TopStyle lite is bundled with Studio MX. I believe the Pro version is what is integrated into Dreamweaver. TopStyle Lite is nice for a free editor, but it does not include the validation tools needed to verify that the CSS will work with IE, NN, and MAC.

TSW Webcoder is another fine editor, but I think it only validates HTML.

There's always the option of bookmarking the W3C CSS Validator. The downside is that you won't be able to capitalize on each browsers capabilities, but the advantage is that your site would look the same to all visitors.

I don't know of any free programs off hand, but Dreamweaver MX has an integrated CSS (and other code) converter/validator. If you are serious about getting into web design, you may want to look into buying Dreamweaver and becoming proficient in it.

Here's a free trial download if you are interested.

http://www.macromedia.com/downloads/

I know this is a pretty old subject, but here's my two cents...

Here's a site that I'm working on for a non-profit that I teach a intro to computing class for.

http://www.psproject.org

The site is in early stages of development (still gathering much of the info to publish), but there are few mods/tweaks there already that you may find interesting. The theme is a mildy massaged version of Karate Redux. This site was originally PHPNuke, but after getting sick of bugs, I migrated it over to Xoops.

I've created a couple Intranet sites using XOOPS as well, but I cannot provide any info on them other than, yes, XOOPS makes a great Intranet portal.

Frankly, I've yet to run into a situation that didn't work using Xoops. You may have to do a little (or alot) modding to get it exactly the way you want it, but the beauty is, it can be done.

Happy Birthday Mithrandir!

Hey, I'm all for that virtual

Hope it's an enjoyable one for you.

Quote:

I would have never have guessed you and I were the same age, well, at least until August.

Quote:In essence, yes. You may have to edit the style sheets as well, but that's to be expected.

Just make sure you keep the XOOPS code intact. Working with XOOPS themes is a lot like creating a regular html/css site template, the only difference is the XOOPS code saves a ton of time because it generates the content for you.

Make sure you backup your originall files before editing them. I know this seems like a no-brainer, but the reminder never hurts.

You shouldn't have to make any changes to mainfile.php unless you plan to change your database or move your site to a different URL.

The site you pointed out just uses a modified version of the x2t theme. Most of your modifications to colors will be in the CSS style sheets that accompany your theme. To edit image placement, and hard-coded features, you'll need to edit the theme.html file that accompanies your theme. The easiest way to change logos is to navigate to the images folder of your theme and look for the logo (usually logo.gif or logo.jpg), then overwrite it with your own custom logo. You may want to replace the default logo in the {xoops root}/images directory as well, but be careful of sizing as this can throw off layout.

I use Studio MX 2004 and text editors for all my coding/designing needs and I've yet to have a problem with it.

The best thing you could do would be to download XSAS and practice locally. That way you can tinker away without worrying about what your site's visitors see. Then, when you have the look you want, upload the files and new database schema.

You can find a tutorial on how to develop your site locally here:
https://xoops.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=18687&forum=7#forumpost79519

This is all assuming you want to go beyond just installing someone elses theme. As mentioned by limecity, basic customization just requires uploading some files and making a few clicks.

Congratulations, you figured out the obvious.

http://1and1.com .... Better?

FYI: I host two, soon to be four sites on 1and1.com. I believe in their service.

http://citcs.pkbcs.com
http://trig.pkbcs.com

Coming soon...
http://pkbcs.com
http://mywebauthor.net

But seriously, if posting affiliate links in the forum is frowned upon, please, someone let me know and I'll stop.

Quote:
Agreed.

Also, don't panic. The XOOPS community is large and willing to help. You will get your site online.

Most web hosts offer a package that has at least one MySQL database Perl (CGI) and PHP preinstalled. I would also recommend a host that runs their servers on Linux/Unix.

Installing XOOPS is not really as hard as it sounds. It usually only takes about 10 minutes to install the core files. The hardest part about XOOPS is modifying modules and themes for that custom look/feel. If you're just wanting the basics, it's pretty easy to learn.

If you're looking for some custom work to be performed, or you're just too busy to do it yourself, arangements can be made.

I use 1and1. They're not the cheapest, but with redundant connections, daily backups, and a control panel that's awesome, you won't here me complain.

I went through at least 10 web hosts and even hosted my site myself for a while before I switched to 1and1.

You might ask yourself why I would pay for a host when I know how to host a site for free.....

Speed and Reliability

Been hosted by 1and1 for a year now. Not once has my site been unavailable or slow.

Did you say you had to reupload the database in several uploads? What are you using to manage your database? Do you have the original schema dump that you reuploaded?