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claudiathompson

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About claudiathompson

  • Birthday 08/17/1957

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  1. claudiathompson
    Hello, I am designing a website and the left side buttons are already created, and the ones I want to keep. But what the site is about is an online book, the site itself is going to have the 200 chapters book on it. The left side buttons are the categories of the Chapters and each category will have about 10 Chapters. So what I need is a left side fold-out menu so that when you put your mouse over a button it would have a menu that folds out on which all the chapters would be to the right of the button where you could run your mouse over the menu. And I would like also to be able to change the font color and menu color to match the top navigation menu thats already on the site. In other words I want the left side navigation menu to end up matching the colors of the top navigation menu. Does anyone know of a place online where I could get a code for that? And it would need to be free of cost too. Also the buttons are 117 X 75 if that makes any difference. Can anyone help me? Claudia
  2. claudiathompson
    I have decided since I am going to start all over from scratch, to use one of these Template Sets on which Ive already created most all of the different pages.... http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/WebDesigner/RaggedyDolls_Home.htm I am going to use this one to learn how to do the .css on because this is the type of a Template Im going to be making for all the new ones, which are going to have 8 or 9 pages ... already pre-made. That way I can make sure I know how to do all the coding for it, and how it will change all the pages if you change the code. But anyway I will start a new thread/post here called "Raggedy Dolls CSS" probably tommorrow, andthat way we can start all over again with this. I had bought over the last couple of years over 400 of these little Graphic Sets to use to create templates with. So thats why Im wanting to do this. Plus I want to change all my already-made templates and make the codes right on those too. I figure if I can do it right on this 9-page template then I ought to be able to do it on all the rest of them too.
  3. claudiathompson
    Hi Andrea, that would be great if you all could help me. But how do I start if I wanted to start over? Like with the Template I was trying to make, I mean? I dont understand about the Tables... how would you go about trying to envision what you want the whole thing to look like and then not have tables? Or do they mean that you put the Table tags there but tell the tables what to do in the .css files? Like TABLE { align:left } --or something like that in the .css file then on the html page you'd go <TABLE><TR><TD> whatever in between </TD></TR></TABLE> ....and then it would just tell it in the .css file that you want the tables all to align to the left? is that what they mean when they say not to use tables? Where would I actually start? Actually that was another question I was going to ask... about what you are supposed to put at the top of the html document. All this time I just kept copying and pasting this at the top: <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> and with this too: <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> I dont have a clue what charset means or if you are supposed to be changing that with every page So anyway where do I start if I wanted to have the same template -looking the same at the end of creating it, but starting over and doing it all correctly? I really do want to know how to do this and do all my templates the correct and proper way.
  4. claudiathompson
    A QUESTION I "borrowed" a .css file from a template I had bought long ago for my religious website and never used.... and put some of the .css file stuff on my Front Porch template so that I could learn how to do this... and change things to see what happened. Anyway, here is the HR information on the .css file, but it doesnt seem to be making it colored black on my tempate: HR { color: #000000; height: 1px; width: 100%; } ...then on the Template html pg I just put <HR> but it looks like a normal colored Hrule. What am I doing wrong? Here is the template, see under the heading "Home Page"? http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/WebDesigner/FrontPorch.htm It didnt make it turn black. I DID manage to make all the links do like I wanted them to do EXCEPT for the line thing in between them that goes like this: Home | About Us | I had to just use a white colored font tag for those... I cant do anything about that in the .css file, right? at the bottom of the page too it has those along where the links are.
  5. claudiathompson
    I still dont know how much to charge for each individual template though, because honestly, they are different than anyone elses I have seen. They are sort of a cross between a background set and a template. Because most all background sets just have a picture, divider, home, back, next and email button. But mine (at least alot of them) have the several different pages. Plus they look different than alot of the background sets out there. (at least alot of people have told me that), because I was trying to come up with the idea of having several differnt layouts of the same theme set, to give people's website a variety, yet still have a uniformity. So I dont know what to charge because most all the background sets out there on the web are free. Then you have the modern templates where people charge up to like $60 for them. I have only been charging $2.95 each. I was thinking of re-doing them all, like I said then charging $4.95 each and see how it goes and if I still get lots of orders, try $6.95 or something like that till I find just the right price. But whatever I do Ive got to make a decision and stick with it. I will still have to keep my undisclosed except to members... membership page I guess. for those who already had paid for a membership. I hope it will be ok though that Im changing all the templates. geesh what a mess Ive gotten myself into. Maybe I should keep both the old zip files with the old templates on my computer, just in case someone likes the old versions better. That way I wont get myself into trouble.
