I find styling XF frustrating.
- Thread starter Aarmin
- Start date
Kim
Well-known member
XF is a dream to style compared to any other system I have previously used professionally including vB 3 (hated it) WP (meh, it's OK) and IPB (liked it but prefer xF) it just takes some shift in how you think.. once you get it though, it is much better, easier, more efficient and was designed right from day 1, making upgrading very simple.
I love the XF skinning/styling/theme engine to bits!
I love the XF skinning/styling/theme engine to bits!
snoopy5
Well-known member
I like that one!
Is this a payed style/template or did they made the changes in the ACP? If payed, who made it?
Shelley
Well-known member
This is a custom style. I'm quite sure it's a heavily modified flexille custom style which is very heavily modified.
Forsaken
Well-known member
It's a custom by Audentio, just has the integrated breadcrumb like Flexile.
B
bogus
Guest
Also one point why i am addicted to xenforo, styling is if u get used to it very easy. I have used a lot of different Board Software but xenforo is one of the easiest in my opinion, sure not perfect but what is perfect.
Hopefully xf 1.2 will be released "soon" and maybe the Styling Properties will be improve/ perfected.
Hopefully xf 1.2 will be released "soon" and maybe the Styling Properties will be improve/ perfected.
Aarmin
Active member
I have been playing with xf a little bit, and feel more in control but I'm still not a fan of it (I'm the OP for reference).
I suppose it depends on the user; if you like to change colors here and their and let an editing system do "its magic" you may like xenforo's approach. If you are like me, and want full control over editing the style and absolutely do not like using a custom theme created from someone else; furthermore, if you document/note every feature and their associated styling elements then xf will have you pulling some hair out. Then on top of that I find myself wanting to edit even more areas, such emails - I personally do not understand why emails are styled, why not just HTML?
But that's just me... I miss the old internet.
I suppose it depends on the user; if you like to change colors here and their and let an editing system do "its magic" you may like xenforo's approach. If you are like me, and want full control over editing the style and absolutely do not like using a custom theme created from someone else; furthermore, if you document/note every feature and their associated styling elements then xf will have you pulling some hair out. Then on top of that I find myself wanting to edit even more areas, such emails - I personally do not understand why emails are styled, why not just HTML?
But that's just me... I miss the old internet.
Forsaken
Well-known member
I don't see how you can say you don't have full control of editing a style when you absolutely do... You don't need to use Style properties, and should only use them if you're releasing a style or selling it. Otherwise you should jump right into CSS/HTML, and only focus on building block style properties so you have less work to do. Even my style framework, which was created so I could use mostly style properties, requires CSS edits.
For example, this is a style I've only spent ~4 hours working on, and is about 80% completed (One hour was due to a stupid issue that was unrelated to regular styling).
I agree with the email templates though, they should have really made those much easier to style.
Morgain
Well-known member
I mostly like styling in XF. But what I never like in XF or any other system is how changing a colour in one item is set to change something else which is completely unconnected.
It makes no sense to default set a colour for a background area and that changes a group of links or titles. Background and foreground always need to contrast for a start so as to be readable.
I would like a mini map of a few key pages. Then I click on an item in that map, select a colour, and it changes on the map. Plus it gives me a list of whatever else will change if I confirm that colour.
It makes no sense to default set a colour for a background area and that changes a group of links or titles. Background and foreground always need to contrast for a start so as to be readable.
I would like a mini map of a few key pages. Then I click on an item in that map, select a colour, and it changes on the map. Plus it gives me a list of whatever else will change if I confirm that colour.
Shelley
Well-known member
That is the nature of the colour palette. It's about making changes quickly and to enforce many colours on many elements that affect many areas. If your wanting to make more specific changes folks will need to extend on the colour pallette and create a custom palette. Same rule goes for the style properties unless you build your own framework and expand upon the style properties like Forsaken and john did. Although the SP is more flexible than the Colour palette it's a more of a global (in the sense it affects other areas) unless your expanding on it, creating your own.
The templates are best for specific changes like you would do with other products there's no real change there except xenforo imo has the best styling system. Extra.css is a great template to make specific change and the majority of the time significant changes can be made in EXTRA. Sometimes, you'll have to edit other templates directly (which i've found myself doing lately) and creating custom templates.
If your wanting specific changes then nobody should be relying on the SP or colour palette since they're more about global changes in their current state until they are expanded upon by devs and/or you expand upon it yourself.
The templates are best for specific changes like you would do with other products there's no real change there except xenforo imo has the best styling system. Extra.css is a great template to make specific change and the majority of the time significant changes can be made in EXTRA. Sometimes, you'll have to edit other templates directly (which i've found myself doing lately) and creating custom templates.
