Variants - do you have to manually format EACH page ?

[Frolin]

I have a new convention site about ready to go online this weekend. After getting the main pages all setup and ready to go, went to activate the variants. I figured I might have to adjust the layout of the content on each variant (bummer). But I am finding that it seems the main thing the 'variant' option does is copy over the content, I will me manually redesigning EACH sub-page. I thought some of the format would adapt and could be constant on the variants.

As example, there is a banner box on the top. I have to adjust the width to match the variant (and it does not seem to 'click to margin' I have to manually get it close). One I get the banner box in place, when I go to resize the Title Heading line, it changes the font size on all variants, not just the small/phone variant.

Ok so I have to stop sharing that text on Variants. But wait, that now means I have to manually adjust the heading text on all site pages. I thought once I adjust it on the one small/phone variant, it would at least update to all headings on phone variants?





I have about 20 main pages today, with two variants will be 60. That means have to manually adjust content 40 times manually ?

Am I missing something or is this really the way it works ?

Frolin

[henryluiz]

reading through all the doco and watching heaps of utube I think this is the only way. I have a site that is 155 pages and that took me 10 hrs. There must be a better way

[letsgofishing]

I'm afraid you have to resize all the elements manually - it is a PITA
If you have a block of paragraph text you can just grab one of the middle side handles and decrease the paragraph width - the text will reflow automatically.
Resizing pics in one variant does not affect the other.

[Boy]

One I get the banner box in place, when I go to resize the Title Heading line, it changes the font size on all variants, not just the small/phone variant.

Take a look at the "Text Styles" chapter under "Text Handling" in the Help file. Among others, it explains how you can use different text styles for different variants so that you can update the text across variants while being able to update the style in one variant without affecting the text style in another. It will take some time to figure out how it works but it pays off tremendously when you want to update texts and/or styles at later times.

[Egg Bramhill]

... when I go to resize the Title Heading line, it changes the font size on all variants, not just the small/phone variant.

As has been pointed out, you shouldn't resize the text using the Selector tool. Resize it with the Text tool.

[gwpriester]

As has been pointed out, you shouldn't resize the text using the Selector tool. Resize it with the Text tool.

Gary just learned something new!

There is an option that works kind of OK with small sites that do not have a lot of content or pages that are very deep. Supersite > Scale to Fit Screen.

If your site has any depth, such as the TG home page, then your visitor is going to have to do a lot of pinching and dragging to see anything and if you want to talk about PITA this is it.

So, when you think about it, designing for a specific screen size makes a ton more sense and results in a mobile site that works much better for the visitor.

[Frolin]

Egg, still learning the button and tool names. Please confirm which you mean here...
"As has been pointed out, you shouldn't resize the text using the Selector tool. Resize it with the Text tool."

So if I edit the text with the 'Selector Tool' (once know for sure which that is), say to reduce font side, it will only be on the variant page, not all pages?

Frolin

[behzad]

If I know that I would have that many pages, I would go for another platform other than xara. Xara is good for small size websites. Your better bet would have been wordpress.