Thread

I was so turned off of the default template! i don’t know what to say really!

Expressionengine looks like such a nice cms, why not have it show that in the design also?

id be great full for some good answer on this!

Cheers Daniel

I think everyone pretty much pitches the default template, anyhow. The “problem” with EE is that is is so flexible - that it really doen’t need its “own” templates. You could pretty much adapt a template that was made for any other system to EE. Basically, if you can see it done somewhere else in HTML/CSS/JS (regardless of CMS system), you can do it with EE, in my experience.

I never look at the default template - I usually have a design I’ve created or that has been supplied for me anyway. I used to look at it when I didn’t have some things memorized, but now it goes out the door first thing and I start integrating whatever design I’m supposed to be working on. Check out Boyink’s tutorial wherein he explains that he doesn’t use those defaults!

Expressionengine looks like such a nice cms, why not have it show that in the design also?

Have you seen ExpressionEngine’s own site?

I agree EE could have better and more complete sets of polished templates out of box for
those of us w/o the templating skills.

If EE is packaged with the same qualify level of templates as the EE forum module, I know of few
more Joomla and vBulletin/WordPress site builders who will become paying EE customer.

EE Design

EE Design

I spent many hours looking for a commercial quality, out of box,  EE template w/o success.

Compare the quality of available EE templates to that of Joomla found here:

http://demo.rockettheme.com/
http://www.joomlart.com/templates_demo.php

I can always found a ready made template for new Joomla projects from the above sites.

I don’t know about anyone else here, but I don’t work on any projects where I’d use a ready-made template. I assume many people do, though, so I guess finding ready-made templates is an issue. The thing here is that…you can pretty much do anything on the templates with EE. There aren’t really any restrictions on HTML/CSS/JS, like there might be in other systems (I heard that one system uses ‘blocks’ or something…)

What you’re looking for is not a commercial-quality out-of-the-box EE template - you’re just looking for a template, done in HTML and CSS. I’m fairly certain that whatever you find will be doable with EE - I can’t see why it wouldn’t be, unless I’m totally misunderstanding you.

I looked at some of the templates you pointed to, and have to say there is no reason those could not be done with EE. All you need is the CSS, HTML, and JS of those ‘templates’. All the data will ultimately come from the custom ‘weblogs’ and fields in your EE database.

EE Design

Compare the quality of available EE templates to that of Joomla found here:

http://demo.rockettheme.com/
http://www.joomlart.com/templates_demo.php

I can always found a ready made template for new Joomla projects from the above sites.

Personally, I think some of those template are quite ostentatious.  😝 I hear what you’re saying, but I think the audience of EE is somewhat different than Drupal’s or Joomla’s. Those opensource projects are constructed in a way that permits someone with no HTML or CSS experience to download a theme, install plugins and be on their merry way. Whereas, EE is designed for person who is comfortable with HTML/CSS, and likes to design their own custom site.

Of course it’s easy to download an open-source template here or here and integrate EE. Just take a look at this tutorial. Or roll your own with Blueprint CSS.  BTW If you really like those Joomla templates. Just download them, strip out the Joomla stuff, and the remaining HTML/CSS should work fine for you.

Let me chime in here with an “official” word.

Here’s the quick history of our Template Library. Its just over four years old and we’ve known for quite some time that it needs to be addressed but probably not for the reasons you’re thinking.

When we introduced EE and its templates 4 years ago the templates were fresh, audience appropriate, and they were very well received. And by “well received” I mean one thing and one thing only; people gave us compliments about them. What we quickly discovered however is that almost nobody used the templates. Again, keep in mind this is when they were comparable to other offerings.

It turns out that the vast majority of EE (and I’m talking well over 90% of our customers) never intended to use a default template, no matter how much they liked it. The majority of EE users almost always have their own design or a client’s design they want to implement.

So point one is that the EE Community might like cool templates but they are almost universally not used and its been that way since we released EE.

The other factor in templates is that EE’s template engine is significantly different from other blog and CMS systems. Our combo approach to visual design and data structure (Custom Fields) makes it difficult to approach template’s in the traditional sense. So if we offered more complex, modern designs even if you might like the visuals, the underlying data structure is unlikely to meet your needs which means you’ll be modifying the template anyway.

