How to build templates in Sitevision in the best way

To help you, as a customer, use Sitevision in the best possible way and get the most out of the tool, we have put together a checklist that you can use when building templates. Everything from how templates should be built to setting up format templates and colors so that you can really benefit from everything you have learned in your training courses.

Use as much standard functionality as possible

Sitevision's own built-in modules should be used as far as possible. This is so that you can really benefit from the knowledge you have gained from our training courses and so that you can make changes yourself. You should be able to manage your own website/intranet at the level you want and not be dependent on development for functions that are already built into the product. Another advantage of using built-in modules is that you benefit from the updates and bug fixes we at Sitevision make.

If your website designs deviate from standard functionality, the partner and customer should discuss this. What does Sitevision's standard solution look like and how can it be adapted? How much more complicated is a custom solution? Can you, as a customer, manage and modify the custom solution yourself, or is additional consulting time required?

Ordering proprietary solutions

In Sitevision Marketplace, you can purchase modules and features developed by us or our partners. Features in our marketplace are quality-assured and future-proof. As a customer, you should own the source code for custom-developed solutions and special orders such as WebApps that are not available in Sitevision Marketplace. This is so that we can offer you the best possible support. If you need to develop your own solutions, we recommend that you consult with us and your partner beforehand so that we can work together to find the most future-proof solution possible.

Templates are the foundation of everything good

Building basic templates and sub-templates according to our standards is the key to success. Setting up the structure in a smart way can really facilitate daily work and also the management of the website/intranet. Categorizing different types of templates and setting permissions reduces the risk of confusion when creating new content.

Limiting the number of templates greatly facilitates management. One tip is to use views instead of having many different templates. Templates should also be named in an informative way so that it is easy to understand when to use them. This also applies to the objects added to the template. To make the management of your content and templates clear and simple, layouts/rows/columns should be named so that both administrators and editors understand the connection between content and the editing area.

When creating a content area, we recommend that you do not "stamp" too much content other than the headline, introduction, and text. It will be difficult to manage if, for example, you have sent out 700 news modules on the pages and then want to change something in them afterwards.

Sitevision has a flexible and powerful way of handling grids, breakpoints, and responsiveness—use these built-in features and managing your content will be very easy.

Accessibility is no longer a luxury

Sitevision has long focused on helping our customers make their websites as accessible as possible.

Accessibility should be a requirement, and the code and modules we offer must comply with WCAG. As accessibility guidelines are updated, we also strive to keep up with them. So make sure your templates validate according to WCAG. These checks are built into the product and can therefore be easily verified. Having correctly set headings and relative format templates should be a mandatory requirement.

Simplicity for the editor

Colors and format templates (fonts) should be available under website settings and used throughout the website. Best practice is also to keep the number of colors and format templates to a minimum for easier management. Format templates used in the templates, for example, should be permission-controlled so that they are not visible to editors.

Of course, it is fine to use decorations and CSS classes. The tool has an interface for easily managing this type of appearance customization. Avoid having long external CSS files and ensure that CSS management is used in a way that makes it easier for you as a customer when you want to make changes yourself.