Editing Forum:Aesthetics

{{Forumheader|Gummi Garage}}

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{{Asif|sho=I think we should do something aesthetically to separate this wiki from the Wikia wiki. Didn't you say you would have much more freedom with MediaWiki when we become independent? Well, now the move is done so... let's see what you can do!

Oh, and I really like the interface of the Metroid Wiki on NIWA's network. I would love it if we could do something like that, but with the Birth by Sleep Final Mix images and colors. [[File:BBSFM Promotional Art.jpg|300px]]}}
{{SilverCrono|time=21:20, 9 February 2011 (EST)|text=While I too would love (you don't even imagine, I would ejaculate everytime I even think of the letters "K" and "H") an interface liek teh Metroid Wikeh, I think we should focus on updating the wiki an finishing the move. It is by no means done - have you seen [[Forum:Bug reports|this]]?}}

{{Asif|shonormal=I've edited on it and posted some things as well.  We should definitely fix all those problems first.  I was just fantasizing a little...}}
==New Skin==
Well, I contacted [http://www.wikibound.info/User_talk:Dkpat a] [http://goldensunwiki.net/User_talk:Dkpat lot] [http://www.wikirby.info/wiki/User_talk:Adam of] [http://www.wikirby.info/wiki/User_talk:Steve people], so we might get something going soon. --{{SilverCrono/Sig}} 23:20, 9 February 2011 (EST)
:Axiomist, from [http://www.wikirby.info/wiki/Kirby_Wiki WiKirby] here. I'm certain someone will try to help skin KHWiki, but you should understand that we all see the skins as works of art like Masterpieces. You just don't duplicate them exactly. Dkpat respected the design on WiKirby enough to build off of it for [http://www.goldensunwiki.net/Main_Page GSU] and [http://niwanetwork.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page NWiki], but changed enough of the skin file that few people immediately notice they similar. Keep that in mind when you work on it, and you'll have the appreciation from just about all of us at NIWA. Congrats on moving and I hope we can all be good affiliates to one another whenever you guys want. :) [[Special:Contributions/74.194.27.133|74.194.27.133]] 01:10, 10 February 2011 (EST)
:I don't want an exact duplicate (that wasn't even what I asked for, please don't misunderstand me), I just want something like your wiki's skin that we can tweak and use for our wiki. --{{SilverCrono/Sig}} 06:01, 10 February 2011 (EST)
Question — How exactly do we get the entire layout for the pages (including the search bar and even the most minute details) changed ? I can come up with the colours needed as well as a BG depending on the occasion, but beyond that... <sup>'''[[User:Troisnyxetienne|<font color="#8B0000">Tambours</font>]]'''</sup><sub>'''[[User talk:Troisnyxetienne|<font color="#B8860B">Tonnerre</font>]]'''</sub> '''[[User:Troisnyxetienne/Mensa|<font color="#000000">Ensemble !</font>]]''' 20:29, 11 February 2011 (EST)
::Pretty much just read [http://www.khwiki.net/User_talk:SilverCrono#Skin this] to see why we can't really don anything now, at least not yet... Well, I can't. --{{SilverCrono/Sig}} 20:39, 11 February 2011 (EST)
I can perhaps work a prototype, provided there aren't any extra MediaWiki files to tweak. My personal favourite is the WiKirby layout, though I'm not sure how to centre-align the search bar. I'm going to see what I can do... It'll take days, though. <sup>'''[[User:Troisnyxetienne|<font color="#8B0000">Tambours</font>]]'''</sup><sub>'''[[User talk:Troisnyxetienne|<font color="#B8860B">Tonnerre</font>]]'''</sub> '''[[User:Troisnyxetienne/Mensa|<font color="#000000">Ensemble !</font>]]''' 20:44, 11 February 2011 (EST)

{{Asif|shonormal=So what? Radiant Garden wasn't built in a day.  I hope you can make something good out of it!}}
{{TNE|time=21:19, 11 February 2011 (EST)|attntext=I'll need :

*The pages where all the tweaking to the main page, the wiki appearance and the BG are going to apply. I'm not sure if they're still MediaWiki pages over here.
**On the subject of MediaWiki pages, if anyone can find the related page for WiKirby's layout, I'd be glad to modify it. I'll also need to see the resolution needed for the header.
*Help with tiling of the KHW background. The file can be found [http://kingdomhearts.wikia.com/wiki/File:Wiki-background here]. I need a perfect tile, say 15 x 5, no visible overlaps or gaps. I'll handle the colours and the brightness and everything else later.
*Suggestions for the layout of the boxes on the front page. Please head off to the last section of [[User:Troisnyxetienne/Mensa]].
*Suggestions for the title font, logo and search bar font, considering that my idea is to centre-align the search bar and the header (think WiKirby retweaked).

