Brainstorming: What do we "need" template-wise?

[d_cee]

Hi YL

the template's looking good I've tried a few different things with it tonight and all seems to work very well. Are you going to add a notes div to the form?

I'll see if I can style a couple of variations over the next couple of days to show how it can be easily modified.

You can link it to my themes site please

Dave

[yellowled]

I've tried a few different things with it tonight and all seems to work very well.

I'll see if I can do some extensive testing over the next couple of days, but I'm pretty positive that this baby won't break easily.

Are you going to add a notes div to the form?

I've tested this tonight - as much as I love the idea in general, it doesn't work too well with a 3-column layout. A floated note box in my humble opinion takes up too much space. Take a look at the 3-column version in 1024x768 - I think it's very crowded. Having a notes box in 800x600 even breaks the comment form a little.

I'll see if I can style a couple of variations over the next couple of days to show how it can be easily modified.

That would be great I'll concentrate on cleaning up the stylesheets a little.

You can link it to my themes site please

Already included, but no new zip (yet), although I've made some minor changes.

YL

[yellowled]

Yay, yet another update Again, it is a teeny tiny one, and you don't have to download & install it if you got the last one. Just some general code clean-up, mostly stylesheets.

YL

[Don Chambers]

Perhaps you have already considered and rejected this, but how about incorporating the "active" class concept from this thread: http://board.s9y.org/viewtopic.php?t=8492

You already have the dynamic navlinks......

[carl_galloway]

hi guys,

just a quickie to let you all know I downloaded yellowleds zipfile from a few days ago and tested it on my machine and I like it, its working really nicely. Can't wait till its finished so I can start using it for template releases.

[yellowled]

Perhaps you have already considered and rejected this, but how about incorporating the "active" class concept from this thread: http://board.s9y.org/viewtopic.php?t=8492

Maybe it's too early, or I need another cup of coffee, but I don't see the point in that. Could someone point out to me what this is?

YL

[yellowled]

just a quickie to let you all know I downloaded yellowleds zipfile from a few days ago and tested it on my machine and I like it, its working really nicely.

I'm still afraid this is gonna come back and bite us in the rear end once people start customizing it. But that's probably just a trauma from the OTL

Can't wait till its finished so I can start using it for template releases.

Basically, it is. We're only waiting for Don to reveal his code (no pressure, Don!). BTW, you saved me a lot of time and hassle by posting this, thanks

Edit: Something I forgot about: I wanted to try something which didn't work out. I'd really love to have some way to change the xml icon depending on the colorset to make it possible to have different xml icons for different colorsets.

Does anybody have working code for that? I think it's impossible right now, but that's something I always think before somebody comes up with a solution

YL

[d_cee]

Hi YL

. I'd really love to have some way to change the xml icon depending on the colorset to make it possible to have different xml icons for different colorsets.YL

If the different coloursets use a different css file for styling eg: red.css then why not have xml_red.png in the img directory - and whatever other ones we need.

Or am I being simple

cheers

Dave

Oh, BTW, I've started a commercial template last night using ' Bulletproof' which you can see in my development area FF only at the moment

[Don Chambers]

Perhaps you have already considered and rejected this, but how about incorporating the "active" class concept from this thread: http://board.s9y.org/viewtopic.php?t=8492

Maybe it's too early, or I need another cup of coffee, but I don't see the point in that. Could someone point out to me what this is?

YL

I know Dave is using the concept quite a bit, and I have used it as well. Probably a bigger deal if the template has navigation links that are graphic. By setting an "active" or "selected" class, that particular link can take on a unique appearance, such as a different looking button (different color, pressed "down" etc).

In the context of your bulletproof template (tested - it works):

config.inc.php:

Code: Select all

$serendipity['smarty']->assign(array('currpage'=> "http://".$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'].$_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']));

index.tpl:

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<li{if $currpage==$navlink.href} class="active"{/if}><a href="{$navlink.href}" title="{$navlink.title}">{$navlink.title}</a></li>

style.css:

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#sitenav a:hover,
#sitenav a:active,
#sitenav .active a {
	background: #ededed url('{TEMPLATE_PATH}img/active-image.jpg')}

A substitute class name (such as "selected" or "current") could be used if the class "active" is to confusing with the pseudo class "a:active".

