topbanner_forum
  *

avatar image

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
  • Thursday March 28, 2024, 1:56 pm
  • Proudly celebrating 15+ years online.
  • Donate now to become a lifetime supporting member of the site and get a non-expiring license key for all of our programs.
  • donate

Last post Author Topic: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017  (Read 34370 times)

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« on: November 20, 2017, 08:43 PM »
I just updated the forum with new smf 2.015 release, and it forced me to move to some new forum code that I had written to work with the new dc cms server codebase before I was ready.
So there may still be some oddities on the forum -- if you see any going forward please let me know.

The good news is we are one step closer to moving to new website cms.

Ath

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 3,612
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2017, 01:30 AM »
Great to be up to date, but why do the quoted messages look so ugly (yes that's a personal preference, but still..., brown accent color?, larger font?, large cursive quoted name/date-time?, enormous upside-down-quote added?)

I just updated the forum ...

screenshot of the above:
Screenshot - 21-11-2017 , 08_30_03.png
« Last Edit: November 21, 2017, 01:37 AM by Ath »

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2017, 02:07 AM »
I thought that was an improvement, it's what I've been using for a while on the test cms site.. But I'm open to suggestions for how to make it look better.

Ath

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 3,612
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2017, 03:45 AM »
We could put up a poll for that, maybe offering several available options (if any).

It may be caused by my age that I like the 'old' quote style more... :tellme:

anandcoral

  • Honorary Member
  • Joined in 2009
  • **
  • Posts: 777
    • View Profile
    • Free Portable Apps
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2017, 04:25 AM »
I agree with Ath. The quoted text is more highlighted now than the actual message text.
I think quoted text should be subtle than the message text.

Regards,

Anand

wraith808

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 11,186
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2017, 06:22 AM »
I thought that was an improvement, it's what I've been using for a while on the test cms site.. But I'm open to suggestions for how to make it look better.
I like it, though perhaps the colors could us twaeking to match the color of the forum

tomos

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,959
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2017, 07:11 AM »
Taking Ath's list:

>brown accent color?
this presumably the same colour used for member-names -- it does look much more vibrant though due to the adjacent white.
I think a thinner band on the left would be better.

>larger font?
yeah,
slightly smaller font, as before, is my preference too

>large cursive quoted name/date-time?
I like the cursive,
but I'd prefer this text to be smaller than the body text (within the quote).

>enormous upside-down-quote added?
I think definitely too big -- if font size is going to be requced, this will have to be reduced anyways -- but I'd reduce it even more.


In my browser the quote is serif font, the rest is sans-serif -- this also emphasizes the quote over the other text. To me, the quote is of importance, but of lesser importance than the text of the response -- that's why I think it should have less emphasis all round.


Below an edited sample:
  • quote body text smaller
  • quote 'title' even smaller
  • brown band on left thinner
  • one quote has a (much smaller) quote mark; the other has none

Screenshot - 2017-11-21 , 13_56_58-psd.pngForum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
Tom

wraith808

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 11,186
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2017, 08:33 AM »
I think you've changed it, and it does indeed look better.  I did like the band on the left of the quote, which seems to have gone away now.

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #8 on: November 21, 2017, 09:08 AM »
I didn't change anything yet, but I agree with the general consensus.. Tomos can you send me (or post) your css fixes?
« Last Edit: November 21, 2017, 09:15 AM by mouser »

wraith808

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 11,186
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2017, 09:36 AM »
I didn't change anything yet, but I agree with the general consensus.. Tomos can you send me (or post) your css fixes?

Strange. Mine now shows up like this:

quote.png

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #10 on: November 21, 2017, 10:25 AM »
You are seeing the old css -- Try doing a Ctrl+F5 to refresh and get the current css.

tomos

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,959
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #11 on: November 21, 2017, 10:44 AM »
.. Tomos can you send me (or post) your css fixes?
that was a photoshop job
Tom

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2017, 03:29 PM »
How's it look now? (Ctrl+F5 to refresh css)

tomos

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,959
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #13 on: November 21, 2017, 03:45 PM »
How's it look now? (Ctrl+F5 to refresh css)

a lot better :up:

Minor details (my speciality):

  • I'd still make the band on the left a little narrower
  • a little white space between that bar and the quotemark would be good
  • I'm not gone on the blue - makes the whole effect quite cold. (Preferred the brown FWIW -- if I get time tomorrow I could mock up a few different colours to see how they look)
Tom

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #14 on: November 21, 2017, 04:16 PM »
Tweaked.

tomos

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,959
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #15 on: November 21, 2017, 05:00 PM »
Tweaked.
okay,
I like it at any rate :-)
we'll see what others say...
Tom

cranioscopical

  • Friend of the Site
  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 4,776
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #16 on: November 21, 2017, 06:36 PM »
I prefer the quotation marks to be inside the panel.

LowQuotationMark.png



skwire

  • Global Moderator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 5,286
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #17 on: November 21, 2017, 06:44 PM »
I much prefer the old quoting boxes.  These new ones look garish and out of place.

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #18 on: November 21, 2017, 07:19 PM »
I prefer the quotation marks to be inside the panel.

What do you mean?

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #19 on: November 21, 2017, 07:19 PM »
I much prefer the old quoting boxes.  These new ones look garish and out of place.

 >:(

Ath

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 3,612
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #20 on: November 22, 2017, 01:47 AM »
Current configuration is much better than before, but I guess I'm not much into that brown color. I'll get used to it, now that it's no longer hurting my eyes ;)

anandcoral

  • Honorary Member
  • Joined in 2009
  • **
  • Posts: 777
    • View Profile
    • Free Portable Apps
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #21 on: November 22, 2017, 03:38 AM »
Our forum's base color is blue.
I suggest to change brown to deep blue or something like it to match with our forums color theme.
The fonts look OK now.

Regards,

Anand

tomos

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,959
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #22 on: November 22, 2017, 05:51 AM »
^ unfortunately I didnt take a screenshot while it was blue - but it did make for a very 'cold' look. (Not saying the brown is 'it', just that it's better than the blue was.)

mouser,
another way of 'de-emphasizing' the boxes (if you wanted) would be to remove the shadow

Tom

tomos

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,959
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #23 on: November 22, 2017, 05:57 AM »
Re colour/s
another option would be the blue-grey + orange/ish type theme (does MS Office have a theme like that? - pics below are from InfoQube)

Screenshot - 2017-11-22 , 12_54_15_ver001.png

Screenshot - 2017-11-22 , 12_53_48.png
Tom

tomos

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Posts: 11,959
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Forum upgraded Nov 20, 2017
« Reply #24 on: November 22, 2017, 05:58 AM »
delete me (I keep quoting instead of modifying since the upgrade)
Tom