Advanced CSS/Design changes

[nix]

Yeah it does. I know what I'm doing when it comes to html and CSS, but it seems like I go about it the wrong way I guess. The way I do it, is I copy and paste into DW that has a page with the stylesheet embedded, make my changes and copy and paste back in to the corresponding file.

Am I going about this the wrong way? It takes me hours upon hours to design a new store. The install and config take little to no time but the design process takes FOREVER. It might be because I edit the dictionaries, and other files to make it do what I want.

On a separate note, I've been working with ZC for over 2 years now and have never come across a vid tut or something of that nature. It might help some newbs understand a little more clearly. I'm more of a visual person and reading about how to do it didn't quite make sense at first, so I reverse engineered a template so I could see how it all went together. Then again if they dont have a basic knowledge of html and css they probably shouldnt be attempting it in the first place. Thoughts?

[Website Rob]

For the most part, a Coder / Developer will require just the PSD file of the Template. They can then slice it accordingly and create proper code. Image programs used to Slice an image and create code, always use Table code and it is horrendous.

Be it for Zen Cart or most any other type script, one must first create the Template as a regular Web page; such you mention with using DW. Then one takes the code and images and applies them to the required files within the script.


With Zen Cart for example and related to custom Templates, most of your coding changes are in 3 files within the 'common' directory.

tpl_header.php
tpl_footer.php
tpl_main_page.php

So first, you have the time it takes to create a regular Web page; and that alone can take a long time. Then you have the time it takes to make the changes within the script files and do any necessary tweaking.

[yellow1912]

Website Rob summarized the whole process (almost, you will need to change many other files to change the listing layout, the checkout process etc....)

And some people complain that we charge them too much, they dont know how time consuming it is. When it comes down to that, I always have 2 things to say:
1. You get what you pay for.
2. It is not the hour that matters, it is that I have spent the entirety of my life preparing for that hour (Oliver Wendell Holmes to a lient who complained about a $500 bill for one hour's work)