Alright I have scoured the forum and documentation about my problem to avail. I have created the HomePage.php file in /mysite/code folder then created the HomePage.ss file in /mysite/template folder. I have no files in the /tutorial/ area of the website and the config.php points to /mysite/ as the theme directory.

I renamed the Page.ss to allow the HomePage.ss to be picked up by the CMS. Both files currently have identical code. Page.ss worked great before the temporary rename. I have double checked the HomePage.php code with the tutorial on the SilverStripe website here and it matches; I even tried variations just in case. No "HomePage" type exists in the "create" drop down after db build and flush. Could I be overlooking anything in the code or missing a controller convention?

Here is the HomePage.php code:

<?php

class HomePage extends SiteTree {
   static $db = array(
   );
   static $has_one = array(
"Sidebar" => "WidgetArea",
);

function getCMSFields() {
   $fields = parent::getCMSFields();
   $fields->addFieldToTab("Root.Content.Widgets", new WidgetAreaEditor("Sidebar"));
   return $fields;
}
}

class HomePage_Controller extends Page_Controller {
   function init() {
      parent::init();
      
      Requirements::themedCSS("layout");
      Requirements::themedCSS("typography");
      Requirements::themedCSS("form");
   }
function SearchForm() {
$searchText = isset($this->Query) ? $this->Query : 'Search';
      
$fields = new FieldSet(
new TextField("Search", "", $searchText)
);

$actions = new FieldSet(
new FormAction('results', 'Go')
);

return new SearchForm($this, "SearchForm", $fields, $actions);
}
function results($data, $form){
$data = array(
'Results' => $form->getResults(),
'Query' => $form->getSearchQuery(),
'Title' => 'Search Results'
);
   
return $this->customise($data)->renderWith(array('Page_results', 'Page'));
}
function LatestNews($num=5) {
$news = DataObject::get_one("ArticleHolder");
return ($news) ? DataObject::get("ArticlePage", "ParentID = $news->ID", "Date DESC", "", $num) : false;
}
}
?>

I used the developer code line in the _config.php:
Director::set_environment_type("dev");

to get the db build and flush.

Now I have the HomePage wrapping around itself. Any idea what is going on?

Hamish,

Thanks for your to help. Once I used the developer mode code in _config.php I found from Willr's other post, I was able to do the db buil and flush I could not do previously. Then you reminded me to check the /layout/ directory (DUH!) and I found exact duplicates of both the HomePage.ss and Page.ss. Still not sure how they got there; probably a late night/early morning developing session.

ALL IS FIXED, thanks again for your replies. If I can help in the future I will look out for your posts.