Let Your Template Be Your Guide

When you look at a template, pay less attention to the colors and content, and more attention to the layout (where menus and articles are placed) and the typography and effects. What do the headlines look like, what does the text look like, what do the menus look like, and where they placed? How do the menus flow? How do the pull downs in the menu pull down? Do the menus drop down? What do borders look like? The typography are the elements that really separate one CMS template from another. The layout is so very flexible, that you are most often able to relocate items and colors to whatever location you would like them to be.

The template is a series of files within the CMS that control the presentation of the content. The template is not a web site, neither is it to be considered a complete web site design. The template is the basic foundation design for viewing your site. To produce the effect of a "complete" web site, the template works hand in hand with the content stored in the databases.

Using a template as a Content Management System does, has a number of advantages:

• There is a complete separation of content and presentation, especially when CSS is used for layout. This is one of the main criteria for a site that meets modern web standards.
• A new template, and hence a completely new look to a web site can be applied instantly. This can even have different locations/positioning of content as well as colors and graphics.

One of the most common complaints of webmasters is that maintaining a static website takes too much time. You have to format new content in HTML, modify all the pages that have changed, and upload them to the server.

The Content Management System keeps the design independent of the content, so updates and changes are easy and fast. You set up the back end database, You design, develop, and structure the front end once, configure the templates, and then use the web-based content management system to update your site from any web browser in the world. Whether you need to add new content, remove pages, upload images, or change the formatting, the CMS lets you do it quickly and without unnecessary mistakes.

The user administration system allows you to authorize many writers to help you update your website, give them permission to change the site directly, or have them reviewed by an editor first.

With the implementation of a CMS, most of the headaches of site management disappear. Features such as site map and a site search will automatically update without the need for custom programming. Additional features such as forums, events calendars, image galleries, Log In, Registered Only Menus, and Contact Forms are either built in to the system or easily available via extensions and modules.

Bottom line: Once your site is up an running you will easily be able to add articles, images, and sections. You will have a one stop administrative area to take care of registered users, payments, newsletters, events, and anything else you decide to add to the functionality.