  6. claudiathompson
    Thanks Ben, I was thinking yesterday about way back when I started doing this, I tried to use the Bravenet Newsletter feature but didnt know what I was doing back then. I looked yesterday and they still have that available, so I think that when I re-do my website I might add that feature, then that would allow people to choose if they want to receive updates of what new templates I add, etc. So far, for a few days now, Ive been going to Google and typing in things like 'web designers' and sending them an email offering my templates package. But I decided not to offer that anymore. I am just making a new email add just telling people about my templates. Also removing the membership feature where people can get all the templates for just $7.95. I think it had its place in the past, it did get my templates all around on the internet at least, and each one has a link back to my site. But I think the time has come for me now to actually get into web design, and re-do all my templates with the proper .css code (once I learn how to do it) and re-do all my templates having 8 pages, like Products page, Photos page etc... contact page, to make less work for me when it comes time to design someones site. When I had created those hundreds of templates, it gave me carpal tunnel syndrome on my wrists, But eventually it went away. But I know it can come back, so I want to design templates that will make less work for me. Plus the 8 page feature will be a 'selling point' for my templates. (actually Im desperately trying to make up for what I lack in knowledge by having alot of pages LOL) with the places to sell templates, I had come across a place that gave the top 10 places to sell them and this one called 'Template Forest' I signed up for that but they make you take a 10 question quiz and they allow you to take it over and over till you get it right. I kept getting 8 out of 10 questions right, but you have to get them all right. I cant for the life of me figure out which ones Im getting wrong. I even went back and re-read the whole tutorial thing too. But anyway I certainly will look into that some more. I think that I need to first get this .css files thing all straightened out first on all my templates, and I really now appreciate you telling me that.
  7. claudiathompson
    Ben, I changed it to this on the .css file: body {scrollbar-face-color: #222222; scrollbar-highlight-color: #fdfbf3; scrollbar-shadow-color: #fdfbf3; scrollbar-3Dlight-color: #fdfbf3; scrollbar-arrow-color: #c3b39f; scrollbar-track-color #DDDED5; scrollbar-darkshadow-color: #eedbc8} .header {font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: #202020;} a:link {text-decoration: none} a:visited {text-decoration: none} a:active {text-decoration: none} ...I changed to all lower case, to start with, then I just put the same identical code for making links not have an underline under it... but put it on the .css file instead and it seems to work. Is this the 'correct' way to do it? Also, I notice you have to have the <body> tag to start with on the whole thing... there isnt supposed to be a <head> tag on the .css file is there? I am asking because I tried doing that and putting the links not underline code on there but it didnt work. I am going to go ahead and keep the scrollbar thing there for people who do use IE... it wont hurt anything keeping it there, right? Just that it wont show up on other browsers? Another question, alot of people who use my background sets- they like the little moving Cursor trail things like here: http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/holidaytemplates/santassleigh_extras.htm or the 'floaters'... etc.. http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/victoriantemplates/vicumbrella_extras.htm where do I stick those codes at? on the .css files or just on the html page like I have them now? Also the sparkly thingys but I guess its all the same, a java script code? I have decided that what I am going to do is completely re-do my whole website. Keeping the same main picture and colors etc but just straightening everything all out, including re-doing every single template into the correct and proper .css codes. I am also going to re-do the templates themselves, because way back then when I first started, I didnt know much about graphics. Plus I want all the templates to have 8 pages, products page, photos page et, so that I can use that as one of my 'selling points'. Plus then it will make less work for me when I have to design someones site using the templates. I am no longer going to offer them all as a package either, not going to have a membership fee either. I will sell them all individually. I havent decided on what price to charge for the templates though, yet. So this is a question I have for you then I probably wont bug you anymore, at least for now, but I might come back later on and start a new thread about CSS if I have any difficulties. ... my question is this... if I were to get this entire 'Front Porch' template all done correctly, changing everything into the proper .css code, would I actually be able to use that file as an over-all file I use over and over again for other templates? and just change the color numbers and all of that? And if so, like what if there are things like a code for HR (h rule) or maybe <H2> size headings or whatever, on the original file... but I dont have any <HR> in a new template... can I leave that all still on the file? What I mean is do I have to go delete everything that isnt actually in the new template? or do the browsers and search engines not care about that? Its just that I would like to go through and get one done properly then not have to keep doing and doing it with each template. If possible.
