Design/Setup
- What is a theme? How do I change my theme?
- How can I create a theme?
- How do I edit a theme?
- What is a layout?
- What is a template?
- What templating/programming language is used?
- Can I add my own programing with Ruby, PHP, ASP, etc…?
- What is cache? What are the "Clear site cache" and "View cache-disabled site" links for?
What is a theme? How do I change my theme?
A theme is the set of HTML, CSS, images, Javascript, etc… files associated with the presentation of your website. The content inserted into the Reflect administrative section is read by the active theme. Themes can be managed and accessed on the “Design/Setup” tab.
How can I create a theme?
From the “Design/Setup” tab, click on “Create a theme”. The following page allows you to name, copy an existing theme (or start from scratch) and upload a preview image of the theme.
How do I edit a theme?
Editing a theme can be accessed from the “Design/Setup” tab by clicking on the theme that you want to edit. All themes are organized into three folders: Layouts, Public, and Templates. Additionally you can access your themes through an SFTP client such as Transmit or any text editing tool that allows remote accessing such as skEdit or Coda.
What is a layout?
A layout file is the main HTML and Liquid structure that surrounds your content. It may be helpful to think of it as your header and footer combined. Within the layout file you can designate where the content is to be outputted.
What is a template?
Similar to a layout, a template includes HTML and Liquid structure that surrounds your content. While most websites will only have one layout, they will have many templates. Each theme must include template files for pages, forms and each module associated within a website.
What templating/programming language is used?
Reflect uses the powerful and flexible Liquid templating language to give you extensive control over the look and function of your website. Read a tutorial on using Liquid.
Can I add my own programing with Ruby, PHP, ASP, etc…?
No server-side programming language is allowed within the Reflect themes. All access to the Reflect content with your administrative sections is accessed with the Liquid templating language using the Reflect API.
What is cache? What are the "Clear site cache" and "View cache-disabled site" links for?
When someone views a page on your Reflect website, that page is stored in the cache folder as HTML files. Once the page is stored in the cache, future visitors will access the cached copy rather than re-fetching the original data from the database. This dramatically speeds up your website and the load time of each page. However, if any changes are made through SFTP access, you will need to clear the cache or view the special cashe-disabled site in order to view your changes. Any changes made within the administrative section will automatically clear the cache. "Clear site cache" and "View cache-disabled site" links can be found in the footer of the administrative section and on the Design/Setup tab.