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Boards Skins

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 2,718 ✭✭✭upandcumming


    For your own reference, the updates referred to are background or 'under-the-bonnet' upgrades to our systems. They are not visible to users. The version of the site you are all on now has been the default version for all users for a number of years now, there were just a small number of users still on the very old legacy skins. These skins are unusuable with the background upgrades so had to be retired, hence you are on the default skin.

    We can't just leave everything as it is forever, the site badly needs new features and updates but with vBulletin and the 21 years of code, it's difficult. So we have set about tidying and streamlining things for the dev space to be a better and easier place to work and so that when they are done, devs will be able to implement suggested features and changes much more easily than they have been up to now. We'd never implement change or remove features just for the sake of it, there is always a reason. I realise that the menu navigation is something new to get used to and will take a little time. All of the forums are there though and in fact you will see a lot more forums as new ones will be on the menu now that weren't there on the old, unsupported skins.

    When will all of this be done? Is there a timeframe on when dev can "implement suggested features and changes much more easily than they have been up to now."?

    I realise that the menu navigation is something new to get used to and will take a little time.
    Woeful stuff this.


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 24,986 Mod ✭✭✭✭Loughc


    Blazer wrote: »
    Just another decision by boards to push me more towards reddit where I find it far easier to navigate.

    Reddit is a complete nightmare to navigate.

    After using the new skin for a week now I don't see as manly negatives as last week and if it's useful in progressing the site in general that can only be a good thing.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 55,535 ✭✭✭✭Mr E


    I've been on the current skin for years.
    All my navigation is from subscribed threads, subscribed forums and the homepage.
    The "My Forums" and "My Threads" tabs on the homepage are the first place I go, followed by the "My Forums" submenu.
    I don't use the top menus.
    At all.
    I can't remember the last time I've clicked on them.

    Now in fairness, I've been here for nearly 20 years, so I know my way around.
    I can't vouch for what the experience is like for new users.

    However I call shenanigans on people who have been here for years who are bemoaning the new menu structure...
    By now, you have your favourite forums locked in and you have little reason to go browsing through the menus.

    It would be interesting to see how many users (who have been members for, say, more than 2 years?) actually use the menu?


  • Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Mr E wrote: »
    I don't use the top menus.
    At all.
    I can't remember the last time I've clicked on them.

    Now in fairness, I've been here for nearly 20 years, so I know my way around.
    I can't vouch for what the experience is like for new users.

    They don't use the menus either.

    RGt3XZq.png

    A five-minute fix.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 55,535 ✭✭✭✭Mr E


    Clicking those little cancel buttons on cookie messages is ALWAYS the first thing I do when I go to a new site. You're making a mountain out of a molehill on that one, ABG.

    But yes, for what it's worth, it should be a simple fix.


  • Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Would boards.ie be willing to have a bunch of skin variations like the old legacy ones? I'm using the old green colour scheme and it's really nice.

    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=112256114&postcount=31

    I'm off work for two weeks and could create a few style sheets out of boredom.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,513 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    One with the old pale blue background instead of white would be ideal :)

    Scrap the cap!



  • Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    One with the old pale blue background instead of white would be ideal :)

    I changed some colours in my green and came up with this.

    This is my reference point: https://web.archive.org/web/20120521185118/http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2055557250

    Worth the change? I'm not putting in much more effort if the site doesn't go for skinned version of their theme.

    V9h3jkB.png


  • Boards.ie Employee Posts: 5,461 ✭✭✭✭✭Boards.ie: Mark
    Boards.ie Employee


    We're happy enough for people to customise their experience of the site using extensions and the likes on their end. However, we made this move to streamline the templates that we support and have to maintain and work around when updating anything. As a result, we won't be able to support skin variations on our end I'm afraid.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,311 ✭✭✭✭weldoninhio


    Does not seem a great business model to ignore and lose users just to make the site look the way you want it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,513 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    So a too-bright awful looking white theme, and a too-dark awful looking dark theme, and that's it. :(

    Scrap the cap!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,513 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    Ads by Google, the main post text on that is pretty much perfect, the boxes on the left with poster names etc. are just a tad dark, but presumably the user can edit that in Stylus?

    Scrap the cap!



  • Boards.ie Employee Posts: 5,461 ✭✭✭✭✭Boards.ie: Mark
    Boards.ie Employee


    Does not seem a great business model to ignore and lose users just to make the site look the way you want it.

