Default theme improvement

[Nico Knoll]

Hi,

I really like the default theme. But I have one idea how to make it even better:

Insert the following code into line 66 of the "default.php" in "wire->templates-admin" (after "<p id="logo">ProcessWire</p>"):

<a id="viewpage" href="<?php echo $config->urls->root; ?>">view site</a>

And the following code at the end of "main.css" in "wire->templates-admin->styles":

#viewpage {
float: left;
margin-top: 48px;
margin-left: 195px;
color: #A7E5F9;
}

#viewpage:hover {
color:#fff;
background:none;
}

Just try it out. I guess ex-WordPress users will love it.

[WillyC]

Nico screenshot you have for this? (Lazy I am.today)

[Nico Knoll]

Here it is:

[ryan]

What page would you view if you clicked that? The homepage, or something else? If homepage, I'm thinking maybe it should be labeled like "view site".

[Nico Knoll]

Yeah, the homepage. I changed it in the first post.

[MarcC]

I like that idea--from time to time I find my mouse hunting for "view site"

[ryan]

That makes sense to me. I'm not to sure about putting it right up there with the logo, but we'll plan to add a site link somewhere.

[Soma]

I'm a little confused. Further down you have the root tree "Home" and it has a "view" button which does the same.

Though I see there could be a more prominent button somewhere visible, but this comes down to personal preference.

Creating you own custom theme is so easy anyway in PW. There's a lot of thing that can be helpful.

Anyway I yet have to find a CMS that makes it so easy and straight forward changing the whole admin theme and even layout and add widgets. This also is enabled only by the way it's build. Simple straight HTML/PHP CSS.  Gotta love it everytime I think about it! This is something PW shines over all CMS' I know of.

[Nico Knoll]

Well, I guess the front page is a bad example. But if you're e.g. on the module page you would have to click on "pages" first and then "view".

And how this hack changes it is more like the Wordpress way

[apeisa]

I'd like to see it somewhere top right. That's where I always go to look for "view site" link. Probably because adminbar has admin link there

[ryan]

Wouldn't it make sense to just have it as the first item in the breadcrumb trail? I also like the idea of having it in the top right corner (or top left). If we go that route, I'd want to add it in a way that doesn't mess up the other themes.

I think the site link makes sense where it is in WP because it's in the context of the site's name up in the masthead (if I'm remembering correctly). But PW doesn't have the site's name in the masthead and instead just has the logo. So the placement next to the logo doesn't seem quite as contextual in PW as it does in WP, even if it looks good.

[diogo]

I would also prefer it in the top right, next to the navigation

[ryan]

Sounds good–this has been added in the latest commit to the dev branch.

[Soma]

I got a little problem with the new site link:

[Nico Knoll]

(There's "Suche" in the search box. Not "search". Like it should be.)

[Soma]

Yeah Nico, because I loaded the latest commit...

but I meant the "site"  link overlapping navigation.

[diogo]

Ui, not easy to solve...

Maybe a green button only on the Pages page, like this one in Modules... but I'm not sure...

edit: the one that is now, is a more elegant solution for sure

[ryan]

The little overlap there is intentional, and I put it on low opacity so we could get some interesting blending/overlapping when the browser window size located it there. If you roll over it it'll go full opacity again. I thought you guys would like it  :-\ I suppose I could take it higher opacity so that the overlapping is barely noticeable, or full opacity for no visible overlap. But since it's the only button over there I thought it was an opportunity to do something a little more interesting.

[apeisa]

I don't see that as a problem. It aligns nicely with top row and doesn't overlap with the link text. Also - works similar way with normal and short "site" title, but scales to longer titles too.

I would probably add that link to a wrapper div or ul though, that way modules could easily extend on that and add more links (not sure if it is a good idea, but maybe links for campaign sites etc..?).

[Nico Knoll]

I LIKE IT!

[diogo]

I didn't see it overlapping on my install, only on Soma's screenshot. I saw it now, and I also like it.

edit: it's definitely more elegant

[ryan]

Okay glad you guys like it. But if anyone thinks it looks like a mistake, then it may need more tweaks. And as always please be honest.

[slkwrm]

To be honest, I don't like it too much. To my taste it looks a little clumsy and brings some dissonance into otherwise perfect harmony of defaul theme.

Edit: above I mean not the link itself, only its overlapping with navigation.

[ryan]

We'll let this one marinate for awhile and see if new posts separate from this one turn up where people think it's a bug. It'll be on probation.

[apeisa]

Easiest "fix" might be to leave darker pink on top of the active main nav item out.

I might do little poll on the office to see what people think. Although Finnish word "sivusto" doesn't overlap.