New Paint Job

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I'm repainting the walls here ... you'll find that I've put a quick "broad brush" over most of the site which has been the same old (and standard SMF^▸ (Simple Machines Forum - The software we use on this site)) livery since we started nearly 3 years ago.    Give me a few days to make a few final adjustments, see what you think - I know it will feel a bit odd for the first 24 hours!

[matt473]

If I'm honest, I find it a bit too Green at the moment. The blue and greend can be a bit of a strain on me eyes. If I'm the only person to think his then probably I'm fussing over nothing 

[grahame]

If I'm honest, I find it a bit too Green at the moment. The blue and greend can be a bit of a strain on me eyes. If I'm the only person to think his then probably I'm fussing over nothing 

 ... it may be a big too saturated and that's in the blue / green direction. Fiddling a bit 

[TerminalJunkie]

I'm repainting the walls here

Ugh!

You should not delete or modify the default theme. As new versions of SMF^▸ (Simple Machines Forum - The software we use on this site) are released, changes may be made to, for example, some interface in the administration center. Changing the templates and files in the default theme makes it more difficult to upgrade, which is necessary for things to work properly.

Furthermore, because of the way SMF falls back on the default theme, changing it can make it more dangerous or difficult to install, modify, and use other themes. Instead, you make a copy of the default theme, and modify it.

[Mookiemoo]

It does not look any different except for the bit between the map and the pic at the top and even then it is more blue!

[Mookiemoo]

It does not look any different except for the bit between the map and the pic at the top and even then it is more blue!

Scratch that - I hit post and it turned colour - odd

Surely it should have done that when I opened the site in a browser window (have unread topics marked as a favourite)

ugh - no - please

[grahame]

Scratch that - I hit post and it turned colour - odd

Surely it should have done that when I opened the site in a browser window (have unread topics marked as a favourite)

It's the "Style sheet" that's changed - and that's something which browsers cache to avoid having to download the same information with every page, just checking back  occasionally to see if it's been altered.   So the update behaviour is not quite such a surprise to me.

TJ - advise of changing "default" noted; I have altered the default at regular intervals before to change the top theme on the pages on a regular basis, and retain originals if I need them. 

I have a two tins of paint labelled "tweak" and "mellow" that I may be opening later today; we should be more themed / not just 'off the shelf', and we're constrained not to use the colour scheme of local TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)(s) as our site might give a semblence of being official - of course, just like TOCs try to grab all the best trains for their own use, the ygrab the best colour combos ... and whilst there's a Department for Transport to act as the controller of trains, they is no Department for Colour - at least until the start of next April.

[Phil]

I think the headline box beneath the title (currently reading "Looking forward - what do people want?") should have the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) disco lines as a background image.

Just a thought.

There's probably copyright/branding reasons why it shouldn't happen, but to my mind it gives an immediate idea for visitors of exactly what region they're in.

[Mookiemoo]

I'm not a fan of the new Large Print for the Visually Impaired format of the text!

[TerminalJunkie]

If you have Firefox and you'd like the default look-and-feel back, you can do something about it. After all:

How Style Sheets Benefit Accessibility
[...]
CSS allows users to override author styles. This is very important to users who cannot perceive a page with the author's chosen fonts and color. CSS allows users to view documents with their own preferred fonts, colors, etc. by specifying them in a user style sheet.

First, install Stylish https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2108

When Firefox has restarted, you should have a small 'S' icon in the status bar - - right-click it, then Write new style/Blank style. In the winodw that opens up, paste this code in:

Code:

@namespace url(http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml);

