Forum module looks brilliant and very comprehensive (though I’ll admit I’m not a fan of the “template_bits” ‘skinning’ system, but if it’s good enough for pMachine I guess it’s the “one best way”).
though I’ll admit I’m not a fan of the “template_bits” ‘skinning’ system
If you think about how dynamic every square inch of a forum is you’ll understand that there’s really no other choice than to separate each dynamic component into its own template. The only other alternative is to build pages in which raw PHP (or whatever scripting language you use) is interwoven within the HTML itself. This approach would make it extremely difficult to skin. I just don’t know how else we could have done it to make it easier.
The new control panel looks great but I can see potential hassles using the categories when publishing. They need to be in one long list perhaps to one side. They simply don’t have enought real estate as they are. Often multiple selections could be at the top and bottom of the list. It’s a little confusing.
It’s very easy to build up to 20 or more, especially with sub-categories.
If you change your monitor resolution to 800 X 600 (which is still a significant monitor demographic) you’ll find that the current publish page really scrunches together, allowing almost no space for writing. Even at 1024 X 768 it’s not great. The layout of that page has always bothered me (even though it was my design). It has always seemed cluttered, and if you have a long list of categories, ping servers, etc. the page can get quite long. Frankly, it has kind of assaulted my sense of aesthetic, so I pushed for a change. The big benefit of the change is that the textareas now are wider, so even at limited monotor resolutions you’ll have a better writing experience. And with the hidden options you don’t have to stare at things you may not even need. By the way, the categroy list will expand to contain the entire list, so I don’t see that it will be inconvenient to use. It will require one extra mouse click to expand the pane. There are always compromises with this stuff. All things considered, I think the UI changes are positive.
By the way, the categroy list will expand to contain the entire list, so I don’t see that it will be inconvenient to use. It will require one extra mouse click to expand the pane.
That keeps me happy too.
I agree that the old layout was too deep. What 1.3 is offering is a great workflow.
Really nice. I noticed a small firefox problem in the communications tab (horizontal scrolling, FF 1.04, resolution 1400x1280) - seems to be related to the FF problem we already knew.
The tabbed posting screens will have some advantages for some of my authors - but I agree with Thylacine regarding hassle using (sub-)categories. Don’t mind right now ... eagerly awaiting a beta
If you change your monitor resolution to 800 X 600 (which is still a significant monitor demographic) you’ll find that the current publish page really scrunches together, allowing almost no space for writing. Even at 1024 X 768 it’s not great. The layout of that page has always bothered me (even though it was my design). It has always seemed cluttered, and if you have a long list of categories, ping servers, etc. the page can get quite long. Frankly, it has kind of assaulted my sense of aesthetic, so I pushed for a change. The big benefit of the change is that the textareas now are wider, so even at limited monotor resolutions you’ll have a better writing experience. And with the hidden options you don’t have to stare at things you may not even need. By the way, the categroy list will expand to contain the entire list, so I don’t see that it will be inconvenient to use. It will require one extra mouse click to expand the pane. There are always compromises with this stuff. All things considered, I think the UI changes are positive.
Looks great guys, and I agree the current control panel wouldn’t match lower resolutions. However will there be an option to keep the current publish form with all the options on one page? I’m a great fan of everything on one page as that prevent me to click on several tabs..
But the look ‘n feel is really nice
