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#1 2006-07-13 17:59:41

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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[forums] We interupt this programme...

Hello chaps,

Some of you will probably have noticed some weirdness with the forums a short time ago...for those who missed it it looked a bit like this.

I'm pretty please with that after a ten minute hack but there are obviously some issues.  To illustrate them I did some butchery with the gimp.

Basically it would be great to copy the new header background detail into the forum headers (easy enough to sub the image).  We also need to contrive a nice way of laying out the "control panel" (the big line of links circled).  And in the process get some better spacing going between the control panel and the static links below (at least on the index.php).  You'll also see that the glance module has gone a bit large.

The file that contains the effecting changes is here.  If you consider yourself capable please take a look and try and implement some of my suggestions.  I could do it myself but my html/css skills are too rusty ATM to be time efficient - pretty sure some else can fix it up in a jiffy so go for it.  Post code below, please!

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#2 2006-07-13 20:47:10

slackhack
Member
Registered: 2004-06-30
Posts: 738

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

the look of the new site [edit: the main arch page] is really nice. i think the cream color bg is just a little too...cream colored, though. i think it should be a little lighter to give a "cleaner" look. other than that, it's great.

on the specific issue you're mentioning, i think the "control panel" links are too few and too wide to do vertically, unless another layout is devised with some sort of "control panel" proper. that wouldn't be my first choice, though -- too disruptive and a waste of space.

because the "you last visted" etc. section on the left side, and "view posts since last visit" etc. on the right are fairly neat blocks unto themselves, i would simply move the control panel links directly above the forum block, with the left and right hand "blocks" going above that. either the control panel or the blocks could be bordered or subtly differentiated with color somehow, or just left as is if the demarcation between them is clear enough.

i would have done it in the html, but the left/right meta-info blocks weren't in there (i guess it's php or something?) anyway, i would see how that looked, and if it was okay, solved, if not and it looked crappy, more tweaking, possibly with having to devise a more intricate layout.

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#3 2006-07-13 21:32:59

Gullible Jones
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Registered: 2004-12-29
Posts: 4,863

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

dtw wrote:

Hello chaps,

Some of you will probably have noticed some weirdness with the forums a short time ago...for those who missed it it looked a bit like this.

Actually it had all the stuff on the top positioned vertically, no cream-colored stuff, no tabs, just two images and a list. :? I guess I was here at just about the wrong time? lol

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#4 2006-07-13 22:04:36

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

Yeah, about 90 seconds later, after the stylesheet was applied, it looked much better.

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#5 2006-07-13 22:31:36

Gullible Jones
Member
Registered: 2004-12-29
Posts: 4,863

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

Glad to hear what I saw wasn't a big screwup then. lol

BTW, you have a PM waiting.

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#6 2006-07-13 23:16:50

slackhack
Member
Registered: 2004-06-30
Posts: 738

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

Gullible Jones wrote:
dtw wrote:

Hello chaps,

Some of you will probably have noticed some weirdness with the forums a short time ago...for those who missed it it looked a bit like this.

Actually it had all the stuff on the top positioned vertically, no cream-colored stuff, no tabs, just two images and a list. :? I guess I was here at just about the wrong time? lol

the cream color i was referring to is on the main arch page. i think it looks even darker there because of the colored text boxes on the right, but it's still a little too dark on the forum example dtw posted (imo).

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#7 2006-07-15 17:23:34

neotuli
Lazy Developer
From: London, UK
Registered: 2004-07-06
Posts: 1,204
Website

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

mmmm, implement the horizontal bar of forum control stuff as another tabb-ed looking thing under the other one. This is what is done on the main site (you'll see it in the next aur, for now it's only in our devel backend). For now you'll have to settle for a screenie. http://neotuli.net/~simo/screenshot-20060715_1219.png
I don't know where the google ads would go, but the "logged in as" part you see could be turned into the login/logout link. I foresee the 'bottom' set of tabs being the navigation for whatever subset of the top tabs one is in. I might just be rambling, but what do you think?


The suggestion box only accepts patches.

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#8 2006-07-15 21:42:40

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

I get you...but I know I can't implement that!  As far as phpbb is concerned all you have to do is hack the overall_header.tpl - easy enough for someone who can just look at it and see what it does.  I just do the patches..and some other minor stuff...we can simply implement the development of the unified header as a separate theme ATM.

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#9 2006-07-15 22:41:45

Aer
Member
From: Paris
Registered: 2005-12-03
Posts: 45

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

Here is my try : http://aer.netsons.org/phpBB2/index.php

- I must check html compabilty.
- If it's possible to modify the #dev_nav flag in the arch.css (change
13px to 12px)


Any coment, suggestion ?

EDIT: the blank icon on the top menu is not a bug, it's for rss (wich is not enable by default)

EDIT2: the files I modified are here


The program isn't debugged until the last user is dead.

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#10 2006-07-16 09:33:47

dtw
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From: UK
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Posts: 4,439
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Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

That's great work!  Congrats!  I'll see if I can implement it as a new theme...

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#11 2006-07-16 09:51:31

Aer
Member
From: Paris
Registered: 2005-12-03
Posts: 45

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

dtw wrote:

That's great work!  Congrats!  I'll see if I can implement it as a new theme...

Thx, I am dispo until tomorrow for any change, after what I go in holidays for 1 week wink


The program isn't debugged until the last user is dead.

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#12 2006-07-16 10:25:39

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

Aer - do you know how to make that into an actual theme that maybe installed in phpbb?  I just can't it to work.  I have created an Arch template based on subSilver with the new overall header file in and followed a howto but it seems i need to copy the theme_info stuff in manually..however, the overall_header.tpl should still apply right?

