Hi - I have been throughly reviewing your Builder Tool to build custom themes (thus CMS websites) for my database of clients - however I have not found the answer I am seeking. I'm trying to figure out how I would be able to use Builder that would be installed on my own wordpress account to build multiple websites for each of my clients.
Ideally each custom client site would need to have it's own custom theme (ie: custom CMS andlayouts etc) inside their own in individual wordpress account that is linked to their own domain.
Example: I am building a dentist website who wants sole ownership of his entire site after I launch it. He wants the username and password to the main admin access etc. in his Wordpress account.
Once I successfully install Builder into my own Wordpress account and build custom layouts etc. how do I get the layout over to my client's wordpress account?
OR
Would I have to install Builder into each and every one of my client's wordpress accounts? .......giving them full rein to use the Builder tool later ...which means they could essentially continue future customzation and thus would eliminate future potential revenue for me. :(
Please - anyone- clear up my confusion. I am getting ready to purchase this tool and would like to be clear how this is going to work. I don't want to make a onetimesale to my client and then handover all future customization to them - if not necessary.
Part of my sale strategy by using WP is allowing them some flexibility of editing content areas (hence - a CMS website) - however my overall strategy is for them to come to me in the future when they wantthe overall designof the siteto be modified or expanded. If they see the iTheme Builder panelinside their own WP account - and figure out how to use it thenI will becut out ofequation. Does this make sense to other web designers?
Thank you
Dragonflygirl
Using Builder on my WP account to build multiple client websites
Started by
Guest_Dragonflygirl_*
, Jan 04 2011 01:34 PM
10 replies to this topic
#2 Guest_wpdummy_*
Guest_wpdummy_*
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Posted 05 January 2011 - 01:29 PM
I agree with your DragonFlygirl. I am also looking for the EXACT same information.
If somebody from the itheme team can shed more light on this, it would be helpful.
Thanks
If somebody from the itheme team can shed more light on this, it would be helpful.
Thanks
#3
Sridhar Katakam
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Posted 06 January 2011 - 05:13 AM
The general answer would be to set up the master Builder site either on your localhost or online, take a full backup using BackupBuddy and then deploy it on your client's domains and customize individually.
But then as you guessed, each client site would get a copy of Builder.
Perhaps WordPress MU is the answer you are looking for.
See http://ithemesbuilder.com/how-builder-fared-in-the-premium-framework-smackdown-by-technosailor/comment-page-1/#comment-131 and reply by Chris below that.
However, note that our themes are designed and tested for stand-alone deployment. See this.
But then as you guessed, each client site would get a copy of Builder.
Perhaps WordPress MU is the answer you are looking for.
See http://ithemesbuilder.com/how-builder-fared-in-the-premium-framework-smackdown-by-technosailor/comment-page-1/#comment-131 and reply by Chris below that.
However, note that our themes are designed and tested for stand-alone deployment. See this.
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#4 Guest_Dragonflygirl_*
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Posted 06 January 2011 - 03:20 PM
Hi Sridhar,
thank you for the comments. Unfortunately this does not help my dilema. Are you technical support for iThemes directly? If not I would hope that the programmers at iTheme would reply directly with a more plausible solution.
I have been a web designer for years - but never ventured into CMS sites for my clients until now.
It is imperative that I am able to maintain some level of control on future potential revenue on new web design projects.
Having to install Builder on my client's WP account (which means they get it for free) (or install a copy with the designed theme I create from my own WP account) and then giving them access to full administrationpost launch is equivalent to designing and printing a full color brochure one time and then handing over to them the original press ready artfile along with the name and phone # of the whole sale print press I buy from, to order future re-runs of the same brochure themselves! Thus cutting myself out of future revenue from that client on that sales item.
Giving iTheme customers' clients this freeedom I would image THIS is a VERY IMPORTANT matter that the iTheme Design Team should consider.
Perhaps they can come up with a "Builder Web Designer Pro" version whereby the custom theme can be built on the designer's WP account and then just the theme itself can be installedas a stand alone theme on the client's WP account. This would encourage the client to re-approach the web designer if they want custom changes done to their website (ie: add more pages or content areas, custom artwork, custom widgets etc.)
Builder framework for CMS is a perfect candidate to add to my arsenal, however I am seeking more power and control from this software.
If you are connected to the iThemes Team - please relay this IMPORTANT message to them.
THANK YOU
Dragonflygirl
thank you for the comments. Unfortunately this does not help my dilema. Are you technical support for iThemes directly? If not I would hope that the programmers at iTheme would reply directly with a more plausible solution.
I have been a web designer for years - but never ventured into CMS sites for my clients until now.
It is imperative that I am able to maintain some level of control on future potential revenue on new web design projects.
Having to install Builder on my client's WP account (which means they get it for free) (or install a copy with the designed theme I create from my own WP account) and then giving them access to full administrationpost launch is equivalent to designing and printing a full color brochure one time and then handing over to them the original press ready artfile along with the name and phone # of the whole sale print press I buy from, to order future re-runs of the same brochure themselves! Thus cutting myself out of future revenue from that client on that sales item.
