Mobile version of the forum

[bharat]

Also we have quite a few awards on the forum and they take a lot of space on the screen in mobile version, is it porrible to add some button which can hide them or something similar?

[Kindred]

Well, awards would be a mod... so you would have to ask in the support thread for that mod.

No, responsive is not the same as mobile specific. Reposive is.., IMO...  better, since it shows the same theme adjusted nicely for screen size.


Missing icons suggest that the icons image files are not actually present

[drewactual]

Well, awards would be a mod... so you would have to ask in the support thread for that mod.

No, responsive is not the same as mobile specific. Reposive is.., IMO...  better, since it shows the same theme adjusted nicely for screen size.


Missing icons suggest that the icons image files are not actually present

agreed...

i took the bellacitta theme as a start, which relies in great part on the curve- and chopped the crap out of it to make it mine- and it's fully responsive based solely on screen size of the browser... the smaller you get the more goodies are 'sacrificed' or banished (dilly dilly!!) to the bottom of the screen. 

it works and my users are happy with it- which makes ma happy with it.

the hurdle is the inline style- once those are addressed, the rest comes together cleanly.  the most current CSS being put to good use makes it a lot easier to be sure.... all told, and me all alone- there is likely 5~10 hours total in getting it the way i wanted it. 

enough evidence is in my sig to find it- go ahead and try it- resize your browser to find the breakpoints. 

ALL of the CSS is in the main css does it- and that is the only thing i don't like about it.... i kinda had to, and do it AFTER the main (catering to desktop) css, so the styles were guaranteed to take effect.... that CSS file is 3k+ lines long... at some point, when my season passes, i'll go back and remedy that.   

edited to add:  if you check it out, use secure https and www

[Gwenwyfar]

So you have horizontal scrolling in your posts at certain widths, content overflowing outside the screen, things with no margin or borders or that wrap in a bad way, a lot of empty space with nothing in it, to name a few problems just in the topics/home/boards pages.

Yes, any decent mobile adaptive theme is made using css, that's what the official curve adaptation mod does and that's what 2.1 does. And it takes much more than 5-10 hours to do properly.

[drewactual]

yup- some posts scroll-right, purposely done... either a long link (most often) i didn't want to break or an image that the imagemagic still works on (click it for a pop-over w/exit button).   both of those were carefully considered. 

now content runs right up to the edge, true- but not in a gaudy way.  the only off screen event i intend on changing is the 'alert' function on top which pops to the right of the screen- unless you registered, you didn't see that. 

white space is incredibly important... at one point there were evenly distributed elements, but which offered little relief to readers/eyes.  after comparing the two for a while, we (users) and i decided on the current scheme. 

as far as containment, it's all contained.  there may be margins you don't approve of, but google likes them and the entire page, ranking the mobile experience very well.  i do have work to do on the store- but that isn't SMF, that's WP and Woocommerce that needs tweaking here and there.   

i aim NOT claiming the function perfect- there are things i need to address, but having those items identified and currently defined (meaning the css needs a tweak) or identified in location (meaning there are inline styles for those items i'll need to weed out and combat; or eliminate altogether- replacing inline and swapping for a #div or .div instead)....

so.. *[tear it apart if you'd like], but it works and works well and to the point the search engines performed an 'about face' and ranked it very well- and within (less than) six months of it's inception the page is ranked very well- first page above the fold for many search-terms (within top five in searches that matter to me in a couple instances), and all of that came together only after gaining googles 'mobile' approval...

*[tear it apart if you'd like- and realize I actually appreciate it greatly- there are always things to improve always and it will  benefit me to see it through someone else's eyes every time. ]

but at any rate, i've trolled this thread and apologize for doing so... my point was and still is that a person can make a functional mobile or responsive theme out of just about any 'theme'- or better said 'dataset provided by the engine'- by providing similar colors and format and breaking (then building) the main (desktop) page in 'blocks', and then using those blocks as elements that can be added or removed based on screen size definitions- boom- your page can be 'responsive'... (don't confuse my use of the term 'block' with css block elements, didn't mean it that way, mean it like 'building blocks').

