Craft CMS is a powerful and flexible content management system that allows you to create custom websites with ease. Utilising Craft CMS templates can significantly streamline the development process. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through the process of building a website using Craft CMS templates.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have the following:
- Craft CMS Installed: Download and install Craft CMS on your server or local environment.
- Craft CMS Templates: Choose or create Craft CMS templates for your website. Craft CMS uses the Twig templating engine.
- Text Editor or IDE: Use a text editor or integrated development environment (IDE) for code editing. Popular choices include Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, or PhpStorm.
Step 1: Install Craft CMS
Follow the official Craft CMS installation guide to set up Craft CMS on your server or local environment. During the installation, create an admin account and configure your database settings.
Step 2: Create a New Craft CMS Project
Open a terminal and navigate to your web server’s root directory. Run the following command to create a new Craft CMS project: composer create-project craftcms/craft my-new-project
Replace “my-new-project” with the desired project name. Follow the prompts to set up your project.
Step 3: Configure Craft CMS
Access your Craft CMS project and complete the web-based setup. Set up database connections, general site settings, and create an initial user account.
Step 4: Install Craft CMS Templates
Create a new folder named templates
in your Craft CMS project’s root directory. Copy or create your Craft CMS templates (Twig files) and place them in the templates
folder. Craft CMS templates typically include files like index.twig
for the homepage, single.twig
for individual entries, and layout.twig
for the overall page structure.
Step 5: Create Sections and Entries
In the Craft CMS control panel, navigate to “Settings” > “Sections.” Create sections for different content types on your website, such as “News,” “Projects,” or “Blog.” Define entry types within each section, specifying the fields needed for each type of content. Create entries for each section, populating them with content.
Step 6: Build Navigation and Layout
Open your main layout file, usually named layout.twig
. Implement navigation menus using Craft CMS’s nav
function, referencing your created sections and entries.
{% nav link in craft.entries.section('mainNavigation').all() %} <a href="{{ link.url }}">{{ link.title }}</a> {% endnav %}
Include necessary HTML structure and CSS styles within your layout file.
Step 7: Test and Debug
Run your Craft CMS project locally or deploy it to your server. Test your website’s functionality, navigation, and responsiveness. Use browser developer tools and Craft CMS’s error reporting to debug any issues.
Step 8: Customise and Extend
Explore Craft CMS plugins for additional features and functionalities. Customise your templates, create new sections, and add more entries as your website grows.
Step 9: Deploy Your Craft CMS Website
Choose a hosting provider compatible with Craft CMS requirements. Transfer your Craft CMS files and database to the hosting server. Configure server settings and update your Craft CMS configuration. Point your domain to the server’s IP address.
Read: How To Host PHP Websites On Google Cloud Platform
To Sum Up
Congratulations! You’ve successfully built and deployed a website using Craft CMS templates. Craft CMS’s flexibility and ease of use make it an excellent choice for creating dynamic and customisable websites.