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Post by Liquid on Jun 26, 2005 12:11:35 GMT
If you are interested in writing an article for The Journal then please apply here, include a small example of your work, and what you ould like to write about.
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Post by wolvenraider on Jun 26, 2005 12:51:36 GMT
I don't have something small [/img], 4d5.net/boardimages/on.gif[/img] ). They may not to big and not to small, they need to match perfect with your forum, but need to be still visible, it isn?t easy to create perfect old/new buttons. You can request these also at a design forum if you can?t make them of your own. What comes after the old/new buttons? Indeed, the buttons at the top like home ect. You can now choose between two things: replace them with other images, or use text instead of the images. Both have there good and bad points. If you go for the images, then can you maybe use a onmouseoverscipt. I keep saying it: never forget what the theme of your board was and that you need to have images that match that theme. The code to change your images to text is the following: <script>//Images to textvar TextSize = "1"var TextColor = "FF0000"var TextFont = "Arial"var TextFontBold = "N"var ImgAr = new Array()ImgAr[0] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/home.gif","[ Home | ")ImgAr[1] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/help.gif"," Help | ")ImgAr[2] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/search.gif"," Search | ")ImgAr[3] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/members.gif"," Members | ")ImgAr[4] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/calendar.gif"," Calendar | ")ImgAr[5] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/admin.gif"," Admin | ")ImgAr[6] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/profile.gif"," Profile | ")ImgAr[7] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/notification.gif"," Notification | ")ImgAr[8] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/logout.gif"," Logout ] ")ImgAr[9] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/login.gif"," Login | ")ImgAr[10] = new Array("/boardimages/menu/register.gif"," Register ] ")for(a=0;a<ImgAr.length;a++){for(i=0;i<document.images.length;i++){if(document.images .src.indexOf(ImgAr[0])!=-1){if(TextFontBold=="Y" || TextFontBold=="y"){Ob = "<b>"; Cb = "</b>"} else { Ob = ""; Cb = ""}document.images.outerHTML="<font face='"+TextFont+"' color='"+TextColor+"' size='"+TextSize+"'>"+Ob+ImgAr[1]+Cb+"</font>"}}}</script> (headers)
don?t forget to change also your mark as read button at the bottom of the forum or remove it with this code. (put in headers)
<script><!--document.getElementsByTagName('font')[1].innerHTML='';//--></script> (headers)
We?ve done now the very basic of creating a forum, but there is still a lot that need to be changed and added.
The next thing you?ll need are gradients, his are images that replace at some places the normal colours, you can find more info about them in this posts: support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=support&action=display&num=1106175098&start=10 I suggest to experiment with these things, but look out that you can still read the text that?s on it.
Last but not least: the map, stats and usericon( 216.40.206.219/boardimages/info.gif[/img] , 216.40.206.219/boardimages/online.gif[/img], 216.40.206.219/boardimages/open.gif[/img] ) The basic design is now finished, however that you need to do still a lot, but we?ll come back at this later. 2: coding There are a few codes that everyone suggests you, so I?ll do it here also: you can better remove the <<home>> because it ruins your board (in my opinion) with this code: <script><!-- document.getElementsByTagName('font')[1].innerHTML=''; //--></script> (headers) You can best remove the hey X you have Y messages, because when you?ve a banner it will give an ugly result, with this code: <script>document.getElementsByTagName('tr')[1].deleteCell(1);</script> (headers) or put it under your menu with this code: <script>// PM Area under Banner// © tu advanced// http://ngmaster.proboards21.comdocument.getElementsByTagName("td")[2].style.display = "none";document.getElementsByTagName("font")[1].innerHTML = "";var TD = document.getElementsByTagName("td");var tdCell = document.getElementsByTagName("td")[2].innerHTML;var newCell = document.getElementsByTagName("table")[0].insertRow(1).insertCell(0);newCell.align = "center";newCell.className = "titlebg";newCell.innerHTML = tdCell</script> (header) or put it above your banner with this code: <script> /*PM Bar above logo(Cross-Browser) Copyright ?2004 Deprived(Shelby Morris)http://elitedesigns.proboards20.com Special thanks to ZeroHunter*/var get = document.getElementsByTagName("TD")get[2].style.display="none"var pmA = get[2].innerHTML.split(' are new')[0].split(',')[3]var guestR = "<b>Welcome Guest, Please <a href='index.cgi?action=login'>Login</a> or <a href='index.cgi?action=register'>Register</b></a>"var membR = '<b><center>You Have <a href="index.cgi?action=im">'+pmA+' New Message(s)</a></center></b>'var pmBar = document.getElementsByTagName("table")[0].insertRow(0)var pmCell = pmBar.insertCell(0) pmCell.className="topbg"pmCell.innerHTML = membRif(get[3].innerHTML.match(/Guest/i)){pmCell.innerHTML = '<center>'+guestR+'</center>' }</script> (headers) Then you can try to add a cell highlight (this will not always give a good result), you can find more info about it at this thread: support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=support&action=display&num=1106175098&start=17When you have some boards without moderators, then you can use this code to remove the moderators: none: <script>/*Removes the Mods:none */var NoMod=document.getElementsByTagName("I")for(i=0;i<NoMod.length;i++){if(NoMod .innerHTML.match("Moderators: none")){NoMod.style.display="none"}}</script> (headers)
Everyone will find it funny that you get a popup when you have a new pm, you can do that easily with this code: <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"><!--/* cross browser PM alert */var num=0;if(document.getElementsByTagName("table")[1].innerHTML.match(/, (\d+) (is|are) new/) && !location.href.match(/=(im|pm)/i))num=RegExp.$1;if(num>0){var msg="Message";if(num>1){msg+="s";}if(confirm("You Have "+num+" New Private "+msg+"\n\nCheck PMs now?"))location="/index.cgi?action=im";}// --></script>
I think that are the most important codes, you can find more at the faq:http://support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=support&action=display&num=1106175098 the code list: support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=programmers&action=display&num=1105827589 and every coding forum (fe: ssdesigns.proboards17.com )
You have now done the basic design and coding, I can?t help you anymore with coding because I don?t know what you need for your forum. You can always try to do california?s javascript tutorial and create your own scripts: support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=programmers&action=display&num=1112768793
3: secondary design
We?ll need to change a few more things, you can best start with all the other buttons that aren?t announced before like: new thread, new poll, reply, notify, delete, new pm ect. They may not to big and need to be readable. You can replace these also with text, but I?m not going to post the codes here, because that would make this post unreadable.
