CSS templates help

**carlito** · July 30th, 2007, 07:44

I just finished learning how to code HTML properly by using CSS and the proper web standards (I have been lazy for so long not to retrain myself).

Anyway, I was wondering how one can have one template for a website saved that you can then edit and it will automatically update all the pages using that template? Is there a free program for that?

I absolutely refuse to use a "professional" web designing program (i.e. Dreamweaver, etc) - I want to keep designing by hand. BUT I'm at a loss as to how I can update all my webpages at once, instead of going through them all and changing a few bits of code as I redesign my site.

**TSO** · July 30th, 2007, 07:50

Are you referring to something like a menu? Or a color scheme? Or what?

**carlito** · July 30th, 2007, 07:53

I'm referring to having ONE template for the whole website, which has blank spaces in it where the content can go (different content for different parts of the site of course, e.g. photos, about us, contact us, etc).

And I can then edit this template to my heart's content, and see the rest of the pages update themselves automatically when I save the changes.

Do I need a program for this?

Or perhaps a server-based application?

I'm really stuck.

**TSO** · July 30th, 2007, 07:54

You could use PHP, or ASP. Or, develop the "template" first, using CSS, and then just change the CSS. The problem with using CSS for layout is that if you change the layout, you'd still have to go to each page.

So, I think the best approach would be using PHP includes.

**carlito** · July 30th, 2007, 07:55

Oh dear.

That sounds hard.

**TSO** · July 30th, 2007, 07:56

It's not too hard. I would recommend getting a book on PHP, and that would help explain a lot of it. Plus, there are quite a few Internet tutorials on the subject as well.

**carlito** · July 30th, 2007, 08:04

Surely there is another way?

All I need a simple template-creating-and-modifying program.

Sureeeeely there is some lovely freeware proggie out there with my name on it ?

**TSO** · July 30th, 2007, 08:05

Hmmmm.....I don't know on that. Maybe someone else does... as for your name on it....

**carlito** · July 30th, 2007, 08:34

Actually now that I think about it, if I could find a free blogging service which would let me embed the posts in my site then I wouldn't need to learn PHP. I could just have a static site and update the news section using an external site, which would be handy.

Anyone know a good free easy to use blogger that allows this? It would be used to post news and the like, so it would need a datestamp, subject line, etc.