  8. claudiathompson
    okay so far, I created the FrontPorch.css file separately, and I put this on it: BODY { SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #222222; SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #fdfbf3; SCROLLBAR-SHADOW-COLOR: #fdfbf3; SCROLLBAR-3DLIGHT-COLOR: #fdfbf3; SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #c3b39f; SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #DDDED5; SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #eedbc8 } .header { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: #202020;} and I put this on the top <HEAD> part of the html page: <link href="FrontPorch.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> so it made the words 'Home Page' turn different-looking and made it to where I didnt have to put the scroll bar on the html page: http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/WebDesigner/FrontPorch.htm I figured since it said BODY on one of these .css files I was looking at on someone else's temp;ate that that's what I needed to do. ANYWAY I will have to read some more on that .css tutorial tomorrow and see how well I can do with this. Claudia Oh darn! it made underlines under all my links! Because I took of the top code on my html page telling it not to underline the links. I guess there must be a .css code for that that goes on the .css page?
  9. claudiathompson
    I watched the first short video so far on CSS and got to the beginning of the Part 2 of the Intro. Before going any further, if you get a chance could you tell me what this means? <link href="myFirstStyleSheet.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> ...the rel="" whats rel stand for?
  10. claudiathompson
    Ben One more question, what does the html page end up looking like if there arent any tables on it? Is it just the graphics there like <img src="image" width=100 height=250> or is there even an html page left? LOL!
  11. claudiathompson
    Ben Is that link you gave me about using CSS instead of tables, does that have everything in it I need to know? Geesh Im used to just sort of picturing a "Table" in my mind and where evrything will go, as if Im looking at blocks on my desk and rearranging them, but now Ive got to re- think the way that I do everything now. But I appreciate you giving me this information. I know this is a dumb question but does the CSS page you gave me tell how to start and end the CSS page? Like I said, I can take a page someone already did and figure out how to change everything. But I dont have a clue how to start creating one from scratch.
  12. claudiathompson
    Hi Eric, I have Ws_Ftp32 and it has done that before to me too. Sometimes if I do a System Restore on my Computer... and set the computer back to a date when it was working properly, it fixes it. Sometimes though before doing that if I entirely turn off my computer then back on again, it will work. Another thing is when my website had that Linux it was always messing up like that, till finally I got sick of it and called GoDaddy which is my web hosting providers and they removed it for me.
