[Typo3] Strategy for page templates... help needed.

[Tyler Kraft]

Ok Amir here is the answer:

If it was me I wouldn't use TV for this or FCE.  You have a nice html 
template that is well done (I see you sorted out the box model issue) 
and the content you want to replace into it is not complex at all, as 
its just simple text.

I would probably template this the old-fashioned way and insert from my 
template the menus (which I believe you've already solved), the page 
title, the breadcrumbs as a tmenu (not a hard tmenu to do, again refer 
to the tsref as it explains all the properties you need and the archives 
for examples), and last but not least the content.  The content you can 
just use regular content items for most of this but if at some point you 
need a more complex specific content item then create one with TV or do 
the old fashioned method of creating a COA object to do it for you to 
insert a specific content layout consistently.  You can then through 
your template setup and typoscript manipulate all the content wrapping 
so that you only get h1 with out the css_style_content classes for 
example.  You can also configure the rte to produce pretty clean text 
for you.  You can combine the use of FCE and the standard items as you 
wish, but I cant see anywhere here you need to do this.

Unfortunately this will probably require you to do a lot of research and 
reading of tsref and the archives (lets just not even start with if you 
should do this or have to do this).  But the answers are not hard to 
find. Ex if you wanted to change the css_styles_content classes that 
headers get wrapped with a search for 'change css styled content 
classes' or another variation will probably quickly show you that you 
need to adjust the TS wrapping, and you can do this in the template 
setup or with the template object browser (check the 'enable object 
link').  The template object browser will allow you to not only edit you 
settings but help you get an idea about how it is structured.

So there is my advice,a and there are many ways to do it, but doing it 
this way would probably take me a few hours to get up and running.  and 
I'm not saying that to show off or be cocky, I'm trying to point out 
that for all the reading you will do it really does pay off - often and 
repeatedly.  Honest I know it takes time but just please try it. You 
wouldn't put a new driver into a F1 car would you?  They would need some 
experience and training.  This also takes effort and time.

hth

tk

P.S if your not sure about what I mean by the old fashioned way of 
templating then contact me off list and I'll explain it and show you 
some examples. But if I don't reply for a while then don't get upset, 
I'm in the middle of finals and work so a bit busy.

Amir Mualem wrote:
> As some of you may know, I am making a template for my site.  I am using 
> TemplaVoila.  I have recently made a Flexible Content Element to wrap 
> all my content.
> 
> Well here is my problem, maybe you guys can give some advice. 
> http://www.stratcommandcenter.com/redesign/fileadmin/templates/static2.html
> 
> That is how I want most of my pages to look like.  Inside that box is 
> where I want content for every page, except the main page, and news 
> single view will have some variations,. but all in all, I want my 
> content to be like that in that container.
> 
> What would be the best way to go about doing this.  Basically what is 
> the best strategy?  I tried flexible content elements and that has not 
> been working, since now I cannot use other elements like Table etc..
> 
> Any ideas?