What Exactly Is A Template?

In light of a recent post, I have decided to write on this topic and solicit your responses.

Just like the term, "web designer" as been misconstrued within the Nigeran context to refer to anyone who does any kind of Front End Web Development (as opposed to a graphics designer), I think the term, "template" is also being misconstrued.  Moreoever, it appears to be given a bad rap.

So, what is a template?  Well, even applying it to other spheres of life, a template is something that you build once and use multiple times.  Back in the stone ages of **web development**, it wasn't uncommon for a 5-page site for instance to have each of those 5 pages totally different from the other.  I should know - I developed such sites myself    In any event, when the discipline of usability engineering became more and more mature, it became a consensus that for consistency/"not to confuse the user" reasons, all pages should look alike with respect to layout.  Thus the template was born.  The exception of course would be where, say, I personalize my page(s) to look different from the default.  Then again, that is user-initiated.

If we go by this definition, you can see that I am right so far in my assertions: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:Web+template&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

Bottomline, there is nothing to be ashamed of with respect to building/using a template.  Your aim is to reduce development time, not to repeat yourself and to crank out quality code in an efficient manner.  Now, if you rip off someone else's idea and lack the smarts enough to at least customize a few features is another issue entirely.

So again I ask, what is a template within the Nigerian context?  Could it be that, just like "web designer" we actually mean something else?  If that is the case, shouldn't we do it right and give it the name it deserves?  Let's stop using terms for which we know not what they mean just because Okoro used the term first many many years ago.  I personally would prefer the term, "boiler plate" design which means rather than create your own, you basically copy and paste someone else's design and modify just the content to suit your needs, but thatz just me.  of course, such "boiler plates" tend to be mass produced and as such not that visually appealing.  Also, should you run into any problems, since you didn't do it yourself, chances are you wouldn't know how to fix it and finally, at least from experience, i have never "met" a "boiler plate" that I haven't ended up changing around just to suit my needs.

Definition of boiler plate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boilerplate_%28text%29

Thoughts? Comments?  Come on folks, letz LEARN something.

I hope I'm not digressing here.

I think the use of boiler plate design should also be put to a stop.

@uspry1

What you said about templatemonster.com is exactly what I do. I get one, look up the layout, make a sample mock up of my own design then off I go with the designing thing.

@yawa

I will still take a better look into the main topic then make up something out of what I figure out.

@hanen, again with the wrong use of the word, "template".  You are using the wrong word to describe the right thing.   You don't mean "template", you mean "boiler plate template.

Look up my definitions, as supported by links, above.

@smartsoft

Sure thing.  Post away 

yawatide at yahoo dot com

@ztyle

if u r talking to me, sure.  send me an email first though.  I like to know more about the people I am chatting with before I actually YIM them.

yeap using templates is considered an amatuer thingy. but that's just sick, i don't think i will ever have to write a style sheet from scratch again when i have written so many and could just bring up any of them and mod to fit the present site.
In school we were brought up with the background that its all about getting the job done in the less time possible and best quality. and u can always upload now, update later, everything doesnt have to be right at first.

so in this era of Object Oriented programming, one of the keywords is Re-usability.



hehehe, yea bro i feel u on that one. i spent time on a site re-modding a template then i showed a chic and she studied the source codes and she was like "tsheeew, template act", told her to get lost. u don't have to bother yourself bro, just do it right and well, who cares if it was a template act when u get ur paycheck? 

@dual_core
so when you say:
Are you implying that when you use code you have written before (which, letz face it, is a template), that that too is an "amateur thingy"?

Please explain.

SawyerrKen, what you said is actually correct. Even if you make use of your own, some see if that you are not capable. Frankly speaking anyway, templates help make jobs get easier. If you are kind of clueless, you could borrow ideas and integrate and get your job done well.

noted