Please help! Newbie with template

[Zuke]

I really need some help here.

I found a template ont he web that I am using and would like to clean it up and integrate the CMSMS system into it.  I just can't figure out how to marry the CSS into the HTML and have it work.  I've added the
{stylesheet}
Command into the doc type (actually removed the doc typ line) and all that did was print "{stylesheet}" at the top of my page and turn the background white.  Please tell me what you need to help me (my stylsheet, my index.html, whatever).

I really want to be able to integrate my content area and my news area into the different windows, and eventually clean up some of the images that came with the template (it takes a while to load all of them, and most are too busy for my taste).  Thanks!

[jelle]

the doctype declaration says what flavour of html or xml you are delivering. It is not the place to stick your stylesheet in.
You should put your {stylesheet} tag just before the closing tag and stay clear of other tags.
Next, comes the hardest part, and that is culling the existing css to the bare minimum and maybe splitting it out over some categories like layout, colors typography etc. 

[Zuke]

If I'm not even to the hardest part, I'm screwed.  I reverted to the stock index, and recovered the doctype tag.  I put the {stylesheet} in like you said, and now my background is black again, but I still have this "{stylesheet}" printed in the top left coner!

http://www.infinitegeekonline.com/cms/index.html will give you an idea of whats happening.

[jelle]

Hmmm, I'm afraid you did not understand it yet. the page you point to is a static html file isn't it? If I go to http://www.infinitegeekonline.com/cms/index.[b]php[/b], I get a page that looks quite like a cms-generated page. the index.html has no signs at all it is generated. html files will not be processed by php or cms but are directly served by your webserver.
That is why you get the {stylesheet} literally in your page, it will never pass trough smarty.
What you need to do is this:
picl a template that most closely matches what you want.
copy it to a new name.
after the section of the template, you paste the contents of your file that you want to import, but without the old section.
then find the spots where your menus and the actual content should go. cut& paste the menu and content sections from belog in th eright place and delete the old stuff that was there at the bottom.
save the template, make a test page with that template.
make a new stylesheet in cmsms and cut & paste the contents of the old css into it. attach the new stylesheet to the new template. (yellow button). That will at least get you somewhere.
How to get rid of the tagsoup and translate it to css is another matter.

[Zuke]

I'm feeling rather stupid, so please bear with me. 

I tried the first part of what you said; took the header from the index.php that was the closest format I liked.  At the end of the head, I copied the template I wanted it to look like.  Now, I know that none of the menus will work, but I wanted to see what it looked like so far, and see if I could understand what changes were going to be made.
http://infinitegeekonline.com/cms/test.php

I have no clue what happened.

[Dr.CSS]

Hey Zuke
very interesting output, looks like it's showing some of the ?backend query strings?
what do you have in your template before >> Maintenance <<
  mark

[jelle]

Howcome does http://infinitegeekonline.com/cms/index.php?page=test not look like http://infinitegeekonline.com/cms/test.php?

What is in the file test.php? So far I have not seen a page that appears to be served by cmsms.

[Zuke]

Wicked sexy!  OK, I've set the .php to default instead of the .html, so now there's no need to specify index.php.  I see that the {news} tag worked.

Now, I just need to associate the menu CSS with the button images, and get rid of that weird footer left over fromt he old template.

[Dr.CSS]

Try getting rid of this at the bottom of your template





 

 

     

       
       
       
     

 
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[Zuke]

Yeah, that did it. 

The more I see this theme reload, the more I think it's too much.  It takes more time for the images to load than for the flash movie.  I might just have it all done in borderss to define areas, as the images seem to have problems resizing for content anyway.