This is all I can think of now. I've realigned the artworks of Terra, Ven and Aqua so that they look EXACTLY like the BBSFM wallpaper above, but now I'll need all this for the top header to look presentable.

EDIT 21:26, 11 February 2011 (EST) : No wait, before I even go any further : '''Which layout do you prefer ? CHOOSE ONLY ONE !'''

*'''The Bulbapedia layout''' (Note : This is shared by most NIWA wikis.)
*'''The Metroid Wiki layout'''
*'''The Golden Sun Wiki layout'''
*'''WiKirby's layout'''

Personally, I'm all for WiKirby modified, but since I can't code polls in this place, I'll need your feedback here.
}}
{{SilverCrono|time=22:03, 11 February 2011 (EST)|text=Glad we're going somewhere.

*...not sure what you mean.
*That link is broken..?
*<>
*Center the search bar, but not the header.

WiKirby or Golden Sun.
}}
{{TNE|time=05:09, 12 February 2011 (EST)|text=You know back in Wikia, the page to modify the layout was MediaWiki:Monaco.css ? Now, there should be a similar page somewhere, except perhaps it's under a different title.

And as for the search bar, I change my mind : I'd have the search bar on the right of the page, and the header will take up the rest of it. Go see the Mensa, please...

Also, please re-check the link — I just corrected it. ^_^}}

{{Asif|sho=Alright,

*I agree with modifying WiKirby's layout.  It just seems like the best one, although Metroid Wiki is my second choice.

*For the Logo, We should modify the one we have now (take the original Kingdom Hearts logo, recolor it, and add the word "wiki" to it.  I don't know about fonts, though, but I think we can do better than the one you picked out.

*I '''LOVE''' your prototype header, although I think it would look better if you flipped the artwork so that it is oriented the way it is normally.

*I can't really help you with the tiled background, but if I find anything, I'll tell you.

I'm glad you're making progress, and can't wait to see what it ends up looking like!

EDIT: Your logo is actually fine.  I like it the way it is and don't think there's much to change.

Also, what do you mean by wanting one 15 x 5 square? <s> I found a square from the BBS FM logo that you could use if that's what you meant. </s>}}
{{TNE|time=14:09, 12 February 2011 (EST)|text=Well, I initially wanted it for the prototype header (because the FM wallpaper seemed to have it tiled at the back), but I realised that less is more.}}

==Action plan==
{{TNE|time=07:00, 16 February 2011 (EST)|attntext=Okay, now that the images are done on my part, I need....

*a list of other things I can do on my part — divs, Common.css, whatnot.
*someone to call Erry on the IRC ! Not ErryK, just Erry — she's agreed to help us with the CSS.}}
{{SilverCrono|time=23:31, 19 February 2011 (EST)|text=<s>I've tried to compile a checklist of what is necessary.

;Needed
*[http://roundedblue-mediawiki-skin.googlecode.com/files/coolveti.zip Coolvetica font], if wanted for the.. well, fonts.
*[http://roundedblue-mediawiki-skin.googlecode.com/files/roundedblue.zip Files of the skin], for implementation.

;Steps
#Upload the following folders and files into the MediaWiki skins directory: the roundedblue folder, <code><nowiki>roundedblue.php</nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki>roundedblue.deps.php</nowiki></code> (Keep in mind that the path to the stylesheet is relative. It is <code>skins/roundedblue/main.css</code>.)
#If the stylesheet is not being applied when you select this skin in your preferences, then change the main.css stylesheet path to fit the directory structure in your own MediaWiki installation.