[Arantor]

my point was and still is that a person can make a functional mobile or responsive theme out of just about any 'theme'

No-one was disputing this point. The only thing ever in dispute is how simple you seemed to claim it was.

[drewactual]

ah- i see now...

well... i reckon folks take things for granted... CSS is simple to me- exceedingly so.. where php requires me to study and lean on others more than i'd like... html is easy, whereas cobol or even asp is a mystery... i lean on experts for the engines and always have. 

it was necessity for me to learn CSS, because as far as presentation goes, we're all on our own...

the engine- php- and specifically the SMF engine?  w/o SMF and this community, i'd be broke- meaning every penny a web presence has made me would be owed to those who drafted this thing.  for that i ought to be laying gifts at the feet of it's creator. 

i get that time machines don't exist- but if they did- it would be nice to travel back to when 'responsive' or 'mobile' wasn't a concern and beg the writers of this engine not to include so man inline styles.  CSS simply can't defeat those.  it was certainly the 'way to go' then, but not now. 

if i had a team of even twenty people, and the resources to do it- i'd have them take chunks of this engine each, and go through it with a fine tooth comb pulling ALL the style/format out and writing a separate css container for it- and then reviewing that css later to see what could be combined... it's NOT that it's bad- it isn't... but at some point, and if things continue as an industry/practice the way they have been going, that's going to have to happen.  Style and content have to be separated as completely as possible if for no other reason as to 'anticipate' the way ahead.

[Gwenwyfar]

my point was and still is that a person can make a functional mobile or responsive theme out of just about any 'theme'

No-one was disputing this point. The only thing ever in dispute is how simple you seemed to claim it was.

^

i get that time machines don't exist- but if they did- it would be nice to travel back to when 'responsive' or 'mobile' wasn't a concern and beg the writers of this engine not to include so man inline styles.  CSS simply can't defeat those.  it was certainly the 'way to go' then, but not now. 

2.1 already comes with an adaptive theme as default and no longer uses inline styles

[drewactual]

i heed the advise/request NOT to run 2.1 in production... i still likely need to download and install it to see how it tics.  I can imagine it's quite a step above where i'm at now (2.0.15)... else it wouldn't be even a consideration, right?

it will sound a lot worse than i intend it by saying this- but the very best coders and builders of db interactive script can do amazing things- but rarely are they concerned with user interface it's been my observation.  meanwhile, folks that can make things look nice can rarely pull anything out of a data table to actually render. 

[Gwenwyfar]

That is often very true. Different people focus on different fields. That's why the best teams have varied enough people to cover all skills

I'm more towards latter example, for one. I know many here would probably be the first.

[Arantor]

well... i reckon folks take things for granted.

Indeed. Assumptions are also a terrible thing.

CSS is simple to me- exceedingly so

I don't have a problem with CSS either, though you seemed to assume I did. Assumptions are a very dangerous thing.

CSS simply can't defeat those

Because !important doesn't exist. Not saying it's a good solution but it certainly does exist as a solution.

it would be nice to travel back to when 'responsive' or 'mobile' wasn't a concern and beg the writers of this engine not to include so man inline styles.

SMF 2.0 literally comes from a time when responsive and mobile didn't exist. As for the inline styles, a lot of that is actually for browser compatibility back in the day. Browsers are far better behaved now than they were given that 2.0 still technically supports the dreaded IE 6.

2.1 is far better about this.

i'd have them take chunks of this engine each, and go through it with a fine tooth comb pulling ALL the style/format out and writing a separate css container for it

Ah, the Drupal approach of 20-deep divs, which actually makes the thing render slowly and behave even more oddly in responsive ways. There are matters that are being conflated here - suitably good markup doesn't need masses of containers because CSS selectivity will deal with that.