@-moz-document domain("firstgreatwestern.info") {
a:link {color: #476C8E !important; text-decoration: none; }
a:visited {color: #476C8E !important; text-decoration: none; }
a:hover {color: #cc3333 !important; text-decoration: underline; }
a.nav:hover {color: #cc3333 !important; text-decoration: underline; }
body, td, th , tr {font-size: small !important; font-family: verdana, sans-serif !important; }
body {background-color: #E5E5E8 !important; }
.quote {background-color: #D7DAEC !important; }
.code {font-size: x-small !important; }
.quoteheader, .codeheader {font-size: x-small !important; }
.meaction {color: red !important; }
.windowbg, #preview_body {background-color: #ECEDF3 !important; }
.windowbg2 {background-color: #F6F6F6 !important; }
.windowbg3 {background-color: #E0E1E8 !important; }
.titlebg a:hover {color: #404040 !important; }
.titlebg2 a:hover {color: #404040 !important; text-decoration: underline; }
.catbg3, tr.catbg3 td, .catbg3 a:link, .catbg3 a:visited {color: white !important; }
.catbg a:link, .catbg a:visited , .catbg2 a:link, .catbg2 a:visited {color: white !important; text-decoration: none; }
.catbg a:hover, .catbg2 a:hover, .catbg3 a:hover {color: #e0e0ff !important; }
.smalltext {font-size: x-small !important; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; }
.normaltext {font-size: small !important; }
.error {color: red !important; }
.maintab_first, .maintab_back, .maintab_last, .maintab_active_first, .maintab_active_back, .maintab_active_last {color: white !important; }
.maintab_back, .maintab_active_back {color: white !important; font-size: 9px !important; }
.maintab_back a:hover, .maintab_active_back a:hover {color: #e0e0ff !important; }
.mirrortab_back, .mirrortab_active_back {color: white !important; font-size: 9px !important; }
.mirrortab_back a:hover, .mirrortab_active_back a:hover {color: #e0e0ff !important; }
.titlebg, tr.titlebg th, tr.titlebg td, .titlebg2, tr.titlebg2 th, tr.titlebg2 td {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/titlebg.jpg') #E9F0F6 repeat-x !important; }
.catbg , tr.catbg td , .catbg3 , tr.catbg3 td {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/catbg.jpg') #88A6C0 repeat-x !important; color: #ffffff !important; }
.catbg2 , tr.catbg2 td {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/catbg2.jpg') #A1BFD9 repeat-x !important; color: #ffffff !important; }
.maintab_first {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/maintab_first.gif') left bottom no-repeat !important; }
.maintab_back {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/maintab_back.gif') left bottom repeat-x !important; }
.maintab_last {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/maintab_last.gif') left bottom no-repeat !important; }
.maintab_active_first {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/maintab_active_first.gif') left bottom no-repeat !important; }
.maintab_active_back {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/maintab_active_back.gif') left bottom repeat-x !important; }
.maintab_active_last {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/maintab_active_last.gif') left bottom no-repeat !important; }
.maintab_back a:link , .maintab_back a:visited, .maintab_active_back a:link , .maintab_active_back a:visited {color: white !important; }
.mirrortab_first, .mirrortab_back, .mirrortab_last, .mirrortab_active_first, .mirrortab_active_back, .mirrortab_active_last {color: white !important; }
.mirrortab_first {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/mirrortab_first.gif') no-repeat !important; }
.mirrortab_back {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/mirrortab_back.gif') repeat-x !important; }
.mirrortab_last {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/mirrortab_last.gif') no-repeat !important; }
.mirrortab_active_first {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/mirrortab_active_first.gif') no-repeat !important; }
.mirrortab_active_back {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/mirrortab_active_back.gif') repeat-x !important; }
.mirrortab_active_last {background: url('http://firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/Themes/default/images/mirrortab_active_last.gif') no-repeat !important; }
.mirrortab_back a:link , .mirrortab_back a:visited, .mirrortab_active_back a:link , .mirrortab_active_back a:visited {color: white !important; }
}

With a page on the Coffeeshop open, click 'Preview' and check everything looks OK. If it does, give your style a name and save it.

Before:

After:

[plymothian]

How about chocolate and cream?

[devon_metro]

I must say, I find the size of font a bit excessive!

[old original]

I must say, I find the size of font a bit excessive!

I agree, can we have a bit of shrinkage please??

[grahame]

I have a box labelled "Alice in Wonderland" which contains a bottle marked "drink this".   I also have a busy evening ahead including an appointment with the 17:02 Worcester Foregate Street to Southampton train as it passes.   If I have a chance, I'll have a look and see about having just a small sip of the liquid to see if the font gets a little smaller or a little larger still  .

Chocolate and cream does sound attractive ... but I've always been very wary of backward looking.  That's why you would find me resisting a steam train logo if one were suggested - the image needed is to look foward.   

Phil's suggestion of having dynamic lines in the background is, as he suspected, an issue with branding - I've been a little through that loop before, and do not want to pick a potential argument.   We could (potentially) have a band of pictures of trains in the area and iconic symbols such as Tamar bridge, clock at Paddington - but I would be concerned at the amount of real estate on the screen that would consume. We DO have permission to use the Adlestop maps, but I think they would get irritatingly lost into behind the boxes if we tried to use them as a direction pointer and I'm not prepared to use someone else's artwork poorly.

[grahame]

Phil has a poll running on font size in "Frequent Posters" - so accessible to signed in members who've posted a dozen of so articles - on the font size.   Good / sensible move, Phil - thanks.  So I'll leave the fonts overnight to avoid any muddying.

Poll is at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5791.0