Giving iTheme customers' clients this freeedom I would image THIS is a VERY IMPORTANT matter that the iTheme Design Team should consider.
Perhaps they can come up with a "Builder Web Designer Pro" version whereby the custom theme can be built on the designer's WP account and then just the theme itself can be installedas a stand alone theme on the client's WP account. This would encourage the client to re-approach the web designer if they want custom changes done to their website (ie: add more pages or content areas, custom artwork, custom widgets etc.)
Builder framework for CMS is a perfect candidate to add to my arsenal, however I am seeking more power and control from this software.
If you are connected to the iThemes Team - please relay this IMPORTANT message to them.
THANK YOU
Dragonflygirl
#5
Sridhar Katakam
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Posted 06 January 2011 - 06:37 PM
Requested Chris Jean, the developer of Builder to help.
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#6
Chris Jean
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Posted 06 January 2011 - 06:44 PM
Hi Dragonflygirl. I sent you a reply via email since you contacted the sales email with the same question. Did you not receive this? If not, the following was my response:
It sounds like you have two main questions:
Justin Tadlock allows for creating custom roles that could create a role like Administrator but without the edit_themes capability.
There currently is no way to transfer layouts from one system to another short of creating a full backup of the site and restoring it elsewhere. The core feature for the update I mentioned above is an Import/Export system that will allow for transferring layouts to other sites running Builder. This will make it easier for people who build theme designs for clients to transfer the built design from the development site to the production (client) site. Note that this layout transfer transfers settings between installations of Builder, it does not export a standalone theme that removes all of the Builder features. If this is the type of functionality you are looking for, Builder does not currently do this, and there are not any plans to support such a feature in the future.
It sounds like you have two main questions:
- Does Builder allow control over who gets access to the core Builder features (such as the layout editor and settings)?
- Does Builder have a way to transfer layouts from a development site to a production (client) site?
Justin Tadlock allows for creating custom roles that could create a role like Administrator but without the edit_themes capability.
There currently is no way to transfer layouts from one system to another short of creating a full backup of the site and restoring it elsewhere. The core feature for the update I mentioned above is an Import/Export system that will allow for transferring layouts to other sites running Builder. This will make it easier for people who build theme designs for clients to transfer the built design from the development site to the production (client) site. Note that this layout transfer transfers settings between installations of Builder, it does not export a standalone theme that removes all of the Builder features. If this is the type of functionality you are looking for, Builder does not currently do this, and there are not any plans to support such a feature in the future.
Edited by Chris Jean, 09 January 2011 - 07:09 PM.
#7 Guest_Liz_*
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Posted 09 January 2011 - 09:21 PM
I understand the concern you would have about letting clients have access to builder. I am in the same shoes as you, but what I have learned the hard way. The facts are that most people who are paying to have their wordpress done, it is because they do not want to learn how to do it. Second they do not know how to do most of the basics. Even if you gave them full access they still would not do anything with it, even if you showed them how, why and what to do. They would still come back to you again and again. Show them why you are a resource and you will get more revenue, not less and not have to fear anyone skipping you and doing it themself.
#8
Will Stevens
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Posted 08 February 2011 - 01:06 PM
I have a similar problem. I am rebuilding the theme for one of our sites that has 500 users and over 200 posts. The site is currently live, so I can not develop in the production environment. I have built a builder child theme on my local dev environment, but now I need to roll it out into production. Am I reading correctly that this is not possible?
Did I just spend all this money and time building this theme only to have to start over with another theme framework?
I have tried doing an export of the live site and importing it into a new clean install with my theme, but the wordpress export and import functionality is buggy at best. None of my subscribers get imported and I loose all sorts of data, so that does not seem to be a good option.
Do you have a dev version of the Builder theme with the Import/Export functionality <a href="http://ithemes.com/new-builder-settings-sneak-peak/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mentioned previously</a> that I can try?
Is there any way I could use BackupBuddy to do this? It seems that BackupBuddy backs up all of the wordpress install and not just the iThemes pieces. So would it overwrite all of my posts and such on my live site?
Please help! I hope I did not just waste all this time and money for nothing cause I have a deadline to hit.
Thanks
Did I just spend all this money and time building this theme only to have to start over with another theme framework?
I have tried doing an export of the live site and importing it into a new clean install with my theme, but the wordpress export and import functionality is buggy at best. None of my subscribers get imported and I loose all sorts of data, so that does not seem to be a good option.
Do you have a dev version of the Builder theme with the Import/Export functionality <a href="http://ithemes.com/new-builder-settings-sneak-peak/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mentioned previously</a> that I can try?
Is there any way I could use BackupBuddy to do this? It seems that BackupBuddy backs up all of the wordpress install and not just the iThemes pieces. So would it overwrite all of my posts and such on my live site?
Please help! I hope I did not just waste all this time and money for nothing cause I have a deadline to hit.
Thanks
Edited by Will Stevens, 08 February 2011 - 07:34 AM.
