Changing the Main Panel appearance in your web pages:
Path, from the left navigation menu: ['Customization' section] > Skin Setup > Main Panel
The central element of text/graphics on your pages, the 'Main Panel' is prime space on all your pages, and generally contains the page-specific (i.e. non-navigation) elements. You can change the appearance of the Title Details Panel of your web-page template using the link labeled "'Main Panel" within the Skin Setup menu. Selecting this option will load the 'Main Panel customization screen, above the Skin Setup navigation menu:
Fig. 2.5.1.12.1: The "Main Panel" link & customization screen:
Exactly what part of the page am I customizing here?
Firstly, we need to clarify the specific area within the page template that these modifications affect. The Main Panel is the central panel within the web-page. For example, within the home page, this is the main, introductory part, right in the middle of the page, shown below:
Fig. 2.5.1.12.2: The Main Panel, affected by changes in this section:
However, please note that you can change here only the style of the main panel. To edit the text of the home page for example, you need to use the Special Pages option from the Partner Admin navigation menu, under the Customization section.
What are the customization options available to me?
Knowing the specific part of the website page template that is affected by your customizations within the 'Main Panel' section, we can now take a look at the types of customization open to us:
Copy Settings From...
This feature spans a number of the customization screens . Essentially, what 'Copy Settings From...' enables you to do is pick up the styles (Fonts, Colors, Sizes) on any of your other listed menu/text boxes/panels and replicate those styles across the current customization screen.
Put another way, if you have spent time setting up a particularly nice font with the exact coloring/sizing you've been looking for, to tie in with your header graphic, then you can apply these same font, size/coloring settings to a new customization section - in this case, the Main Panel - to save time, using this feature. It presents a lot better if you have a common styling repeated throughout the site, rather than a 'mish-mash' of different styles.
If the customization you require has already been successfully made to, say, your 'New Releases' then you can select 'New Releases' from the drop-down selector, then click on the "Copy" button, and 'hey presto!' the same color/style settings are adopted by the customization page you're currently working on.
This feature enables you to spend a good deal of time getting your site style right, before very quickly and easily replicating this look and feel across all the page elements in the Skin Setup section.
Shape
You also have the option to choose the shape of the main panel border - specifically, whether you want square or rounded corners. To do this, you just need to check the appropriate radio button for either of the two options.
Background
You can also choose the exact color you want as your background for the Main Panel. You just need to click on the color picker button and a Color Picker window will pop-up. Then select the desired color and it will appear in the box situated on the left of the color picker button, along with the code or name of that specific color. Alternatively, you can type the Hexadecimal color value (if known) directly into the text box. Again, the color of the box will update immediately to confirm your color selection.
Border
The border for the Main Panel can be any color and/or line thickness you choose. To change the border color, click on the color picker button and select a color from the color picker. The color sample next to the color picker button will update to reflect your color choice. As mentioned before, you can type the hexadecimal value straight into this box if preferred. To adjust the thickness of the border around the Main Panel, you can specify how many pixels wide the border is. This can be useful when you wish to pick out this panel from other panels - a slightly thicker border around a panel can create added emphasis, and draw the customer's eye to this panel.
Header Font (& size, color & bold/italic)
This setting affects the 'heading' text at the very top of the Main Panel (by default, this text reads "Are YOU Listening"). You can specify your preferred font by selecting it from the drop-down list, then you can choose a preferred point-size by selecting it from the appropriate drop-down list as well.
To change the color of this header text, you need to click on the color picker button and select a color from the color picker. The color sample next to the color picker button will change to show what color is currently selected for the text.
You can also set your Header text to Bold and/or Italics by checking the appropriate box beneath the drop-down font selector.
Text Font (& size, color & bold/italic)
This setting affects the body copy text within the Main Panel elements. You can specify your preferred font by selecting it from the drop-down list, then you can choose a preferred point-size by selecting it from the appropriate drop-down list as well. You can also set your body text to Bold and/or Italics by checking the appropriate box beneath the drop-down font selector.
