Site Builder (aka Cool Tools) System Update 4.16 offers many exciting new features and changes, summarized below.

Please let us know if you need our consulting help implementing any of these Cool Tools on your website. (Remember, these features are available only on the sites implemented with our Cool Tools system — officially named Site Builder. Not sure whether you're using a Cool Tools system? Simply contact us and we'll tell you.)

ROTATING BANNERS and OVERLAY TEXT
The banner/header system now supports rotating banners and custom overlay text/HTML. The rotating banner feature enables you to set up a sequence of banner images. The header area will cycle through the banner images, fading in and out between each image. Other options include banners that randomly display each time a page is viewed.

In addition to multiple banners, a text/HTML overlay can be set up that goes on top of each banner in the sequence. You can set the text, size and the position of the overlay. One use of the overlay text would be to create clickable text/image links that are in the banner area.

Instructions: Admin > Site Design Tools > Header & Images > Rotating Banners/Overlay tab

 

CUSTOMIZE FONTS AND STYLES

• Text/css menus
  Customize the colors and style for text based menus. Customizations include font color, style and background color for the regular menu, selected menu and hover over menu (to use this feature, you may need to reselect your layout or reselect your menu button style).
  Instructions:  Admin > Site Design Tools > Menu Design > (main menu or submenu tab) > Select TEXT menu button
• Forms
  Customize the style for your website forms. Adjust the font size, colors, borders and spacing of your form fields/labels.
  Instructions:  Admin > Site Design Tools > Text/Font Settings
• Product catalog display
  The product customizations allow you to set the borders/backgrounds/colors/fonts/styles for over 20 different areas in the product catalog display. The customizable areas include the product title, product links, labels, price fields, description text, title areas and more.
  Instructions:  Admin > Site Design Tools > Text/Font Settings

 

TABBED ACCORDION VIEW

The new accordion mode displays a vertical list of tab names with the tab content below the tab name. The update also includes an option to set the font size for the tab and accordion text.

Instructions:  Admin > Page List > (select a page to edit) > Insert Component > Design Accents > Tabbed Content > Change Layout > Accordion Content Box

 

ECOMMERCE - PRODUCT IMAGES

The product thumbnail image feature has been enhanced. The images are now be easier to set up. With the site builder preview/flash upload enabled, you can upload multiple thumbnail images at the same time for a product. The new thumbnail option displays the thumbnail preview images directly below the main product image on the product detail page. When a thumbnail image is clicked, the main product image will change to display the larger image for the thumbnail. This option lets customers view more product images directly from the product detail page. 

Instructions: Admin > Setup Products > (create or edit a product and add the main large and thumbnail images) >  Add More Product Images > In the More Images drop-down box, specify how the thumbnails should look and their width; you also can specify the number of columns in the Product Images Display Settings area. Then, choose upload image(s)/create thumbnails > specify the image settings > select & upload file and upload the files you want.

 

ECOMMERCE REPORTS

• Profit/cost report 
• Sales by state 
• Sales by country
• Updated graph/chart style

Instructions: Admin > Ecommerce Reports > select options under Sales Reports

 

COUNTDOWN TIMER

You may add a countdown timer to your website. The dynamically updating timer displays the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds to the date that you specify. You can set a destination page that users are taken to when the counter expires.

Instructions: Edit any page > click the Add button > Insert Component > Standard/HTML >  Countdown timer > Add Countdown Timer. Then, configure the timer.

 

ECOMMERCE MAP BUTTON

A map button has been added to the user account details page and the order detail page. When you click the MapIt button, a new window that displays a map of the user's contact address.

Instructions: Admin > Customer Database > select Account Details for a customer > MapIt. Or, Admin > View / Process Orders > select View/Process link for a customer > click MapIt > select either the main customer or the shipping address tab to see the detailed map.

 

MISCELLANEOUS UPDATES

• Set the font size for tabs in the tabbed content component 
• Updated image manager resize and crop features to work in FireFox 
• Added new view to image manager to see files 
• Added option to center align the main menu
• Popup calendar for date selection (blog, calendar, coupon editor)
• Text editor 2.0: background preview - allows you to see how your text will look on dark or light backgrounds

 

DESIGN SYSTEM

• New logos
• Updated banners
• Gradient maker (background images)
• Layout properties - updated page for selecting  page width

 

SITE BUILDER PREVIEW - MISCELLANEOUS UPDATES

• Miscellaneous graphic updates and adjustments 
• Added drop down menu to page properties button

 

USER MANUAL

The new downloadable site builder user manual is now available from the main help page.  The manual is a 14 Mb downloadable PDF file. The manual contains screen shots and instructions for using the site builder system.