It is fairly straightforward to change the template you use for any page on MODX. The trick is to ensure that you use the correct template for your website and that, if you are changing from one page to another, you check a few things before you do.
Amending a Template
When you open up any page in MODX you can change the template by selecting a new template from the ‘Uses Template’ dropdown on the top right hand corner of the page.
You can scroll through the templates which are ordered alphabetically and switch through the five pages of templates using the arrow keys at the bottom of the drop down.
Simply select the new template and then press Save.
Available Templates
The new Local templates which use the new V2 design are listed first.
National pages are next. These are only used by the National Green Party website.
Regional templates follow after this.
The rest of the templates starting with Unused can be safely ignored.
Template Names
Most of the templates should be fairly self-explanatory;
Home Page should be used for front pages only.
Standard Pages are the normal two-colour templates with a main section and right-hand-column.
Single column pages are useful for posting videos or large pieces of content and don’t have the right-hand-column.
News Page is for news stories.
News Landing Page should be used for the main news menu page of your website.
Other pages such as Events, Blogs, Archive pages and so on are not commonly used and may be retired.
Moving between Templates
Not all of the Template Variables are available on each template, so sometimes if you move between a three-column and a two-column template you won’t be able to see the content that was appearing in the middle column.
To rectify this try to remove content from the middle column before you switch over, or just switch the template back temporarily and you can retrieve the missing content. This is something you will need to watch out for if you plan to move from V1 to V2 templates.
All MODX guides were written by volunteers, and haven't been updated in several years. If you spot any errors use the thumbs down icon below to leave feedback.