    The decision to remove skins didn't come down to appearance. As stated in the Announcement, we are working on necessary back-end upgrades and users on these unsupported skins would have encountered serious issues that would have essentially left the site unusable. We have to best utilise development resources available and unfortunately that meant that these skins had to be disabled rather than simply left unsupported as they had been.


  • Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Ads by Google, the main post text on that is pretty much perfect, the boxes on the left with poster names etc. are just a tad dark, but presumably the user can edit that in Stylus?

    I changed it so it's less dark. I had just copied that part from the old skin.

    You can install Stylus and copy in the below. I'll edit if any changes need to be made.

    [HTML]/* FONTS */

    /* Primary Dark blue font */
    .page a,
    .nav-drop-menu a ,
    #breadcrumb a,
    #footer a,
    .time,
    legend {
    color: #3c508c aliceblue !important;
    }

    /* White Font */
    .thead strong,
    .thead a,
    .thead,
    .thead span,
    .tfoot strong,
    .tfoot a,
    .tfoot,
    .tfoot span,
    .tcat a{
    color: #fff !important;
    }

    /* Black Font and Main Post Background */
    .alt1 {
    color: #182339;
    background: #f5f5ff;
    }
    .alt2 {
    color: #182339;
    background: #efefef;
    }
    /* BACKGROUNDS */

    /* Lightest blue back */
    body,
    .body-override,
    #nav .nav-drop-menu,
    #nav .columncontainer,
    #nav .title,
    .page,
    #footer {
    background: #e7eeee;
    }


    /* Dark blue back */
    .nav-area,
    #nav > li.hover > a,
    .generic-wrapper-header .active {
    background: #7f98c4 !important;
    color: #fff !important;
    }
    #nav > li.hover {
    background: #81938e !important;
    }

    /* Darkest blue back */
    #header,
    .threads-wrapper-header,
    .generic-wrapper-header,
    .thead,
    .tfoot {
    background: #5572a5 !important;
    }

    /* BUTTONS */

    .gradient_button:not(.grey),
    .jumpbutton ,
    #adv-search-form button span {
    background: #5572a5 !important;
    border: 1px solid #4a5c58 !important;
    }
    .gradient_button:not(.grey):hover,
    .jumpbutton:hover ,
    #adv-search-form button span:hover {
    background: #3c508c !important;
    border: 1px solid #4a5c58 !important;
    }
    .gradient_button.grey {
    background: #f9f9f9;
    }
    #adv-search-form button {
    border: 0 !important;
    }

    /* BORDERS */

    /* Dark blue border */
    .nav-area {
    border-bottom: 1px solid #3c508c !important;
    }
    #nav li {
    border-left: 1px solid #3c508c !important;
    }


    /* MISC */

    /* User / My forums dropdown */
    #userlist div,
    #forumlist div,
    #userlist a,
    #forumlist a {
    background: #7f98c4 !important;
    color: #fff !important;
    }
    #userlist a:hover,
    #forumlist a:hover {
    background: #5572a5 !important;
    }
    #userlist,
    #forumlist {
    margin-top: 4px !important;
    background: none !important;
    }
    #userlist .title,
    #forumlist .title {
    border-bottom-color: #5572a5
    }
    /* Tabs on User Page */
    .tcat {
    background: #3c508c;
    }
    #profile_tabs .tab_list li:hover {
    background: #3c508c !important;
    }
    .tborder,
    .tcat {
    border: 1px solid #3c508c !important;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #3c508c !important;
    }

    /* Outline of Reply Box */
    .panelsurround {
    background-color: #f5f5ff;
    }

    /* Message Box */
    #vB_Editor_QR,
    #vB_Editor_QR_iframe,
    #vB_Editor_001,
    #vB_Editor_001_iframe {
    border: 1px solid #3c508c !important;
    }

    /* Search Results */
    .results-wrapper,
    .facet_wrapper {
    background: #fff;
    border: 1px solid #81938e;
    }
    .results-wrapper a,
    .facet_wrapper a {
    color: #3f4d4a !important;
    }

    /* Recolour Items */
    /* #ddd */
    .arrow-disable {
    filter: brightness(0) saturate(100%) invert(100%) sepia(2%) saturate(2381%) hue-rotate(291deg) brightness(91%) contrast(90%);
    }

