advice on template

-- HikaShop version -- : 2.3.5
-- Joomla version -- : 3.3.6
-- Error-message(debug-mod must be tuned on) -- : No error

Hi,

PLease forgive me if my question should not be asked here.

Currently I am upgrading my Joomla 2.5.28 website to Joomla 3.3.6. At this moment it is being build in a separate directory and it will be published when it is good enough to do so.

SInce I want the site to operate effectively I decided to search a template that was designed to work with Hikashop. I searched the template category on this website. It was a hard choice since all templates looked good. I ended up purchasing the exception template. I also ended up in a pile of misery.

A lot of promised stuff was not available: some features, the documentation was not available, the helpfile was not available. Basically the template was a bunch of rectangles with abbreviations next to it without an explanation what to do with it or what to expect. I spent hours of puzzling how to work with the template and could not get anything done with it. Today I asked for a refund....and I hope they do as they promise on their website...but I have my doubts.

This experience has built up a huge doubt in selecting another template. If I can't trust the product description....
I do not want to end up fiddling hours and hours with every template. The template is just something I need to have my shop working. A template that takes that amount of time to discover is a bad template.

I hope other hikashop users are willing to share their experience about templates designed for hikashop. Maybe it helps me deciding which one to choose.
It needs to be ready for use in no time and straightforward in use.

Thanks for the advise

Sjaak

Hi,

First, the list of templates "designed for HikaShop" here on the site is not complete, and can hardly ever be, as - thanks to HikaShop's popularity having grown exponentially over the last several months, and rightfully so, me thinks - there are new templates incl preset styles for HikaShop coming out on an almost daily basis.
Then, HikaShop themselves cannot be expected to check each and every template, listed here or not, for proper code, functionality incl responsive behaviour, consistency, etc etc.
However, the list is certainly helpful at least for "beginners", though everyone needs to do their own checks, still, where on-line demos of the templates are a good start. But everyone must also know that it usually takes more work and knowledge (HTML, CSS, and sometimes PHP) to further customise and maintain a website, shop included or not, and how many or few "bugs" are in a template. Know that stuff, because you can't expect anyone to do the work free of charge for you. If you don't know it, calculate and take reasonable time for learning, or, consequently, hire and pay someone else for doing it for you. Either way, it also makes you less dependent on support forums...

To the reason of your post, I very much understand the disappointment you've been through. The ethics of many template providers are more than questionable, and often enough one ends up being a paying beta tester, or worse, left alone with a pile of crap in code format.
See, just like manufacturers of yoghurt (yes!), template providers are not in the market to do you something good. They want to make money - as much, as quickly, and as easily as possible.

So, as usual, and especially for a website that's supposed to stay on-line a bit longer, and even contains a shop as a source of income amidst a highly competitive world, investing time for evaluation and doing your homework before making a decision is crucial... hence, very well spent:

• Check out the demos, also on real mobile devices (it appears as if many template makers don't even try that but claim their product is "fully responsive"...).
• Read reviews, not only on the template itself but on the provider, too, also elsewhere on the web (google your heart out!).
• Check their support forums for what nature questions and especially complaints from users are of (filter by users who do know their way around code versus those who don't, though, because obviously opinions will be strongly biased accordingly.) If you can't access the forum - not even with a free account - hmmm, have they got something to hide (you see that ethically good people like these guys here are completely open to the public...)??? Needless to say, but also see how long responses take, and how qualified they are.
• For whatever reason, mentality, economical situation etc, some people only work when they need money. Doesn't mean the product is bad, but the support usually is then. If you're counting on support, stay away from the "every now and then" template providers.
• Don't take the "latest & greatest" = the newest template in v1.0. Truth of the matter is too often that it's v0.6.35 or something lower.
• Rather take a template that's around since at least some weeks, has been updated, and a changelog is available.
• If the template provider doesn't list references, ask them for some, or look through their forums for links to user sites. Then eventually contact those users and see how happy they really are. (But apply the same filter as mentioned above where it was about support forums.)
• If they have a free template, great, go get it and play with it.
• Template "frameworks": Some are neat and really helpful, some are more or less useless and/or rather slowing site loading speed down or cause other trouble, or any combination thereof. So, choose wisely. And don't forget, there are some truly brilliant templates out there without any "framework", and yet they are still customisable and maintainable.
• Bootstrap? Not bad, but there's also life out there without it, and it can be a very good or even better life - with grids, very well "responsive", and all that. Bootstrap, whichever version, as part of a template is not a guarantee for it to work properly. (It seems, though, that it's a welcome and working marketing tool for template providers...)
• As pointed out many times elsewhere: there are great templates from great providers which don't have a dedicated HikaShop style on board, but the time saved on hassling with the template and getting it to work can then be spent on making the shop side looking great, e.g. by setting HikaShop's CSS to "None", then typically the template CSS taking over, plus adding your own CSS in any custom CSS file and, depending on the case, editing some views - all of which most often takes less time than struggling with templates that look and work good only at the first glance. Well, that's at least the way I do it...
• So, finally: Don't get "blinded" by some initially nice looking, preconfigured HikaShop style. Other, more crucial things in a template, or its support, can be horribly wrong - costing you way more under the bottom line in both time and dollars. Who knows what customisations they've done and how, and what troubles it'll cause you as HikaShop keeps updating their code. Javascript stuff like layovers, animations etc, might conflict with other plugins you may depend on for different purposes. Pretty obvious but don't forget: a template's shop might look good with fashion items like clothes or so, but appear irritating to a site visitor when used with electronics and the likes, or vice versa. So, get and keep your priorities straight, and don't fall for what looks like a time saver from a styling perspective, but causes you pulling your hair out due to more essential issues.

