I am considering signing up for a forum for my website. I tried using a phpBB months ago, got close to the customization I wanted, and then abandoned it when I couldn't get it to look right. I use MS FrontPage, which I know everyone groans about, but it does what I need given that I am less than a novice at HTML. I am wondering how difficult it is to integrate my site's header, footer, and sidebars into the Eve forum given that my site has been constructed using FrontPage.

Thanks for your advice.

^j^

It shouldn't be too difficult for you. You'll need to copy and paste some HTML code (from FrontPage) into some text boxes in the Eve control panel.

You can probably find several topics about this. This is one of them.

Also, feel free to ask if you don't find what you're looking for or you still have trouble.

Thanks so much for the reply. I guess I'm just concerned because attempts to get a phpBB to look right were such a disaster, but I would really like to add a forum to my site and don't want to have to host it myself. So this looks like a really good plan. You'll probably be hearing from me again

^j^

Good to hear JRRW !

A good plan always is to get the colors, images fonts etc as closer as what you want with the built-in control panel. Then it's a matter of adding the HTML around the basic message boards.

Go step by step and keep it simple. The general knock against FP is that it takes the simplest task and complicates it well beyond anyone's ability to sort. I always savor the irony that FP, a product designed for people knowing little HTML creates code that not even experts in HTML can fathom.

Be sure to use these forums as a place to talk through what you want to accomplish. You may be surprised how easy it is.

As a previous phpBB user, I can say that customizing eve is MUCH easier to get the look you want. All of the colors and design elements are built into the control panel and/or CSS down to every tiny element, and then adding header graphics, tables, or anything else is as easy as copying/pasting the code you create in your HTML editor into the Eve control panel.

And of course, any problems you have, if you post them here, someone is always willing to lend a hand to help you get it figured out.

With eve, you don't have to worry about manually editing php files, template files, or any of that. It can all be done easily via the control panel.

Thank you for your replies. I had some delays, but I'm now planning on a major revamp of my website, with adding the Eve message board. I'm still a little nervous after my phpBB experience, but you all have been so helpful and responsive, I'm convinced this is the way to go. I agree about FrontPage. I have to do more HTML editing with it than I could have imagined, and I don't even know HTML (except for the extreme basics). Thanks again for all of your encouragement. I expect I'll be back. . . and soon. Have to work on the other aspects first, and figure out what plan fits my needs and my budget the best.

JR