XYplorer Beta Club

Posted: **01 Mar 2007 16:50**

admin wrote:Hey, new wiki logo! Well done, jacky!

Thanks, glad you like it.

Posted: **09 Mar 2007 21:03**

jacky wrote:
admin wrote:Hey, new wiki logo! Well done, jacky!
Thanks, glad you like it.

Here's one thing I don't like: that blue-on-pig-skin heading-style <h2>! Can I change this style or do I need some admin rights for this? (I'm a wikidiot)

Posted: **10 Mar 2007 16:47**

admin wrote: Here's one thing I don't like: that blue-on-pig-skin heading-style <h2>! Can I change this style or do I need some admin rights for this? (I'm a wikidiot)

Well, I know I was trying to have such titles/headings be easily noticable when "scrolling" through a page without actually reading it all. All headings have a grayish background so it had to have one too, but I felt using a grayish as well didn't made it "stand out" much, wouldn't catch the eye while going through the page rapidly, while it should IMO, since those can be different sections on a few pages...

Anyways, that's how the "blue-on-pig-skin heading-style" was born

But no, it's in the CSS and you can't change it, only I can. Sorry

Posted: **10 Mar 2007 16:47**

...

So if you wanna change this, here's what you need I think:

Code: Select all

<style>
body {
        font-size : 9px;
        font-family : verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
        background: #f9f9f9 url(headbg.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
        color: black;
        margin: 0;
        padding: 0;
}
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
        color: black;
        background: none;
        font-weight: normal;
        margin: 0;
        margin-top: 20px;
        padding-bottom: .17em;
        padding-left: 10px;
}
h2 {
        background: #fec;
        padding-top: 5px;
        margin-top: 35px;
        color: blue;
        border-bottom: 2px solid #999;
        font-size: 150%;
        padding-left: 20px;
}
#globalWrapper {
        font-size: 127%;
        width: 100%;
        margin: 0;
        padding: 0;
}
</style>

<div id="globalWrapper">
<h2>Make me beautiful!</h2>
</div>

Let me know what the new style should be and I'll made the changes.

Posted: **10 Mar 2007 17:29**

The existing color scheme looks fine to me, and makes headings stand out without being overwhelming, at least on my laptop, where some colors don't quite show the same as on a true CRT.

Posted: **11 Mar 2007 01:08**

Sorry, but IMO, the styling of the wiki leaves something to be desired. For instance, I find something like the Lussumo Vanilla documentation far easier to read than the XY one. I know there is a (large) element of personal preference in this, but I do think he Lussumo wiki looks a lot more professional.

I hope no one takes this the wrong way, I understand the amount of work that some of you guys have put into the wiki, this is meant as constructive criticism. I just want the wiki to be even better than it already

Posted: **11 Mar 2007 02:37**

lukescammell wrote:Sorry, but IMO, the styling of the wiki leaves something to be desired. For instance, I find something like the Lussumo Vanilla documentation far easier to read than the XY one. I know there is a (large) element of personal preference in this, but I do think he Lussumo wiki looks a lot more professional.

Yup! Personal preference does factor into it, as to me, the Lussumo wiki is much harder to read than jacky's!
I wouldn't say it's a horrible site, but it's not far from it, IMHO.
Our current wiki more closely resembles the Wikipedia, and that was created by the folks who (as I understand it) developed wiki's...so if that basic style is good enough for wikipedia, it should be for us also.

Posted: **11 Mar 2007 09:14**

Okay, I tried a few things, including using one color from the XYplorer homepage to add some CI feeling.

