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Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation

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Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation
Hello.

I'd like to use a different template for this category http://www.indylinks.com/...500_Links/index.html at http://www.indylinks.com.

I've looked under resources and searched the Links SQL forum. I've read through the manual and through the help available from the control panel.

I'm not finding any instructions on how to do this except for a Resource Area link with dated in 2000.

I'm surprised I can't easily find documentation on something that is mentioned in your features list from which one orders the product.

It would be great if there was an explanation of the Category Template and Html Template features in the Database area of the Control Panel - somewhere.

Surely a FAQ of some of the features would be more helpful than all of us searching through post after post trying to find instructions for the more basic features.

I apologize if I'm missing something, but I have spend hours of my time looking through the documentation.

Would someone be kind enough help me understand how to make a different category template.

Your help is much appreciated.

Best regards, April Lougheed
A. Lougheed
IndyLinks.com
webmaster@indylinks.com
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Re: [aprillougheed] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
I did find the Template 2 - Different Category Templates Mod under Resources in Links SQL: Modifications

- but after following the instructions . . . no new template is visable.

So I'm still stuck. Shocked
A. Lougheed
IndyLinks.com
webmaster@indylinks.com
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Re: [aprillougheed] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
Hi

I had the same trouble but after a while i got it sorted, so i will try to explain it easy.

Go into the download area and download the template pack, the upload one set of templates (yahoo/simple whatever) in to the admin/templates folder, then in the browse section in the admin go to the category you would like to be different and click edit.

At the bottom of the page where it says category template type the template name you uploaded, for example if you uploaded the yahoo template set, type yahoo in that box then save.

The go to build and build all, that should give you the yahoo category page for the category you specified, then all you do is edit the html of the yahoo template to what you want.

That should do what you need.

Kirk


--------------------------------------------------

Life isn't like a box of chocolates ... it's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today might burn your ass tomorrow.
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Re: [aprillougheed] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
Hi,

To use a custom template, you can:

1. Enter in 'custom.html' into the Category_Template field for your 'Indy500 Links' category. When you do this, the program will use custom.html instead of category.html to display Indy500 Links and all subcategories.

2. You can also enter in a custom template set. i.e. If you enter 'yahoo' into the Category_Template field, then the program will use the category.html template from the yahoo template set. It will also use subcategory.html, link.html and detailed.html from the yahoo set for displaying links in the Indy500 category.

Let me know if that makes sense.

Cheers,

Alex
--
Gossamer Threads Inc.
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Re: [aprillougheed] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
Thank you so much for your wonderful answers.

I was able to make it work by:
For some reason it wouldn't pick up the "mytemplate.html" in the AV template directory. But it DOES pick up "mytemplate.html" in the default directory.

I had to copy my footer.txt to the default directory also because I didn't know how to call a <%footer.txt%> from a different directory . . . ???

I had to put the <%body_font%> tag in to the globals for AV template. Which is no problem.
Thanks again. I really, really appreciate it! April
A. Lougheed
IndyLinks.com
webmaster@indylinks.com
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Re: [aprillougheed] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
I thought I had it fixed . . . (see below for why I tricked myself).

But I'm still unable to make the script recognize the use of more than one specific category templates for some categories.

I'll try to be as concise as possible.

Things I've tried:

-----I've put "category-Indianapolis-Visit.html" template using "trail&error' in:

1. av (the template I'm using a default)

2. default directories (both under the main directory and under "local")

-----I've indicated at the bottom of the "Database" page for the category . . .

Category Template - I've done "trial&error" on av, default and blank

HTML Template - category-Indianapolis-Visit.html

-----Here's why I thought I had it fixed: If I replace the "category.html" file with "category-Indianapolis-Visit.html" in the default template directory . . . it does use "category.html" from the default directory ... but I have more than one category template I'd like to use. For example, category-Indianapolis-singles.html, etc., etc.

Hope you can straighten me out. I must be doing something really dumb. Best regards, April
A. Lougheed
IndyLinks.com
webmaster@indylinks.com
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Re: [Alex] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
Alex - I'm getting this to work now using exactly "custom.html".



What if I want more than one custom template. . .

Category Template: custom-travel.html

Category Template: custom-singles.html

etc.



I can't get the script to recognize more than one template. Am I supposed to put something in Html Template field?



Hope I'm being clear enough.



Thanks, April
A. Lougheed
IndyLinks.com
webmaster@indylinks.com
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Re: [aprillougheed] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
Ugh! I'm really sorry about this. The program was being too restrictive in the filenames it allows (to prevent people from putting in bad file names). Basically your filenames can only contain letters, numbers, a single dot, and the underscore (_). The - in the filename was messing it up. If you rename it to custom_travel.html or custom_singles.html it should work fine. I'll be sure to fix this for the next release.

Sorry about all the headaches this caused.

Cheers,

Alex
--
Gossamer Threads Inc.
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Re: [Alex] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
That crossed my mind. Guess my inexperience shows.

Call me a Newbie. I'm busted.Blush



Thanks again for responding . . . now I can move forward again.Sly



April
A. Lougheed
IndyLinks.com
webmaster@indylinks.com
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Re: [aprillougheed] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
Well, gosh. It still doesn't work.

Here is what I'm using

1. Category Template: ______ <--blank

2. Html Template: categoryIndianapolisVisit.html

3. category.html and categoryIndianapolisVisit.html files are in the
"/cgi-bin/cgi/admin/templates/av/" directory.


I've tried a bunch of other variations, directories as before . . . no luck. I changed the permissions on the categoryIndianapolisVisit.html field . . . wasn't that.

I wonder what I could be doing wrong?

Thanks, April
A. Lougheed
IndyLinks.com
webmaster@indylinks.com
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Re: [aprillougheed] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
Hi April,

Why is Category_Template blank? Don't you want to put the name of the template to use in there? i.e. for Indianapolis category, put 'categoryIndianapolisVisit.html' into the Category_Template field, and for the Indianapolis category and all subcategories the program will use 'categoryIndianapolisVisit.html' template.

If it's still not working, drop me an email at support-lsql@gossamer-threads.com with access to the admin and I'll take a look.

Cheers,

Alex
--
Gossamer Threads Inc.
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Re: [Alex] Category Template - Frustrated with Documentation In reply to
Alex - I found it. The program didn't like my long file names, I renamed to catVisitor.html - works great.

I should have thought of that earlier too.

I'm cookin' now! Cool

Thanks so much for your help.

You're my hero!

April
A. Lougheed
IndyLinks.com
webmaster@indylinks.com