Posted by benmirkhah on March 21, 2012 at 8:07pm
Here's an idea, imagine creating a theme where you can resize your regions by simply dragging their borders, and have those changes saved in the DB associated with a node, allowing designers to quickly make custom page layouts without the need to modify any css/template.
Equally useful will be the ability to attach background images to any region on any node, since combined with the resizing capability it can minimize any css/template code changes for designers.
Comments
Looks like a million dollars…
Errr… don't designers already have a way to resize regions? Do you know any designers who have requested the opportunity to avoid css? Reminds me of a Birmingham screwdriver: everyone else calls it a hammer, but in Birmingham they use it on screws as well.
Or maybe you want to allow users to corrupt the design you have already paid a designer for.
Would the size be saved as px, em or natural units? (to mention just three) — And what about users who have the temerity to view the result with different size of monitor?
As for attaching background images to any region — It's been done!
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It’s in the detaιls…
I take it you're not up for it
I take it you're not up for the challenge based on such dismissal however the real use-case is for Drupal beginners, when I first started on Drupal one of my first battles was to find a way to quickly and easily create custom layouts for different pages and creating new templates and tweaking css rules was neither quick nor easy at the time, hence an resizable/configurable theme can speed up prototyping and make Drupal more appealing for first time users.
Design for beginners
Sorry, I had assumed you were submitting a proposal for a contribution – not a challenge for someone else to contribute.
OK, so it's not for designers, as originally stated, but for beginners who really care about the size of their regions (and backgrounds). Prototyping is a means to an end – at some stage this either goes into production, or gets translated into css: Otherwise it's just a toy.
As a designer and architect, I'm sure you will agree that size isn't everything. Considering we already have configurable themes, you haven't convinced me of the existence of this use-case gap or the practicality of filling it.
This might appeal to Drupal beginners initially, but I think they would quickly find it improves their nascent site in the same way that bespoke furniture can be improved with a chainsaw.
My dismissal is not based on how challenging the task might be, but whether the end-result is useful or advisable.
PS thanks for the -1, I wouldn't have realised you understood otherwise – mistaking my humour for endorsement perhaps.
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It’s in the detaιls…
indeed for designers
It is indeed for designers, as originally stated, since many seasoned designers can be beginners in Drupal, what is useless to you maybe useful to others, and sorry your attempt at humor fell short.
Gooey goodness?
Any seasoned designer worth their salt (couldn’t resist) would want more control than that afforded by a practical realisation of this idea. And would want many more features. I can’t see anyone doing most of the design with existing tools they already know (GUI or text), then switching to this theme just for a bit of GUI resizing.
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It’s in the detaιls…
Other possible use cases
Another use case could be allowing users to create their own layout for their own blog / profile pages, etc.
That’s better…
Much more ambitious!
Layout includes positioning as well, but you introduce this extra complexity so casually that I wonder if you have realised what you’ve said.
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I like it. The rest of us
I like it. The rest of us mere mortals would definitely like to make our "nascent" sites look better. Although I think staying in the database (c|w)would add to Drupal's load/performance.
I imagine it as something like the features module, but for themes where the design can be done in the browser w/o external software and later saved to an installable/transferable template.
A contextual menu item like skinr could be used to turn on the ui, but where skinr lets you select from predefined styles. The ui would offer more flexible styling. Changes could be saved to the database, and later exported/saved to a real sites/themes. Throw in file support for images.
These modules already perform a small function of what your talking about...
http://drupal.org/project/skinr
http://drupal.org/project/fusion_accelerator
http://drupal.org/project/omega_ui
"Omega UI - IN DEVELOPMENT - Will provide an advanced jQuery interface for configuring Omega theme settings via drag & drop interface chocked full of awesomesauce!" ( from the bottom of omega theme)
http://drupal.org/project/delta
layout without css/php edit
Very nice idea with "where the design can be done in the browser w/o external software and later saved to an installable/transferable template" as it adds the benefit of easily reusing such newly created layouts in other nodes.
Ideal is to have a new designer/blogger install Drupal, load this theme, drag and adjust a few borders to get a perfect size layout of their liking, assign a few background images to the regions and publish it, no css/php editing required.
Some eye candy...
Some eye candy... http://jqueryui.com/themeroller/
Pick from the gallery, and then customize that theme on the roll your own tab.
I was meaning a UI like this that could export/download/save to a skinr/fusion, or similar functionality.
Also of note is http://drupal.org/project/devel_themer 's really nice system that tags everything!
Panels could also be expanded on.
t’other way ’round
How can you mention these four modules so dismissively, as only “perform[ing] a small function of what your [sic] talking about”? I think they provide much more than the limited ambition of this idea.
I am aware of skinr and fusion, which is why I referred to the use-case gap.
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It’s in the detaιls…
How about...
Something like this:
http://marmaladesoul.com/livethemer
http://drupal.org/project/livethemer
WOW
very impressive!