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[panosru Friend panosruJoin date: May 2007Posts: 12Downloads:0Uploads:1 Thanks: 4]

#142836

Hello is there anything similar to this template?

[cgc0202 Friend cgc0202Join date: August 2007Posts: 2244Downloads:0Uploads:3 Thanks: 206 Thanked: 262 times in 1 posts]

#311466

<em>@panosru 137234 wrote:</em><blockquote>Hello is there anything similar to this template?</blockquote>

Hi panosru,

The best thing to do is look over the various templates. You have several dozens to choose from. And, your choice really depends on how extensive your site would become.

You will need some tweaking and that means having some understanding of basic html and CSS. It pays to know some graphic design too, or perhaps you can hire one. It may require a bit of your time, or some money investment. But hey, you expect to earn big bucks with it, if you create a unique site not a just off the shelf template appearing website, you will be better rewarded And earn millions perhaps.

In fact, if you have the imagination and the willingness to put effort and a little money into it, you can do much much better than the hotel site template you linked. Frankly, I would not be enticed to visit the one you linked.

The multiple images at the bottom can be done easily and perhaps in a more dynamic way (different images appearing each time someone enters the site) by the “Hot Topic” module by Joomlart. I believe it is found in Teline II but also other templates. However, since it is a module, you can transfer that module to any other Joomlart template you may desire.

The background color can be readily replaced if you know CSS, or you can ask questions in the forum on how to do it. There are modules for all the other components found in the link you provided in any Joomlart template. The tabular presentation of the hotel prices, you are likely to find a module in the main Joomla site, or even use something more innovative like VirtueMart to include links to reservation. You may also consider buying a “commercial” module specifically designed for “hotel-related” businesses, if Virtuemart does not work for your needs.

Only you though can decide what modules would be useful for your site. And how to present them in your site.

I am more partial to the more simple and elegant templates created by Joomlart, like JA Mageia and Teline II. The JA Mageia is the standard template that is common to almost all Joomla template design, including those created by Joomlart. In contrast, if you spend the time,

Teline II (which is the only one I use in all my websites, inclulding my personal pages) is a more complex but powerful “news-magazine” template, a different kind of template altogether. As far as I know, it is the first “news-magazine” template for Joomla first out in April 2008. Another template companies, notably RocketTheme came out with their version, I believe July 2008. Don’t be fooled by the ads of other Joomla template companies that claimed they also have “news-magazine” selling it for as much as $65 for each template. I looked at some of them, they are anything but a “news-magazine” template. Most were haphazardly prepared too.

You may find other posts of mine criticising Joomlart for not upgrading Teline II further. It is because I wanted Joomlart to improve on their elegant creation, make it more like commercial “news-magazine” templates to the extent some day that it will compare to those used by the likes of New York Times online.

But, even if I have been critical of Joomlart on Teline II, I still find Teline II to be the best and most elegant among the news-templates created for Joomla. In fact, as I stated above, only a few Joomla template companies have ever created a news-magazine template because it is not easy to create. It requires the skills of innovative programmers, not just simple webdesign.

Teline II can do everything that the standard Joomla template does, plus more. For example, if you want to add lots of information about hotels and related travel businesses in all parts of the world.

Teline II will be very rewarding for you, if you take the time to learn how to use it. If you do not want to put in the effort though to understand it and make it work for you, then do not even try because you will be frustrated.

If you want templates with more whistles and bells — there’s a Joomlart template for that too. But, as far as I am concerned, that is the mistake of many website creators — the idea of “more is better” including sometimes background music which just slows the site — common in many amaturist websites. Such attempts is just like a woman with too much makeup and overdone hair, the most gaudy shoes and dress which she thought would impress but she would never attain the finesse of the late Jackie Kennedy-Onnasis or the current fashion darling our First Lady Michelle Obama, also known as “Mrs. Obama” or simply “Mrs. O” who was not afraid to use off-the-shelf dresses before she became First Lady.

As shown by Mrs. Obama, you too can use cheaper dresses (in this case templates) and come up elegant, if you have a sense of style.

