Every CV3 storefront gets it’s own set of customizable templates, so merchants have 100% control of their site’s design, branding, layout and feature set. With full access to all the HTML, CSS and javascript code that construct the storefront, merchants can craft a wide variety of shopping experiences tailored to their needs.
Open Source Template Engine
CV3 templates are powered by an open source template engine called Smarty. You can read more about Smarty at http://www.smarty.net, or get a quick intro to using Smarty templates to build your CV3 site in this article.
Smarty features:
- Fast Load Times – pages load faster due to the dynamic chaching scheme employed by the engine;
- Security – provides e-commerce designers looping, variables and other necessary features while preventing malicious or accidental data destruction;
- Ease of Use – focus on HTML and CSS without the overhead of dynamic coding;
- Debugging – speed development with built-in debugging tools;
- Full Documentation – enjoy online resources and a user community that extend far beyond CommerceV3 or any particular proprietary product.
Integrated Staging Area
Preview all changes on a duplicate copy of your site. Make small changes or execute full redesigns in a fully functional area that doesn’t impact current site usage.
File & Image Libraries
Inventory-based binaries are handled in the CV3 product model, but each store also features file and image libraries to store design-related resources, including:
- branding images and other design-related images;
- PDF downloads, white papers and other customer downloads;
- javascript and CSS frameworks like jquery and prototype.
Template Tags
Define and organize simple name/value pairs for your site’s pages that can be maintained by non-technical users on a day to day basis. These tags are great for:
- welcome or status messages for customers;
- rotating e-mail addresses for confirmations and other site communications;
- monthly or seasonal site changes, from simple backgrounds to entire redesigns.
Visit our Customer Showcase for some examples of what you can do with CV3 Templates.