Though SMF's markup and styling is tiny compared to other systems of similar complexity.

but the very best coders and builders of db interactive script can do amazing things- but rarely are they concerned with user interface it's been my observation

Some of us tried. I may not be the most gifted UI designer but I at least tried to make non-ugly and usable interfaces. Unfortunately there's an awful lot of 'that's good enough' and 'users can read the manual' to contend with, especially in open source where 'it works' is frequently considered good enough.

Do note that you're conflating UI/UX with separation of concerns.

I can imagine it's quite a step above where i'm at now (2.0.15)... else it wouldn't be even a consideration, right?

It's been in development for 6 years, through the time that responsive and mobile became a thing, though 2.1 still has some way to go in some places (the main menu + admin menu collapsing on mobile is... less than desirable for example, because this kind of thing is really really hard to do well)

[drewactual]

@arantor- i have no idea why you want to fight.... I never said nor even approximate you weren't proficient with CSS... i have no idea who or what you are- much less what your qualifications are.. why would you assume that was my position? not only here but in a couple threads you've engaged without explanation leaving me to believe you don't appreciate what you view as interloping? maybe somebody who has the 'audacity' to question?  the entirety of this 'open source community' is to share, no?  a rats backside may be available to you from another source, but you aren't getting it from me where opinions formulated from extremely limited interactions are concerned. 

i'm nowhere nearing proficient with php... i am with css which is farFARfar simpler.. with the work already done by folks like you and others- your and their contributions- i don't have to be. i just have to make it render the way i want.   

and the part you apparently miss concerning 'conflating UI and UX' is:  of course I interchange them... I'm a one man show (with the exception of leaning on this community).. the same conversation employs graphics, deflation of image weight, layout and constraint, entry/exit studies/observation, flow of information and ease of discovery, and a myriad of other terms that i choose to use while being responsible for both UI and UX.  I don't have to elevate myself by using terms that are almost a secret language and then attempting to use them as a tool (or weapon) against someone encroaching on my 'clubhouse'.   seriously- get over yourself and find some security.... i'd love to learn from you, but i'll never be your (female dog post litter).

even addressing this is beneath both you and me. 

wow.

if you can't be friendly, fine... at least be professional?   i won't engage this conversation in this manner again.  nobody has encroached on your claim nor questioned your qualifications.  that's all in your head, and it makes the user experience here excrement from a horse.. (see what i did there? i 'conflated' personality with 'UX'?)  seriously... retort how you will, then let's move on?

@Gwenwyfar, thank you for understanding my approach without taking personal exception... and I really appreciate the micro review of my attempt at a responsive theme.  there are a lot of things i've learned in the last few hours based on what you've shared, and things i've identified need addressing (which will have to wait until after the cyber purchasing madness of the next few weeks- i wouldn't dare change a users experience or expectation in the middle of that, as most my customers are returning customers... the silence at the first of the year is perfect opportunity for that.)

[drewactual]

incidentally, that last post took all of five or six minutes to bang out, yet i received the 'sessions expired' notice upon striking 'post'. 

i wish i knew where to start finding that and remedying it... i've seen it twice on my forum and once here, now, in the past two days.

[Arantor]

OK, so here's the deal: you started out by asserting how simple it is to make a mobile theme. I'm literally one of the people who's done part of this in the SMF dev team and you suggesting that it only takes a few hours is insulting to both me and the people who've worked on SMF in its history where far, far longer than that was spent on it.

I've easily spent that five or six hours you've talked about solving 'simple' CSS bugs in the theme for 2.0. And I've easily spent way more than that in 2.1's dev history, not to mention the time spent on the dozens of mods I wrote, and the other dozens of mods I've helped in the past. But sure, continue to claim it's super simple and can be done in that time.

i'd love to learn from you

First of all, stop asserting how simple things are in a way that is insulting to those of us who do have done it for the platform you're talking about!