  13. claudiathompson
    Well I was clicking around the site and sort of accidentally came across this page: http://www.csstutorial.net/ and so as long as its free and doesnt cost anything, I will go through it and try to learn the proper way to use CSS. I just started out making web sets, like people do out there, as a hobby. And really hadnt ever intended on doing web design stuff. But now it has gotten to where I have to, in order to make extra money. When I started it was just Background Sets, like a main picture, Divider, Home, Email, Back and Next Buttons. And that was about it.... and it has just evolved into something different. I havent a clue where to begin to learn anything more advanced. And when people talk to you, on these Web Design Forums they usually say alot of things, that I dont have a clue what they are talking about... like I went to another place the other day and they were using terms like Drupal and Ajax and Joomla and so on and Im thinking to myself What the heck is THAT? And if you try to ask anyone, they act like they look down upon you ... etc. Its very frustrating. I just liked putting colors together and making the page look nice LOL! Thats another thing, isnt it just to where all you have to do is make it end up looking ok in any screen resolution? Because most people, all they do, is substitute my information I have typed in with their own instead. Then change the titles on the heading graphic and the buttons and thats about all there is to it. So I guess those are the kinds of people I have ever dealt with, just sort of little housewives who are trying to make a personal website or maybe to sell a few things online. I would like to be able to do more, but dont know where to start. Plus at the moment, I dont know if I'd really have the time to sit down and learn a whole lot more, because all I am trying to do right now is ot get enough money together to be able to get a couple of airplane tickets and a Visa and a few other things. But I know eventually I am going to have to learn all of this. Actually, I have experimented a couple of times by taking a CSS page I found online and just putting the link thing on a template page and then changing the color numbers and so on... and it seemed to have worked, but I dont know how to start from zero and do it. Also I have some sort of thing on my computer somewhere, a program where you are supposed to just fill in the stuff to make a CSS page but I cant even remember what its called and dont have a clue how to use it. Something Lite... cant remember the name of it.I just went and looked on my Start/Programs and its called TopStyleLite. But I just dont have a clue how you are supposed to use it. Just as a side note, I have been using CuteHtml for my Editor. Its all I ever use. I do have a Dreamweaver Program that I got a long time ago when I signed up for the Thompson Education Direct Course, but to be honest, it really didnt tell you much... and I had gotten used to just using the CuteHtml Editor for everything. This WYSIWYG things seem more trouble to me than just using the CuteHtml Editor. But I guess I am going to have to force myself to get used to using DreamWeaver. Does that have a CSS thing on it? I cant remember, its been so long ago when I took that course. I also bought a FrontPage Editor and Book but I hate that program. With the Child and Parent and all of that. Its more trouble than just using the CuteHtml... I forgot to say that the reason I removed that Navigation Pane from the top of that Template was because I was planning on just having it be an 8 page template people could buy. And if the top Navigation Pane was there with all the drop down menu links it wouldnt work out that way, being only 8 Pages worth of work for me to do.
  14. claudiathompson
    What are the depreciated out of date tags that you are referring to? Also I thought you were supposed to use nested tables? I dont understand the problem with that. Why does it matter if the CSS stuff is internal or external? I never took any courses on any of this so I dont know. I guess that the thing is that I never had any problems with using it, and never had anyone ever tell me that they had any problems with using any of my templates. So you would have to be more specific. Alot of people tell other people this and that but they dont really say how to solve it or what they would do or how to do it. And to be really honest, thats all I ever get on any of these forums, they always talk above you, and expect you should know what they are talking about. But if the person actually knew what they were talking about, then they wouldnt be doing things the way that they are doing it. (If you can understand what I mean). Also, for whatever reason, lately, if I try to put one table on top of each other, it kicks the second table over to the right of the first one....
