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Shoutbox: posts & pages on main page / Dynamic Template feature slider?

7 posts from 3 voices

Started 1 year ago by Chattybrain
Latest reply from Dude
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Chattybrain
Member

My site http://www.chattybrain.com is currently using the default template for the home page, while for some of the pages in my nav bar I have started creating my own dynamic templates and I feel pretty comfortable doing this.

However, on the homepage I would like to have a mix of posts & pages and it seems that this is not possible as all the options for the "Main News Page" are category based. Am I missing a trick and it is possible to add pages?

The solution I thought of was to create my own Front Page using a dynamic template (template builder) as I did for my other main categories however I cannot see how to change the look of the slideshow. If I add a slideshow in my dynamic template, I only get a really large image size (like on my "blog" dynamic template: http://chattybrain.com/index.php/hong-kong-expat-blog/ ). I've only added one image here so that is why it is not rotating.

Looking at the demo video in the docs provided, the slideshow is much smaller and has text next to it. I realize the video is for the Brightbox theme, but as it was supplied with the Shoutbox docs I thought it might be possible.

Thus my questions are:

1) How can I create a dynamic template with a sidebar and a features slider (for posts & pages) ?

2) If I cannot do the above, can I add pages instead of posts to the standard home page?

Thanks

Posted 1 year ago #
Chattybrain
Member

I just wanted to add that I downloaded a plug in that allows me to add "categories" to "pages".

I thought this would be a valid quick fix solution to my question how to add pages to the homepage. For some reason though, although the plug in is working fine, the 'categorized pages' are not being recognised in the features header or by any of the dynamic templates ?!?

Posted 1 year ago #
rumblefish
Member

Hey again!

In theory you can add category specific content to the blog, so your category-to-pages trick might work, but I'm not sure if Shoutbox treats posts and pages differently when it runs the loop to output all the content in the blog. It may be that it only works for posts (without some .php customization), Try adding a category which only uses pages and see if it works, but I don't think you can add pages into the blog. I think it only works for posts. I'm not sure how complicated it is to change this at a .php level.

If you are trying to create content which isn't going to change, you'd be better off making a template yourself using the various elements and columns and make static pages with multiple content. You can separate content and have page elements (columns or fullwidth) above or below post elements.

Even then you may need some .php tweaks (I did).

Without knowing exactly what you are trying to create its hard to say.

The slideshow in the Template Builder is basically a fading image display. I use one on my frontpage that is 940 x390 px. I think you can make a smaller one, but it means changing the slideshow viewer a bit in .css.

The slideshow for the blog is specific to that 3 column blog format (2 columns and a sidebar), and only works with posts I think.

Good luck
rich

Posted 1 year ago #
Chattybrain
Member

Hi Dude... or Kriesi...
any chance of getting your input on my questions above please? Thanks .. .much appreciated
(ps if there is a specific plugin to add categories to pages that you know works, I'm happy to use that one... I really don't care so long as I can publish my pages in the post streams.. or find another solution as I mentioned above)

Cheers
Angelina

Posted 1 year ago #
Chattybrain
Member

I'm going to update part of this thread myself as I have managed to solve half the problem.

Regarding, adding "categories" to "pages". I have now changed plugin and found one that works. This means that it is possible to manage content a bit more efficiently especially with dynamic templates.

The big question still remains:
How can I manage the categories appearing on the Main News page - per block - rather then them appearing randomly?
And if the only way is to create my own Dynamic Home page, how can I have a features slideshow like on the current HP instead of that huge big image that shows up? And of course a fixed sidebar?

Danke

Posted 1 year ago #
rumblefish
Member

Hey Angelina,

Now you have categories added to pages, are the pages showing up in the blog?

I'm not sure how that helps you, though, since the way that content appears in a blog is time based, as I said before. You can't control it.

If you want content to stay on the frontpage, then maybe a blog isn't what you need, because by definition it is supposed to update constantly. So you could just make the frontpage a static page with columns containing your desired page content.

If you want a blog, then the content will eventually change anyway as you update it.

The only way around it without rewriting the php is to edit the post dates. If you need a certain post always to be on the front, then just keep setting its post date to something recent.

You can create something like the blog in the template builder using columns. You need the two column (66% 33%) setting. In the 66% you put your content and in the 33% you put your widgets. So you are creating a false sidebar.

The 66% column you can use to display a slideshow too, by displaying the featured images slideshow of the post inserted into that column.
You might have to play with the image sizes in functions.php or in css to get it working how you need. But this will make a false static blog. It wont update by itself.

I did something similar here:http://sosgalgos.com/?page_id=8139&lang=en

The video and white ad banner are a 66% content column (playing the featured video of the page inserted into that column) and a 33% widget column (widget is customized to hold a push button ad).

Hope that helps you
rich

Posted 1 year ago #
Dude
Dude

Hi!

I'll close this thread now. If there're any unanswered questions create a new thread please.

Best regards,
Peter

Posted 1 year ago #