Hi everyone,
Sorry if I keep going on about this! I am very keen to get panels involved on a test site I have up and running purely because I don't know enough about the module and want to learn how it may be useful to me. I can see in the Omega folder there is another folder called 'panels', this contains layouts which can be used via panels. Ok, so I get that. I can go into the panels UI, and theme a specific node type based on Omega 8,8,8 panel layout (for example). Is it just me or is this feel really restrictive? Do I actually have to make a panels layout before designing the site, can it not be changed via the UI as I'm designing it?
That's what I love about the Omega theme, if I want a sidebar to be a bit bigger, I can easily change the column count and know that's it's still going to be responsive. Or add another sidebar, or add another region, whatever I choose, all in real time as I go along.
Is it the case that in order to use a layout, for example (24 grid) - columns 16,prefix-1,8 I would have to make a panels layout with that information before doing anything? Then if I wanted to change it to 15,prefix-1,9 I would then have to go back into the panels folder and make changes there? Maybe I've got it wrong about how it works. Maybe I just don't need panels and Omega/delta/context/display suite can handle it all just fine, although what about block arguments?
Panels is just a huge module with a massive number of downloads and I'm struggling to believe that you don't need it at all.
If anyone could elaboate of HOW they integrate panels into the Omega theme, it would be very much appreciated, thanks.
Sam.
Comments
I agree
I would love to have some docs and info as well. I love panels, and panels everywhere themes, but responsive design is what is needed and omega is taking the lead on this and is very impressive. Also display suite users who use panels layouts will have the same questions I am sure. I am going to be delving into the omega/displaysuite/panels/context insanity combo here shortly when I get some more free time, but any tips on what not to do would be great:).
I will post things here as well when I start to play around.
thanks,
Jen
Panels
Sam,
I've been using Omega, and have intuitively thought that Omega's flexibility would reduce the need for using panels and views, at least to the point that after turning over a site to client you want to minimize the complexity that might involve them having to deal with views or panels. The link here is to a video where views and panels are inserted as fields.
It's an interesting method that I will most certainly employ in the future.
http://youtu.be/4HUDBF5FuMg
Can you point me to the time
Can you point me to the time marker for the Omega & Panels specific part of this video? It's a full session on building a site for Marketing people. It's long and full of non-relevant (to me anyways) info.
And directly to this...
have intuitively thought that Omega's flexibility would reduce the need for using panels and viewsIMO nothing replaces views.
Not much info here
This was an interesting presentation because it made me think about how to make a site more user-friendly for non-tech people who are administering content, but unfortunately there is very little about inserting views and panels into fields. Basically he mentions how cool the viewfield, blockreference and tablefield modules are.
Maybe someone else picked up on something I missed.
I have been away from Drupal
I have been away from Drupal for a couple of months and busy with other things.
I noticed this thread in my email and will watch the video. Thanks for posting.
I am very aware that Drupal can just be too complicated for a new user when handing over a site. I think the idea that you have to 'train' them to use it is ridiculous. For example, no-one is there to train you when you buy a new phone or use google docs. It just has to be intuitive.
The UI is a tricky one to get right and I have closely observed first hand how my clients use their Drupal sites and problems that have been caused. I hope Drupal 8 provides a better experience. This is a must read IMO:
http://groups.drupal.org/files/drupal-google-ux-report-2012.pdf
The intro sums it up for me:
"Building a Drupal website for the first time is like playing connect the dots. But some dots are invisible, most are not numbered, and you have no idea how many dots there are." - Google UX Report 2012
Sam.
UI for Marketing People
Banghouse,
I wasn't as clear as I should have been. The main thrust of the video is limiting client interaction to the Views and/or Panels UI's by using the viewfield, block reference, and tablefield modules.
As WarrenK said, the presentation didn't go into specifics of how to do that, only that it presented a client with a much simpler interface to add or change content, which I think is absolutely a necessity.
Views is not being replaced, but shielded from the client.
Create your own layouts...Omega and Panels works great!
After a couple weeks of thinking I'd have to choose between building primarily with Omega and primarily with Panels, I figured out how to bridge the gap!! Now I have the best of both worlds -- easy responsive layouts with Omega, and the contextual and flexible placement options of Panels.
The key: build your own Omega-based Panels layouts. It's easier than it sounds.
I, too, found the Panel layouts that come with Omega too limiting, and was trying to duplicate Panels functionality using Delta snapshots and Context. But passing arguments to blocks is not easy, and things like the comment form are really easy to place with Panels but impossible (at least for me) with Delta/Context.
It turns out that you can make your own Panel layout flexible enough to manipulate just through the UI -- make a layout with all the panes you might want, then plan to leave them empty for a lot of your layouts. Once you set up the layout, you never have to touch it again. I used a "bricks" layouts as a starting point, which gives lots of options that you can configure the UI.
To actually make the layouts, these instructions worked perfectly: http://drupal.org/node/495654. Follow them carefully to make sure you get ALL the changes needed. I used one of the Omega panels layouts as a template, and it was super-easy to modify the tpl.php file to the layout I wanted.
Very happy I don't have to choose, or get into the tussle over which is better, Omega or Panels. They are both super-useful and I'm glad I get to use them both smoothly. :)