Sky High - block positioning?

Sky High - block positioning?

by Gerrard Shaw -
Number of replies: 16

I'm just having a play around with the Sky High theme as a base to mod with but need to change the position of the blocks to the standard left, right, middle setup rather than the theme's default of dual blocks on the right hand side.

Had a look through the config and settings files but can't see what actually needs changing, is it something in this section?

$hassidepre = (empty($PAGE->layout_options['noblocks']) && $PAGE->blocks->region_has_content('side-pre', $OUTPUT));
$hassidepost = (empty($PAGE->layout_options['noblocks']) && $PAGE->blocks->region_has_content('side-post', $OUTPUT));
$hasnavbar = (empty($PAGE->layout_options['nonavbar']) && $PAGE->has_navbar());
$showsidepre = ($hassidepre && !$PAGE->blocks->region_completely_docked('side-pre', $OUTPUT));
$showsidepost = ($hassidepost && !$PAGE->blocks->region_completely_docked('side-post', $OUTPUT));

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In reply to Gerrard Shaw

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Mary Evans -

You will find that the actual layout for the site is all done in the CSS stylesheets. Look at pagelayout.css in particular.

If you want your theme to have the standard layout just copy over pagelayout.css from base theme, or take a look at Mathew James Taylors Holy Grail 3 Column Liquid-Layout much of which is what Moodle 2.0 layouts are based on. Reading this article will give you a pretty good grounding in how to style your layouts for Moodle 2.

Good luck...and happy themeing!

Mary

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In reply to Mary Evans

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Derek Chirnside -

Mary, I have a feeling I know what you will think when I write this ("A little knowledge is a dangerous thing")

I've been a bit frustrated with the standard themes.  There is no built in theme that has

  • settings to change logo
  • settings adjust colour
  • ordinary looking nice menu links in a standard position
  • L and R columns.  (ie not 2 right columns or one L or R column)

ie just a few key settings and not havng to adjust CSS.  This is needed if you are working on a provided site with no access to the server.

*The nearly OK option is the magazine theme which I cannot get to work with my own image logo or bgd links, they seem to have no effect.  And the menu is off to the right and uses quirky styling and the links go off the screen.

*The nearly OK other one is Skyhigh which has columns at the right (great I hear for SEO) but not nice for Moodle.  Plus you cannot empty any of the columns, or move stuff between them.  This is the one I will live with if I have to I guess.

*Oh well, maybe pay the $$ to the provider to get one of the other themes approved.  :-|

*Or try to hack the CSS on the settings page.  Based on your comment above I found the base theme and copied it's pagelayout.css into the CSS panel in sky high settings - and it seems to make no difference.

Back to the drawing board.

One question is why we can't have some of these basic options on all the themes?  There are some cool themes there, just not customisable enough at the manager role level.

-Derek
"Having fun, but anxious to move on soon from themes"

 

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In reply to Derek Chirnside

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Mary Evans -

Why don't you bite the bullit and design a theme for yourself, in the style you want and with all the bells and whistles you can find to add to it? It's actually fun learning.

Or you could pay me! LOL

When you say ordinary menu in a standard position. What do you see as a standard position for a menu? And what criteria defines 'ordinary' in this context?

Changing a logo is easy enough, you just design a new logo the same size of the one that's there in the theme (if there is one) then upload your new logo to the server and overwrite the default one.  Purge the cache/refresh the browser...and vuolá...your logo appears as if by magic! What is hard about that? I would say negotiating graphics software is a harder task!

Almost half of 'core' themes in Moodle 2.0 have change colour settings.  There is a list of them in the Theme setting area of the Site Administration > Appearance > Themes ...

As for layout...you should go HERE and see the sort of layouts that can be adopted in Moodle theme design.

Food for thought...

Mary

 

 

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In reply to Mary Evans

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Derek Chirnside -

Ha ha, thanks for the reply Mary.

1. Design a theme myself?  In this context I can't.  I have a stock standard out of the box Moodle 2+ server with no server access.
Frankly I'd rather pay you.    It is a specialist role.  I do other things.  smile  The problem is in this case I have No budget.  All my time is pro bono.  mixed.  The latest thing: with 20110125 BOTH columns in Skyhigh have disappeared and I cannot get them back.  So I've moved on to a theme with no Logo.  sad
the site is http://2011.moodle2.net.nz/

2. "Ordinary menu in standard position" Point taken.  I know what I mean when I see it.  In this case, "top or bottom of header, not middle".  smile

3. Logo.  Yep I know, but if you don't have server access . . .

4. "Bells and whistles" you say?  I want simple and clean.  cool

5.  As for the Holy Grail site: yep I know. Tantilising eh?  There remains a market for your skills.

My wish list remains, a theme that has (at manager level)

  • settings to change logo  (Preferably the height & background colour & display/non-display of site name as well)
  • settings to adjust (some) colours 
    Maybe background, blocks colour, menu bar colour . .
  • simple menu styling.  (Yes I know, subjective.  No quirky animation, no funny gizmos or lines or blocks in the styling)
  • Menu option to put in top left or under header at left.  (many of the right placed menus do odd things if the code is not perfect)
  • L *and* R columns.  (ie not 2 right columns or one L *or* one R column)
    With the ability to empty any column, and to shift any blocks to any column.
  • No other odd stuff, like background images, columns merging into headers, extra lines and quirks in the styling of blocks etc.

