How To Customize Your
Site
Editing
this basic template to meet your needs
As well as creating a great-looking
overall design (page layout) for your site, these templates
give you a head-start with a basic preset site
structure. The pages contained within these
templates are really just to give you a starting point,
and also some copy that you can begin to work with - right off
the bat. All you need to do is to is edit the pages, add
some more content of your own, set appropriate
keywords and publish. A super way to get your site live in
double-quick time.
ABOUT THIS
TEMPLATE:
This particular template is a
'simple' design - the text elements of the design will be very
easy to edit and the main graphical image is reasonably
straightforward to change.
The main graphic on the page is a
table background - you can change it by right-clicking in the
table and selecting "properties".
Here are
a few pointers to help you with
any customization you
might want to do
To make changes to the general
style of the pages for your site - the Page Layout - you edit
the settings in the configuration boxes on the left-hand side
of the Page
Layout tab. In this version of
XSitePro there are nine sections of a typical web page that can
be customized using the Page Layout controls.
Here's a brief description of each
one:
Header - This is located at the very
top of the page. Often it will include a logo or header graphic
that includes the web site's name.
Info-Bar
- This is a
horizontal section of the page in which you can insert
navigation, banner graphics, Adsense or other elements. It sits
directly below the Header Panel and so commands a very
important piece of your page's real-estate.
Left
Panel - Under the Header Panel, and
to the left of the Main Panel where the main body copy of the
web page appears. Here you will often find links to all of the
important pages on a web site, as well as other 'persistent'
elements: mailing-list sign-up forms, advertisements,
etc.
Main Panel
Header - Immediately above the Main
Panel is the Main Panel Header. This header only stretches the
width of the main panel itself (unlike the Header Panel, which
streches across the whole page, not just the Main Panel).
Suitable uses for the Main Panel Header might include
navigational elements, graphics, advertising or textual
elements - all of which will appear at the head of every page,
above the Main Panel content.
Main
Panel - This is where the body copy
for your web site will appear. This is of course
the most important element of
your pages - the informational element - and not something that
can be pre-written for you. You need to spend time on your main
panel content, creating genuine, quality content (or sourcing
ready-written content of comparable quality). The 'pages' you
create within your site are what populate the Main
Panel.
Main Panel
Footer - At the bottom of the Main
Panel is the Main Panel Footer. With XSitePro you have a choice
of whether you have a footer that stretches the full width
of the page or whether the footer excludes the left and right
column and appears immediately under the main body of text. You
can also have both at the same time if you wish. For example,
you may want to have various links to pages appear under the
main body copy and a copyright message on the page
footer.
Right
Panel - This is the space between
the Main Panel and the right page margin. People often include
testimonials or banner advertisements in this
section.
Page
Footer - This is the section that
appears immediately below the left and right columns and the
main body of the page. Often it will include a copyright
message and may include a reminder of the web page URL. You may
also wish to use the footer for links to those pages which
(while important to some sites) you don't wish to clutter the
main navigational menu(s) with. Privacy Policy and Terms &
Conditions pages are good examples of such
pages.
Margins
- These
appear on both the left and right side of the web page
although with XSitePro you can, if you wish, choose to
have the page left justified and only have a margin on
the right hand side of the page. You can also specify how
much of the background you can see, if any, above
and/or below the page.
More information on how to use the
Page Layout tab can be found in the XSitePro manual or in the
context sensitive help system.
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