To go back to websites, eventually, your site will succeed or fail based on the contents. How useful the information you placed in there. Like a woman or a man, the looks can only go so far. Eventually, it is what is inside, the character or the depth that matters. Some of the most visited and the most successful sites in fact look very bad in design.

Take the case for example of Craigslist, the site that has been credited for destroying the “ads earnings” of all newspapers where it has created a city-specific website. You will find how “ugly” its front page is. But, it is one of the most successful commercial website in the world – having tens of millions of unique visitors each month and earning tens of millions of dollars. An even more astounding achievement is that these thousands of city-specific sites are all managed by less that a dozen staff members.

Craigslist is so successful, EBay wanted to copy it, or own it. They bought shares sneakily from this essentially private company from a minority share owner (one of the early staff members) — if I am not mistken for a quarter billion dollars. The goal was to copy the scripts and create their own site, plus eventually attempt to own Craigslist.

If you look at the EBay created clone, it seem to have better layout and everything with its whistles and bells you see in template driven sites. But, whereever you have a Craigslist and the Ebay clone sites in a given city, anywhere in the world, the Craigslist city-specific site always won by a very wide margin.

Why? It was consumer oriented. The Craigslist, like Apple, had the interest of the public in mind, not to earn big bucks. In fact, Craigslist started as a public service site, where you can (if you are an individual) place any ad for free — even personal ads, like looking for a partner or even looking for “something else”.

Only a few ads placed by companies pay a very modest fee and in only the most desirable big cities, I believe in the US (not sure if this fee charge policy for commercial ads is done in other parts of the world now, like London, Paris, etc.).

But with all the above very cheap services, Craigslist has stolen the bread and butter of all commercial newspapers and news-magazines — both print and online — wherever there is a city-specific Craigslist site.

EBay was so envious it tried to use the legal system to try to own Craigslist or to ensure to have access to the proprietary information of Craigslist. But, being a minority shareholder (25% is nothing) in a privately-held company they were shutout by Craig and the few stockholders. EBay valued its shares for two billion dollars (it paid a quarter of a billion) and wanted to trade it in public.

It is good to start with a good template — after all we have to be honest that looks do matter. But, focus more on what you place inside.

Cornelio

1 user says Thank You to cgc0202 for this useful post

1. hawver

[panosru Friend panosruJoin date: May 2007Posts: 12Downloads:0Uploads:1 Thanks: 4]

#311473

Hello Cornelio,

Interesting reply, for some people your reply would be a bit out of topic but I like to discuss general topic about web design & develop.

Well about the linked template, I could design a similar template on Photoshop then I could cut it in tables XHTML Strict (as I prefer strict document type) & CSS (both valid, because I pay attention on validations) and then I could create an admin panel for this with PHP 5 ( I was working for joomlaworks and I created the K2 component and left it on version 1 because I moved from Athens to Amsterdam and then come back to Thessaloniki). All these are not a problem for me, my problem is that I don’t have much time as I’m developing some applications (eshop, cms, emagazines, e-learning comunities etc) for my company and the particular site was for a close friend and I would like to make him something nice, cheap and quick, thats why I asked something similar to that template 🙂

Now most of users that read my reply would ask: “so why you don’t create a similar template by yourself?” The answer is simple! I know how to create components, modules and plugins for joomla but I never created a template for joomla! 😛

I looked joomlart JA templates one by one but I didn’t found anything about hotels, or a template that I could use for hotels in the way that described in link.

[cgc0202 Friend cgc0202Join date: August 2007Posts: 2244Downloads:0Uploads:3 Thanks: 206 Thanked: 262 times in 1 posts]

#311481

Hi panosru,

I answered as I did because, even if I am not an expert on Joomart templates, I have not encountered any specific template for hotels. There are more requests for topic-specific templates than there are months of the year.

Have you looked at the JA Mageia? That is an office template, but based from your skills and experience, I really see no difficulty in transforming it to a Hotel Template. Just add in the Hot Topic module for the photos at the bottom. Use the standard JA News and JA News Frontpage for contents.

