ProStores Review: Editor (3 stars)
Editing for All Skill Levels but Limited Customization for Low-Level Users
You can get a high level of customization if you have some background with HTML or Dreamweaver, but if you know very little and want easy ways to customize, you're out of luck.
To edit, you have to use one of 3 design editors depending on how comfortable you are with design and coding. They are all very different and each requires its own explanation, so hang in there folks!
Design Wizard (for Beginners)
The Design Wizard doesn’t actually come with a text editor. You simply enter your text into a form with a few style choices and the wizard will format it for you. Styles are limited and you don’t get to see how your text looks on your webpage until you save and preview your website in a pop-up window.
Who Knows How This Will Look When Published?
Design Studio (for Intermediate Users)
The Design Studio has two editors: basic and advanced. Both editors are easy to use. They let you edit directly on the page so it’s easy to see how your web store will look. You need to install software to use them.
Basic Editor Lets You Edit Directly on Your Website
Both editors have standard editing options including text formatting (i.e. bold, italics, underline, bullets, alignment, etc.).
Design Studio gives you the option of saving and publishing later. This is convenient if you don’t have time to finish your work and want to save publishing for later. The only problem is that when you save, it doesn’t prompt you to publish. So new users who don’t understand the difference may think they’re publishing when they’re not.
The advanced editor lets you work directly on the source code if you’re familiar with HTML and the ProStores coding language (SSML). Customization is limited to only the placement of items on the page unless you are fluent in code.
Advanced Editor Lets You Work in Code
Macromedia Dreamweaver Extensions (for Advanced Users)
To give your store a complete custom look and feel, you’ll have to use Macromedia Dreamweaver Extensions. This is not an editor but a free downloadable file that lets you design your store pages to include ProStores code using Macromedia Dreamweaver. This is great for coding experts but leaves basic users who want more customization out in the cold.
Drag and Drop: A Good Feature but Not When it’s Buggy
ProStores’ Copy Center feature in the advanced editor lets you see another website inside your editing window and drag and drop text between the two. This is great if you have another website you want to copy text from. The problem is the tool itself is buggy. If you try to correct a website URL using the backspace button, you’ll be taken out of the editor causing you to lose any unsaved work.
Copy Center's Text Drag and Drop Feature
Bulk Image Upload System Saves Time
The image upload system allows you to upload images in batches. This is great for web stores with a large inventory of products. A great time saver.
When inserting images into your website, you can also resize the image directly in Design Studio.
Helpful LInks
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