To change the color of the body copy text, you need to click on the color picker button and select a color from the color picker. The color sample next to the color picker button will change to show what color is currently selected for the text.
Link Font (& size, color & bold/italic)
Exactly the same options can be specified for the Link text as for the Header text, above. The types of links within the Main Panel vary depending on what part of the site the customer is currently viewing. For example, when viewing the home page, the only link of the Main Panel is a 'mailto:' link to customer support. Furthermore, if one selects a category from the Category List Panel, the Main Panel for that category's page changes to include a list of sub-category links. These different sorts of links are all affected by the changes you make to the Link Font settings.
The first option you can change here is the font itself: select your preferred font from the drop-down font selector then, next, you can specify a preferred point-size by selecting it from the appropriate drop-down list as well. You can also set your Link text to Bold and/or Italics by checking the appropriate box beneath the drop-down font selector.
Finally, you can change the color of the link text itself by clicking on the color picker button and selecting a color from the color picker. The color sample next to the color picker button will change to show what color is currently selected.
Link Hover Color
The link hover color affects the color to which the link text momentarily changes as the customer's mouse passes over the link. This acts as a highlight, and indicates to the user that they are about to select the highlighted title/details, should they proceed to click this link with their mouse. To change the link hover color, click on the color picker button and select a color from the color picker. The color sample adjacent to the color picker button will change to show the color you have currently specified.
Separator
While there are no separators in the home page Main Panel, when you browse other pages (for example, Category listings) you'll see thin horizontal lines dividing listings - these are what we call 'Separators'. The separators can either be set as a different color to the background (and so appearing as a distinct line under each section/link within the Main Panel) or as the same color as the background (not appearing at all against the background color). To change the color, again click on the color picker button and select a color from the color picker, and see your selected color indicated by the color sample, next to the color picker button. As well as specifying a color, you can also dictate the width of this line by simply selecting a value, in pixels, from the drop-down menu. The higher the pixel-width, the thicker the line.
Canceling, Previewing and Applying my changes
It is important to note that the four buttons at the bottom of the preview screen are the same for every other option within the 'Skin Setup' menu. Their functions are as follows:
"Preview" Button: This button allows you to load your website in the preview screen. This is a great way to visualize how different colors, fonts and layouts will work together coherently on the page (or not, if you've chosen a poor mix of styles!). This button does NOT make changes to your 'live' site - it is only for use as a visual 'proof' of your proposed changes. Please note that all changes made to your site - even those in other customization sections - will be previewed on pressing this button.
"Full Screen Preview" Button: This button allows you to load a new pop-up window illustrating, in full preview mode, exactly how the changes you have just made will look when your page is made live.
"Close" Button: This button will close the "Skin Setup" page without saving any changes you may have just made. If, for example, you change your mind, you can simply abandon your proposed changes by clicking the "Close" button. Only clicking the "Apply Changes" button (details of which are below) will you commit your changes.
"Apply Changes" Button: This button saves any changes you might have made to any of the skin setup sections. When you click on the button, you will be presented two options/buttons, "Cancel" and "Generate Site", as seen below:
Fig. 2.5.1.12.3: The "Cancel" and "Generate Site" options that appear after clicking on the "Apply Changes" button:
If you click on the "Cancel" button, the system will reload the previous version of your website in preview mode, without making any changes to the website.
Instead, if you click on the "Generate Site" button, the system will save your proposed changes and then will display the website in full screen preview mode. For clarity, this button will make live all the changes you have made since you last pressed the "Generate Site" button. Your customers will see all of the changes you have made immediately.
Tip:
It is highly recommended that you make full use of the "Preview" and "Full Screen Preview" buttons to ensure that the changes you have proposed appear exactly as you want, BEFORE committing the changes to the 'live' site (although you can of course edit the site again, and recommit additional changes, should you need to correct an error).