Changing the appearance of the Search Box on your web pages:
Path, from the left navigation menu: ['Customization' section] > Skin Setup > Search Box
A search box, within any site, is a useful tool that a customer can use to search for a product (or products) by entering a key word or phrase, and searching the text on the site accordingly. You can change the appearance of the Search Box within your web-pages using the link labeled "Search Box" within the Skin Setup menu. Selecting this option will load the Search Box customization screen, above the Skin Setup navigation menu:
Fig. 2.5.1.6.1: The "Search Box" 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 Search Box panel appears, by default, in the top left corner of the page template. This is a typical placement of a search tool, and thus leverages the customer's existing understanding of navigating websites. The customization options herein give you a chance to match the Search Box to your overall site design, or perhaps pick out/highlight the panel as a means of encouraging customers to use the facility. The Search Box can initially be found in the following position:
Fig. 2.5.1.6.2: The Search Box, affected by changes in this 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 'Search Box' 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 Search Box 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 Search 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 Search Box 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 Search Box 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 Search Box 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)
This setting affects the 'heading' text at the very top of the Search Box Panel (by default, the text reads "Search"). 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 make the text bold and/or italic by selecting the appropriate option.
Link Font (& size, & color)
Exactly the same options can be specified for the Link text as for the Header text, above. There are only two links within the Search Box Panel: The 'Search' link (which triggers the search routine) and the "Advanced Search" link (which takes the customer to an advanced search screen). These two links are affected by the changes made here to 'Link Font'.
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 make the text bold and/or italic by selecting the appropriate option.
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 for the text.
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 link, 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
Between the header text for this panel, and the actual search text entry box, you will see a horizontal line - the Separator. This line can either be set as a different color to the background (and so appearing as a distinct line under the header text) 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.
Want to reposition this panel?
You can reposition this panel, but not in this part of the Skin Setup section. To reposition panels, you need to use the "Panel Positions" option, also within the Skin Setup section.
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. 2.5.1.6.3: 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).