ultimate

[ladynada]

Link to the theme


Designed to be a default theme with as little change to default php
files as possible. Creates many new variable names for editing in the
styles.css file to allow the SysOp to customize his/her BBS.  More
control over 'text color' will make dark themes possible with ultimate
as the template.  For beginner theme makers to learn how to edit the
styles.css.

See this theme in action:  http://heartdaughter.com/overcomers/
test user name: sysop
test user pw   : smfsysop

[ladynada]

K00L!  Its approved for download!

thanks,
nada

[ladynada]

Howdy SysOps!

I am already working on an update to the Ultimate theme.  I have taken some comments into consideration and will make the fonts smaller.  I will show you here how to cut and paste a small section in the styles.css to make them smaller yourself, instead of waiting for my update, which will be delayed quite a while since I have many ideas I want to learn to implement.

this edit is very very easy... put the following in your styles.css in place of the same code found there:

Code Select Expand



/* Default font sizes: small (8pt), normal (10pt), and large (14pt). */
.smalltext
{
font-size: xx-small;
font-family: Helvetica, Helv, sans, "sans serif", Arial, Verdana;
}
.middletext
{
font-size: x-small;
font-family: Helvetica, Helv, sans, "sans serif", Arial, Verdana;
}
.normaltext
{
font-size: small;
font-family: Helvetica, Helv, sans, "sans serif", Arial, Verdana;
}




you younguns have GOOD EYES! 

so, I want to show you a little screenshot of how I have changed the TOP portion of the main screen.



It is more compact, but takes up about the same amount of room, BUT, allows you to put in a logo in the left top corner, the dimensions are 177 x 144 which is a decent size.  I dont like to waste real estate on the screen if I can help it.  Now, when you use the rollup button, that bottom line is all that is left; also there is one for guests, for when they rollup.  This was all edited in the index.template.php file, and new classes will be available in the styles.css to customize your top.  I also tested it with a large avatar, which was dimensions 126 x 151 (kinda big).

Other changes are planned in my little mind... we shall see...

thanks,
nada

[ladynada]

Howdy SysOps!

I am working on a bridge now for SMF to your homepage in the root that may only require a few quick edits!

check it out now at http://heartdaughter.com

ummm I have to work out a couple of tests before I can release it.

regards,
nada

p.s. for one thing, the 'website' button needs to be highlighted, not the 'forum' button... but I am sleepy right now... will get back to you

[ladynada]

Howdy SysOps!

I am working on a bridge now for SMF to your homepage in the root that may only require a few quick edits!

check it out now at http://heartdaughter.com

ummm I have to work out a couple of tests before I can release it.

regards,
nada

p.s. for one thing, the 'website' button needs to be highlighted, not the 'forum' button... but I am sleepy right now... will get back to you

GOOD NEWS peeps!

I solved all bug-a-boos!  I needed to NOT use the call_user_func in my index.php in my root directory.  If you want to see what this bridge/portal is like, please check my webpage at:

http://heartdaughter.com

now, my site is new, and I have NOTHING on it, so I just cut and paste the news fader code into the index.php file.  So you will have to use your imagination about what YOU could do on your homepage. As you can see, if you allow guests to browse, that you can access EVERYTHING from your SMF forum, right from your homepage.  Once you click FORUM, then you go into the normal http://yourdomain.com/forum/index.php. 

Notes: 

When you login from the homepage, you STAY on the homepage.  That is so you can have other mods
on your homepage that want to use the data in the userinfo.


When you logout from ANYWHERE, the setup will redirect the user to your homepage.

if you do NOT allow guests, then if they click any SMF options they will get a login or register menu, per normal.


as per my new theme, ultimate, this version changes the arrangement of the top menu to make it more
compact and allow a larger LOGO.  You can arrange your top whatever way you want by editing the
index.template.php in the theme folder. You could even make it sparse and just let your homepage show
what you want, and then when they hit forum, the top can be ONE line, since they are already logged in.

In order to have the SMF current theme to skin your homepage, you simply have to use the class
identifications in the styles.css that the theme itself is using!  This fact enables an easy integration of
the look of themes into your homepage, automatically.


_____

regards,
nada

[ladynada]

yo, I need a blog......

[ladynada]

Big Decision Time!

( I am pretending, for now, that there is interest in this theme)

If you go to my root homepage at http://heartdaughter.com you will see the new version of the ultimate theme, is now a portal or bridge between the homepage and the SMF forum.  In order to achieve this effect there are literally a _few_ edits that any SysOp can do manually.  You would be able to use the instructions to create this 'ultiportal' on your system now, withOUT using the ultimate theme at all.

My big decision at this time, is not only whether to release it now, or wait and add more features, OR to release it now, and make several versions in the release, one: based on the default theme for new sysops and those still using the default theme. two: the portal configuration edited into the ultimate theme that also has a new top section setup.

I am leaning toward option two.

Because right now I have many ideas floating around in my mind for addons and mods, like a blog, and a menu system for the homepage, and I wont be satisfied and able to package all that for probably a few weeks from now... and in the meantime you smart younguns could be hacking this simple edit and making some nice mods for everyone much sooner than I could.

I do not even know how to make an installable package!

I would also be willing, if needed to create a separate support board for ultiportal.

Lastly, I want to offer sincere respect to all CMS and portal program users and coders that are out there now; to me, the more the better, to see people enabled to make great communities on earth with this excellent SMF forum software!

regards,
nada

[ladynada]

Please wait until this is approved:
http://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=252

ULTIPORTAL 1.0

ULTIPORTAL -  A Poor Man's Bridge between Homepage and SMF 1.1.2 forum.

