What if I want to start all over?

einateinat Registered Users Posts: 193 Major grins
edited October 18, 2013 in SmugMug Customization
I think my homepage is cluttered, the side-navbar it too long, etc.

So…
If I start working with a new design – take one of the offered designs and start playing around with it –
What would be lost and what would be saved from the design that I have now? (I’ve started with one of the designs, saved it as my own and gave it a new name).

What happens with the homepage and all its components?
If I start with some other design, modify it, save the design and then publish – could I go back to my current design and current homepage with all their settings?
In other words, is the homepage (with all its components and settings) a part of the design?

What if all I want to change is the homepage, but I still want to save the current one so I can return to it later?

What happens with the CSS codes?
I have them on a block on the entire site, they’re not in the theme. It’s not a problem to copy and pasted them into a new block on a new homepage.

Comments

  • ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2013
    Yes, you can create new themes and designs and save them, however I'm not completely clear on the method.
    I do know that at the top when you click customize, there's an option for a new theme.
    Now, someone else needs to post the method to save the theme, once you have chosen one and modified it a bit. I know I did save a few but can't remember how I did it.

    I have 4 themes saved, and what I do know is:
    - When I modify a theme, and want to see what it will look like to the public, I "publish it". "Preview" apparently has problems so I don't even go there.
    - If you work on a new theme, let's say the homepage, and publish it, and then click on the "entire site" section, I think you will find that the new theme you were working on, disappears. That's because back before the new theme, you had published this section with a different theme. To bring this section up to par with your new theme, when you click customize site and click the section to change, then click the theme tab on the right and scroll to the bottom to see the link for "my themes". Open it and choose the most recent theme you were working on (you would have given it a name, I think when you saved it - this is the part I can't remember how to do). Now publish again. Repeat for each of the sections (folders and all galleries). In the end your entire site will now be consistently in one theme.

    There is a drawback to creating new themes and saving the templates, in that a block you add to one, or customization you do, won't populate to the others. So if you do the work to add a navbar in one theme, you'll have to repeat that in another theme.

    For me I started 2-3 themes, thinking I would test them, but when the ramifications of having to duplicate a lot of work became clear, I then backed up and decided which theme I would truly stick with. I mention this because you said you think the theme you've been working with is too messy. It still might be easier to remove the messiness and keep what you do want. If you post what you think is messy and pushing you to start completely over, maybe someone will know how to easily undo the mess.
  • denisegoldbergdenisegoldberg Administrators Posts: 14,373 moderator
    edited October 18, 2013
    ChancyRat wrote: »
    - When I modify a theme, and want to see what it will look like to the public, I "publish it". "Preview" apparently has problems so I don't even go there.
    Keep in mind that once you unveil your site you can't use Publish like you are right now. The OP has a new smug site already - if he publishes he will change the site for his viewers.

    --- Denise
  • ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2013
    Ah, thanks Denise. I've not understood what is lost or gained after unveiling.
    What does he need to do to try a different theme, then, without publishing?
  • denisegoldbergdenisegoldberg Administrators Posts: 14,373 moderator
    edited October 18, 2013
    ChancyRat wrote: »
    Ah, thanks Denise. I've not understood what is lost or gained after unveiling.
    What does he need to do to try a different theme, then, without publishing?
    The only thing is to preview and save for later.

    He can also save changes to the theme that is not the current theme - those would not be viewable until the theme is actually switched.

    --- Denise
  • einateinat Registered Users Posts: 193 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2013
    Thanks, both Denise and ChancyRat

    The problem is that there's no way of saving a 2nd copy of a modified theme.
    If I want to stick with my colors, the header and the nave bars - and only to change the home page, then as I see it, I can either recreate everything + a new homepage and save them in a new theme. This way I keep my current homepage and can later revert to it.
    Or, I can make modifications only to the homepage, and lose my current one.

    I am not counting on the preview.

    And - I am a "she" not a "he" (-:
    (It's in Hebrew)
  • denisegoldbergdenisegoldberg Administrators Posts: 14,373 moderator
    edited October 18, 2013
    einat wrote: »
    And - I am a "she" not a "he" (-:
    (It's in Hebrew)
    Sorry! It's funny, as I wrote my post I was wondering - next time I'm not sure I guess (s)he might be better.

    --- Denise
  • ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2013
    einat wrote: »
    Thanks, both Denise and ChancyRat

    The problem is that there's no way of saving a 2nd copy of a modified theme.
    If I want to stick with my colors, the header and the nave bars - and only to change the home page, then as I see it, I can either recreate everything + a new homepage and save them in a new theme. This way I keep my current homepage and can later revert to it.
    Or, I can make modifications only to the homepage, and lose my current one.

    I am not counting on the preview.

    And - I am a "she" not a "he" (-:
    (It's in Hebrew)

    Sorry you GIRL you. Sorry about that.
    And yes, you're right, you cannot save a new version of an existing theme. I did ask the SM help email about that and they confirmed it.
  • ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2013
    PS, I am a girl too. :) That's why it's politically correct for me to call you girl. At least I think so. Probably.
  • einateinat Registered Users Posts: 193 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2013
    Sorry! It's funny, as I wrote my post I was wondering - next time I'm not sure I guess (s)he might be better.

    --- Denise
    ChancyRat wrote: »
    PS, I am a girl too. :) That's why it's politically correct for me to call you girl. At least I think so. Probably.

    It's fine :smooch
    With all the nicks and international names (mine's a real name) one can never guess.

    =============

    And to the point - I backed up the design with Lamah's g-chrome extension. I think it is a good solution. I can always recreate something. Once I have all the design, settings, sizes etc. written down, the actual "work" is not that much of an issue.

    Now the problem that's left is that I'm not really sure of what I do want for my hompage.
  • ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2013
    One thing you could try is visit all the new sites that are posted in this thread:
    http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=237680

    Just viewing others' sites might give you inspiration.
  • einateinat Registered Users Posts: 193 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2013
    ChancyRat wrote: »
    One thing you could try is visit all the new sites that are posted in this thread:
    http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=237680

    Just viewing others' sites might give you inspiration.

    That's exactly what I'm doing...
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