I would like to request a rethink of the way the Main Menu works. It would be more than great if a developer could add custom links to the Main Menu while still allowing for the dynamic module links.

Content Structure is Critical to Good Usability

By now it should be no secret that structuring content in a way that makes sense to the end user is vital to the success of a web site.

It seems that in the case of XOOPS, it is assumed that the structure of content should directly correlate to the modules installed. In other words: the functionality of a module is treated as a category of content in the Main Menu.

Such a correlation is often appropriate, such as in the case of a forum or downloads, but in other cases it doesn't work at all.

For example, static information should usually be broken into appropriate categories so that users looking for a information about a particular subject can immediately narrow in on it. I know that many news and content modules do break information down by category, but there is no easy way to add a link to a specific category page or document directly to the Main Menu, except as a sub-menu.

I know that alternatively there are custom menu modules, but every menu item must be manually created - even menu links to modules. If I design a site for a client using a custom menu module and not the Main Menu, and the site doesn't have a forum installed but then the client decides to install it, that forum won't show up in the menu by default.

A Main Menu that can have custom links added would solve these issues.

Thanks!

I am new to the XOOPS Community, but it is clear that Catz has made a huge impact with the WF brand, especially with WF-Sections.

I had already decided to use the almost-released version 2 for my first XOOPS site because it is the only module I've seen that will even come close to doing what I want. Thank you Catz for your work.

Anyway, the only good reason to ask why is in the effort to influence him to change his mind. Otherwise, we should respect his wishes and wish him luck.

That said, please reconsider Catz.

Alrighty then!

Mithrandir's suggestion to use an if statement in the theme.html file to apply a different CSS definition to a particular block based upon that block's title worked like a charm!

I wouldn't have known how to write the if statement in Smarty code without the example. I guess I'm going to need to learn Smarty next.

Anyway, my thanks to all!
Fritz

I fixed the problem by editing the template "system_block_online.html". For some reason, two returns were inserted into the middle of a variable. Removing them solved the problem, and I'm able to select the cloned set as the default set now.

OK, I deleted the set, then made a new clone of the default set.

But, I'm still getting the same error message when I try to choose the cloned set in the preferences.

What now?

Excellent.

Again, my thanks!
Fritz

Thanks very much for your help.

Now if I can get my problem solved with cloning a template set (a different thread) I'll play around and let you know how it goes, or come back for help.

Again, thanks.
Fritz

First, thank you very much for your time, Mithrandir!

Ooooh, now it's making a little more sense.

But, if we make a change to a template via the Template Set Manager, that change appears to only be reflected in the source code stored in the database and NOT in the physical file in the templates_c folder.

So if newer source code exists in the database, does an existing template file in the templates_c folder get re-compiled when a request for made that involves that template?

Humbly,
Fritz

I haven't modified any templates yet. In fact, this is a brand new installation. I haven't done anything but duplicate the template set.

tjnemez,

Quote:

I know I can control the general appearance of the blocks, such as border, title, background, font, etc., using the CSS, but from what I can tell so far these changes apply to all blocks within a column - change one, change them all.

I am assuming that if I can figure out how to apply a different style sheet to the appearance of a particular module's block that I can make the block appear differently from the rest of the blocks in that column.

Am I on the right track, or way off base?