    /* QOL Fix Min Width of page */
    body, .holder, #header {
    min-width: 500px !important;
    }
    /* Hide share buttons to save pagination when screen gets small */
    @media only screen and (max-width:1000px) {
    .social_share_bar {
    display: none !important;
    }
    }
    /* Fix submit button */
    @media only screen and (max-width:900px) {
    #vB_Editor_QR_formbuttons {
    display: inline
    }
    }

    /* Fewer ads */
    .top_adslot_wrapper,
    .sponsored-content,
    #top_adslot_main,
    iframe[title="3rd party ad content"] {
    display: none;
    }[/HTML]
    We're happy enough for people to customise their experience of the site using extensions and the likes on their end.

    Nice.

    .top_adslot_wrapper,
    .sponsored-content,
    #top_adslot_main,
    iframe[title="3rd party ad content"] {
    display: none;
    }


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,868 ✭✭✭CrowdedHouse


    Good Stuff

    Seven Worlds will Collide



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  • Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    And green, which is my preference from the old skins.

    [HTML]/* FONTS */

    /* Primary Dark green font */
    .page a,
    .nav-drop-menu a ,
    #breadcrumb a,
    #footer a,
    .time,
    legend {
    color: #1c2321 !important;
    }

    /* White Font */
    .thead strong,
    .thead a,
    .thead,
    .thead span,
    .tfoot strong,
    .tfoot a,
    .tfoot,
    .tfoot span,
    .tcat a{
    color: #fff !important;
    }

    /* Black Font */
    .alt1, .alt2 {
    color: #000;
    }

    /* BACKGROUNDS */

    /* Lightest green back */
    body,
    .body-override,
    #nav .nav-drop-menu,
    #nav .columncontainer,
    #nav .title,
    .page,
    #footer {
    background: #e7eeee !important;
    }


    /* Dark green back */
    .nav-area,
    #nav > li.hover > a,
    .generic-wrapper-header .active {
    background: #81938e !important;
    color: #fff !important;
    }
    #nav > li.hover {
    background: #81938e !important;
    }

    /* Darkest green back */
    #header,
    .threads-wrapper-header,
    .generic-wrapper-header,
    .thead,
    .tfoot {
    background: #667b76 !important;
    }

    /* BUTTONS */

    .gradient_button:not(.grey),
    .jumpbutton ,
    #adv-search-form button span {
    background: #667b76 !important;
    border: 1px solid #4a5c58 !important;
    }
    .gradient_button:not(.grey):hover,
    .jumpbutton:hover ,
    #adv-search-form button span:hover {
    background: #4e645f !important;
    border: 1px solid #4a5c58 !important;
    }
    .gradient_button.grey {
    background: #f9f9f9;
    }
    #adv-search-form button {
    border: 0 !important;
    }

    /* BORDERS */

    /* Dark green border */
    .nav-area {
    border-bottom: 1px solid #4e645f !important;
    }
    #nav li {
    border-left: 1px solid #4e645f !important;
    }


    /* MISC */

    /* User / My forums dropdown */
    #userlist div,
    #forumlist div,
    #userlist a,
    #forumlist a {
    background: #81938e !important;
    color: #fff !important;
    }
    #userlist a:hover,
    #forumlist a:hover {
    background: #667b76 !important;
    }
    #userlist,
    #forumlist {
    margin-top: 4px !important;
    background: none !important;
    }
    #userlist .title,
    #forumlist .title {
    border-bottom-color: #667b76
    }
    /* Tabs on User Page */
    .tcat {
    background: #485854;
    }
    #profile_tabs .tab_list li:hover {
    background: #4e645f !important;
    }
    .tborder,
    .tcat {
    border: 1px solid #4e645f !important;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #485854 !important;
    }

    /* Message Box */
    #vB_Editor_QR,
    #vB_Editor_QR_iframe,
    #vB_Editor_001,
    #vB_Editor_001_iframe {
    border: 1px solid #4e645f !important;
    }

    /* Search Results */

    .results-wrapper,
    .facet_wrapper {
    background: #fff;
    border: 1px solid #81938e;
    }
    .results-wrapper a,
    .facet_wrapper a {
    color: #3f4d4a !important;
    }

