Thread

I am just getting started with Expression Engine.

EE will be used to manage our blog. This blog will be a part of our website and I am looking to mimic the look of our website into the “template” for EE.

The website is php, creates dynamically for search results, and has includes files.

What do I do?

As EE is a CMS and not just a blog engine, I would probably convert the entire site rather than use EE as a plugin.  Search is possible within EE and can be extended further with plugins. Blogging is definitely handled by EE.

Embeds work the same as your includes as EE is built on PHP. I usually create an embeds template group to house all of the embeds I create (header, main nav, footer, sidebar, widgets, etc)

Converting a template is usually not that difficult. It really depends on the complexity of the site. Usually just a matter of placing the XHTML/CSS in your template groups, or however you plan to organize site structure, and then adding EE tags.

Be sure to check the docs http://ellislab.com/expressionengine/user-guide/#getting_started
Also check http://train-ee.com/. It does not cover converting a php template, but Mike really does a good job of taking you through a lot of the normal setups from start to finish.

Hope that helps,
Bryan

Hi Bryan,

Thanks for the tools. I am going to check out http://www.train-ee.com and hopefully learn a few things, the reason I was not looking at using EE as a full CMS system is because the site is a PHP based site that runs on a mysql database already. to give you an idea of the complexity of what i am working with:

http://www.iwantausedride.com (is the current site without any SEO/added value)

kuhntest.designgoddessllc.com is what we are going to do—very much looks the same and functions the same just adding some more visual appeal and also more seo and content related pages.

How will EE allow me to keep this functionality?

Thanks.

http://kuhntest.designgoddessllc.com/blog/index.php

I was able to create a “static” template based on the css and javascript i had and pulled out the php (for now).

Converting static/php into EE for the 1st time can be daunting. Take your time, figure out your main template types (homepage, listing page, detail page) and set about creating blank ones of each (pure HTML/CSS only) NO content. Using these “blank” templates further identify what can be converted into “includes” (php term) or special templates / snippets (EE equivalent).

Always start simple, always add small bits, always look at what you’re doing & how you may be able to allow for future flexibility

When you get it squared away, you may want to throw the URL into the “Code Share Corner” I just looked at your HTML/CSS and there are some areas that could handle some ...ummm… “review”.

Congrats on creating the base static template. Cheif hit right on the key though and that is planning out before you start.

As far as functionality that you were asking about, EE can handle what you want to do but it all depends on how you want to set it up. Also for me it would depend on how I bid the job on whether data re-entry is part of a redesign/migration. It usually is not. I like to call it “Hands On Training for the Client”. 😊

The great thing about EE and doing redesigns/migrations of this nature is that, like Cheif mentioned, you can always work in small bits and add sections later down the road.  Nothing like having work to do in the future.

Later,
Bryan

So I will spend some time today planning out the “templates, embed files, etc. so i know what I need to work with.

Although, I still feel as if I haven’t gotten a clear answer on if this will do what I need—- i know EE runs on a mysql database, will it allow communication with another database for the purpose of pulling back the listings?

While keeping the layout the way it looks now.

My biggest worry everytime I setup a CMS/blog platform is that it looks to formatted and templated and like a blog or cms platform and not unique.

I feel very confident that EE is not that way, but still have some skepticism as I start trying to figure this out.

Alright well i reviewed what I have and what I need this platform to do. I think I can make this work and hopefully it won’t take me a lifetime to figure out and implement 😊

So for structure/design I need 9 main templates:
Homepage
Listing Page
Details Page
Application Page
Content Page
Blog Page
FAQs Page
Testimonials
News

IF I understand correctly, i would use the “application template” for those pages of the site that would be setup that way. Same with the details Page.

I need 7 embeds files:
Header
Logo
Navigation
Specials
Footer
Sales
News

I am not sure I grasp snippets yet—but if I am correct in my assumption (I know a bad thing to do), then I would need 5 snippets:

Quick search
Comparison
Directions
Payment Calculator
Testimonial

Snippets: These would be sections that could be placed in various locations of the template.

QUESTION: The main templates are those all part of one template group or separate template groups?

Am I on the right path to successfully migrating to EE?

so progress i think: http://kuhntest.designgoddessllc.com/CMS/index.php

this is the EE version of the site (thus far).

this would be the index.php/homepage file.

I added a “news” section to the bottom of the homepage. This will pull information from the blog. I guess i’ll figure out how to add this information later huh. This little bit iof information is pretty much the only thing that changes (other than the car information which pulls from another datatbase, but thus far so good.

I have been following http://www.train-ee.com to get it working. i will keep using his tutorial.

Now…I’m going to build a “listing page and details page”. This is PHP based content. What do i do?

Thanks for the conversation, all. I’m moving this over to the CodeShare Corner as it is more appropriate for that forum. Do continue, by all means.