"I propose that this theme does NOT use content columns. Instead the user controls will be fixed on each page. This will make it easier for designers because they will know for certain which controls are on which page. If the store owner wants a different set of controls they would need to have the designer directly edit the HTML of the theme to swap controls. Your thoughts?"


As long as this will be used for this theme only and not the application in it's entirety.



I suggest a <span></span> in between every heading tag. <h1><span>LABEL</span></h1>



More to come!

I think it's ridiculous that I'm the only one that has responded to this.

Marcus, I vote you focus on the application.

Dan, I can point out many threads with many merchants pointing out problems with the themes. All justified comments, all coming from merchants digging into the themes. I can point out many threads of developers pointing out problems with the themes.

Now's the chance for them to air it out.

So I hold true to my statement. It's ridiculous that no one is responding to the Questions that Marcus clearly states in his thread, which is clearly stated in his post "Questions for the Community"

I don't disagree with your response to mine, and I should take it into account that not all community members are seasoned. My generalization is off kilter and apologies if it offends anyone. It may at least get readers posting, and maybe within the posts.... some good theme ideas will generate.

Marcus, I suggest that you use <div class="ContentBlock MailingListSignup"></div>. Slimmer code, easier inheritance, eliminates duplicate stylings to help create a thinner stylesheet to add a X percentage reduction to overall page load times.

Every little bit helps when traffic is through the roof.




Just thought about it though, some areas you're going to need the IE6 box model hack... so you should be picky on when and where you mix/match or seperate into <div> <span>

Since some developers have already figured out enough to tweak existing themes, any new direction in the app, other than adding tags where there were none before, would cause the exisiting ones to not work. As Matt said, if this only affects this new theme...

Issues I see are the tags that are not in the exisiting controls that probably should be, but those wouldn't be unique to the new theme.

Are the exisiting stock themes going to be fixed to be consistent with each other, as applicable?

Matt, it was only posted yesterday. Not everybody visits the forum every day. :smile:

Chris, yeah I know, I know.....foot in mouth.... :lol:

1) Easier for the designer, though perhaps not for the merchant, in the common scenario that they are not the same person. Otherwise, I'm sure it's fine, but I have mixed feelings about this. Are these controls adminable, how is content changed by the merchant in the case of simple text, etc.? See #7.

(Mitch, not completely sure what you're referring to with #1, but columns are just a (relatively inaccurate) name; they can be stacked as what I think you're calling 'tiles'. It's all HTML in the end. Unless you're referring to the 'grid method' of interface design, which is also different.)

2) I propose that you can't really do that, but attempting it won't hurt. As long as they're easy for the designer to use.

3) If it makes it easier for your to keep things consistent, go for it. It should go beyond this, though, and also follow a better pattern of classes/IDs/tags, as currently there are so many inconsistencies beyond just casing.

4) Could do that. I prefer to keep them in the theme itself to make them more portable, but either way works. You method would make the same controls more easily accessible via multiple themes, so it might be a better solution in this case.

5) You would officially be the man, yeah.

6) A: Single tag, double-classing. If the designer needs more tags to get crazy complicated with the design, they can do that, but I doubt most of those using the proposed theme would care. Most themes probably won't need the nested tags and it's just going to add extra markup weight, so I'd say option A.

7) I'm glad you're going to improve the markup substantially, but I'm concerned that it could turn into a pretty big mess if you aren't careful. If the goal is to eventually roll markup fixes and improvements into the core product, replacing the modules, I do think they should be kept completely separate until that time. This is what I planned to do with Fresh Start BVC5, but it turned into a much larger project than I had time for.

This should be about improvement, though, and not just making a separate theme with a completely different method that's easier for new designers and penny-pinching merchants to look like identical siblings of every other BVC5 store.

Oh, and maybe get rid of the 3-column layout, especially if it's just on the front page. The overly-popular standard 3-column layout is really one of the worst interface decisions in the history of the internet so far.

3 columns on the hompage, 2 columns on other pages. I'm open to more creative solutions but I also recognize that 99% of stores are using this layout and familiarity can create sales.

The basic 3 column format most of us use is inefficent and dated but until one of the big guys adapts something different most will stick with it. It's a space hog, inefficient in operation and in use. I'd love to see a new design but don't really know where to even begin.


PromoManagers

Doesn't maintaining 2 sets of controls make it more difficult to implement code changes for both BV and developers?