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April 21, 2011 10:43am
Subscribe [2]#1 / Apr 21, 2011 10:43am
Does the forum act as its own entity? Once you create a site design and want to add the forum module, can you just add the forum into a page so that it works with the rest of the site template, or does it have to be fully designed and templated on its own to match the rest of your site?
#2 / Apr 21, 2011 12:28pm
Hi, jeffmace -
You’ll still need to design the templates. The forums have their own theme system, similar to the member profile themes, that you would need to design how you want them to appear.
#3 / Apr 21, 2011 12:51pm
Does the forum act as its own entity? Once you create a site design and want to add the forum module, can you just add the forum into a page so that it works with the rest of the site template, or does it have to be fully designed and templated on its own to match the rest of your site?
Jeff, further to Lindas answer…you don’t have to do any design work at all if you are happy with the themes it comes with - just click the button to activate the module and pick a theme…and you are off and running. It does not inherit any themes or css from the other parts of your site or EE.
In many case, the existing themes will do with some very simple changes - for instance, replacing the logo up in the top left - etc.
It’s pretty easy to hack around in the templates - much harder if you want true “design” work…...but since most forums are based on function over form, this is usually not a problem. Some…or even MOST of the popular forums on the web are pretty much “stock” as far as the styles go.
As an example, my forum has a new logo and some banners and links, etc…...see:
http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/
Nothing fantastic, but enough to slightly personalize it….
#4 / Apr 21, 2011 2:50pm
Thank you Lisa and Handyman, for you responses. I am starting to catch on to how the whole EE works. I think it is a good idea that the forum is integrated, but yet on its own. I will be working with designing the forum to match the site, i just always work that way, probably some OCD thing I have. I appreciate the fast response to the questions.
Handyman, cute puppies and congrats on a very successful forum, thanks for the example.
#5 / Apr 27, 2011 8:28pm
I just have to ask as kind of a part 2 to this if you know. I know ExpressionEngine and its forum have been around for a while. I am find it really hard to find any people that have done any type of new skins for the forum. I have been searching here and only found a few that seem to be done quite a while ago. I am fine with paying for a theme or anything. I realize some theme for their own site and I know I will probably have to do the same, just wondering if anyone knows of an outlet were people offer forum themes?
Thank you again!
#6 / Apr 27, 2011 8:36pm
Hi, Jeff -
I haven’t seen such a distribution site. The EE 2 forums in EE 1 were a bit harder to work with and got easier with EE 2 as they’re now normal HTML files, though they are fairly segmented. We did see a few people try to start forum theme distribution sites, but they never really took off.