#9
Sridhar Katakam
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Posted 08 February 2011 - 01:29 PM
@Will
Since you are on a tight deadline and can't wait till a beta of Builder with export/import feature gets released, you might want to re-do everything manually. i.e., installing Builder, the child theme, creating the layouts, populating the widget areas etc., customizations to the child theme. Shouldn't take a lot of time as you will be just doing copy pasting for most part.
There are plugins like http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-test-drive/ which lets you test a theme so only you, the admin can see how it is running on the site while your site visitors will continue to see the current active theme.
Since you are on a tight deadline and can't wait till a beta of Builder with export/import feature gets released, you might want to re-do everything manually. i.e., installing Builder, the child theme, creating the layouts, populating the widget areas etc., customizations to the child theme. Shouldn't take a lot of time as you will be just doing copy pasting for most part.
There are plugins like http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-test-drive/ which lets you test a theme so only you, the admin can see how it is running on the site while your site visitors will continue to see the current active theme.
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#10 Guest_Jim_*
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Posted 04 April 2012 - 11:20 AM
Dragonflygirl, on 06 January 2011 - 03:20 PM, said:
Hi Sridhar,
thank you for the comments. Unfortunately this does not help my dilema. Are you technical support for iThemes directly? If not I would hope that the programmers at iTheme would reply directly with a more plausible solution.
I have been a web designer for years - but never ventured into CMS sites for my clients until now.
It is imperative that I am able to maintain some level of control on future potential revenue on new web design projects.
Having to install Builder on my client's WP account (which means they get it for free) (or install a copy with the designed theme I create from my own WP account) and then giving them access to full administrationpost launch is equivalent to designing and printing a full color brochure one time and then handing over to them the original press ready artfile along with the name and phone # of the whole sale print press I buy from, to order future re-runs of the same brochure themselves! Thus cutting myself out of future revenue from that client on that sales item.
Giving iTheme customers' clients this freeedom I would image THIS is a VERY IMPORTANT matter that the iTheme Design Team should consider.
Perhaps they can come up with a "Builder Web Designer Pro" version whereby the custom theme can be built on the designer's WP account and then just the theme itself can be installedas a stand alone theme on the client's WP account. This would encourage the client to re-approach the web designer if they want custom changes done to their website (ie: add more pages or content areas, custom artwork, custom widgets etc.)
Builder framework for CMS is a perfect candidate to add to my arsenal, however I am seeking more power and control from this software.
If you are connected to the iThemes Team - please relay this IMPORTANT message to them.
THANK YOU
Dragonflygirl
thank you for the comments. Unfortunately this does not help my dilema. Are you technical support for iThemes directly? If not I would hope that the programmers at iTheme would reply directly with a more plausible solution.
I have been a web designer for years - but never ventured into CMS sites for my clients until now.
It is imperative that I am able to maintain some level of control on future potential revenue on new web design projects.
Having to install Builder on my client's WP account (which means they get it for free) (or install a copy with the designed theme I create from my own WP account) and then giving them access to full administrationpost launch is equivalent to designing and printing a full color brochure one time and then handing over to them the original press ready artfile along with the name and phone # of the whole sale print press I buy from, to order future re-runs of the same brochure themselves! Thus cutting myself out of future revenue from that client on that sales item.
Giving iTheme customers' clients this freeedom I would image THIS is a VERY IMPORTANT matter that the iTheme Design Team should consider.
Perhaps they can come up with a "Builder Web Designer Pro" version whereby the custom theme can be built on the designer's WP account and then just the theme itself can be installedas a stand alone theme on the client's WP account. This would encourage the client to re-approach the web designer if they want custom changes done to their website (ie: add more pages or content areas, custom artwork, custom widgets etc.)
Builder framework for CMS is a perfect candidate to add to my arsenal, however I am seeking more power and control from this software.
If you are connected to the iThemes Team - please relay this IMPORTANT message to them.
THANK YOU
Dragonflygirl
#11
Barbara House
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Posted 21 April 2012 - 08:18 PM
I use builder to design sites for my clients, and then I use Adminimize plugin to get the exact control you are asking about.
I make the client login as an "Editor", and then I use Adminimize to hide everything I don't want them to see. So they can't see any of the Builder Layouts, Theme installs, plugins, etc.
Make Adminimize the last plugin you activate, and it will find just about everything you have installed and give you control over displaying it or not. You can even add your own elements by adding the classes and tags, and then hide those (for anything it doesn't find automatically).
Adminimize with Builder is what you need to control the access for your clients, works a treat. Then you login with your Administrator access and see everything for support purposes. Give it a try.
I make the client login as an "Editor", and then I use Adminimize to hide everything I don't want them to see. So they can't see any of the Builder Layouts, Theme installs, plugins, etc.
Make Adminimize the last plugin you activate, and it will find just about everything you have installed and give you control over displaying it or not. You can even add your own elements by adding the classes and tags, and then hide those (for anything it doesn't find automatically).
Adminimize with Builder is what you need to control the access for your clients, works a treat. Then you login with your Administrator access and see everything for support purposes. Give it a try.
