Changing Template of existing project

I just began using Sparkle, so I am VERY new to all this. I am creating my own website. I got several pages put together but now I would like to change the template. How do I go about this?

Thank you

Hi @BlueSky, welcome onboard! :slight_smile:

So you have created your website but now you’d like to change the look of it by selecting another template. Sorry, but in Sparkle that is not possible, and it is not the way Sparkle works.

Because you have a free flowing canvas your are the “template builder” so if you want things to look different you have to manually do so yourself. With Sparkle you can literally create you imagination! :slight_smile:

There are some of us out there that have created templates for Sparkle which you can check out here…

Sparkle Template Design Warriors!
• Chris Yates ( @Chris ) - sparkle-themes.com
• Selcuk Yilmaz ( @selcuk ) has some excellent themes and extras - visit his site here
• Lucian Dinu ( @luciandesign ) - luciandinu.com
• Flamin’ Fig (@FlaminFig ) - and myself flaminfig.com

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To be clear, I am talking about the background theme. I chose squares and I now think it could look way better. I have already saved the file.

Are you saying I must recreate the pages and text again as a brand new document, and can’t just change the background of the web site?
Thank for your reply

David

Hi,
there is a hughe difference between a template and a background theme, and you asked about a template. Remember being more specific if you want to have the right answer for your question.

Of course you can change the background of your page. Just Click on a empty spot on the spot, where is no content, then choose at the right hand side in the bottom the background.
I hope that helps :slight_smile:

Michael

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Sorry @BlueSky, but as @MiWe mentioned that is not how your question read.

Please follow @MiWe instructions…

Hi.

Sometimes i think i’m watching an episode of Jeopardy :neutral_face:

Page Background is a “per page” setting. You can not change all pages at the same time, with one action. Especially when you have a pattern.

What you could do is using a color. Reserve one color (from the dots) for the background. You have to edit each and every page and apply this color (only one time). Now, when you change it in the selector panel, it is synchronized and appears as background on all pages.

Mr. F.

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Thank you for your reply. At 71, this is the first time I’ve tried to build my own web page. So correct terminology and web building jargon is foreign to me.

I used to do page layout for a magazine a long time ago. I downloaded Sparkle because it was advertised as being so easy. I am not finding that not to be so in my case.I am having difficulty getting a pleasing web page, and when I view it in iPhone Landscape mode, it is all scrambled. So I have several issues I need to try to resolve. I am about ready to hire someone to build it, instead of doing it myself.

I had someone else start it and hand it off to me, now I and trying to make it look better.

Again, thank you for you reply.

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@BlueSky, it sounds like you do not have a mobile device created for the phone landscape to look scrambled.

Maybe this video by Duncan can be of further help - Making a page responsive - YouTube

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I have a nice iPhone 11 Pro Max.
What I am talking about is that when I use the VIEW menu and go to “Switch to Portrait Phone” so see what it would look like on a phone, it looks awful. I thought that Sparkle was supposed to be drag and drop and would make things look right on the computer and a phone, adjusting code in the background to do so. That is not happening on the pages I am making.

Maybe I just don’t understand how this is supposed to work.

But thanks for your reply.

@BlueSky, Sparkle is a contained system allowing us to create our website masterpiece. It has also what is called adaptive responsive breakpoints which Sparkle calls “Devices”. These devices you activate (in your case mobile landscape), and then Sparkle reduces the size of all the elements to fit within the 480px device you have selected.

Now the creator steps in which is you and you lay it out how you want it, plus increase the element sizing and font sizing. Once that is all done and you publish then Sparkle creates the html/CSS/javascript code that all website are made off.

Sparkle is still evolving and maybe it might be more automated in the future, but for now we do the work instead of automating code! :slight_smile:

So i have tried looking at the view as landscape phone and tried to figure out how to make it work. I am at a dead end. The first two pages of my web site that I am tryign to build have the same problem. In phone view they are all scrambled . It is not just the text. It is the images and everything. I was looking for a way to attach a screen shot but it doens’t look like I cna attach images here.

Is there some one who knows Sparkle well an can look at these page and help get them laid out properly?

thank you every one

I totally know Sparkle @BlueSky…

You say on mobile landscape that everything looks scrambled on your phone. Have you arranged anything or increased the size of the elements and font size? What I’m getting at is that you have to rearrange the elements and increase the size of the images and fonts on the mobile landscape (aka 480 device), Sparkle doesn’t do that for you.

Statistics has shown me that the 480 device is hardly used because the majority of users use their phone in an upright position and will only rotate it to landscape when viewing a video, viewing a map, or playing a game.

So I would focus on the 320 device, but again you need to do the work to make it look the part on mobile.

Thank you for your reply.

No one had explained to me that I could view the pages I am building on my iPhone live over my local network while I was working on them and adjust things to look correct on both the desktop and the iPhone.
Well, I just discovered how to do that on my own last night and got my first page to loo OK on both devices. So I think I am good to go. My page still looks clunky and not professional like I had hoped. I couldn’t find a template that worked for me so I built from blank pages. A lack of experience I am sure.
At least I will have something to publish soon.

I am still open to hiring someone to build a professional looking web site that says what I need to about my work.

Thank you for your reply, FlaminFig

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I am really happy for you! You did it and you grew some brain matter in the process!!! :slight_smile:

A bit more playing with Sparkle and you’ll get the hang of it.
There are a few of us here that are Web Designers and just love to create rather sifting through code to get the visuals we want. So when you are ready call out and you’ll have a few to choice from! :slight_smile:

In the meantime play, and you’ll discover Sparkle is like a box of legos - you can create what you want!!! :slight_smile: