Simple Machines Community Forum

Customizing SMF => Building Your Community and other Forum Advice => Topic started by: GO LIVE on March 29, 2016, 08:38:39 PM

Poll
Question: Best way to setup a USER Friendly Mobile Forum?
Option 1: Responsive Template votes: 10
Option 2: Mobile Detect with a Mobile Template votes: 3
Option 3: SMF4MOBILE votes: 1
Title: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: GO LIVE on March 29, 2016, 08:38:39 PM
Hi All,
Been doing a ton of digging. I have found many very, very nice responsive templates with many user pages but many are not yet available to download  >:(
What I am looking for is:

  • Facebook intregation (like, share, login)
  • Able to add video
  • View profile pic
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: Biology Forums on March 30, 2016, 12:42:10 AM
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=543252.0

Truly the best one in my opinion AND it's free to download. It is, however, responsive.
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: GO LIVE on March 30, 2016, 04:58:38 PM
Thanks Shuban for your input.
I am keeping an eye on ModernStyles final direction.
* Seems to be a little blogish and with limited navigation.
* With the (T) & (B) not suitable for a foreign language.
* I am not a fan of the menu icons, prefer menu expand for mobile.

We need more responsive templates for sure.
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: Kindred on March 30, 2016, 05:02:54 PM
At this point, I believe there are at least a dozen responsive themes...

personally, I like the Studio003 design.... (although this site is using a modified version)
http://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php

Alpha Centauri is nice too...
http://www.40konline.com

alot of people seem like like Redsy or Exodus
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: GO LIVE on March 30, 2016, 06:39:49 PM
Quote from: Kindred on March 30, 2016, 05:02:54 PM
At this point, I believe there are at least a dozen responsive themes...

personally, I like the Studio003 design.... (although this site is using a modified version)
http://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php

Alpha Centauri is nice too...
http://www.40konline.com

alot of people seem like like Redsy or Exodus

Thanks Kindred for stopping in.
Both Studio003 and AlphaCentauri are no longer available to download :(

Also I really like the SAFacebook mod but no longer works with new facebook apps and author no longer cares to update. What a shame.

My hunt continues.
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: Kindred on March 30, 2016, 07:06:10 PM
I think Studio and AlphaCentauri are available on Bloc's site....
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: GO LIVE on March 30, 2016, 09:06:34 PM
OK after 2 weeks of research here are my results. (BTW I am using SMF 2.0.11)
* SMF4MOBILE No No No
* Responsive as a stand alone, no not if you don't know HTML5 and CSS3 as many mods won't work (the theme builder will say ask the mod developer on how to get it to visible work and look good. The mod developer will take his turn and pass the ball back to the theme builder, so basically this gets you no where).
So until SMF is Responsive NOT shrink and mods are fit to work in a default SMF responsive theme. Here is my path of choice.
* Get the Mobile Device Detect http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=3349 (http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=3349)
* Find a suitable template (Mobile or Responsive) and use that template as your mobile template.
Now as your main default desktop template. If you want to mod the hell out of it, then do so. You will have more luck with the default curve or a curve clone. You can then try to incorporate (add the mod code yourself) for a mod or two into your mobile template. But only if you are comfortable with working with code and are able to style with CSS.

Wish everyone lots of luck.
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: Kindred on March 30, 2016, 10:28:27 PM
I disagree with your conclusions.

Using the studio003 theme, most of the mods, even using tables fit into the responsive design

Yes, there may be some mods which break a responsive layout -- but mist will not.
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: GO LIVE on March 31, 2016, 12:20:07 PM
I appreciate that you disagree now the floor is open for good conversation.

As I have said "I have seen responsive previews that have GREAT looks and potential but for some reason they are not complete and not available to download. (many are 2-3 years old and unfinished. leads me to believe the author ran into problems and abandoned the production).

Again you point me to studio003 a theme that is not available to download and see how great it might be.

So again I say we need more responsive themes.
* A theme designed for mobile first.
* In the US 40% of surfers is mobile.
* In many foreign countries most do not have a PC and use there Android making mobile use much, much higher.

I welcome a theme that is mobile, with FB login, like and share in first post. Also small pic of the poster for a sense of community. And good navigation to return to the forum (breadcrumbs on the top and bottom).

Not a theme that makes the user scroll for miles to see the post or replies.

The floor is open!
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: Kindred on March 31, 2016, 12:41:23 PM
Please note that FB login would never be part of the THEME -- that would be a SOURCE mod.

like/share would also likely be a mod, not a theme - although that one would affect the template files

as for responsive:

Wide: http://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=2837
Exodus: http://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=2836
Greeny: http://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=2835
Redsy: http://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=2833

Bloc themes: http://www.tinyportal.net/index.php?action=tpmod;dl=cat87
Oddly enough, Studio003 is not there...  but studio001 and studio002 are, as is alphacentauri

ShelfLife Theme: https://github.com/Bloc67/ShelfLife

Reseller: http://smftricks.com/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=77
MinDL: http://smftricks.com/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=33

Several premium (paid) responsive themes: http://smftricks.com/index.php?action=store;cat=1

there are also several others out there, like DZinerStudio...
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: GO LIVE on March 31, 2016, 04:16:04 PM
Thank you Kindred for providing the links.

I am a big fan of Bloc, very nice work on both fronts.
Love the ShelfLife theme, would go nicely with my bootstrap site but theme is not finished.

I am not a fan of those that sell templates with all 5 stars but no reviews and lack support and hide or charge for support.

I would love to load ShelfLife and Wide A in XAMPP and see how I can style some mods within Sublime text but I don't have the time right now.

Myself like others looking for an easy solution till I finish my current projects.

Not a fan of Tapatalk.

TIP: If display of Simpleportal does not play friendly with your current theme.
Hide Simpleportal on Mobile https://www.burkeknight.com/index.php?topic=557.0

I hope to see more work from Bloc.
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: nsno on May 28, 2016, 09:06:43 AM
we have a responsive theme which works very well, but we also have a Tapatalk BYO App (branded to us, so users download it as our own App, with only our forum readable on it)

they probably get equal numbers of visitors and users like having a choice
Title: Re: Best way to run a USER Friendly Mobile Forum
Post by: willymmx on May 28, 2016, 10:17:19 AM
Hi GOLIVE, Im using Redsy (modified many theme colors) responsive theme on my forum, and I have Facebook/Google Login installed and working perfectly. Take a look  www.hondacgclub.com.ar

Best.