Webvanta starter site updated

When you create a new Webvanta site, we start you out with a basic design that you can either modify or replace. For those of you who like to start from our code, we think you'll appreciate the upgrades we've just made.

Most obvious is a new visual design. If, like many of the designers using Webvanta, you replace all our code with your own, this won't make any difference to you. But if you want to start from what we provide and modify it to meet your needs, the new design will give you a better-looking site with less work.

Less obvious, but equally important, are lots of upgrades to the code we install as part of the site:

• We've split the CSS into several files, so the core CSS file is easier to understand, and CSS that is not needed by many sites can be easily excluded.
• All of the JavaScript libraries have been updated to the latest versions, including jQuery 1.4.2, as well as the latest Flowplayer, Galleriffic, and FullCalendar code (and a few other plug-ins as well).
• The menu now uses Superfish, which provides nice effects when menus drop down and go away and provides lots more customizability.

If you want to upgrade your site, the easiest path is to sign up for a new trial site. If you haven't done much with your existing site, just copy and paste any code and content you've added to the new site. Or, go the other direction, copying and pasting code from your new trial site to your old one. And if you'd like us to help with this process, just ask. (We have plans for a more automated update process, but that's a little ways off, as it's tricky inserting the updates without messing with any changes or additions you've made.)

We're also working toward full theme support, so you'll be able to choose from a variety of themes when creating a site.

As always, we welcome your feedback.