Design questions - home page with no albums, Top-Level sets use, and menu layout

Backlight 4 & 5 Support
#1

I would like to create a home/index page like The Turning Gate home page which contains navigation, a hero image and some text. The navigation will lead to the various galleries. So how do I do this? Design Page contains -> Page Copy (OK I can put the copy there) -> Insert Album -> Insert Album Set -> Insert Contact Form - but I’m not inserting any of these, I just want to insert an image.

And I’m confused about the use of Top-Level sets. If I create a structure like the Turning Gate where I have copy on the home page, and three menu items to different galleries, are each of those galleries a Top-Level set? Or is just the home page a Top-Level Set?

Also, how do I design the menu to look like a standard centered button bar, like The Turning Gate? The default seems to be flush left, blue on white background, with the buttons indented under each other. And in Menu Sets, under Design, there is no design, only the content builder for the menu items.

#2

Those controls are in the page template under Navigation.
you can center, change colors, etc.

#3

Your Galleries page is a top level set (album set). Your albums and other album sets will be published there.

#4

So, if I have 3 gallery pages, there are 3 Top-Level sets? So, what about the home/index page?

#5

Two ways:
use html in the page copy.

Use the Theater add-on to create a Still Image album with one image.
insert this album into the home page

#6

No. the three galleries (albums) will be published in the Galleries page album set.

#7

OK got it. So I only have one Top-Level set and that is the home page. Thanks.

#8

No. The top-level set is your Galleries page. The home page is just the site’s index page.

You can create other top-level sets if you wish. For example, if you wanted to separate client albums from your other work.

#9

That’s what I was imagining, with each of the buttons on the menu being a gallery, not “about” and “contact” and pages like that - in that case each button would lead to a Top-level set because I don’t want an overall Galleries page for the entire site.

So, the structure of the turning gate site appears to me to be:

home page

  • Top-level set (galleries link)
    • Album set (5 album thumbnails)
      • Album set (3 album thumbnails for the first thumbnail “Backlight Albums”)
        • Album (“Classic Grid”)
        • Album (“Masonry Grid”)
        • Album (“Justified Grid”)
#10

You need to have at least one top-level album set to publish albums to. For most people, this is the best choice because it’s easier to manage.
But if you need to separate your collection you can certainly create more top-level sets.

You can place links to individual albums (or album sets or top-level sets) in your menu set.
You do not need to include a link to the Galleries page in your menu set.

#11

The top-level set (Galleries page) is on the same level as the home page, not inside or beneath the home page.

#13

did you have a question?

#14

He’s spam. I’ve deleted the user, blocked the IP, and I’m going to close this thread.

#15