EasyPeasy Templates: How do I use an EasyPeasy template?




		How do I use an EasyPeasy template?

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1. Receiving the template by email and saving it on your own computer

You will receive an email with the subject "Your EasyPeasy Auction Template Is Attached" (or something very similar).

The email has a few brief instructions, and an attachment called template.txt. The attachment IS your template, I promise — even though it doesn't look like it.

An attachment is a computer file (e.g. a document or a picture) that does not form part of the body of the email, but is outside the email. The attachment needs to be opened and/or saved to your computer's hard disc as a separate action to opening your email. Exactly how this is done depends on which computer program you use for reading your emails.

Typically email programs are of two types: Webmail, where your emails are viewed on-line using your Web Browser (e.g. Internet Explorer); Local, where your emails are collected by a program on your computer (e.g. Outlook Express).

Webmail

If you are using some form of Webmail you will find either near the top or the bottom of the page displaying the email some form of link to the attachment template.txt.

Tip...
Many systems use a paperclip as an icon to signify the existence of an attachment.

You need to click to download the attachment. Windows Live Hotmail systems require you to click Show content first as a security measure to prevent you from opening attachments from unknown sources in case of viruses. Don't worry, any computer expert will be able to confirm that any attachment ending .txt cannot infect your computer with a virus.

Windows Live Hotmail

GoogleMail

In Windows Live Hotmail you should first click Show content, then click template.txt. In GoogleMail you should click Download. Your own Webmail system will be identical or similar. In any case you will then be offered the chance to save template.txt to your computer with a dialog box presented by your Web browser. I will use examples from Internet Explorer, but other Web browsers (Firefox, Opera etc.) are similar.

Click Save

Overtype template.txt with a name of your choice, and click Save

Local Mail

If you use a mail program residing on your own computer (what I have here called Local Mail) such as Outlook Express the saving of an attachment is slightly different because the attachment is already downloaded but, for the time being, only residing in your mail program's database. You need to fetch it out of there and save it as a file to your hard disc.

The following example shows an attachment being saved out of Microsoft's Outlook email program.

Right-click template.txt and click Save As...
from the context-sensitive menu that pops up

Overtype template.txt with a name of your choice, and click Save

In the examples above I have chosen to save the attachment to the folder called My Documents, and I have chosen to rename the attachment to nice doggy ebay template.txt

Tip...
When saving from Webmail you should find that your Web browser saves as a text file type by default, even if you change the name to nice doggy. When saving from Outlook you have to make sure you finish the new name with .txt to force Outlook to save as a text file type, otherwise Outlook will save as file with no type defined. Different systems will behave in one or other of these ways. What is important is that you save as a text file type. This is simply achieved by making sure your file ends with the four characters .txt

In truth you do not need to change the name to nice doggy or anything else, but because all my templates are called template.txt you will only be able to have one template in your My Documents folder unless you give each one a unique name.