New Moodle Theme - Waxed

Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Derek Chirnside -
Number of replies: 10

A little update Richard:  My 2c worth on the AB.

Maybe my brain has got a little old for too much change at the moment.  But I still have a huge speed improvement in using the AB if I have to do a lot of different things like create lots of courses, check around the plugins, settings, users, cohorts etc.  The tabs in the Boost admin interface have the problem all BS tabs seem to have: you can't click and go straight to a specific tab.  So where you need to do a lot of clicking around in the admin actions, AB still has an advantage.  IMO.

But if it is a lot of work: well, maybe I just need to move on.

As a start, things would be 50% improved if there was a permanent visible admin search and "site admin' link.

-Derek

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Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Richard Oelmann -
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Just feeding back Derek, that after about a month of working on it, I'm currently still not  able to integrate Awesomebar itself with any of my boost-based themes.

I think now I am going to change tack completely and try to replicate (some of) the AB functionality from the ground up, based on the new templates. But there are a couple of other projects I want to take a look at first and then come back to this one with a fresh look in a few weeks or so.

Right now, if I'm honest, I don't like working with these new templates at all - let alone the comments in the docs 'you will earn "cred" with themers'. I find them to be another layer of code obfuscation that makes it even harder to work with the themes for anything other than basic styles with colours and images. BUT, its a direction HQ have chosen to go in, so I'm working hard to learn how to do things using mustach and to pass on what I'm learning.

I'll keep you informed of AB progress when I come back to it.

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Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Mary Evans -
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I like your honesty, Richard, with respect to Boost theme and the use of mustache templates and all that it entails in trying to master it.

I have often thought Moodle should have always kept its main content separate from themes, and other plugins. That way the content can be styled in a unique MOODLESTRAP way suitable for the elements it outputs, which, if done correctly would also allow subtle changes in renderers, typography and colour to be injected by plugins.

That way we would not have needed to go so far off the beaten track learning new things that at the end of the day have only caused angst and frustration for all concerned.

Mary

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In reply to Richard Oelmann

Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Chris Kenniburg -
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I'm feeling lost with mustache too.  I'm hoping this is the better way forward.  I am just feeling very limited.  Almost everything has to be renderer now.  What could take a simple line of PHP now has to be in the renderer and into a mustache template with about 3 or 4 other steps.  

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In reply to Chris Kenniburg

Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Richard Oelmann -
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Well, trying to be honest about experiences - certainly not trying to be negative - but right now, mustache templates are an obstruction and obfuscation layer.
But hoping I've learned enough that (If its accepted) I'll be talking about it at MoodleMootIEUK and sharing what I've learned with Waxed (and what Chris has done with Fordson).
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In reply to Richard Oelmann

Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Derek Chirnside -

Richard, Mary, Chris.  Thanks for all this.

I am out of commission for about 7 weeks with another extra piece of work.  I have a short term role (actually teaching 14 and 16 year olds science)  smile  It is compulsory to have a Moodle page, and it has been a bit chaotic to come in and get this sorted.  I have taken the easy way out.  Link to a Google classroom for some things.  So my consideration of Boost has taken a bit of a back seat.  At  my regular job I have a daughter theme for Fordson which is great.

Tabs in BOOST (and Atto): this is my problem: Atto strips out BS4 code. 

I did all the testing by TYPING but then I PASTE it strips the code.  sad  Richard, maybe if you see someone at the MootIEUK you couold ask for me?  https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=347860  I wonder if I am doing something fundementally wrong.

I've looked at this: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7862233/twitter-bootstrap-tabs-go-to-specific-tab-on-page-reload-or-hyperlink  I wonder if this can be used to manage the admin interface in Boost (with the many tabs) better so you can not always get sent back to the first tab when yo u are using this.

Awesome Bar: Richard, well thanks for trying.  

What does this mean: quoting, 
"Right now, if I'm honest, I don't like working with these new templates at all - let alone the comments in the docs 'you will earn "cred" with themers"

Boost in general: it's the workflow that I still have not got sorted, like getting in and out of Admin settings, scroll back to the top to do stuff, scroll of death in the "my courses" in the drawer etc.  But not quite thoughtfully reflecting enough to be useful.

God luck at the Moot.

-Derek




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Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Mary Evans -
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I use TinyMCE which you can select in your Profile > Prefferences setting.

ATTO is terrible and a bug box as far as themes are concerned.

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In reply to Richard Oelmann

Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Ross Lovell -

I would be very interested in attending your presentation if it's accepted. I'm just starting out with theming and I'm finding learning about Themes, Presets, Renderers, and Mustache templates to be quite mind boggling.  I'm not quite where to start.

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In reply to Ross Lovell

Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Mary Evans -
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Hi Ross,

The best way to learn about Moodle Boost type themes is to read this Moodle Doc on the subject.

There is also a theme called Photo which you can install on Moodle 3.2 using the Site Administration > Plugins > Install plugin setting just surf to the Plugins database and search for theme_photo.

If you get stuck then come back here and ask for help. :

Cheers

Mary

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Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Richard Oelmann -
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Although really that doc and the Photo theme only looks at duplicating and adding settings, it doesn't look at all at output classes/functions, renderers or templates or any ways to change any of the theme other than adding settings to impact on the scss/css styling. If that is what you need from your child theme, then its a great tutorial - if you want to investigate mustache templates and renderers, look at Waxed/Fordson.

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In reply to Richard Oelmann

Re: New Moodle Theme - Waxed

by Ross Lovell -

Thank you Mary and Richard.

The link to Creating a theme based on boost is really useful and a excellent starting point for me. To begin with I'd like to create a child theme based on Boost and override Bootstrap's SCSS to get the look I want. Further down the line I'd like to investigate mustache templates and renderers to extend the theme further.

I'll definitely take a look at Waxed and Fordson to see how things fit together.

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