How Do You Make MSRS Ready Layouts

[minnseoelite]

Ok soooo I am probably one of the few that don't yet own a MSRS site :p but I was wanting to make some custom layouts to offer to members here and since I have never seen how a MSRS site works I am needing to know exactly how to create a MSRS compatible layout I know I need the following

1. Background Image (of course)

2. 300x300 thumbnail image

3. Seperate CSS file???

4. Place each layout its own folder (images, thumbnail, and CSS file???) correct?

Ok now this is the part that I for sure dont know in the CSS do I have to state the image paths for the images or is all of this added by the MSRS script itself when the user uploads????

[rocktheboat911]

Your right :]
In the css - you code the network and contact table the same.
Leave out the background code.

=]

Each layout has its own folder with bg.jpg, css.php, thumb.jpg, and contact.jpg and network.jpg
:]

[Helios]

I threw together a quick tree to show it visually.

So when you're building layouts for people, if you had multiple categories with multiple layouts in each...you'd want to supply them with the files in a directory structure like this.
EDIT: Ignore the preview.php file, that's something the MSRS owner will put in themselves.

[minnseoelite]

Ok so I leave out the backgrounds code completly or just the image paths. Also is that what I actually name the files bg.jpg, css.php, thumb.jpg ect........or was that just an example (sorry just want to make sure its right)

Also what is the best size to do the layouts background image 800x600 or 1024x768?

[Selena]

This would be the folder structure...

Layout1 <--name of first layout
---css.php
---bg.jpg
---contact.jpg (optional)
---network.jpg (optional)
---thumb.jpg

for css.php...it is just like your regular css in the about me section. However, you rremove anything like
background-image: url(urlhere);
that applies to the background, network, and contact table image. You still keep the coding for it, just remove the call to the image.

make sense?

[minnseoelite]

Ok I think I got it now. I will see what I can do and hopefully come up with some really cool layouts for all of you.

[Helios]

Well you still want to put a background code in for the color of the layout...suitable to whatever your image is of course. But you can leave out the code that links to the image itself. I've attached a sample CSS file as an example.

And yes you want to name the files those names, that's how MSRS recognizes them. With the css.php all you're doing is just copy+pasting your code into there...you can save this from notepad or wherever.

As for the size of the background...I've done some up to 1280++, and then I've done some that are 400x400 pixels or less. Really a good rule of thumb is to try to make your file size as small as possible. So if you can make a great looking layout at a smaller image size, all the better.

[Helios]

Ah! You're quicker on the draw Selena.

Maybe this should be stickied for future sellers?

[minnseoelite]

Ah! You're quicker on the draw Selena.

Maybe this should be stickied for future sellers?

Yes I would agree that this should be made a sticky as I looked all over this forum and some others on how to do this before I posted and I am sure others would like to know the same thing.

[GREGO]

does it have to be jpg? or can you save them as gif files also?

[Selena]

everything can be gif except the thumb.jpg
thats what i found out, but other than that i'd had no problem doing them with .gifs for the contact, bg, and network image.

and i'll make a sticky thread about how to make layouts MSRS compatible, just so no one has to look any further.

[Helios]

One thing that a few people don't seem to realize too is that if you don't want to do it the MSRS way, you don't have to. If you want to link the images in the code to say photobucket or something, you can do that.
Alot of my layout folders now don't even have any images in them, simply because the layout is a bit more complex or the hosting is handled elsewhere.

[YabbaDoo]

D'you know to me this looks MORE complicated than coding by hand =/
LOL

[minnseoelite]

Ok I was wondering one thing in the css.php file I see that MSRS sites have their css like a normal css file. Do you have to keep it this way or can you also use the normal css code that most layout generators create. Just wondering as I am familiar with coding layouts that way.

[silentsummit]

I suppose you can probably change it...

You mean for layouts.. Not the css code for MSRS itself right?

[minnseoelite]

I suppose you can probably change it...

You mean for layouts.. Not the css code for MSRS itself right?

Yea just for the layouts as MSRS CSS is all nice and organized where as most layout site generate code which is still CSS but its just kinda unorganized and sometimes has <div> tags.

Also is I am adding a contact table to the layout do I just place the CSS for the contact table below the main layout CSS in the same file.....

[silentsummit]

I am pretty sure that is what you would do....