The second thing that you will need to change are the stickied, closed,? posts icons. These can be easily changed of colour, and that is also what I suggest you, however you can always take a little animation or an other image for this (remember that these need to match your forum).
Last thing are the smilies, search or make a set that has almost the same colours of your forum and replace the old.
*************************************************************************** you can also change the little buttons like: bold,strike ect. But that is something for the really good designer.
I?ll end here my tutorial, however I know quiet sure that I?ll edit, delete add some parts in the coming time.
4: boards and categories
But what will happen after you have designed and coded your forum? Very simple, start making categories and boards, but don?t make to much boards in the beginning, this is for two reasons: to avoid a big list of boards to scroll through and because when you?ve a new forum without much people, a lot of the boards will stay empty and give your forum bad look, so try to avoid that. Let your forum grow, if you have a lot of members that are interested in the same thing, then can you create a board for them, because they would post in it and it makes your forum a little bit more interesting.
An other problem with new forums is that there are to much categories, with in each one only one board, this is not good, try to take 3-4 boards together in one category. I know that this is not always possible, but it is really better.
A very important board is the general talk (chit chat or whatever you call it), because people can talk there of topic (your forum topic), most people will post faster in that board then in the others, so don?t be to serious with the rules of the general talk board.
For the bigger forums (or the more ambitious) I suggest you to add also a news and announcements forum, where only admins and mods can post in but where members can reply.
Something what some people find funny is the welcome and goodbye board (introduction board), here can the people say something about theirs self and can the member learn each other better.
I think that every forum should have a place to post suggestions (this can be even a stickied thread).
Of course do there need to be more boards added: concerning the forum subject, don?t be to fanatic with this, create only in the beginning the really needed ones and add then leter some more.
You can even merge some boards together, the suggestion, introduction and goodbye and the general talk board can easily be merged down at a little forum, but when you grow you?ll need to separate these.
Don?t post at every forum a thread with the rules, but try to do this in one thread for the whole forum (most of the rules are the same at every board), if this isn?t then can you make a new thread and sticky. Try also to have not to much rules, and don?t make stupid rules like: no exclamation marks in your thread subject.
You can read more about this in the following thread: support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=promotion&action=display&num=1110316842
5: how to admin your forum
Much people have a problem with this, you can best try to post as a member, I mean with that: post like you would post at an other forum about the same subject. And post only as admin when you need to fix something (close thread, edit thread, ect.). Why do I say that you need to post like that, the answer is very simple, you show to your members that you aren?t better and you create a better sphere.
well, I didn't knew that there where alreadty so much thread about this subject, so I'm going to link to them and not write a whole new long post :
You can read more about this in the following threads: support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=promotion&action=display&num=1112670351 support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=promotion&action=display&num=1107876698 support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=promotion&action=display&num=1105379312
********************* this may not be reposted,changed,modified without the written permission of the creator.
copyright: crazyone created for everyone who needs it. ********************
[/quote] I'm rewriting it, for proboards version 4. ooh, I'm crazyone at proboards support I want to write about whatever I find interesting and worth to do a little bit research up
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Post by Liquid on Jun 26, 2005 12:54:37 GMT
Nice, ok you can be a writer
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Post by syndarrinen on Jun 26, 2005 14:45:36 GMT
Vapour- what is the realtionship of this site and its name Atlantis to the content?
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Post by Liquid on Jun 26, 2005 15:20:42 GMT
You probaly shoulda pmed me that question but in version one it was all built around the city, the idea of a community. Thats why you can see the city in the bg of the banner
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