Deluxe Website
Tools
As we started building tools
to make websites we started with simple fill in the blanks,
choose colors from menus and it was all a bit unfriendly.
But as web browsers became
more usable and offered more in the line of running Javascript we
started upgrading the old style interfaces with NEW Deluxe Tools.
The term DELUXE was just an
easy way to point out that these tools were better than the old
tools and when we created a new generation of the Deluxe tools we
named them "Super Deluxe".
The idea was simply to let
users know, newer interfaces existed and they could use those
instead of the old ones.
One
of the first tools we created was the "Deluxe Layout Builder" which allowed a real time preview of
the actual page layout that the user was creating.
Before that, we had
thumbnails and a bunch of color boxes. The new method
allowed users to actually see what they were doing and
gave more flexibility in the design. Instead of us
creating 20 options, users can now create the layout they
want, the colors, borders and menu location.
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That all all really
cool and really help elevate the designs away from the old
templates.
But just like everything else,
users said, hey, I would like to have the menu in 2 places. I
would like to add a background image to a section. I would like
to add the shopping menu at the top and the page menu on the side
and so on and on....
Well, as you might imagine as
we developed the Deluxe Website Layout Builder we had not thought
of all those things.
We also had to consider that
that becomes just too complicated for most people to understand
and we still offer the option of creating layouts on outside
platforms and installing them. So all of those things were
possible, just not with the fast and easy tools we had online.
But the medium level users
were never going to write html or css and create a layout like a
professional webmaster. They had no concept of creating code
using notepad and pasting it on the website. They needed a tool
as easy as the deluxe layout builder but with more features.
In fear of making the tool too
complicated for the average user we decided to add a totally new
"Super Deluxe Layout Builder".
The Super deluxe tool was
added along with the Deluxe version as 2 separate tools so users
would have a simple basic tool and a more advanced tool that
offered more features buy also requires more understanding of the
page.
The new tool has more
features including:
More Sections of
Boxes
The new layout builder allows
for more areas of the page. The old editor allowed for 1 menu, a
titlespace and the footer area.
The newer more complex tool
allows for and absolute top and bottom, a top and bottom menu
area, a right and left menu area, a copyright area and the main
content area.
So rather than organizing
content in just 3 sections now you can have a total of 8 sections
with different colors.
Border Tools for
Placement, colors and Style
As you add more sections you
need some separation so we added the borders for each section.
You can select top, bottom,
right and left borders, set the size color and style. So if you
want a dashed 1px border on the right side of the section you can
do that. If you don't want any border, then you just don't select
that option.
As you see, now getting the
design tweaked to look good is going to take a lot more skill
since there are now 10 times as many options.
This gives the users so much
more control of the design but it challenges the ability of many
users.
Multiple Menu
Options and Placement
Along with more boxes you have
the option of including a menu in each section. There are 2
automated menus, the main navigation menu and the shopping cart
menu.
Using the Super Deluxe Layout
Builder you can have either menu appear in any section.
So if you want the page menu
in the very top section of the website and the shopping
categories in the left side section of the website now you can do
that.
Or maybe you want the shopping
menu on the top and bottom and the page menu right, also very
easy and possible without tweaking the html or building custom
layouts.
Page & Menu
Widths
We also gave the users more
control of the page size and menu widths. There is a slider,
which makes it easy but you can also just type in the value. So
if the page needs to be 980px rather than the preset 1000px in
the more basic layout builder you can.
Menus sizes can be defined so
the page fits the website exactly as planned.
Of course, that means you need
to know what 980px is compared to the basic tools with just
"Small, Medium and Large".
Again, more control, more room
for errors.
Background Images
We also added the ability to
quickly upload background images to each section. This lets you
avoid using colors and use more diverse images for shading and
gradient effects.
Images offer a completely
different look than plain colors, but require a better eye for
design and wont be used by most users.
The Result of Having Both
Layout Builders
The result of having different
tools is that we can accommodate more users. Since every user has
a different skillset, having multiple editors and layout builders
makes it easier for all users to settle into their comfort level.
By integrating them both into
the system they both can edit the same file. So if a user becomes
overwhelmed with the tools and features of the Super Deluxe tool,
they can simply use the Deluxe tool instead.
Each tool will overwrite the
other so, no harm no foul if the user finds themselves in over
their head.
Future Sitebuilder
Development
As we develop programs in the
future we realize what we think is evolution may just be
complicated to someone else. We have learned that we need tools
for everyone, not just the novices or advanced webmasters.
Different people have different skillsets and different needs.
In 2012 we brought back the
editor we used on BumblebeeWorks.com back in 2003. It is a simple
fill in the blank page editor which made no sense to keep since
we had drag and drop and WYSIWYG editors in place.
But when we did, it because
one of the most used editors in our system. Because it offered
simple, easy to build pages with no need to understand anything
at all. Just type in the boxes and save the page.
Of course we made some
improvements but it is basically just like it was in 2003. People
like it, they took to it and use it all the time. We were the
fools for not building it into the pageBuzz system in the first
place.
So as we develop programs we
always have to keep in mind, that having more tools is better
than having just one tool. That all users want and like something
different.
So rather than trying to
compete with companies that offer more simple or more complex
tools, we try to offer all of them to every user and let them
decide which they want to use.
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