;Other Stuff
*The easiest way to customize the skin might be to leave the CSS/HTML/PHP intact (except for the background) and just change the pictures. The [http://www.itcouldbethisone.com/Rounded-PSD-blue-edition.zip psd-files] of the WordPress theme this MediaWiki theme is based on, might be helpful.
----
That's all I've got from [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Gallery_of_user_styles#Rounded_Blue_Edition this]. If anybody has better instructions (I barely understand them) or if you can go ahead and start doing this, TNE, that would be awesome.</s>
----
'''EDIT 00:38, 20 February 2011 (EST):''' Alright, Porple has the skin up. After tweaking it and adding the things TNE made, this should be ready to go soon. I'd say we're about 75 or 50% done.

'''EDIT 02:49, 20 February 2011 (EST):''' I've worked on it for almost two hours, and [[User:SilverCrono/roundedblue.css|This is all I've got]] - please, copy and paste this into <code><nowiki>User:<yourusernamehere>/roundedblue.css</nowiki></code>, hit Preview, and tell me what you think. If you could fix it to what we want, that would be amazingly awesome.
}}
{{TNE|time=05:41, 20 February 2011 (EST)|happytext=To respond to DTN's request on going back to a full-series theme, I've got a few options :

*Sora/Riku/Kairi, keep the skin blue ('''Kingdom Hearts/Kingdom Hearts II''').
*Sora/Donald/Goofy, keep the skin green ('''Kingdom Hearts/Chain of Memories''').

These are the trios that appear sort of throughout the series, so which would be preferred ? Sora/Donald/Goofy or Sora/Riku/Kairi ? The logo stays, though.

EDIT 05:50, 20 February 2011 (EST) : Question ! Is it possible to change the ''colours'' of the roundedblue skin itself ? I tested the roundedblue skin after saving preferences and refreshing the code from my side, and there were a few things I noticed :

*The header was flipped. I'm aware you switched it back, but it still looked flipped to me.
*The logo was not at the centre, and is there any way to centre the logo ?
**Alternatively, we ''could'' have the logo at the left, and then move the theme a little bit to fit the screen, but I admit it'd look a little strange. I'd rather the logo be centred.
*The colours were light blue against dark blue, and these are the things I want to change — once we switch to a KH all-series theme, we can't have colour clashes again. Like for the BBS theme, I could, say, change all the light blue to the BG colour so that it wouldn't be too obvious...

Any way how we can go around this ?}}
{{SilverCrono|time=09:51, 20 February 2011 (EST)|text=I already noticed a few of these changes, and so did all of the people I asked to test the skin on the IRC. In act, I put it at the bottom of [[User:Troisnyxetienne/Mensa|this page]], so... yeah.

*Changing the colors of the skin ''is'' possible; in fact, I changed the colors to match the logos. However, I cannot figure out for the life of me how to change the colors of the sidebars.
*Yeah, I asked LegoAlchemist to flip it. The way the header was before, TNE, had Terra clashing with the logo. Three people complained about it, so Lego made a mirror image. 
*This too was a heavily desired complaint. Sadly, because Rounded Blue isn't a Wikia official skin, they don't have instructions for it; I asked the WiKirby guy who made the skin to assist, but so far he hasn't gotten back to me. I don't know how to change it.
*As I said above, I don't know how to change the sidebars.

This wouldn't be so hard to code if one of the NEIWA wikis had a page with their code edits, but somehow, they don't... I'm sorry.

'''EDIT 11:51, 20 February 2011 (EST):''' Along with [[User:Erryk|erry]] (not to be confused with our other Erry >.>), I've edited the skin. The sidebars now match the background, they are round, and the background has a nice, pretty light blue color. Once we edit the search bar, this might be finished, unless you guys want to add a universal theme with different colors, at which point I would kill myself. But anyway, yeah, about 85% done now. Oh, and we've fixed the links; they look like they did in Monobook.
}}
===Votes : Sora/Riku/Kairi v Sora/Donald/Goofy===
{{Mechajin|time=06:17, 20 February 2011 (EST)|text=I Prefer Sora/Riku/Kairi, seeing as in my eyes they are more important to the series. whereas Donald and Goofy are more for comic relief. (Although, having a Mickey,Donald,Goofy theme or something similar for April fools could be a good idea.}}
{{TNE|time=06:21, 20 February 2011 (EST)|text=Thus far, two people on the IRC (17master and Pea) have voted for Sora/Riku/Kairi.

