EETemplates

Wow. It seems like it has been forever since I have wanted to be able to say this. Yesterday we quietly replaced the files for download for the Tudobem and Blog-ee templates with files that contain both the 1.6.9 and 2.1 versions of the templates. The demos are also now running on 2.1 vs 1.6.9.

Photostudio will be next on the conversion list. But I think it will be the only other template we had for 1.6 that will make the transition to 2.1. We have a replacement in store for HandsRaised called Ecclesia. From this point forward though we will only be developing templates for 2.x.

For a sneak peek click on the read more link

Like one of those announcers for the monster truck rallys. We would like to announce that if all goes as planned we will be releasing Blog-ee and Tudobem for EE2 on Monday. Blog-ee will continue to be free. Tudobem will see a slight increase in price to $50. Both are great templates that get you started on the right foot with ExpressionEngine. Along with it we will have video tutorials for installation, changing of colors and more. So stay tuned!

I am typing this on my iPad from while on the airplane back to Mobile from EECI. It was such a quick trip but pack full of goodness. There were lots of things that I learned on this trip. For instance, the next release of ExpressionEngine is going to be a non-beta-too-legit-to-quit version. That’s right. The next version is 2.1. Between that and the addition of many of the add-ons that the pro network community depends on I think it is high time we started releasing some more EE templates and building our custom sites on ExpressionEngine 2.1. This is something I have been waiting on for quite some time.

One of the other items learned was the addition of MojoMotor to the EllisLab family. It looks really slick. If you want you can check out the video at their site. Some of the highlights are that it will be $49.95. Will be extensible. Will be easy to edit for clients. Will allow for custom themes. This is in no way going to replace ExpressionEngine for us though. EE has a feature that many of the other CMSs do not which is custom fields and from what we learned MM will not have that same functionality. I could see using it for small sites that need a simple brochure-like site. But it is a far cry from what we have gotten used to with EE. And for those that say this is the reason why EllisLab dropped core… I seriously doubt it. There was a ton of functionality in 1.6s core version. There is no way you can compare the two.

Just a quick note (up to my eyeballs right now) to say that EECI2010 is in 2 weeks and I could not be more excited about it. So many EE devs descending on one place? It’s gonna be HUGE! So if you are on the fence… get off it now and go buy your tickets.

I am hoping to finish all of my current custom work by EECI. I have a new Church Template that I want to release in June for EE 2.0 now that Freeform 3.0 has been released. Stay Tuned!

Well it appears I have won another contest. This has got to be the luckiest season in my life for winning contests or give-a-ways (as my Bud Adam would say… If I fell into a barrel of thumbs…) So Brandon Kelly is the Owner of Pixel and Tonic. He makes the most famous FF Matrix and WYGWAM as well as other notable add-ons for ExpressionEngine. He used to do business under his name but recently relaunched as Pixel & Tonic. He was giving away a number of prizes and it appears I have won the Grand Prize! w00t!

The Grand Prize includes:

• EECI2010 SF Full Conference Ticket ($525 value)
• ExpressionEngine 2 Commercial license ($299.95 value)
• 12-month EngineHosting S-2 package ($240 value)
• Playa license ($75 value)
• Wygwam license ($35 value)
• FF Matrix license ($35 value)

So this means I will be at EECI 2010. Make sure to drop me a note if you are coming to EECI. I would love to meet you.

If you are not familiar with EECI it is one of the largest conferences of the year specifically for ExpressionEngine and CodeIgnitor (hence EECI… get it?).

Many thanks to Brandon for having the give-a-way. I love his products and am glad for the licenses as well.

To be honest I have been putting off this blog entry. A lot transpired over the week of South by Southwest (SxSW). All of it good. But it kind of leaves me waxing poetic like a kid that has just left summer camp and all of his friends are scattered across the world. Actually that is exactly the feeling I had when I got on the plane to come home. Anyway, make the jump to read the skinny on SxSW and why you should be there next year.

For the past couple of years I listened in as many people I know from the development community went to SXSW with jealousy. Last year, with all the ExpressionEngine events, I really kicked myself for not going and vowed that this year I would be there no matter what. So…. I am going to SXSW in about 10 days. I am rooming with Adam Wiggall from TurnandFace.com another ExpressionEngine dev. If you are going drop me a comment and let me know. Would love to catch up with others in the community. This year is going to be a blast!

This morning I was in the mood to do a little video. I knew that I needed to do an overview of the features for some of the templates that we have released as they are a bit different than the typical template for ExpressionEngine. So the following is a quick (12-13 minute) overview of Tudobem and what sets it apart. This template is easy to set up and maintain and contains all of the pieces a small or medium sized business would need. Make the jump to view the video.