Adding a new page, please help

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intraker
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Adding a new page, please help

Post by intraker »

Hi. I've been trying to find my answers in the forum, but there are 5000 pages and almost impossible, even with search, it does not work out so well. So now, im asking for help.

I'm pretty new to Serendipity. I have pretty much figured out everything I need to know except how to add another page, like the frontpage. Exact look and all. Just like any other website you view. I have setup a Menu with my links and all, but still have no luck on figuring out how to add another page.

Ex. About Us. Contact Us and such.

Left Menu has the 5 buttons on the left, just no where to go if you click on them ;) or I should say ;(

I've tried the static page plugin and that's really not what Im looking for. I forgot to mention Im using the blue theme for bulletproof. Which I do happen to like alot by the way.

Sorry the the rambling. Hope someone understands me and is able to help. Thank you!
Don Chambers
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Post by Don Chambers »

Welcome to serendipity!!!

For pages, you essentially have 2 choices... the first choice is normal/standard/default - basically a running list of blog entries you create. These pages are dynamic, in that they change every time your content changes - ie, new "entries" added to your blog, as well as new comments and/or trackbacks to those entries.

The second type is "static".. the content does not typically change with time. An "About Us" or "Contact Us" type page.

Most of these can most easily be created with the static page plugin, which also provides you with the ability to mark any particular static page as the "start page" of your website.

There is a contact form plugin that also generates a page that is "static" in nature, but contains customizable form fields to gather whatever information you want from the user.

You mention that you have a left menu with links that go nowhere... that COULD be a template that requires you to modify the index.tpl file to supply the actual destination and link description.

So, let's start at the very beginning. First of all, if your site is "live", can you provide a url? Second, which template are you using?
=Don=
intraker
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Post by intraker »

Hi, thanks for the fast reply.
As stated before, im using the blue theme for Bulletproof.

It has the abilty to create a menu for either left or right side, which I chose left. Default is 5 buttons which is what I stuck with. I added the title text and link for each button.

Now, im just stuck at actually creating the page itself.
I really like the style and layout of the menu the script created, unlike when using the static plugin it just kind of blends to much with the rest if you know what I mean. Does not stand out like a "main navigation" would.

Unless there is a different way to set it up, I really dont want to go with the static plugin.

As far as the creating a blog entry, If i do such, will there actually be a link I can use such as about.php or no?

Im thinking no, but. Is there a way to recreate the index.php file and name it different?

Thanks!
Don Chambers
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Post by Don Chambers »

OK - you are using Bulletproof, and using the blue colorset.

Navlinks in bulletproof come in 3 options - horizontal above or below the banner/header, which you are NOT using, or at the top of the left or right sidebar, which you ARE using - specifically, on the left. The default for either is 5 links, but I trust you have noticed that you can change that quantity.

Now that brings me to this comment of yours:
Now, im just stuck at actually creating the page itself.
I really like the style and layout of the menu the script created, unlike when using the static plugin it just kind of blends to much with the rest if you know what I mean. Does not stand out like a "main navigation" would.
No - I do not know what you mean. You say you "really like the style and layout of the menu the script created"...... what menu? what script? You like the sidebar menu structure created by the navbar option to display navigation in the sidebar BETTTER than that produced by the static page plugin??? If that is the case, you can continue to use bulletproof's sidebar navigation, and not the static page sidebar navigation - just do not use the sidebar static page plugin... you still need to use the static page event plugin though.... This is sometimes difficult to understand, but there are TWO static page plugins... the "event" plugin, which creates static pages, and the "sidebar" static page plugin that provides navigational links. You do not NEED the sidebar plugin to use static pages.... you just need to know what the url to the static page IS, which can then be accessed using bulletproof navigation.

For instance... let's say you create a static page named "samplestatic". The address of that page on your site, if configured normally, will be http://yoururl/s9yinstallpath_if_other_ ... tatic.html.

In case that does not make sense, and since you did not provide a url, let's pretend your url is http://www.mydomain.com. You have s9y installed in a folder under that domain of /serendipity/. This would be the path:

http://www.mydomain.com/serendipity/ind ... tatic.html.
Or, let's say serendipity is installed in the ROOT of your domain (ie, no sub folder). This static page would be located in: http://www.mydomain.com/index.php?/page ... tatic.html.

Sorry for the numerous examples, but until you provide a url of your site, I am merely guessing here.

Regardless, once you know the location of the static page, you can enter that address into the desired url field for any of bulletproof's navigation links.

The page itself is still created with the static page event plugin and although "static" in nature, is still "dynamically" created - meaning the plugin generates the page, with whatever content you defined in the static page plugin plus sidebars.

Let me give you an example.... the bulletproof framework has it's own documentation site. This is the url: http://s9y-bulletproof.com/. It has, at the moment, a single static page. This page is generated by the contact form plugin, not static pages, but the concept is the same. This is the address of that particular static/contact page: http://s9y-bulletproof.com/index.php?/p ... tform.html

The page is generated much as a static page would be generated, just using the contact form plugin. The sidebar navigation is nothing more than providing bulletproof with the proper url for the actual page, the title of which is "Contact" and the url of which is http://s9y-bulletproof.com/index.php?/p ... tform.html

Is this helping?
=Don=
intraker
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Post by intraker »

Wow, very very helpful. That was a very detailed decription, and very informative.

What I mean by the layout of the menu, is how it looks compared to the rest, esspecially meaning when you mouseover the button it has a little blue block on the left side of the menu that lights up i guess you'd say.

And as far as all the examples, thank you. It clearified things a little more.

The only question I have is, I have the static page event plugin installed, now you say I just dont need to use the sidebar static page plugin, we're still talking about the same plugin just with different options correct?

Sorry If i sound a little out of place, Im new and not real fimilar with this stuff.

I do appriciate all your help and fast replies though.

Thank you..
intraker
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Post by intraker »

I got it! Thank you, just a little time pokin around, I figured it out.

Your a savor!
Maybe one day i'll be able to sound less senseless ;) maybe...
Don Chambers
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Post by Don Chambers »

Glad to hear you resolved it. BTW - there was nothing "senseless" about your questions... unless, of course, you had NOT asked them and continued to beat your head against the wall until you gave up on s9y! That would have been senseless! :) You never know - this discussion thread may ultimatey help someone else out with objectives similar to yours. Be sure to show us your site once you get it up and running!
=Don=
intraker
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Post by intraker »

I do agree! Will post link soon ;)
Thanks again
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