New site theme (please provide feedback)

After some thought, I decided to redo the site-layout. Joomla is moving away from MooTools, and recommneds using bootstrap for site-layout. The main reason is that it scales to mobile devices better, and I've repeatedly said I don't care. But I do, a little. So I took the existing design and redid it from scratch in bootstrap. I tried to keep it as similar as possible at desktop resolution, but there are small differences. I am going to switch over entirely to the new theme, but before I do, you can help to ensure it works well.
You will see a 'Template Selection on the left-bar (if you are logged in). There are 2 options:
1) devo3: the old theme
2) devo3_1: the new theme

I know that the font size selection is gone (this can usually be accomplished by the browser anyway), and the fonts are a little different, and there are minor layout changes. The changes are much bigger on mobile devices since pan/zoom should no longer be needed.

I am interested in any issues you have with the new theme at any resolution (please specify the device you are viewing on). If you see something that doesn't look right, or just want to gripe, here is the place for it.

To reiterate, the old theme will go away (as will the template-selection box) so now is your opportunity to make sure the theme works

I do not agree.
The forum list is multicolumn if you switch to landscape view, but at least usable in both views.
I barely touch the side menu in everyday usage anyway.
I tried it with Chrome mobile, and the logo is fine even when the left menu is expanded.
However it is true, that the grey side borders are useless and take up usable space...

Afterall IMO it is more usable on a mobile device then it was before...

I think that is by design.
I took a look on the default browser, and it behaves almost the same as Chrome did.
There are small glitches in both: on the left grey border there are some residue from the side menu, but it isn't a big deal.
Afterall it is still not a mobile application, but only a different rendering for mobile devices...

I agree the slide isn't pretty. I am not sure it is fixable. I could get rid of it and put it on the bottom, or have it pop-up a new menu. It really shouldn't be used that often, so the whole point was to hide it when the page gets too narrow.

I never visit the index page (I just browse 'Recent'. Honestly, I'm not even sure why we have categories other than it makes search a little easier).

I am not sure how bootstrap detects the browser info. I thought it was purely based on screen width. On my S3, in landscape mode, it looks just like it does on desktop. In portrait, the columns disappear and the text is visible. Getting rid of the border on mobile is probably a good idea though. One of the issues with 'mobile enabled' sites is that effectively they snap to one of 4 predefined layouts (see here: getbootstrap.com/2.3.2/scaffolding.html#responsive )

This is a crude hack, but see if this helps:
to force desktop mode click this link:
www.deviationtx.com/forum/index?screenMode=desktop
to go back, click this link:
www.deviationtx.com/forum/index?screenMode=none

It should be sticky for 'a while'. If it solves your needs, I'll make it into a cookie, and add a setting somewhere

IMback! wrote: Thats nice, i like it. A cookie or setting is not necessary? I could just changing my bookmark to www.deviationtx.com/forum/index?screenMode=desktop ?

I haven't set a cookie yet. It is using session variables (which is why I said it'll last 'a while'). If it seems to work well though, I will add a cookie for it too.

sbstnp wrote: I like it. I've used bootstrap on a number of projects and it is quite flexible. Currently the site doesn't look exactly great on mobile, but ok on the desktop. I guess with a bit of work the mobile version could be quite usable.

Yes the mobile side is not done yet. The slide menu really is ugly (as mentioned) and the button doesn't overlap the logo properly. I am new to bootstrap, and documentation seems to all be ver3 based (for instance I haven't found a good tutorial on how to make the slide-menu work properly with version 2 which is what Joomla uses)
While I am 'eating my own dogfood' and using the new template exclusively, I won't remove the old template until it looks ok.
At the same time, I primarily use a desktop for navigation, so I definitely want feedback on issues you run into.

I changed the css, and now:
The menu button is always at the top left and will overlap the logo
The menu is not visible in the background when it is minimized
The screen is properly clipped when the menu is expanded.

Let me know what else is broken.

If you haven't noticed, I have installed the new mobile-enabled theme as default now. There is no longer any supported method to use the old theme. I did add a new link at the very bottom of the page that will allow forcing Desktop mode even on small screens (or resetting it if you have previously set it).
If you see any issues, please let me know.

Chrome has difficulties on my Android based phone: in landscape mode the right side of the forum posts is cut while it is fine in portrait mode and in the default Android browser as well.
Can somebody verify my findings?

No, I mean this:




...while the portrait mode is fine:





(It took me a while to find a screenshot sw that actually works...)