ij_siteschemes
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About this journal
IJ_siteschemes is where everyone involved in designing site schemes for IJ can exchange notes, documents and ideas. Membership is currently moderated, so please leave a comment for branchandroot if you'd like to join in.

September 2015
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Branch [userpic]
To Do and more calls for volunteers

All right, the materials have been sent off to Squeaky to be encoded as a template, and the next thing up will be beta-testing.

Next up on my design list are: plain text version and gray-and-orange version for those who want the new menus but like the current colors. After that, I think, are the rainbow versions that [info]blasphemy_blue came up with.

At this point, there are also a number of infrastructure things that need to be done, and I'd love help with these.

Some FAQs need to be written, to help users customize their site schemes. One of these needs to include directions on how to find/use browser styles in as many different browsers as we can possibly manage. Any volunteers for this would be much appreciated.

As I have never used Stylish, I'd also appreciate it if someone who has could write up something about using that to manipulate a layout.

One of the things I'd like to have available somewhere, perhaps on this asylum, is a collection of ready-made styles and of little style-parts to do things like change the color of the menus and what side of the screen things are on. Most of this will have to wait until the code is finalized, but if people could be thinking about it and maybe jotting down things to contribute, that would be great. Once we have a finalized code, membership will be opened up so anyone can add their design work.

My own rate of progress is about to slow down as I have to start writing lectures again instead of only working on design; I expect that's true for a lot of other people too. But I'm hoping we can still make steady progress.

Comments

I wrote tutorials back in August on how to use Stylish and/or the GM scripts generated by userstyles.org in a few browsers (Fx, Opera and Epiphany, IIRC), so I don't mind adapting them :) I can also write tutorial on how to use browser styles in any Linux browser. No access to Windows or Mac OS, though.

I think something like the CSS Guide to Bloggish would be awesome, to find out what classes/ids are available, and what they affect.

On LJ, I mod ljskins, where people can post skins of LJ's siteschemes. Maybe something similar could be done here.

*claps hands* That would be excellent!

When we're sure about the code, I'm definitely going to have to write up a guide to the css.

And yes, that was just the idea I wanted; skins for the site. It should be easier, here, because people shouldn't need GM to install the hooks. *wistful* And maybe we'll pick up some people who are good enough with scripts to make an interface that can load the skins as a page-level style so we won't even have to make people mess with browser styles. I'm trying to keep the page-level style slot open so we can use it for something like that, eventually.

Is this where one signs up to be a volunteer?

*sparkles at you* It certainly is! What are you thinking of working on?

My coding days are long behind me - I think it'd make me cross eyed now. But I'm happy to beta test and happy to do image type things. I have photoshop and I'm not afraid to use it.

Also - the post mentioned FAQs?

Excellent. Once the basic site styles are done, I'd really like to get into some more elaborate backgrounds, maybe stuff that can dip under the frequently-used-linkbar or interesting image fades across the banner.

But, yes, for now the FAQs need to be done next. If you think you could write directions for how to use browser styles for IE or Safari or Firefox, or if you want to work on the Very Basic Explanation of CSS, any of those would be wonderfully helpful.

As always I'm here to help. Just point me in the direction you need me; html, css, graphic design, tutorials, anything really except heavy coding.

When you say ready-made styles and style-parts, you're talking about the site schemes right? I'm confused by what exactly you mean by that. A part where users put in their own designs or designs that we make?

If you think you could write up an FAQ or two on how to get to browser styles in IE, that would be wonderful. I have limited access to MS computers.

Yes, I was thinking site scheme styles. Because users can override the basic style sheet with their browser styles, but most people aren't css designers themselves, having things they can just copy and paste would be useful, I think.

Sure, sure. I can definitely do that. You want pictures or just text?

Ah I get your idea now. Basically background colors and text colors and whatnot? That would be cool for people I think because then they couldn't complain about not being able to find colors they liked :P

Oo, a few screencaps would be wonderful!

Yeah, exactly. If people want to contribute whole designs, that'll be great, but I think it would also be nice if we had a collection of quick css overrides for menu and link colors. I doubt it'll stop the complaining, but maybe it'll be quieter!

So you're trying to make the site layout so users can edit certain parts?

Correct me if I'm wrong!

Basically, yes. The site layout should be completely customizable, using CSS and user styles. We're working on FAQs and a layout library to provide what amount to skins for the site. Eventually, I'd like to have it be customizable with some kind of graphic interface, but that's a good ways off yet.

That sounds great! Wish I could help but I'm not really up with coding like I used to be, the only thing I could do is FAQs but I think someone else is doing them.

Can't wait to see it in action though, looked at some examples in the asylum and they look great! :D