Thread: Templates - How Do I use Them?

Ok I'm familiar with the standard one-image free templates and I use them all the time. However, I just downloaded one of the 6 -'newest' templates - the ones that look more like completed pages - and it's just a bunch of images in a folder. Am I missing something? What do I do with them? How do I use them?

On a similar theme, I want to buy a 'full site' or 'full package' template, so I downloaded the free sample of the full package. Again, a bunch of directories with images, scripts, html files etc. What do I do with them? how do I edit them?

I was expecting BVP files in both of these downloads so that I could edit them. Obviously it doesn't work like that. So how DOES it work?

Do you have a link to the template you want to use so we know what to suggest?

These are the free samples of full sites
http://info.template-help.com/sample_templates.html

And this is the free tempates page, the templates in question are the six thumbnails at the bottom.

http://www.vodahost.com/sets.htm

1st link will involve some html experience & paint/photshop for image manipulation.
2nd link is just a case of just stitching together the image fragments on a BV page.

I don't get it. How can it be a template if you have to build the site yourself? Anyone can throw a bunch of images togrther and call it a site. Why don't they just create a bunch of bvp files so that bv users can use bv to edit?

The BV ones are free & only take a few minutes to make up a page. The idea of having lots of images is so you are not so restricted in the pages flexibility. Once you have made your 1st page, you then would save it as a BV template in the style you like.

Have you actually tried that Chris? I mean, how are you supposed to know where each image goes? There isn't even a full-size image of the template that you can refer to, only the thumbnails.

Furthermore, from vodahosttemplates.com FAQ:

18. What software do you recommend for making HTML?

We think that Macromedia Dreamweaver is the best.

What????

Also, vodahosttemplates.com seems to be clone of templatemonster.com which of course is nothing to do with BV. All of the files need AdobePhotoshop and Macromedia Flash in order to edit them. How could that possibly be described as BlueVoda templates?

Bump

Seems to me there is a gap in the market here. Anyone up for a JV? You make 'em. I'll market 'em.

There are some template that are for BV (Basic) & some templates for the html user (Advanced). If you want to use the more advanced template, you will have to learn how to use Dreamwever & photoshop. VH are selling templates for who ever has the ability & skills to use them & not just for BV customers only. I don't think it says the ones at vodahosttemplates.com is for BV use? (Might be wrong)
As mentioned before! With the BV template (6 at the bottom) You put them together as you want them to look as there would be no point in a template that is not flexible.

I have to agree with this thread - I also tried to download these so-called templates - since I liked the look of one of them. Loads of other web-build sites have similar things - you download it as a complete page and then change it around to meet your requirements. All you get from this download is a massive jigsaw puzzle of disconnected images (loads of which are actually just bits of images - you can't tell where they go since (unlike a proper jigsaw puzzle) you don't have a picture to start from - completely useless (even for an experienced html-coding website builder like me). I think someone's trying to con us here!

.....ianggi -
".........completely useless (even for an experienced html-coding website builder like me)."
I have to ask the obvious question: Why would an "experienced html-coding website builder" like you be bothered with templates anyway? Surely you have the expertise to build sites without them, yes?
BV is a free sitebuilder & gives all us novices a fantastic chance to make our own pages without having to learn complicated things like html coding &/or java scripts & the like. I, and many others, have no complaints & do not agree that........"someone's trying to con us here"

And how does that contribute to the thread exactly? The topic is how to use templates, please keep it that way.

Originally Posted by Collectors-info

T.........With the BV template (6 at the bottom) You put them together as you want them to look as there would be no point in a template that is not flexible.

Chris have you actually used these? I'm sure if you have you will know that they are not templates, they are a collection of jpegs. There is a difference between 'flexible' and 'unusable'

If they were templates, they would be bvp files, which as we all know are extremely flexible anyway once they are opened.

I say again - there is a gap in the market, i.e. templates that are delivered as bvp files.

I have only used the ones on this page. The others can be adapted with a lot of work for BV use, but they are not really for this purpose.
As mentioned before, VH is looking out for all web users & these other templates are for the more experienced that use other website makers like dream weaver.

you can open the templates with any text editor. I recommend notepad++. Or you can use MS Notepad, it comes on all windows machines..

For me, I often use Dreamweaver to design the interface. It appears to be an awesome tool

I too have wanted to use the website templates offered by VH. I have downloaded a sample but for the life of me don't know what to do with it. The BV templates are really of little value in relation to what i think of when i think web template. I want one of those cool templates I see for sale. I am ready to buy, but I need to be able to edit. I have just come over to BV from CityMax which had real web templates but with out the awesome editing ability of BV. So, there you have it.

And I am already stuck here. How do I get a nice grey background on one of the Standard templates. A background withouth weard and ugly patterns in it. It should be possible to add that to a std. template - or?

Same problem here. I have downloaded a free template but for the life of me can't figure it out. There are pictures all over with tens of folders.

I want to buy this template

http://www.templatehelp.com/preset/p...WlwRj8Cb702DWV

for our website

www.theconfab.net

but I'm a novice and editing the above mentioned template to suit our needs (tabs, text etc) is something I can't do.

Anyone who can help?