There's nothing ugly about what VSD can do. I'm in the beginning of learning CSS3 and HTML5 and I can appreciate even more what VSD allows me to accomplish in just a few mouse clicks. Making your own master page is a valid template and I've used the method to change a 45 page site in just a few hours. It would have taken me a week to redo the site all over again. If your so set on having all the common elements on every page of a website change you better start learning PHP or ASP.
http://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp
http://www.w3schools.com/asp/default.asp

Rolly,
Thanks for your quick response. In a nutshell, it appears that I either live with the hassle of changing every page individually or I shop for a new tool that has true master pages. Fair enough. I'll check for other options and if I find one then I'll try to get refund. It's always better to admit when a feature isn't in the product plans. No harm, no foul.


Thanks again,
Snowman

If your site is going to be so dynamic that your changing things constantly then your going to need to learn how to code. I don't know of any design program that's going to be any faster then another to make the changes. Like I said making changes in VSD to all the pages was quite easy other wise I wouldn't have made the changes in my site. Good luck on your search. You'll be back.

Hey Rolly,
One other thought (before I fly off on an intensive product search) I wonder if the suggestion by BillR (earlier on this thread) would work? i.e. Embed custom HTML in my template file (as my menu bar and footer) and use the "duplicate" page approach as you suggest.

The question then becomes, each time I publish my web site does each page with the HTML code look back to the source HTML file and then update it? If so, I would then just change the source HTML code once, and re-publish my web site and all the pages would be updated.

Yes? No? Thoughts?

Thanks,
Snowman

You would still need to change the code by hand in the html box on every page or delete it and copy/paste the changed HTML box to the other pages. Bill is talking about PHP includes which will work but your going to have to test it for your self. CSS also works great but there again it depends on what your trying to accomplish.

I just got an email offer a few minutes ago to try out some new web design software (which I won't advertise here), but it's a huge company that comes up in any Google search. It has master pages just like you want. It's free to try now, but will run $15 -$20 per month, hosting not included.

I think learning some PHP sounds like the way to go.

Paintbrush,
Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately $180-240/year is too much for our little ministry.

Rolly,
I'll check some other products or relent and learn how to add PHP or CSS to these pages. Ultimately the web changes will settle down but we're in ramp-up mode and are still figuring what we want/ what works. That said, I don't have time to keep tweaking every page for every little change we want to try. It's frustrating that something so seeminlgy obvious is only available on the high-power systems that cost $K's. (We can do this on my corporation's site in seconds, across hundreds of pages.)

Snowman

Remember in VSD you can save your website project under different names so you can make changes and still keep the original then publish the new one when your pleased with the results. How many pages can you see your ministry having on the website?

Maybe it's time to start snooping around in the source code of that corporate site You can learn a lot by looking at the code behind various effects and functions.

Rolly,
I don't know how big/diverse the site will get. Don't know if I'll have sub pages or any of that. But to change every page (or copy-paste repeatedly) for every new iteration is not going to help the creative process.

Paintbrush,
Saw a competing product for about $160 on my first search (Bing search on "web design software master pages"...second hit.)

Thanks both of you, I'll keep poking around.

Snowman