You see, if you assert that it only takes a few hours, it's not a huge stretch to argue "why haven't the team spent those few hours", which is suggesting the team and its contributors are either lazy or incompetent or both, which is why it's an insult, especially when you are arguing with one of the people who has spent the time doing it.

By all means, check out 2.1, there's probably ways it can be made better, especially to someone who suggests how simple it all is... I've just been trying to advocate that it just isn't as simple as you've been pitching, and I've been doing CSS for... over a decade now.

[drewactual]

bellacitta is the foundation of the theme i used- much of the work was already done.  bellicitta relies on curve to a great deal, but not in the places that matter to quickly make the theme responsive- which means i started out by simply tackling the items not already addressed.  most of the work was performed on items introduced to that theme, not what was already there. 

because it was already prepped- the work was minimal to refine it to the degree it's refined- if i should even use that term.  it works, that's a better term. 

to take an 'out of the box' curve and do what you guys have done?  yeah... the juice isn't worth the squeeze for one person to attempt such- which is a credit to what you and your people have accomplished.  but to take a theme that's already prepared by confining features into 'building blocks'?  that's a five to ten hour job. 

i've insulted no one purposely. 

and something else.....

liberal use of include and require for calling exterior files into the index.template, breaking the rendering down even further may not be something true coders appreciate, but it's something that has worked in my instance to manage what goes where/when and complements 'building block' approach.  i'd like to know a better way to do that.  doing it like i have allows me to protect the index.template for function when the called file doesn't want to play nicely due to browser.  it's a layer of complication i'd rather avoid, but.... taking the cue from how others have accomplished it, the complication actually simplifies things where style is concerned.

i stand with my assertion that breaking things into block functions strung together and prioritized with control handed over to CSS makes for quick work of creating a responsive function- the caveat is the sacrifice of function as the screen gets smaller.  and admin functions?  no..... as said prior, for my admin's and mods, they can find a desktop to do things, or alert someone who has one at their disposal if something needs to be done pronto.  that was just one of many sacrifices.

[Arantor]

I assure you, Curve Responsive took a metric ton more than five to ten hours to make. Even the theme you're talking about, that also took more than five to ten hours to make, but it's nice to see where the claim of time really is.

Also, regarding breakpoints, try looking at 768px wide sometime. Several things visibly overlap, the sidebar collapses but the content doesn't pull to the right to assume full width sand the line height on the front page users online is so small, it's unusable on mobile. Plus the header content leaks out the header.

Plus where the content doesn't stretch, your big banners in topics end up getting cut off.

Things are better on 1024px wide, but frequently topic titles wrap to two lines even when they're not that long, line height still way too small making all the smaller text look positively cramped.

Oh, and the theme says you're not allowed to remove the copyright even if you modify it.

[drewactual]

....just imagine what i'll have it looking like in another 5 or so hours!!!

and... that theme is no longer their's.... it's beyond modified at this point.

[Kindred]

That does not matter. You used their theme as a baseline. Unless you have replaced every single bit of code in their templates and other files, you must show their copyright.

[drewactual]

and i don't mind doing so one bit... i don't even recall taking it out.  but that ain't gonna keep me from vollying a turd back at someone who for some reason has taken grave exception to my very existence, if for no other reason as to F you- that's why.

[drewactual]

fwiw- i've contacted the author of the theme and cried his/her pardon... i've also requested current code precisely as they will want it to appear. 

i did this because it's the right thing to do, and because i'm not as proud as some people.  i  fodamn sure didn't do it because of an insecure cyber bully full of disdain and vinegar abusing their station and talking pure manure to those they deem 'plebs' and just because said pleb doesn't fall on their knees in their mere presence...

just sayin.  i tried to kabosh the BS.  "some people you just can't reach, so you have what we have here- which is, what he wants... well, he gets"