Web site feedback...

[Amber]

Hopefully I'm not stepping on any toes with this, but could someone please please change the color of the links on the website? Having red links with underlines are very hard to visually pickout of a page filled with red text.

The benefit of doing this is that will make the website more discoverable, easier to find things and browse through the content.

Thanks!

[Valerie]

You can change the colors yourself in your profile. I don't, because it doesn't bother me, but you have the option to pick colors to suit you since there's no way to please everyone.

There's also a separate forum for Webmonkey stuff at the bottom of the board.

[Amber]

rochellegrambeaux said:

You can change the colors yourself in your profile. I don't, because it doesn't bother me, but you have the option to pick colors to suit you since there's no way to please everyone.

There's also a separate forum for Webmonkey stuff at the bottom of the board.

I'm not talking about the forums, I mean the main website for the sphere, www.emeraldcitychronicles.com/, which I don't see any customization link on. Though if it is there, I missed it

[Webmonkey]

That's correct, there currently isn't customization available for the vampire-specific website. Perhaps in the future we'll add that feature. And... by 'add that feature' I mean 'totally create a new website from scratch' unfortunately.

As far as changing specific visual elements of the page goes, that over 50 page site was created using a pre-formatted template, as I don't have time to write the html by hand, so some changes, like the color of one element in relation to the overall template, are restricted. Long ago I decided that the pros of an easy-to-upload content, low-maintenence site that I didn't have to pick at the code line-by-line for far outweighed the cons of a somewhat restrictive visual style.

Especially since that restriction also keeps me from filling the site with shameless cheezy animated .gifs and FaBUlouS f0nTs!, which is a good thing.

So long story short, (too late) there's a method to my madness, but it lends itself to a few restrictions, IE, it may take you browsing the site for awhile to get used to it. If you have any other questions about the website's particulars, feel free to keep posting here or email or PM me.

Thanks!

- Your Friendly Neighborhood Webmonkey

[Amber]

admin said:

As far as changing specific visual elements of the page goes, that over 50 page site was created using a pre-formatted template, as I don't have time to write the html by hand, so some changes, like the color of one element in relation to the overall template, are restricted. Long ago I decided that the pros of an easy-to-upload content, low-maintenence site that I didn't have to pick at the code line-by-line for far outweighed the cons of a somewhat restrictive visual style.

Especially since that restriction also keeps me from filling the site with shameless cheezy animated .gifs and FaBUlouS f0nTs!, which is a good thing.

So long story short, (too late) there's a method to my madness, but it lends itself to a few restrictions, IE, it may take you browsing the site for awhile to get used to it. If you have any other questions about the website's particulars, feel free to keep posting here or email or PM me.

I hadn't looked at the raw HTML before, but was figuring you used some sort of content management system, especially with URL's that end with "45358/79501.html". People dont' name things like that.

I can see the embedded <style> block in the pages that overrides the CSS files when I look at the HTML.

What system are you using for content management? Is it serverside or do you have to generate the files by hand?

Thanks!

[Webmonkey]

activegnome said:

admin said:

As far as changing specific visual elements of the page goes, that over 50 page site was created using a pre-formatted template, as I don't have time to write the html by hand, so some changes, like the color of one element in relation to the overall template, are restricted. Long ago I decided that the pros of an easy-to-upload content, low-maintenence site that I didn't have to pick at the code line-by-line for far outweighed the cons of a somewhat restrictive visual style.

Especially since that restriction also keeps me from filling the site with shameless cheezy animated .gifs and FaBUlouS f0nTs!, which is a good thing.

So long story short, (too late) there's a method to my madness, but it lends itself to a few restrictions, IE, it may take you browsing the site for awhile to get used to it. If you have any other questions about the website's particulars, feel free to keep posting here or email or PM me.

I hadn't looked at the raw HTML before, but was figuring you used some sort of content management system, especially with URL's that end with "45358/79501.html". People dont' name things like that.

I can see the embedded <style> block in the pages that overrides the CSS files when I look at the HTML.

What system are you using for content management? Is it serverside or do you have to generate the files by hand?

Thanks!

It's a completely serverside app for uploading. And since this is likeley the next question you'll ask, I haven't put much thought into 'hacking' the serverside style sheet overrides, though there may be info on how out there for that particular app out on the intartubes, I kinda don't want to risk our hosting and have to start over on a site this side, though eventually they could stop wanting to host their app.

If you have an interest in helping out with this sort of thing, (web-based projects, etc...) the Vampire HST was looking for someone to write a web-based database interface for a Grapevine-like application that they have a back-end database for (so I hear). I haven't had the time/inclination to mess with it. Refer to this post if you are interested.

www.vampst.proboards39.com/index.cgi?board=Rules&action=display&thread=1174070518

[Julyenne Kreager]

Uh oh...

[Amber]

admin said:

activegnome said:

I hadn't looked at the raw HTML before, but was figuring you used some sort of content management system, especially with URL's that end with "45358/79501.html". People dont' name things like that.

I can see the embedded <style> block in the pages that overrides the CSS files when I look at the HTML.

What system are you using for content management? Is it serverside or do you have to generate the files by hand?

Thanks!

It's a completely serverside app for uploading. And since this is likeley the next question you'll ask, I haven't put much thought into 'hacking' the serverside style sheet overrides, though there may be info on how out there for that particular app out on the intartubes, I kinda don't want to risk our hosting and have to start over on a site this side, though eventually they could stop wanting to host their app.

If you have an interest in helping out with this sort of thing, (web-based projects, etc...) the Vampire HST was looking for someone to write a web-based database interface for a Grapevine-like application that they have a back-end database for (so I hear). I haven't had the time/inclination to mess with it. Refer to this post if you are interested.

www.vampst.proboards39.com/index.cgi?board=Rules&action=display&thread=1174070518

Alas, my time to devote to such a project is very, very limited between responsibilities for work, Norwescon, and my own game. However, I have written and continue to improve upon a web interfave into the Grapevine 2.2 format and a SQL backend. Does things from managing plot archs and event data to rumor distribution and influence spending. Even prints out character sheets and much, much more.

At some point, I would actually like to remove Grapevine from the equation entirely and even store characters in the SQL database along with everything else I store in there and port the whole thing over to ASP.Net. However, that will be when I get some time for that.

Thanks for the replies!

[Webmonkey]

activegnome said:

admin said:

It's a completely serverside app for uploading. And since this is likeley the next question you'll ask, I haven't put much thought into 'hacking' the serverside style sheet overrides, though there may be info on how out there for that particular app out on the intartubes, I kinda don't want to risk our hosting and have to start over on a site this side, though eventually they could stop wanting to host their app.

If you have an interest in helping out with this sort of thing, (web-based projects, etc...) the Vampire HST was looking for someone to write a web-based database interface for a Grapevine-like application that they have a back-end database for (so I hear). I haven't had the time/inclination to mess with it. Refer to this post if you are interested.

www.vampst.proboards39.com/index.cgi?board=Rules&action=display&thread=1174070518

Alas, my time to devote to such a project is very, very limited between responsibilities for work, Norwescon, and my own game. However, I have written and continue to improve upon a web interfave into the Grapevine 2.2 format and a SQL backend. Does things from managing plot archs and event data to rumor distribution and influence spending. Even prints out character sheets and much, much more.

At some point, I would actually like to remove Grapevine from the equation entirely and even store characters in the SQL database along with everything else I store in there and port the whole thing over to ASP.Net. However, that will be when I get some time for that.

Thanks for the replies!

No problem. It's always fun to chat about this kind of thing.