    /* Recolour Items */
    /* #ddd */
    .arrow-disable {
    filter: brightness(0) saturate(100%) invert(100%) sepia(2%) saturate(2381%) hue-rotate(291deg) brightness(91%) contrast(90%);
    }

    /* QOL Fix Min Width of page */
    body, .holder, #header {
    min-width: 500px !important;
    }
    /* Hide share buttons to save pagination when screen gets small */
    @media only screen and (max-width:1000px) {
    .social_share_bar {
    display: none !important;
    }
    }
    /* Fix submit button */
    @media only screen and (max-width:900px) {
    #vB_Editor_QR_formbuttons {
    display: inline
    }
    }

    /* Fewer ads */
    .top_adslot_wrapper,
    .sponsored-content,
    #top_adslot_main,
    iframe[title="3rd party ad content"] {
    display: none;
    }[/HTML]


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,918 ✭✭✭✭Discodog


    Mr E wrote: »
    I've been on the current skin for years.
    All my navigation is from subscribed threads, subscribed forums and the homepage.
    The "My Forums" and "My Threads" tabs on the homepage are the first place I go, followed by the "My Forums" submenu.
    I don't use the top menus.
    At all.
    I can't remember the last time I've clicked on them.

    Now in fairness, I've been here for nearly 20 years, so I know my way around.
    I can't vouch for what the experience is like for new users.

    However I call shenanigans on people who have been here for years who are bemoaning the new menu structure...
    By now, you have your favourite forums locked in and you have little reason to go browsing through the menus.

    It would be interesting to see how many users (who have been members for, say, more than 2 years?) actually use the menu?

    I used them a lot. I only want a few forums in my My Forums list - just the ones I use most. Now the drop downs have gone I was trying to remember where to find Feedback.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,513 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    I changed it so it's less dark. I had just copied that part from the old skin.

    You can install Stylus and copy in the below. I'll edit if any changes need to be made.

    I'm getting this error on the light blue one:
    Issues: 1 
    Code 1
    warning	10	:	3	Expected end of value but found 'aliceblu
    

    Still works though.

    Green one is nice, too (no errors on that one.)

    Figuring out which colour value is which and doing a bit of tweaking :) - with Stylus open in one window and Boards in another, you can see the changes in real time.

    Scrap the cap!



  • Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Figuring out which colour value is which and doing a bit of tweaking :) - with Stylus open in one window and Boards in another, you can see the changes in real time.

    The main thing the extension is great for is the user-submitted styles. You can click "find styles" in the extension menu for any website.

    For example, this is the Guardian for me: https://i.imgur.com/Xt1aKo2.png

    I might do the boards.ie skins properly and submit them. Other people have done that in the past but not full colour changes as far as I can see.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,868 ✭✭✭CrowdedHouse


    It's great to have the green back, i used it the most

    My eyes thank you :)

    Seven Worlds will Collide



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,513 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    Anybody got a screenshot of Boards with the old white skin, so I can pick the exact colours off it? I thought I'd taken one before it was killed off, but I can't find it.

    Scrap the cap!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,452 ✭✭✭✭Blazer


    Mr E wrote: »
    I've been on the current skin for years.
    All my navigation is from subscribed threads, subscribed forums and the homepage.
    The "My Forums" and "My Threads" tabs on the homepage are the first place I go, followed by the "My Forums" submenu.
    I don't use the top menus.
    At all.
    I can't remember the last time I've clicked on them.

    Now in fairness, I've been here for nearly 20 years, so I know my way around.
    I can't vouch for what the experience is like for new users.

    However I call shenanigans on people who have been here for years who are bemoaning the new menu structure...
    By now, you have your favourite forums locked in and you have little reason to go browsing through the menus.

    It would be interesting to see how many users (who have been members for, say, more than 2 years?) actually use the menu?

    I've been on boards since 2005 and have always stuck to the old menu bar. Its by far the easiest way to navigate. Now the new system is absolutely useless.
    I need to search for the forum first etc. Sure I have my favourites locked in but the appeal of boards was that browsing around you came across a new forum and joined that out of interest.
    There's nothing for that anymore unless you browse the main page and no one does that.


  • Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Yeah, I never just browse the forum list anymore. I always did on the old skin.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,918 ✭✭✭✭Discodog


    Blazer wrote: »
    I've been on boards since 2005 and have always stuck to the old menu bar. Its by far the easiest way to navigate. Now the new system is absolutely useless.
    I need to search for the forum first etc. Sure I have my favourites locked in but the appeal of boards was that browsing around you came across a new forum and joined that out of interest.
    There's nothing for that anymore unless you browse the main page and no one does that.

    The whole point of Boards is to encourage conversation. Most people aren't going to be bothered working out what category their subject is under. The top menu provided a fast, easy way to find anything. Removing it seems counter to what Boards is supposed to be about.


  • Boards.ie Employee Posts: 5,461 ✭✭✭✭✭Boards.ie: Mark
    Boards.ie Employee


    If people would like to idly browse, there is a list of forums available here: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/ . It's not perfect; you will need to click into a main forum (e.g. Photography) if you would like to see its sub-forums (e.g. Cameras & Accessories). But the main forums tend to be busier, in most cases would be the first port of call if interested in general discussion on a topic, and you will find related or more specific conversation housed within these.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭colly10


    Is it possible to get the new posts link back on a bar across thd top?


  • Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Working on a proper night mode the last while. I don't think anyone likes the Halloween-style one they have available.

    R13A0mL.png

    Making good progress. Along with colours, I'm trying to simplify / modernise the interface as much as possible by getting rid of the excess, like joining the post box and thanks box in the screenshot. Also fixing up lots of careless styling around the site.

    At 600 lines of css so far.. Night modes are not easy.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,718 ✭✭✭upandcumming


    The decision to remove skins didn't come down to appearance. As stated in the Announcement, we are working on necessary back-end upgrades and users on these unsupported skins would have encountered serious issues that would have essentially left the site unusable. We have to best utilise development resources available and unfortunately that meant that these skins had to be disabled rather than simply left unsupported as they had been.

    When will these necessary back-end upgrades be completed?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,110 ✭✭✭✭cnocbui


    Boards might want to consider limiting the Spruiking of facebook groups as an alternative to Boards. I was a member of a motoring interest forum and it died completely due to people coming on and promoting a parallel interest discussion group on Facebook.

    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=112395953&postcount=6733


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,918 ✭✭✭✭Discodog


    cnocbui wrote: »
    Boards might want to consider limiting the Spruiking of facebook groups as an alternative to Boards. I was a member of a motoring interest forum and it died completely due to people coming on and promoting a parallel interest discussion group on Facebook.

    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=112395953&postcount=6733

    Really ? You mean like censorship ? It didn't die because of Facebook. If it died it was because people preferred discussing it somewhere else.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,110 ✭✭✭✭cnocbui


    Discodog wrote: »
    Really ? You mean like censorship ? It didn't die because of Facebook. If it died it was because people preferred discussing it somewhere else.

    Er, yes. Where have you been, there has always been censorship on boards? Try advertising your services or posting referral codes that will bring you financial benefit and see how long you last.

    There is a big difference between individual preference and actively trying to recruit people from one forum over onto another. I think people actively trying to cause a migration to Facebook are just as in the wrong as people trying to exploit Boards for financial gain without paying Boards owners something.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,868 ✭✭✭CrowdedHouse


    Ah folks this thread is about how crap boards looks (trojan work by Ads by Google excepted):p

    Seven Worlds will Collide



  • Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,373 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    The UI of this version is bad.

    It looks bad.

    It's hard to find forums.

    The ads at the top of every page are awful.

    It is genuinely the worst version of boards I've used. I do understand that there needs to be adjustments made at times but come on, does anyone think this is better than the old beta version?


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 77,534 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    lordgoat wrote: »

    The ads at the top of every page are awful.
    As a subscriber you should not be getting ads when logged in


  • Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,373 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    Beasty wrote: »
    As a subscriber you should not be getting ads when logged in

    Cheers B, it seems to have sorted itself out now was very weird!


  • Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 11,373 Mod ✭✭✭✭lordgoat


    As someone who normally doesn't like too much symmetry I admire this horrendous visual turd that you guys have presented us.

    Every quick reply left filtered.


    Also the placement top right of the My Forums drop down really is one of the best 'worst places to put something' I've come across in quite some time.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,513 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    Anybody got a screenshot of Boards with the old white skin, so I can pick the exact colours off it? I thought I'd taken one before it was killed off, but I can't find it.

    Found it, so this is probably as close to the old white skin it's now possible to get - here

    Scrap the cap!



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