You mentioned that you developed the K2 for Joomlaworks. I thought they have the software to be able to insert any “script” or module that will hotel script you showed in the link? There is a similar extension developed by Joomlart.

Is there any reason why you cannot use, the template you have shown, or is it because it is not Joomla?

Cornelio
*************

<em>@panosru 137257 wrote:</em><blockquote>Hello Cornelio,

Interesting reply, for some people your reply would be a bit out of topic but I like to discuss general topic about web design & develop.

Well about the linked template, I could design a similar template on Photoshop then I could cut it in tables XHTML Strict (as I prefer strict document type) & CSS (both valid, because I pay attention on validations) and then I could create an admin panel for this with PHP 5 ( I was working for joomlaworks and I created the K2 component and left it on version 1 because I moved from Athens to Amsterdam and then come back to Thessaloniki). All these are not a problem for me, my problem is that I don’t have much time as I’m developing some applications (eshop, cms, emagazines, e-learning comunities etc) for my company and the particular site was for a close friend and I would like to make him something nice, cheap and quick, thats why I asked something similar to that template 🙂

Now most of users that read my reply would ask: “so why you don’t create a similar template by yourself?” The answer is simple! I know how to create components, modules and plugins for joomla but I never created a template for joomla! 😛

I looked joomlart JA templates one by one but I didn’t found anything about hotels, or a template that I could use for hotels in the way that described in link.</blockquote>

[panosru Friend panosruJoin date: May 2007Posts: 12Downloads:0Uploads:1 Thanks: 4]

#311495

Hello, I looked as JA Mageia (btw mageia in greek is typed: “μαγεία” and it means magic 🙂 ).

I don’t like JA Mageia a lot I prefer to start from another template.

I will check the templates again to find something that is 3 column layout with header and footer.

In joomlaworks we have a lot of modules, plugins and components to make any possible concept happen with joomla 🙂 K2 is very powerful for content and I prefer it instead of default com_content, K2 is like a CMS in a CMS. Now that I no longer work for Joomlaworks (we are still friends though 🙂 ) I will create a standalone version of K2 but I will rewrite the script from ground to up and rename it 🙂

The reason is that its too dark, I need something more sunny but this is a tiny problem I can retouch it but its not for joomla and I don’t have the time right now to learn how to create a joomla template.

Also the site is actually for a motel not for a hotel the only thing it needs for the content are two pages with photos which I will use Simple Image Gallery Pro by Joomlaworks one contact page (joomla default with some retouch) and the homepage which will contain the profile text too and some highlight photos 🙂

Its one day work (maybe less) thats why I’m searching something clean and nice here just to do some changes and upload it quick 🙂

[wiery Friend wieryJoin date: July 2009Posts: 185Downloads:0Uploads:0 Thanks: 7 Thanked: 36 times in 30 posts]

#311533

Good luck on your search for the perfect template. Sometimes it’s hard to find the exact one that will work in the end but I’m sure you’ll find it. Joomlart has many to choose from.

[panosru Friend panosruJoin date: May 2007Posts: 12Downloads:0Uploads:1 Thanks: 4]

#311534

indeed, I love joomlart, I think its #1 of its kind 🙂

[cgc0202 Friend cgc0202Join date: August 2007Posts: 2244Downloads:0Uploads:3 Thanks: 206 Thanked: 262 times in 1 posts]

#311593

Hi panosru.

By the way, are you male or female? I do not know enough about Greek names, except the more obvious, to ascertain the gender.

You have more appropriate skills and experience to decide what will ultimately work, especially with your prior work with Joomlaworks and w what you do now.

When you have more time, I would be very interested to “pick your brain” on some o fhe Joomlaworks extensions. including the one you created, K2.

I like some of Joomlaworks extensions, like Simple Image Gallery PRO (SIGPRO). I found the SIGPRO to be a convenient substitute for a full photogallery, such as Coppermine PhotoGallery (CPG), and more so because the images in the SIGPRO pseudo-gallery and slideshow can be made page specific — allowing for “infinite” and unique variations of the pseudo-gallery and slideshow within a Joomla website.