Zip includes two themes configured with the Ultiportal Setup; one is the default SMF 1.1.2 theme, the other is an updated ultimate theme.  You can EDIT your own themes to run as ultiportal setups with a FEW quick and easy edits to your index.template.php and index.english.php files!

See my homepage for an example:  http://heartdaughter.com
login with username:  sysop and password:  smfsysop

The updated ultimate theme has a more compact top section.  The styles.css is loaded with many classifications to make it easier to make excellent DARK THEMES.  All these files are helpful to beginner coders and theme authors like myself.

For support, please post in the thread for this file on SMF community forum.

[ladynada]

Once you see how easy the edits are you can make an ultiportal setup with most any theme. I just converted MUSICONICA.

in the index.template.php of MUSICONICA I needed to make one additional change:

Code Select Expand



// Show the [website] button.
echo '
<td class="main-navigation"><a href="http://heartdaughter.com/index.php">' , $txt[96] , '</a></td>';



regards,
nada

[ladynada]

there will be a day delay on me re-uploading the ultiportal theme setup.  last minute two log error bugs needed to be squashed, and now want to give some time for testing and some sleep for me

perhaps tues evening I will upload it, I have to zip the new fixes into the zip file carefully, and with no sleep, I should NOT do such a thing now

talk later,
nada

[ladynada]

Howdy folks!

I just uploaded the fixed ultiportal.zip.  Please wait for it to go through the approval process, or visit my website to download.

http://heartdaughter.com/

thanks,
nada

[ladynada]

Just to update this thread on ultiportal 1.1, it is now waiting for approval.  The bad files have been deleted, and thanks to the support team for hepping a girl out!

nada

[Aes-Sedai]

Hello? I'm using your theme currently, it's quite a nice one.

But for the life of me I cannot work out with this is happening:


See how the search bar has expanded?

Can you help me remove that search section altogether please?

[ladynada]

Hi Aes-Sedai,

You have several options. 

You could make your news items smaller.

You could delete the graphic file in the styles.css so that only the background color shows on that side.

in styles.css see this section:

Code Select Expand


.topsearch_titlebg2, tr.topsearch_titlebg2 th, tr.topsearch_titlebg2 td

/*   the small search box in the top box         */
{
        color: #000000; /* black */
font-style: normal;
background-color: #AACDEB; /* light blue */
background-image: url(images/topsearch_titlebg2.gif);
background-repeat: repeat-x;
padding-left: 15px;
padding-right: 15px;
border: outset 3px #1F73D1; /* medium blue */
}


so, to remove the blue graphic, delete this line:

Code Select Expand


background-image: url(images/topsearch_titlebg2.gif);


if you want to delete the search box at the top altogether, then in the themes folder for ultimate, you need to edit the index.template.php.  look for:

Code Select Expand


// Show a random news item? (or you could pick one from news_lines...)


now about five lines below that you will see where the search option starts. you would delete this whole section:

Code Select Expand


';
echo '
<td class="topsearch_titlebg2" align="right" nowrap="nowrap" valign="top">
<form action="', $scripturl, '?action=search2" method="post" accept-charset="', $context['character_set'], '" style="margin: 0;">
<a href="', $scripturl, '?action=search;advanced"><img src="'.$settings['images_url'].'/filter.gif" align="middle" style="margin: 0 1ex;" alt="" /></a>
<input type="text" name="search" value="" style="width: 190px;" />&nbsp;
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="', $txt[182], '" style="width: 11ex;" />
<input type="hidden" name="advanced" value="0" />';

// Search within current topic?
if (!empty($context['current_topic']))
echo '
<input type="hidden" name="topic" value="', $context['current_topic'], '" />';

// If we're on a certain board, limit it to this board ;).
elseif (!empty($context['current_board']))
echo '
<input type="hidden" name="brd[', $context['current_board'], ']" value="', $context['current_board'], '" />';

echo '
</form>
</td>


be very careful, I suggest you make a backup copy of your index.template.php first.

notice that you need to delete the ; that is right after the </td> also.



what I would do is make the news items shorter.

I hope this helps you,
nada

[ladynada]

I am thankful for the feedback and question.  I am working on a new theme to upgrade the ultimate theme and fix the problem with the stretching out of the search window when the news is large.  And this one will add some new features, and have a much cleaner and easier to edit, styles.css.  I am learning alot from working with the template system and from making the ultiportal bridge/portal setup.

Here is a screenshot of an early look at what I have done so far.



check out the new buttons, worked on them last nite.  there are a few more that I need to make but I am having a lot trouble finding out how, the one in the calendar called calenderpe.gif is one of them.

[ladynada]

Re:

Total time logged in:

how many sysops and users find this stat interesting?

I am thinking about deleting it from the top menu.

nada

[ladynada]

nother sneekpeek

http://heartdaughter.com/overcomers/index.php/topic,395.msg639.html#msg639

[Aes-Sedai]

Hey there, awesome theme!

Is there any reason when I install my adsense in index.template.php the Category names suddenly become incredible larger on the forum?

Plus, it's look really great!

[ladynada]

Hey there, awesome theme!

Is there any reason when I install my adsense in index.template.php the Category names suddenly become incredible larger on the forum?

Plus, it's look really great!

Thanks for the kind words.

I am happy to tell you that I am learning fast about how these templates work, so I was able to go look in the right place to answer your question with a better confidence.  It just takes practice.

Your category title font is controlled in the styles.css by the section on board_catbg, and you need to edit the font size to medium.

it might say x-large right now.

Hope that helps.
regards,
nada

[ladynada]

News Fader is BAck!  With this new theme I am working on, the news fader OR the random news is an option; but NOT both.

to see new pics as I work on the theme, check the link in my previous reply here.

regards,
nada