Last updated by Anonymous on Thu, 2011-06-23 10:01
NOTE: This page is still a work in progress - Markup needs fixing from Markdown syntax to traditional HTML Markup
When working with Omega 3.x you will come across different technologies and terminologies that are a bit ahead of their time. As a very sophisticated base theme framework, Omega 3.x allows you to create any kind of layout you can think of for any use-case.
Some examples are:
- You can structure your pages however you wish, your Grid layout is responsive meaning it will work on ANY device and with any Screen size
- Omega 3.x eliminates cross browser compatibility issues, making your websites look the same for all different browsers
- Omega 3.x also lets you do most of that from the Admin UI without having to edit many .tpl files in order to achieve your layout goals
Omega aims to be the ultimate starter theme for any project; simply put, there is nothing you can't do with Omega, and there is no technology you will ever need that is not included.
In order to achieve all of this Omega uses the following technologies and components for its functioning:
Markup:
- HTML5
- CSS3
Design Methodology & Layout components:
- 960 grid
- responsive layout
Omega's responsive workflow wraps around this design methodology
- Media queries
- Viewport scaling
- Equal heights
Mobile First Web Design
More often than not, the mobile experience for a Web application or site is designed and built after the PC version is complete. Here's three reasons why Web applications should be designed for mobile first instead.
Browser compatibility and uniformity:
- formalize.js
- Reset CSS
Also there is the omega and drupal themeing specific stuff we added like:
- grids[]
- zones[]
- regions[]
- css[]
- libraries[]
Performance Tuning and fine control:
- Lots of cool caching
- Advanced css file aggregation which works much better than the Drupal core aggregation
- Region and zone structuring based on your theme settings
- Toggleable css files and jquery libraries
You also have the ability to exclude all the annoying hard-coded variables like $tabs and $messages.
Lastly, there is the Delta Module, these are all things that you can try out while working with Omega. Enjoy!
Background Resources and Extra readings
Mobile First - by Luke Wroblewski
LukeW's eight years of writing - Lots of exciting articles about Mobile First (Search in this page for titles containing the term "mobile first")
Mobile First Web Design on Google
a collection of responsive web designs