If the different coloursets use a different css file for styling eg: red.css then why not have xml_red.png in the img directory - and whatever other ones we need.

Or am I being simple Confused

That only works for background images, where different css files can call different images by changing the name in the css. These images are specifically named in the corresponding plugin - for example, the left calendar arrow is displayed by plugin_calendar.tpl as follows:

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<a title="{$CONST.BACK}" href="{$plugin_calendar_head.uri_previous}"><img alt="{$CONST.BACK}" src="{serendipity_getFile file="img/back.gif"}" /></a>

the filename "back.gif" cannot be changed in css, and you can only have a single file with that name in the /img/ folder. What would be better, and both YL and I are asking this question, is to have "back.gif" replaced by a $template_option.back_file_name, then have a colorset choice set the corresponding name of this file, as well as others, such as the xml icon.

[d_cee]

How about this then?

Create a two-colour xml.gif from a 12x12 feed icon in grey and white and choose grey to be transparent. Set the desired icon colour as background colour with CSS. Change the CSS and the images will change with it. Bob's your uncle! A recolourable xml icon - and easier than creating different coloursets.

Of course if we don't mind IE messing it up (or we insert the necessary hack) we could also do it with transparent png files - which would look much nicer!

cheers

Dave

[Don Chambers]

How about this then?

Create a two-colour xml.gif from a 12x12 feed icon in grey and white and choose grey to be transparent. Set the desired icon colour as background colour with CSS. Change the CSS and the images will change with it. Bob's your uncle! A recolourable xml icon - and easier than creating different coloursets.

Of course if we don't mind IE messing it up (or we insert the necessary hack) we could also do it with transparent png files - which would look much nicer!

cheers

Dave

I have never tried anything like that, but I'll assume the method would work. Unfortunately - all you can have is a 2 color image. The underlying background showing through the transparancy, plus the non transparent portion. What about non-rectangular shapes? Even the feed icon has rounded corners - the background color would show through these transparent portions. Having a background color for the image would also mask out any background of the underlying container, which might not be desireable. Finally, I still hope to get a method as originally described. I would like to assign a css file name to a variable, then use this instead of setting a bunch of {if $template_option.colorset == 'red'}<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="{serendipity_getFile file="red.css"}" />, else..... for each option.

By the way - I had to google "Bob's your uncle". Never heard that expression in my life!!

[carl_galloway]

changing the xml icon is actually something that abdussamad did on his first or second template and the code was really effective, and easy to implement if I remember correctly.

[yellowled]

I know Dave is using the concept quite a bit, and I have used it as well. Probably a bigger deal if the template has navigation links that are graphic. By setting an "active" or "selected" class, that particular link can take on a unique appearance, such as a different looking button (different color, pressed "down" etc).

Ah, now I get it. Funny, since I just helped someone customize joshua-nino3, which I think uses the same thing. Should probably clean my glasses once in a while

In the context of your bulletproof template (tested - it works)

Great, I'll put that into the template later today. I think you just earned yourself a contribution credit for bulletproof, Don

YL

[yellowled]

changing the xml icon is actually something that abdussamad did on his first or second template and the code was really effective, and easy to implement if I remember correctly.

We're talking about shiny_plastic here, right? Just downloaded it and will take a look at it later, although Dave's technique sounds very interesting, too.

I thought about additional theme options yesterday, let's hear what you guys think: Users are already able to switch off the navbar. Maybe somebody would like to switch off the header or footer - should we incorporate that?

I have some other theme options in the yl15 template which I find useful: coComment support, adding counter code, adding text to the footer. Do we want any of these in bulletproof?

YL

[d_cee]

Good Morning!

Users are already able to switch off the navbar. Maybe somebody would like to switch off the header or footer - should we incorporate that?

I'm not sure about that. Would anybody actually use it? Perhaps if users have the option then they'll find a use for it.

I have some other theme options in the yl15 template which I find useful: coComment support, adding counter code, adding text to the footer. Do we want any of these in bulletproof?

These all sound useful options. I also think having a navbar on the left or right at the top (or instead of) the sidebar is a useful option.

what do you think?

Dave