Yep, you always could, but in the new version I've added a minimum height and a dotted border to regions so people can see where they are dragging blocks to
Hopefully a usability addition that people will find useful.
Ha!!
So you think it is usability and a feature. I was thinking it is a bug.
More later.
-Derek
Hm, ok, well I'll take feedback on that, but I've had comments that people didn't know where the block regions were and how could they be made more obvious when dragging and this is a method used in a couple of other themes, so adopted into flexibase.
Definitely a planned feature, not a bug - whether a useful one or one that people like, as I said I'll take feedback on
Dotted block drop areas are a good thing, like outlined development areas on planning proposals. Shows you where things can be. Essential and Shoehorn now have them.
When posting here the file drop area has one!
You miss the point Gareth.
Water is a good thing. But if you over-imbibe in a marathon, you die.
There used to be dotted box there. Small and discrete. Now there is a BIG box, which requires extra scrolling every time you are working on the page lower down. Too much of a good thing.
The same is true for the two left columns. They are bigger and take up space where you do most of your editing.
Space, and thick dotted lines are therefore a problem in another aspect of UI/UX.
Snaef's Law:
Without care, fixing a UI problem will in turn create another problem. At least one, usually more.
My 2c
-Derek
"There used to be dotted box there. Small and discrete."
There was? Will need to check back, I didn't think there was otherwise I wouldn't have added the new boxes.
They can certainly be made smaller and the dashes can be made smaller - that's just a simple css change
.editing .block-region {
border: 3px dotted gray; // dotted border
min-height: 150px; // ensures horizontal regions have some space if there's nothing in them so users can see where they are
min-width: 100px; // ensures vertical regions have some space if there's nothing in them so users can see where they are
}
The ones inside the region-main area only show up when you are actually dragging a block - If I can work out why they act differently to the other regions then I will more than happily change it so that all of the regions only show their blocks when you are actually dragging. I have looked at it, and have probably missed something obvious.
Added to theme issues as an enhancement https://github.com/roelmann/moodle-theme_flexibase/issues/58
Edit: The difference is that they didn't have content in them when the page was originally rendered. The 'has block region xxx' variables are set when the page is rendered, so those block regions are outlined. If content is dragged out of them, this does not force a complete re-rendering of the page and so the 'has block region xxx' variables do not get updated. If ANY block region is empty when the page is originally rendered, it should only show as an expanded, dotted region when you are actually dragging a block around, or if it has content already. (Further testing required to confirm this behaviour - it is what I thought was happening previously and what seems to be happening in a quick test, but doesn't seem to tie in with Derek's comment about the large regions taking up editing space - if they are empty, they should only expand when something is being dragged, not just because editing is turned on and if they are not empty, then they will take up that space anyway)
Here are the CSS styles for blocks when being moved in Base & Bootstrapbase
BASE THEME
https://github.com/lazydaisy/moodle/blob/master/theme/base/style/blocks.css#L20-L21
BOOTSTRAPBASE
https://github.com/lazydaisy/moodle/blob/master/theme/bootstrapbase/less/moodle/blocks.less#L62-L65
Just to clarify, the has-region-xxx, used-region-, side-pre-only, side-post-only, and similarly for all regions that are active within the layout at any particular time, are body classes that are added via JavaScript and help govern page layouts in moodle.css
Firstly, I have reverted our DEV to 3.0.1 and you are right Richard, the dotted lines are not there. I imagined it or they are there in one of the other themes we use. But a few minor things.
Overflow or links and scroll bar
I've got a persistent overflow of links as shown below. on Right. Latest Flexibase, Chrome, edit mode ON.
The increased dotted area seems to push the right links over, and then the scroll bar horizontal gets added.
Course menu 1 faulting
Next, if I reduce the screen size, the course menu is faulting (and it did this with 3.0.1) This I think I noticed a while back but ignored.
Course menu problem 2
Now today this is happening on another computer with IE. In other words full screen, and the text from the menu spills over the next bit.
Probably a Course Menu problem.
Fonts
This (above) is on a machine where I do not have access, and I am not able to get any technical information (like resolution)
This is the puzzle: where has the font in the course title come from? Why does it not appear on my machine? I tried to set it up inside the themes, and it does not appear on my browsers.
---
Patchy post and poorly written I know, but I've just reached the end of a long day with my bandwidth failing and I figured time to make a start in working on these things.
-Derek
1. overflow links and scroll bar - looks like a bug with the block region that needs testing - https://github.com/roelmann/moodle-theme_flexibase/issues/60
2. Course Menu 1&2 - I think these are actually the same problem, but handled slightly differently by the two browsers - https://github.com/roelmann/moodle-theme_flexibase/issues/61
3. Fonts - should be coming from http://yoursite/admin/settings.php?section=theme_flexibase_fonts or if nothing is set there, it should be picking up the default fonts from variables.less. I'd need some more information about what is or isn't happening to test that one properly Derek, as it does seem to be working correctly for me.
Thank you for your continued support and testing
Richard
Derek,
I believe no1 above and the previous issue about block regions space with editing on are now fixed so that empty block regions will only show up (even with editing on) when blocks are actually being dragged, so that the draggable regions are shown at that point and not just when editing is turned on. (Does not apply to the admin only region at the foot of the page when a site admin is logged in - that is visible any time editing is on as the heading is there at any time anyway, deliberately so to alert admins that the region is there)
The fix is currently only in github master branch but will be pushed out to the plugins database when I finish investigating the other issues you have
Note: the Course Menu block is a 3rd party plugin which is only supported in the plugins database upto Moodle 2.5. I will not be installing it on Moodle3.x to work on, as I have confirmed on your dev site that the overlap behaviour is the same in clean theme, so this is not a theme specific issue, but one related to the plugin itself.
Richard
Righto, thanks Richard.
Re the Course Menu, I've just emailed the maintainer (Alex Contis) to see if I can find out the full story. Bob got a Course Menu version from the Alex before Christmas, and I just assumed it would be updated on the database before now.
-Derek
OK - if it gets updated, then I'll be happy to install it to try out, but the comment that the behaviour in flexibase mirrors that in clean stands, so it looks like it is an issue with the block, not a theme issue
I did try to add it to another 'throw-away' test site and the version on the database will not work on Mdl3 due to various deprecations
Update. I have heard back from the developer. I fully realise this is not a Flexibase problem!!
Onto it!!
-Derek
I like the ones Gareth added with the dashed borders which is what we were used to prior to Drag & Drop, and still do if using Moodle sans JavaScript.
I must remember to add them to my new GoLogo theme.