Here's a shot of the main page:

http://www.xyplorer.com/images/forum/wiki-style.png

This is the CSS:

Code: Select all

h1 {
margin: 0.5em 0 0 0;
padding: 0.5em 1em 0.5em 0.8em;
background: #D3D0B9;
color: #fff;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
line-height: 1.5em;
}

h2 {
margin: 2em 0 0 0;
padding: 0.5em 1em 0.5em 0.8em;
background: #fafafa;
color: #444;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-left: none;
border-right: none;
line-height: 1.5em;
}

h3 {
margin: 1.5em 0 0 0;
padding: 0.5em 1em 0.5em 1em;
background: none;
color: #666;
border: none;
line-height: 1.5em;
}

h4 {
margin: 1.5em 0 0 0;
padding: 0.5em 1em 0.5em 1.3em;
background: none;
color: #666;
border: none;
font-size: 1em;
line-height: 1.5em;
}

h5 {
margin: 1.5em 0 0 0;
padding: 0.5em 1em 0.5em 1em;
background: none;
color: #666;
border: none;
line-height: 1.5em;
}

p {
padding: 0em 3em 0.5em 1.4em;
}

div.pBody {
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-left: none;
border-right: none;
}
a {color: #369;}

Posted: **11 Mar 2007 09:39**

Looked at that test screen shot....appears quite nice but:
1) White text in "Main Page" header on gray background doesn't quite work, IMO...hard to read as shown.
Needs to be either black, blue or that other text color that is on XY site (left sidebar) to better match XY main site.
2) Background for "What is XY?" sub-head almost disappears on my laptop...almost looks white when viewed at slightly less than straight-on angle...needs to be a bit darker to show consistently.
3) Could the XY site green or red/orange be used as background for either of the above? Just wondering...

Posted: **11 Mar 2007 12:51**

j_c_hallgren wrote:Looked at that test screen shot....appears quite nice but:
1) White text in "Main Page" header on gray background doesn't quite work, IMO...hard to read as shown.
Needs to be either black, blue or that other text color that is on XY site (left sidebar) to better match XY main site.
2) Background for "What is XY?" sub-head almost disappears on my laptop...almost looks white when viewed at slightly less than straight-on angle...needs to be a bit darker to show consistently.
3) Could the XY site green or red/orange be used as background for either of the above? Just wondering...

1) hmm, works very well here. Calibrate your monitor?
2) okay, the background of the wiki itself is a very similar slightly darker grey (#f9f9f9) -- that should work better.
3) not my taste

Posted: **11 Mar 2007 14:41**

admin wrote:1) hmm, works very well here. Calibrate your monitor?

BTW, it's not a monitor, it's an LCD screen that doesn't allow calibration...and the white on gray is almost always a bad choice for readability, as when I've seen it done before...on the XY site, you use black or blue text for nav bar on top, and another darker grayish color on left sidebar, so why wouldn't one of these options be valid for wiki also? Any of these three colors is MUCH more easy to read on the particular gray background.

Posted: **11 Mar 2007 17:50**

Very nicely done, Don

Okay so, I used your CSS stuff, and I changed a few things too... Mainly I kept the borders in, because I believe they also act as "separators" and are usefull on pages that have a lot of text in them.

I haven't put the new skin in use yet, but you can test it already, so let me know what you all think of this new one. Here's a few links:
http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php?useskin=xyskin
http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php/Co ... kin=xyskin
http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php/Fi ... kin=xyskin
http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php/Li ... kin=xyskin
http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php/Pr ... kin=xyskin

Posted: **11 Mar 2007 21:20**

jacky wrote:Very nicely done, Don

Okay so, I used your CSS stuff, and I changed a few things too... Mainly I kept the borders in, because I believe they also act as "separators" and are usefull on pages that have a lot of text in them.

Yeah, I like it much better than before. Though, I find a white <h1> heading clearly better than #222. Also, there are too many lines (borders) for my taste. I prefer white space as separator -- more air... Also, all grey boxes and box-like forms should have the same grey colors, namely #f9f9f9 and a #ddd border. Also, the left margin should be more aligned, now it's too chaotic. All this, of course, in my taste. Just suggesting...

Posted: **12 Mar 2007 01:08**

Jacky, Don - much better

I agree with what Don says in his last comment though, especially about the left margin alignment.

Posted: **12 Mar 2007 02:32**

I had a chance (while at mall today) to check on forum and thus the wiki current and latest test using another screen also...the latest changes look definitely better and H1 is much easier to see/read now that it's darker.