Template Monstered... looking for answers.

For the record... I have read the TM (Template Monster) horror stories already before posting this. My regret is that I didn't think to come here before spending a pretty penny on one of their very attractive templates.

My questions are as follows:

1. IF I a manage to get this beast of a template they created to actually function, am I basically in heaps of trouble come upgrade time? I've heard that they thrashed ZC code to get their templates to look right.
2. Are these templates REALLY useless, or can they be stable and effective without me having to yank my hair out for the next 3 weeks?
3. Why the huge difference in template quality from the free-world to TM. Is ZC really that hard to make a template for? I tried for about two days and decided it would be easier to get a pre-made template and customize it... I may have been wrong.
4. Can I do this? "update tables of your Zen Cart installation database using a mysql dump file located at \SOURCES\DUMPS\ZENCART_SHORT.SQL inside an unzipped template package." I followed the directions I found in another post about using the SQL patch... it just stopped displaying my products. I also tried this in phpMyAdmin and got an error about the tables not existing (though I could see them just fine).
5. Even being in the whole a good chunk of money, what do you think would save me more time? Starting over or making this template work? And is it possible to adapt a standard html template to work with ZC, or is the system exclusive?In case you want to see the site, it is jirehgifts.com

Any help or advice is welcome. I feel terrible about the purchase but there is nothing I can do now but try to find a way to make it work. :yuck:

Thanks,

-Garrett

I would ask someone with experience with thier templates and get them to help you out. If you cant do it

short sweet answers where apropriat

1. Yes
2. No
3. No its not to hard, they just dont give a ^%YT about doing it correct. they want you to have to get a new one next time you upgrade ( JMHO )

4

5 better off taking a look at (sorry, site offline) find a nice one, then build on that ( no there is NO html equilevant )

:no:

Well, not really what I wanted to hear... but what I expected, to be sure.

Anyone else have suggestions/comments?

-Garrett

It will probably take just as much time to fix their template as it would to just take the images in the download and re-create the template from scratch.

Oops wrong thread :)

I am also using a TM template and although I have had several problems with it, the reading I have done on the forums has helped in most situations.

I have to agree that the template has been a lot of work and is probably better to build from the ground up. I have documented each and every change from the ZenCart files to the template files to changes I have made so upgrading might be easier for us if we don't get our own template up and running to our satisfaction.

It was our goal to get the template working and was sort of a fast fix for our site. We are working on re-creating the design from the ground up, on another server becacuse so far, our customers love our site.

I think the rule of thumb is that TM doesn't care if your template works or not.
There are a lot of changes that have to be made for it to work right and the instructions they provide are minimal at best. They also don't care whether your upgrades are seamless, and upgrades won't be easy. You can tell that from their file structure without even having to upload them.

I struggle with template modifications but learning the structure and the template override system I have come a long way in a few short months. It is possible to re-create the template so you CAN have the design you want.

Its doable but it is a lot of work!

Thanks for the encouragement. Since this is a one-time deal for me (I will not be the owner of the site) I decided to eat the money I paid for the template and start again from the ground up using a free template as my base structure. So far, though not done, it seems promising. The most important thing is that it does not hinder Zen Cart in any way and will be safe to update, come upgrade time.

TM really does make beautiful templates, but at what price is this worth it? I'm glad you got yours running, but I just can't afford the time it would take to convert them.

-Garrett