Tags Mess in CSS Custom Templates

[mcshane]

I'm designing a test ShopSite site and am new to both CSS in layout AND ShopSite - fun, fun. I do have some good knowledge of html and Web design, though.

Here's the store home page which has my custom template applied:
http://mcshanedev.com/Store/index.html

It's a mess. The original template layout is this:
http://mcshanedev.com/Store/mcshane-template.html

But after I upload it to my ShopSite admin, it turns into that mess above.

Some of my product info still needs tags, I know, like the image, etc. What's on there now is part hardcoded, part ShopSite generated, BUT I'm having all kinds of messy rearranging of content once I upload my template. ShopSite is duplicating some code lines, even ending the html tag way up in the doc and repeating it 3 times, along with the footer, and bumping the content outside of the #mainContent where I initially have it.

Also, none of the other pages links are showing up when the page has my custom template. I created a new page with an SS template and that link DOES show up on my links list but not the others with my custom template. I did assign them to show up on all pages in the SS admin.

Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks!

Maria

[Jim]

What does the same page look like if you use one of the ShopSite provided templates?

Note that the [-- Define Product--] ... [-- END_DEFINE PRODUCT --] section must be in a product template not in the page template. On the Page template you would have a section
[-- loop products --]
[-- product --]
[-- end_loop products --]

From my own personal experience I have found working with <div>s to be confusing and they didn't work the same in IE as in Firefox so I gave up on using them and use tables instead.

Be aware that ShopSite generates html not xhtml code so you may have problems with missing /> on some tags (they will just end with >) which will cause the page to not be valid xhtml if you are using a validation service.

[mcshane]

Thanks, Jim.

Bummer, I was trying to avoid tables, but I'll work with them if I must.

Now, do you think the CSS could also be the cause to my links to other pages not showing up? Or is that unrelated?

Thanks again,
Maria

[Jim]

I'm not saying that <div>s won't work, they just didn't for me.

Are you sure the links aren't on the page? What should they say? I do see a link with the text "New with SS template"

Styles can change the entire look of a page so if you have some that aren't correct who knows what it might do to the page.

I would start out as simple as possible with the layout and then add things as you get each part working.