(Off soapbox now)

Yes, I'm asking for a lot.  None of the bundled themes come with this combination of features.  I'm confident there will be some slightly better bundled themes sometime!!

I've been spoiled by Wordpress.  Every CSS available without server access.  Plus access to all the php scripts for the theme.  I'll be in touch off line.

-Derek

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In reply to Derek Chirnside

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Richard Oelmann -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers

Hi Derek,

I would imagine that with no server access then you would have trouble with adding any theme other than those included by default in the moodle install. If you can get a theme which matches your requirements would you be able to get the server administrator to upload it for you so that you could then use it?

Other than that (or in the meantime) perhaps your best bet would be to choose the already included theme which best suits your needs - including having a custom css block as part of a settings page. Any css settings which cannot be changed on the theme settings page (if it has one) can be added/over-ridden in this custom css block.

While this may not be as easy as simply choosing options in a completely comprehensive settings page, it does allow someone in your position (ie with no server access) to make changes to the look of the theme.

Richard

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In reply to Richard Oelmann

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Mary Evans -

I think what Mark, and many other people would like to see in Moodle 2.0, is an Admin Control Panel where they can upload new theme templates/ adjust settings/ add widgets/logos/ the list is endless, whereas, if you don't have access to the server, as many teachers in schools around the world are finding, it's not easy trying to change settings as this can take days even weeks for it to be done, and in some cases, they are restricted as to which plug-ins they can use...or not as the case may be.

I think the best way round this, would be, rather than have lots of core themes there should be three or four base templates to cover the various layouts (3 coll, 2 coll, blog, and then linked to these, would be a whole host of different style sheets available to mix and match that could be accessible via the theme settings page. There could be predefined styles to follow a set colour scheme.

Just a few ramblings on a wednesday evening...

Mary

 

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In reply to Mary Evans

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Charlie O'Sullivan -

You hit the nail on the head Mary. Most teachers don't have rights to access servers and need an easy way of adding plugins or modifying the appearance of their site. It is really frustrating waiting weeks for tiny changes to be implemented.

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In reply to Mary Evans

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by William Ratto -

Hi folks,

Well here's my general 2 cents that nobody ask for. LOL

On the subject of themes in general, I agree that there are way to many core themes, in moodle. From following the forums I get the feeling there are alot more general users than developers asking questions.

I use Wordpress alot on my other sites, and the one thing that Wordpress has is ease of use concerning the customization of themes.

For example inside the style css sheets there are simple instructions concering how to change certain areas like headers, footers, coloer, text, etc.

So what if just for the sake of talking we make a super standard theme(s) that normal users could customize themselves.

For example lets say we have a default css for the theme and that css would have areas like header, footer etc, that one could change the value and when it was saved it would automatically change the theme values.

Similar to what is in admin>appearance>themes, but way more complete covering all areas of the theme, including adding meta tags, keywords, etc.

Another thing Wordpress does is it lets you see the changes on a screen below the change sheet so you can see what it is going to look like.

Just my 2 cents LOL

William

P.S. I know of three people at least who could start this project. I think something like this would really make Moodle a more normal user friendly software.

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In reply to Richard Oelmann

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Richard Oelmann -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers

Looks like I've just found my next learning curve project big grin

Going to see if I can pick the bones out of the various themes that have settings pages, along with Sam's great tutorial, and see just how customisable a theme can be through a settings page. My guess at a quick glance is 'very' - but at what stage does it become just too complex for the user. Perhaps cumbersome is a better word than complex!

Richard

ps. Going to start a new thread for this so that anyone with any comments/suggestions can chip in their thoughts

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In reply to Richard Oelmann

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by William Ratto -

Richard I'm with you all the way, I think that this is a fantastic idea, let me know when you set up the thread, I will help anyway I can testing etc..

William

Its time for customizable super theme.

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In reply to William Ratto

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Richard Oelmann -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers

Hi Wiliam,

Thanks for the offer of help - I will definitely take you up on it once I start getting somewhere worth testing

The new thread is here

Richard

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In reply to Derek Chirnside

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Owain Williams -

re:"columns in Skyhigh have disappeared and I cannot get them back"

Did you ever find a fix for this? - I have hit the same problem and would like to reset the theme to get the blocks back.

Thanks

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In reply to Owain Williams

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Mary Evans -

Hi Owain,

This discussion thread is nothing to do with missing columns, it's discussing alternative designs of this theme.

However, if you are having problems with this theme and lost columns as you say, it could be you have docked them and don't see the docked columns, or there is something wrong with this theme, or your Moodle site.

Can you first discribe to me what has happend in your case?

Thanks

Mary

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In reply to Mary Evans

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Owain Williams -

Hi Mary,

Sorry for posting on the wrong thread. I didn't read the whole thread and missed the point.

The problem I have had with this theme is that after moving all the blocks, on the right hand side, to make one column. Then logging out of the site, the column of blocks disappear from view and even after logging back on do not reappear on the front page. They do reappear once you enter any course.  I have replicated this behaviour on a fresh/clean install on MOODLE (Ubuntu 10.10). I tried replacing all the theme files with a fresh copy but this did not fix the problem.  I had to restore the database to get this theme working again and have decided to leave it with the 2 column view. 

I will have to read up on the theme design in MOODLE 2.0.

Thanks,

Owain

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In reply to Owain Williams

Re: Sky High - block positioning?

by Mary Evans -

We are fixing the column/block positioning in this theme right now. If you read THIS DISCUSSION LINK you will find out where we are up to.

Thanks

Mary

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