The list could go on and on, but this should do.
Could I publish my own, personal list of "the good" and "the bad"? Oh sure, since I do monitor the many template sources since a long time after having burnt my fingers in the early days - just like you. I'm subscribed to a number of "template clubs" or whatever they call it (the good ones, while having dropped the infamous others, of course, and while definitely staying far away from the worst), spend dollars and keep an eye on Themeforest and few others. Even though it costs lots of both time and dollars, it's rewarding me with great results. But here I shall neither "name and shame", nor highlight a few who care - not only because it's a highly dynamic market, but because that would probably as unethical as the practices of the bad boys.
So, here's an invitation instead: If, for whatever reasons, you've narrowed down your choice to one particular template, or provider thereof, PM me, and I'll give you my (!) personal (!) highs and lows on it/them. This offer is purely on a "four eyes see more than two" basis, and you must strictly keep in mind that I'll do so on a "single case by case" basis as my time allows, and, again, it'll be always and only my very own and personal view, whatever others may think.
I trust you won't "abuse" the offer, as well as never hold my very own experience and opinion up against me.

Wow, thank you. Your post was sure helpful and doesn't reflect the name you carry in this forum

I certainly am not blaming the Hikashop team for this. I respect the team for their efforts and knowledge. That is why I was cautious enough to choose among the templates mentioned here. Even then I got trapped by the storytellers that sold the product to me.
Really most of the advises in your list where taken in consideration before purchasing the product and still it happens.
The hikashop team already asked for my review and experience, which I will answer later this day.

Let me write down some wishlist points here. Perhaps somebody with experience can name a template that fits the needs.

My shop sells downloadable files. Files that are being used in architectural designs. So a arch-tech-design like look would be great.
I want to be able to adjust the colors to my needs. Preferably not in the css-file but in the UI of the template.
Being able to choose between 2 or 3 columns.
At least 40 module positions to choose from.
Responsive...off course.
Many new type templates carry lots of whitespace, forcing users to scroll too much. I don't want that. Maybe goodlooking but very annoying. My users want to find their info and products fast so it needs to be compact. as much info on the screen as possible. With a straight and clear layout.
I hate coding. I want to run a shop and don't want to spend time on the technical issues of the shop. So fast in use and straightforward. Even willing to pay the price necessary.

Perhaps a bit vague but since I am not a webdesigner (and don't know the fancy terms) this is the best description I can give currently
To get an idea: This is how my website currently looks. And many components and modules are already removed to make upgrading as swift as possible.
Artlantismedia.com

Thanks

Sjaak

Well, I guess I was writing not only to you but on a public forum. So, perhaps it helps others as well.

For your specific case (and not all those others):
Ok, since you posted your needs and expectations, maybe I should make an exception from the rule and publicly recommend one of the good ones. Nope, I'm not related with them, I'm not "one of their guys"!

Check out shape5.com and their "GCK Store", a HikaShop-ready template. (They also have "No1 Shopping", but I bet it's not your cup of tea... )

Other than Shape5 ticking all my boxes, their Vertex framework is very mighty, reducing the need for coding to an absolute minimum - except for content, of course. Of course, you'll need to get your head around Vertex, but the "context help" via mouse-over bubbles makes it much easier. Their support rocks (similar to HikaShop, haha), and the templates' feature sets incl the resulting flexibility without leaving common standards is very impressive. Plus, as a member of their "club" you'll have access to numerous extra plugins and modules (some of them already included with and trimmed to specific templates) making the addition of certain other features on a site much simpler.

With "modern" templates this will always be a challenge: Your main menu with so many parent items is so wide that it'll be difficult to fit it into a responsive body width without breaking into two lines latest on (tablet) screens as narrow as 768px, before the offcanvas menu kicks in.
As far as complexity of your main menu with its sometimes many sub items goes, you'll be happy to find that Shape5 mobile offcanvas menus unfold parent items only on tap, and not all the time.

IMHO, the only "low" is that sites built on Vertex rarely win loading speed competitions, but the difference isn't a deal breaker, and since you're not in the typical consumer goods market, you'll be absolutely fine with it, I'm sure.

Good luck. And should you decide to buy a Shape5 membership, indeed - yes, I'm a user and affiliate as well... so, when it's the time, PM me, and let me then give you a link for me to get $1million from Shape5 for the recommendation, hahaha...