Noob here. what are limits to changing scheme colors, bkgd colors and textures, etc.

[Cowtoon]

I'm trying to select a template and can't find one that fits. Am I limited to theme colors that come with the template or can I fully customize the colors. I found a template that will work, but I want to change colors and background textures, etc. The knowledge base explained there were a small number of colors, but I will want more control. Thanks.

While I have your attention, is there a screen colour picker to choose the colours I'm after. Thanks again.

[Acorn]

Welcome to TalkGraphics.

You just need the Colour Editor for all this: Ctrl+E.
It also comes with a picker.

Acorn

[gwpriester]

Welcome to TalkGraphics

Click the color wheel icon to the left of the screen palette to open the Color Editor (or Ctrl + e)

Select a Theme Color from the drop down list and edit. The theme color will change and all instances of the theme color will change as well.

The eye dropper icon (Color Picker) in the Color Editor or on next to the color wheel icon can be used to select colors.

[Cowtoon]

Thanks for tips on how to change colours. I also didn't know it would change the theme colours (that's helpful). I've used graphic software (although it's been a while) and each program does things a little differently.

I'm wanting to know if there are limitations to customizing colours within a template, before I choose. Perhaps this will help to clarify what I'm looking for. Am I constrained within the theme colour options or can I use full palette to change colours.

Thanks again.

[Boy]

I'm wanting to know if there are limitations to customizing colours within a template, before I choose. Perhaps this will help to clarify what I'm looking for. Am I constrained within the theme colour options or can I use full palette to change colours.

No limitations as to which colors you can use (see Acorn's reply), anything goes, but if you want to maintain the underlying interconnections of the respective template's color scheme you need to follow Garry's directions and work with "Named colors". Just open a template and start playing around with the colors before you start to build your own website. It might be helpful to read the Help file. Take a look at the chapter "Color Handling" and try out some things.

You don't need to understand it all but if you do, it might save you a lot of time in the future when you want to change a website's color scheme. By the way, this also applies to the use of text styles.

[Acorn]

Cheers Boy

[Cowtoon]

Good tip, ty. I chose a template to play around with and changed a font and it didn't cascade to the mobile variant. I'm understand the concept of styles, but haven't quite nailed how it works in this software. I actually had trouble finding the colour panel (was across the bottom, not at the left). Is there a way to work with the picker w/o having to hold it down? If I know a hex number for a colour, can I simply enter it.

I'm working my way through various tutorials that I stumble upon.

I'm rebuilding an older site that I built about 8 years ago, for counselling/addiction and can't really find a suitable business template. Are there other templates available to choose from, that are part of the pkg. Nothing seems to fit. I'm wanting to build a response site.

[Acorn]

Good tip, ty. I chose a template to play around with and changed a font and it didn't cascade to the mobile variant. I'm understand the concept of styles, but haven't quite nailed how it works in this software. I actually had trouble finding the colour panel (was across the bottom, not at the left). Is there a way to work with the picker w/o having to hold it down? If I know a hex number for a colour, can I simply enter it.

I think you totally missed what Gary and I mentioned. Use Ctrl+E to open the Colour Editor; Gary even went to the extent of flagging the Colour Editor's position on the colour line.

When it is open you can use the dropdown to pick a Theme colour.
Any changes, by clicking on the canvas or the rainbow line immediately changes that colour.
Using the colour Editor colour picker to select another colour form anything on your screen.

Pick the colour model you want if you wish to enter Hex directly.

Do please use F1 - Help and read all this in the help guide.

Acorn

[Egg Bramhill]

I'm rebuilding an older site that I built about 8 years ago, for counselling/addiction and can't really find a suitable business template.

As well as Acorn & Garys comments above I also point out that you don't need to use templates, you can just build a website from scratch in Xara. You could use your old site to recreate it in Xara

[Cowtoon]

I built the existing site from scratch, using expression web (no longer updated/supported). I used the master page [master.dwt] feature, to keep horizontal and vertical navigation the same on all pages. From what I've read, master pages aren't an option in Xara, so I'm not sure how to proceed with that. I might have to reconfig the site. Perhaps this feature is handled differently within Xara?? I haven't built much for about 6 years. Sooooo much has changed since then.

I've started to watch some xara videos (as posted by someone in the forum) on building a site from scratch.

I welcome any insights.