  15. claudiathompson
    Hello, Okay, a few years ago, when I started making Templates, I was just trying to create what they call "Background Sets". Background Sets are really not the same as the usual Templates you see out there today. Usually its just some little housewife out there taking a picture and making some buttons and a divider and a main titled graphic and arranging it on a page with a Home, Back, Next and Email Button. So anyway thats how I started. Well let me show you a simple Background Set I made to start out with: http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/childrentemplates/babydoll.htm -thats how I started out. And way back then, there would be quite a few people coming to me that wanted to use these background sets and they would ask me to design their site for them, using the theme set of their choice. But then I came up with an idea... I thought, well if I were a person out there, wanting to have my website designed, I'd want different layouts for the pages, like the Home Page, Contact Page, About Us Page, and Products Page, etc--- yet still having the entire website match in colors... So I decided to start designing background sets with 4, 5, 6 pages or so, each with a different page layout. To start with, please just look at this Template here as an example, so that you will understand what I am talking about: http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/countrytemplates/hickorydickory_entrance.htm Okay so that was great! People started ordering my theme sets right and left... and not only that but before I knew it, I'd go to Google and type in "Victorian Templates" or "Background Sets Web Design" and alot of other Categories and my two web sites would come up first on the list. And you might think well, Claudia, whats the problem then? Well the problem I now have is, hardly anyone ever asks me to design their website anymore, and I finally figured out WHY. its because I have practically ALREADY designed it for them by creating these 6 Page Templates for sale. Plus I started offering a Membership for a fee of $7.95 which would give them access to all the Templates on the site. So now I have got to figure out what to do because I need some money. I need Web Design money, like as in enough money at a time to amount to something. But here the sites are doing pretty good on the search engines and people do like this membership idea. So my question is this... WHAT DO I DO NOW? I came up with the idea of maybe creating these 6 page sets still, but no more allowing people to buy the templates, in order to use one of them they must hire me for web design. BUT the problem with that is that all these web designers would get the membership so they would be able to use the Background Sets to design sites for their clients. Plus I dont want to do anything even more stupid and get my site out of the search engines. I mean, for years now, when you type these things in at Google the site comes up first on the list or at least on the first page of Google. If you were me what would you do? To be honest I really dont like doing web design all that much, I enjoy creating Background Sets. I jave noticed though that alot of people, when they do buy the templates they end up re-arranging the page to have the buttons down the left side... so I started making some like this: http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/PrimKitchen_Home.htm One question I have is... if I did remove the Membership thing plus remove the being able to buy all of the templates on CD... and just have them for sale individually, and not be able to use them unless they hire me for web design.... how much should I charge? And also, it is legal for me to remove the membership once I already have it there? Like couldnt I just leave the download the templates page there... so that people who already ordered the membership can still go to the membership page and download them? But discontinue offering membership? I just feel like things have entered into a new phase and that everyone under the sun who was going to order the membership thing has done so already. Also for a while there, maybe half a year now, I was desperate for money so I came up with the idea of offering all the templates as a reseller package... where people could resell them. I made people leave my link there on each template though. Is that stupid and should I discontinue that? I feel now like Im creating templates to no purpose since people get all of them included in the membership, ANYWAY... so why make a new one? Thats why I started doing the Exclusive Sale templates. So that they arent a part of the Membership templates. I even started thinking of doing special templates with 8 pages on my web design page and make it to where people cant use those unless they hire me for web design. Like this one with a more like a "Template" style instead of a typical Background Set-looking thing: http://www.countrymanordesigns.com/WebDesigner/FrontPorch.htm And what I am doing is ending up going all different directions, not sure of what I am going to do or what I SHOULD do now. I really really need the money right now so I need to do the right thing. I hope that it is alright to put these links here so you can see what Im referring to. I feel like Im sort of on the verge of creating Templates instead of Background sets... although I am not really sure what the difference is except that Templates have buttons down the left side... I feel like I have got to make a decision of some sort and stick to it. Plus I have another site like it, and I need to decide if Im going to be doing the same thing as whatever I end up doing with this site. But at any rate, I have got to do something to start generating some money, and I feel that maybe I have been foolish by practically giving my stuff away... and I dont know how to go about changing that without messing up my search engine thing that seems to be good. I started out just doing it as a hobby and because I wanted some lady on the internet who gave away free Religious Background Sets to modify one of hers so I could use it for my website. She said no and I asked if I could just change the color of the pages because someone told me that I do good work with graphics... so she got all huffy with me and said "Well if you think you can do it, make your OWN Background Set then!" So I thought to myself well OKAY I WILL then!!! ...and thats how it all started. I just dont want to mess anything up, I have worked really hard to get it the way that it is now. And I know I dont know ANYTHING compared to all of you, I really dont know Html professionally or anything like that, but for me I regard it as an accomplishment and it has helped me out quite a few times when I needed money for stuff. Like recently I needed $1,300 for my Permanent Residence when I moved from the USA to England and I was so scared I was goingto be deported because I didnt even know I needed to pay more money again, after I'd already gotten my Visa... and so I came up with that idea of selling all my Templates as a Package for Resale. So thats why I dont want to make any stupid decisions and mess things up. For me, its the only thing that gets me by sometimes.
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