If your wanting specific changes then nobody should be relying on the SP or colour palette since they're more about global changes in their current state until they are expanded upon by devs and/or you expand upon it yourself.
Morgain
Well-known member
Yes I've learned about how to make more specific changes. (Great explanation by the way that ought to be available to newcomers)
What I find headbanging though is the way Style Properties groups items together. It often has no logic.
I guess what happens is the original designer made a whole lot of things a v=certain blue, so all those things get grouped under one global Style Property colour. But that list of items has no logical connection - they are scattered on different types of pages, and do different jobs.
What I was trying to say before is that a Style Property colour change should never change things as diverse in function as a background, line edging, link or reading text.
Actually a lovely addon for newcomers would be an introductory list of changes:
Upload a forum logo (giving necessary size as is)
-- change the size available if necessary.
Change background colour of the header area behind the logo.
Change background colour of the sides of the forum.
Change the background colour of the top navigation bar (with pic to show what that is)
Change colour of the text labels on the top navigation bar.
Change the background colour of the second navigation bar (with pic to show what that is)
Change colour of the text labels on the second navigation bar.
Change colour of the category bars. (with pic to show what that is)
Add the sidebar menu to all pages in the forum.
Add the sidebar menu to selected pages in the forum. (Gives list with link to the page in each case to see what it is)
A page like that with a few more basics added would make the intro steps so blissful.
What I find headbanging though is the way Style Properties groups items together. It often has no logic.
I guess what happens is the original designer made a whole lot of things a v=certain blue, so all those things get grouped under one global Style Property colour. But that list of items has no logical connection - they are scattered on different types of pages, and do different jobs.
What I was trying to say before is that a Style Property colour change should never change things as diverse in function as a background, line edging, link or reading text.
Actually a lovely addon for newcomers would be an introductory list of changes:
Upload a forum logo (giving necessary size as is)
-- change the size available if necessary.
Change background colour of the header area behind the logo.
Change background colour of the sides of the forum.
Change the background colour of the top navigation bar (with pic to show what that is)
Change colour of the text labels on the top navigation bar.
Change the background colour of the second navigation bar (with pic to show what that is)
Change colour of the text labels on the second navigation bar.
Change colour of the category bars. (with pic to show what that is)
Add the sidebar menu to all pages in the forum.
Add the sidebar menu to selected pages in the forum. (Gives list with link to the page in each case to see what it is)
A page like that with a few more basics added would make the intro steps so blissful.
Adam Howard
Well-known member
XenForo does need to extend what it offers for styling.
That simple command has worked on so many products.... vBulletin, phpBB, WordPress, IPB, ect...ect.... Yet would not work for XenForo.
PHP:
#pageBackground
{
.pageBackground
background: url('IMAGE.png') repeat-x !important;
}That simple command has worked on so many products.... vBulletin, phpBB, WordPress, IPB, ect...ect.... Yet would not work for XenForo.
Cal
Well-known member
Styling is....well ok. I'm not a coder in the end so I can't create from scratch, but I'm very good and finding out things when I have a base. Code is a like a puzzle. I need the keys to piece together if I want to figure it out. So if someone like me can figure it out than anyone can. ...I was going to call myself a noob...but I've done forums for over 10 years no...so while I may not understand code....im no noob haha 
For example my own board...my political theme started out it's life as a MINECRAFT theme!!
For example my own board...my political theme started out it's life as a MINECRAFT theme!!
snoopy5
Well-known member
Forsaken
Well-known member
Yeah I only need to do the images on it and then it should be done.
Then I want to finish up 1.2.0 of the Xenique Framework before I release it.
Adam Howard
Well-known member
@imagePath/xenforo/gradients/category-23px-light.png
^ This needs to die
( removing it solves so many little design issues )
^ This needs to die
( removing it solves so many little design issues )
Adam Howard
Well-known member
@imagePath/xenforo/gradients/form-button-white-25px.png
also gone
..... In fact so is most of those in /gradients/
edit: replace the word "most" with "all".
Neil E.
Active member
Well I'm no expert, but I found that removing "@imagePath/xenforo/gradients/etc" has made matching up colors a lot easier for me. I have to say that using Styling Properties is almost a complete waste of time. For anything I want to remove (ie trophies) or change (ie list order) the TMS is very useful. For most styling I just go direct to EXTRA and keep hacking away at it until I get the results I want. It's a struggle for me and it would be great if there was some document that listed the CSS for EVERY single element in XF. I like to think I'm getting better as the weeks roll by, but I'm still mired in the styling and haven't got to the important stuff like a photo gallery.