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#13 2006-07-16 10:29:53

Aer
Member
From: Paris
Registered: 2005-12-03
Posts: 45

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

After copying the theme_info, the new overall_header and the icon, you must go to the control panel, theme management choose "Import" (I suppose) , and select the new one.


The program isn't debugged until the last user is dead.

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#14 2006-07-17 07:19:12

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

Ok - I sorted it.  If you want to preview the new forum theme please go to your Profile and change the theme to Arch rather than subSilver.

Please note that it is not perfect and that tweaks and suggests (pref as patches) are very welcome.  Many thanks to Aer!

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#15 2006-07-17 07:27:03

cactus
Taco Eater
From: t͈̫̹ͨa͖͕͎̱͈ͨ͆ć̥̖̝o̫̫̼s͈̭̱̞͍̃!̰
Registered: 2004-05-25
Posts: 4,622
Website

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

announcement columns are still huge.
some of the fonts on the seach lists are big.

other than that. looks good.


"Be conservative in what you send; be liberal in what you accept." -- Postel's Law
"tacos" -- Cactus' Law
"t̥͍͎̪̪͗a̴̻̩͈͚ͨc̠o̩̙͈ͫͅs͙͎̙͊ ͔͇̫̜t͎̳̀a̜̞̗ͩc̗͍͚o̲̯̿s̖̣̤̙͌ ̖̜̈ț̰̫͓ạ̪͖̳c̲͎͕̰̯̃̈o͉ͅs̪ͪ ̜̻̖̜͕" -- -̖͚̫̙̓-̺̠͇ͤ̃ ̜̪̜ͯZ͔̗̭̞ͪA̝͈̙͖̩L͉̠̺͓G̙̞̦͖O̳̗͍

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#16 2006-07-17 07:35:56

benplaut
Member
Registered: 2006-06-13
Posts: 383

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

all the text looks a bit... squished.  hard to explain...

also, on the forums tab, it should be the same font as the other tabs.  announcements are fubar, but that's known wink

looks very nice so far!

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#17 2006-07-17 10:51:21

T-Dawg
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From: Charlotte, NC
Registered: 2005-01-29
Posts: 2,736

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

and the admin panel up at the top with FAQ, RSS, etc. is gone -we can't be havin none a 'dat!

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#18 2006-07-17 14:03:20

MAC!EK
Member
Registered: 2005-09-27
Posts: 267

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

Wheres the "View posts since last visit" in the Arch skin/layout ?

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#19 2006-07-17 15:32:58

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

Penguin wrote:

and the admin panel up at the top with FAQ, RSS, etc. is gone -we can't be havin none a 'dat!

They should be in tabs under the site areas tabs....but the admin tab is missing - it still appears at the bottom though.  I'll be making some tweaks tonight and making the full theme source available to download and edit.

Some of the old options are misaligned or missing under IE - I hope to check them tonight.

Having said that..lets make it some constructive criticism, eh?  Consider it a alpha release rather than an rc, ok?

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#20 2006-07-17 18:11:37

neotuli
Lazy Developer
From: London, UK
Registered: 2004-07-06
Posts: 1,204
Website

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

A few ideas:

- Lose the hover color on links. In the headers on other pages, there is no hover color, so it doesn't really fit in. Personally I don't like the way it looks anyway.

- Move the login/logout/register link up into the header like in my screenshot, take a look at the bugtracker for a similar idea.

- Move profile and PM links up into the tabbed list, I think it would look nicer with just one menu to deal with.

- Move Usergroups and Memberlist out of tabbed headers or just get rid of the links altogether, I don't know who uses them or how often, but I can't see them as being anyone's first click roll

- Add an admin panel tab for admins when they are logged in.

- Take the font size on thread/post listings down a couple notches, looks kinda goofy big :-P

I would have sent you a patch, but xentac has me busy with his so-called task delegation... whatever that is  :twisted:


The suggestion box only accepts patches.

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#21 2006-07-17 18:23:11

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
Website

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

OK, all the source for the theme is here: http://bbs.archlinux.org/dev/Arch.tar.gz

As I said before there are plenty of others who can do this stuff _way_ better than me so please feel free to go wild.  DO keep track of what people report here though; we don't want to re-invent the wheel.  Have fun!

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#22 2006-07-17 19:41:41

soloport
Member
Registered: 2005-03-01
Posts: 442

Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

Rows under "Latest Announcements and Advisories" are a whopping 280 pixels tall.  But "General", "Arch Help" and the rest are the normal 184 pixels tall.

When viewing, say, "Arch Discussion", the rows become 156 pixels tall and the fonts look huge -- i.e. the rows barely conatin the text.

This is all rendered by Firefox on Arch Linux, also by Firefox on Win XP Pro -- with identical results.

(I have three screenshots, but could not find a place within Arch through which to upload them.)

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#23 2006-07-17 20:22:41

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

OK - I have made a few small changes - will upload a tarball shortly

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#24 2006-07-17 20:25:31

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

The font sizes are being inherited from the main Arch CSS size there is not much we can do about that...except change the Arch spreadsheet or change all the files in the theme - is that right?

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#25 2006-07-17 20:38:06

Cerebral
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From: Waterloo, ON, CA
Registered: 2005-04-08
Posts: 3,108
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Re: [forums] We interupt this programme...

dtw wrote:

except change the Arch spreadsheet or change all the files in the theme - is that right?

If by that you mean stylesheet, then yeah.  If the main-site CSS has a rule to make that text bigger, then the only solution is to fix the CSS, and modify the sections of text which are affected on the main site, or somehow change the forum theme so that the text in question isn't affected by that rule.

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