I'm casting my vote for Sora/Donald/Goofy, because the three are party members, and party members don't necessarily give comic relief. Sora/Riku/Kairi is less seen than Sora/Donald/Goofy anyway.

Which makes it '''S/R/K 3 — S/D/G 1'''.

EDIT 06:24, 20 February 2011 (EST) : Erry also votes for S/D/G, which makes it '''S/R/K 3 — S/D/G 2'''.}}
{{Mechajin|Time=06:53, 20 February 2011 (EST)|text=I've just tried on the roundedblue skin, and i think it looks really good! far better than the dingy gray of the default skin!
EDIT: I think the Search bar needs moving a bit, it doesn't look right where it is right now in my opinion.}}
{{TNE|time=07:01, 20 February 2011 (EST)|sadtext=I still think it needs a lot of improvement — yes, it's better than what we usually see, but the colours need a lot of changing, and there are some things which I'm willing to tweak but I'm not sure how to.}}
{{SC|time=09:51, 20 February 2011 (EST)|armor=Yeah, it still needs a lot of work. I'm sorry I couldn't do 100%, guys...

But... Yeah, Sora/Riku/Kairi.}}

{{Asif|sho=Two things:
#I think the layout is great, although would it be possible to change the fonts of the headers?  I'm not sure I like the one it's set to.
#I cast my vote for Sora/Riku/Kairi.

EDIT 11:59, 20 February 2011 (EST): Just to make sure I'm seeing the right skin, it is light blue with flowers and the normal logo on the side, right?}}

{{17m|text= As If!: you can change the background. Copy the codes from [[User:SilverCrono/roundedblue.css|here]] and pasta it [[User:As if!/roundedblue.css|here]] (yes, create the page), change your skin to roundedblue, clear the cache, and voila.}}
{{Dan da Man36|time=13:09, 20 February 2011 (EST)|happy=The new skin is awesome! Nice job, guys. =) I vote for SorDonGoof, just beacuse. =)

EDIT 13:36, 20 February 2011 (EST) : Actually, the logo could do with being a bit bigger, and is it just me, or is the magnifying glass by the search bar a little square around the edges?}}
:I agree with the logo, but we can't make it bigger or else it won't fit with Monobook and Vector. We can't make things bad for the other users, that would be just like Oasis. --{{SilverCrono/Sig}} 13:45, 20 February 2011 (EST)
::Aah, I see. {{User:Dan da Man36/Sig}} 13:48, 20 February 2011 (EST)
:::{{Asif|shoevil=Speaking of the logo, can you replace it with TNX's version?

And also, the logo disappears every time I put my cursor over it?  Is that some kind of glitch?  Every image that links to a page acts similarly whenever I hover my cursor over it.}}
{{SilverCrono|time=17:08, 20 February 2011 (EST)|text=The logo can't be replaced unless an admin uploads it over [[:File:Wiki.png]], because only admins can do that. I wouldn't recommend it, though, because we don't know if it'll work in Vector and Monobook yet.

And about the flashing logo, we fix'd that; I would recommend clearing your cache. (Hold!Ctrl+F5 or hold!Shift+Reload on Firefox). About the image, I'm not sure what to do about that.}}
{{TNE|time=04:03, 21 February 2011 (EST)|blahtext=Okay, the problems I've noticed and the things which are okay :

#The text pages are light blue. PLEASE MAKE THEM WHITE AGAIN ! Not all the images are transparent ! >_>
#Are we not gonna switch the logo ? Is everyone okay with it first of all ?
#The borders are much better now, only that I recommend keeping the border colour IDENTICAL to the background colour, and keeping the boxes rounded. It's called Rounded Blue for a reason ; please keep it that way.
#Please pass me the code for the skin — I'll see what I can tweak over the next few days.
#Since a number of people chose Sora/Riku/Kairi, we ''are'' going with the Sora/Riku/Kairi theme, are we not ?

EDIT 04:05, 21 February 2011 (EST) : Scrap the borders being identical to the BG, they're fine as they are. But keep the boxes rounded and the pages white instead of blue, please !

EDIT 04:06, 21 February 2011 (EST) : Also, is there a way to tweak MediaWiki:Sitenotice so that it won't be a big white box above the screen ? It looks rather unsightly, I admit.}}