

1. Click on "Presentation" in the left navigation
2. Under "Modules," select "Templates"
3. Once in the Templates interface, click "Create new Template"
4. Fill in the required name and content fields. The content may be entered by hand or by importing the HTML directly from a url (click "Import content from URL")
5. Add the necessary regions to the content HTML either by manually adding a %%region-name%% or by placing the cursor at the desired location and typing the region name into the "Insert Region Name" field and clicking "Go" Click "Reload Regions" to generate selection lists for each region
6. Add optional assets to each region, and optional formats for each asset as well. These formats are template specific; if an asset is used on multiple templates, different formats may be used accordingly.
7. Choose optional websites on which the template should be included. Add an optional security policy and tags
8. Click "Create Template" to submit

To create a new Visual Template:

1. Click on "Presentation" in the left navigation
2. Under "Modules," select "Templates"
3. Once in the Templates interface , click "Create new Template"
4. Enter "Example Template" for the name, and select the layout by clicking the "change" link to view all of the default layout options.
5. Add assignments to the different regions of the template (these "regions" are determined based on your layout selection above, but will include a header, footer, and main region by default)
6. You can also drag and drop these assignments and their respective orders by clicking the "...." at the top of each item and dragging it to where it should be.
7. Click "Appearance Options" to associate the appropriate colors and font family with the desired elements of the template and to add any custom CSS desired.
8. Click "Create Template" to submit.
9. You will see a "Template was successfully created" message once your new template has been submitted.

Editing an existing Template:

To edit an existing Template:

1. Click on "Presentation" in the left navigation
2. Under "Modules," select "Template"
3. Once in the Template interface, navigate to the Template you would like to edit, and click "Edit" under "Actions" on the far right.
4. Make any desired changes to the template's name, layout, order of assignments, etc.
5. Click "Save Template" to submit your changes.

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