You mentioned you may use this SIGPRO extension. I would be very grateful if you can help clarify a feature for me that would be cery critical in its effective use. I could not seem to make it work from the instructions that went with the SIGPRO extension.

However, I was hesitant to integrate the Joomlaworks extensions because it took Joomlaworks forever to upgrade SIGPRO, after the introduction of Joomla 1.5x. As a result, I have to make a choice whether to upgrade to Joomla1.5 and not use SIGPRO, until it was compatible. Or, stick to Joomla 1.0x in order to be able to use the old SIGPRO.

There is news that the Joomla 1.6 version may be coming by the end of this year or perhaps early next year. Again, I will be faced with the same dilemma, as above. The features of the unique news-magazine template, Teline II, would be greatly enhanced by the coming changes in Joomla 1.6 version. It would be obvious that it would be wise to upgrade to Joomla 1.6 — once it is stable.

Unfortunately, if SIGPRO is not promptly upgraded to be compatible with Joomla 1.6, then it would have to be disabled and renders all the page specific SIGPRO pseudo-gallery and slideshow inoperable — something that the regular visitors would be expecting if SIGPRO was used in the current iteration of the Joomla 1.5.x.

More important, there was scripts incompatibility between SIGPRO and some modules used by Joomlart. When I requested for support from the Joomlaworks Forum but there was no response for more than a year in the Joomlaworls forum. This is a common complaint among some users of the SIGPRO from what I read two years ago. It was only resolved because as it turned out, there was a SIGPRO who happened to be using Joomlart templates also and was able to share a workaround the problem via serendipity.

The above issues made me realize the weakest link in the use of Joomla extensions created by third party vendors. I have rethought therefore the adoption of these extensions, and use only the most critical extensions coming from third party vendors. I also tapped the basic extensions of Joomla and some of Joomlart to substitute for features like frontpage slideshows and dynamic image presentations.

Cornelio

[panosru Friend panosruJoin date: May 2007Posts: 12Downloads:0Uploads:1 Thanks: 4]

#311814

Hello Cornelio,

Sorry about my late reply, I’m a bit busy 🙂

I’m male, my name is Panagiotis (Παναγιώτης in Greek) its the male name of Virgin Mary.

You can contact with me on whatever you need 🙂

Well, something that I love about JoomlaWorks its that from the beginning they knew what people want and this because we first knew each other from forums meetings worked together on some other companies and we build sites on joomla, and from scratch too so we could see what is “missing”.

Another thing that I love about JoomlaWorks is that they keep things simple 🙂

Well SIGPRO and the other extensions of JoomlaWorks have been tested personally by me and they work great 🙂

The problem on upgrading these extensions was because of I was developing the K2 component and the other developer developed on other great component for videos which I cannot expose right now 🙂

So we had to finish these components and work on the other modules and plugins to make them compatible with our components too. This is the main reason because it took “forever” to upgrade them.

About the upgrade of Joomla well Joomla 1.5 was a complete rewrite of Joomla CMS and it was Beta and we don’t work on Betas. I think that Joomla 1.6 won’t be as dramatical as 1.5 because it won’t be a full rewrite but it will be bug fixes and enchantments so I think it won’t get “forever” to upgrade.

Also one other thing its not good to Beta releases and early stable releases because they might have vulnerabilities and this is something that its not good for your business 🙂

Every JoomlaWorks module or plugin let users to choose between some libraries so I think this may solve a lot of incompatibilities so the modules or plugins that didn’t worked with some modules of joomlart may work if you change their javascript library from configurations (I never faced any problem with joomlart and joomlaworks pluggins and I’ve tested all JA templates of joomlart)

About the support well we usually reply instantly on forums and support messages I think maybe there was a mistake or any of your spam filter blocked our email for some reason (we use Google Apps emails).

If you asked support from forums well as I said we reply almost instantly (on commercial products) and for free products we reply quick I think there was mistake or something that I don’t really now and thats why you didn’t get any support.

To conclude I’m saying again that I no longer work for JoomlaWorks and my reply is as panosru and not as JoomlaWorks Staff 🙂

Regards.

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