Fortunately EE’s template system makes it fairly easy to implement any design (assuming copyright allows) into EE. You like a Joomla template? If the copyright allows it, use it! Same with WordPress templates, free open source templates, templates available for purchase from the 100s of template providers out there. Really, there are literally thousands and thousands of design options to choose from.

Its a bit too early to say what we’ve decided to do with the Template Library yet but we’ve learned a lot about what our community actually wants and needs from us and an extensive, first party template library isn’t it. We have no intention of getting in the template business first party when almost nobody uses them (again, this held true from the beginning) and you can literally use any design that copyright allows.

I would recommend what I always recommend. Make your decision regarding EE based on functionality and how much you enjoy working with it. If EE can do what you need, then use any design you care to.

That’s what I was trying to say, Leslie. Thanks for coming here and saying it wayyyy better. And “offically”, too!

EE Design

Compare the quality of available EE templates to that of Joomla found here:

http://demo.rockettheme.com/
http://www.joomlart.com/templates_demo.php

I can always found a ready made template for new Joomla projects from the above sites.

Personally, I think some of those template are quite ostentatious.  😝 I hear what you’re saying, but I think the audience of EE is somewhat different than Drupal’s or Joomla’s. Those opensource projects are constructed in a way that permits someone with no HTML or CSS experience to download a theme, install plugins and be on their merry way. Whereas, EE is designed for person who is comfortable with HTML/CSS, and likes to design their own custom site.

Of course it’s easy to download an open-source template here or here and integrate EE. Just take a look at this tutorial. Or roll your own with Blueprint CSS.  BTW If you really like those Joomla templates. Just download them, strip out the Joomla stuff, and the remaining HTML/CSS should work fine for you.

I’m in the [long] process of overhauling EE Design. I’ve had a lot going on so I haven’t been able to put time into it until recently. Like others have said, ExpressionEngine is not the one size fits all that wordpress and others seem to be. Just the installation alone makes it different.

That being said, what I’m focusing on is to try and categorize site templates. Right now, I’m focusing on blog-style templates and simple 5 page website type templates. I plan to expand, but thats all I want to say for now.

FYI - I have a new template that is just about wrapped up that I will be distributing at EE Design. My plan is to have it ready for Free Template Friday, so be on the watch.

Seems the EE default template is very popular.  😉

Let me chime in here with an “official” word.
<SNIP>
It turns out that the vast majority of EE (and I’m talking well over 90% of our customers) never intended to use a default template, no matter how much they liked it. The majority of EE users almost always have their own design or a client’s design they want to implement.

So point one is that the EE Community might like cool templates but they are almost universally not used and its been that way since we released EE.
<SNIP>

Hmmm….Leslie, I wonder if this is cause-and-effect (our users don’t use templates, so we don’t need to add a lot of them) versus cause-and-effect (we don’t have a lot of templates to suit a wide variety of users who are not HTML/CSS experts, and therefore those users who do need templating help go/buy elsewhere, thus our user base is perforce made up of people who don’t need templates??).

Just a thought. 

Regards,

Hitch

Hi Hitch,

I’m certain its not. Even if it were, we are not interested in getting into the template business first party. Do people want us making templates or furthering EE? I think that’s a really simple call. We have some ideas in mind but its too early to go into details.

I think the community is the best indication of needs.  I am assuming most of the Wordpress templates are not created by designers paid by Wordpress.  I know that Joomla does not pay people for designs.  People offer them to the community.

Why should EllisLab be any different?  Why should they pay people to come up with templates?  If there were sufficient demand or interest then the templates would be offered by somebody.

Also, as mentioned, you cannot install the templates with the push of a button.  I would much rather have ExpressionEngine’s template system than that of Wordpress or Joomla.  Because of this, you have to build the templates anyways.  Might as well just snag templates from elsewhere.

Hi Hitch,

I’m certain its not. Even if it were, we are not interested in getting into the template business first party. Do people want us making templates or furthering EE? I think that’s a really simple call. We have some ideas in mind but its too early to go into details.

I should have made it clearer that I really was just ruminating, not criticizing (obviously I didn’t as Clark Kent over there 😊 felt compelled to come to your defense!!); but thanks for expounding further. 

Hitch