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All the modern things
I use Textpattern for my blog: brianna.modernthings.org
I used it for one (or two?) sites before this one but this one certainly has the most thought and effort in it, in terms of structure and design. It has kinda army-like colours. It’s quite heavily text-based, and I deliberately used a fluid-width design because I use a widescreen monitor and I hate all the wasted space from designs that are fixed at 600px wide. :)
There are three chunks in each page, from left to right: “content”, “news” and “nav” (navigation). The “nav” stays the same and gives links to the different textpattern sections. The “news” varies from section to section but within a single section it stays the same. And the “content” naturally changes from page to page. So from L->R there is most change -> most constant.
By building this site I now understand much better how the various elements of txp fit together, ie sections, pages and forms. It is really a joy when I figure out which one thing I need to change and it is instantly updated all over my site.
plugins:
- rsx_plugins_table
- zem_contact_reborn
- zem_contact_lang
- rss_admin_db_manager (great for backing up but TBH I think I stopped using it :))
- tru_tags
- rss_admin_show_adv_opts
- txp_icio_us
- hak_article_image (I don’t think I even use this??)
- rss_suparchive
- ajw_comments_feed
- ajw_comment_alt
- ajw_comment_num
I love tagging (tru_tags), and I recently improved my comments presentation and now I am very happy with it too.
(ETA:) I looked at textpattern plugins for event/calendar handling, but everything seemed too detailed, so I ended up using a Google Calendar + Feedburner and embedding those things.
I find the image handling awkward, and I really wish there was support for Trackback. Apart from those two issues, Textpattern remains my secret love. All comments and constructive criticism welcome. :)
cheers,
Brianna
Last edited by pfctdayelise (2008-01-02 11:49:30)
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Re: All the modern things
I like it in it’s simplicity. Too many people try to create a webpage that just looks cool without the right tools and knowledge.
The only two objections are:
- The background image. I have never been fond of patterns as a body bg image and I never will be. Just looks cluttered. Atleast in that small size.
- Add some line-height to the text for better readability. Read up on this ALA article.
My $.02
Plugins: ob1_advanced_search 1.032b, ob1_search_score 1.0, ob1_pagination 2.5, ob1_title 4.1, ob1_modified 2.1
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
— Sun Tzu
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Re: All the modern things
I’ll give you my first impressions for what they are worth. Busy! I think this feeling is caused mostly by the pattern background which is very distracting. Also the 3 different coloured columns might be better with two colours and use the third for the background and main title. I’d make line-height bigger on left column too.
Edit: If you change line-height in one column, the other columns go out of line. This article (and the next one 2.2) on vertical motion are excellent imho.
My 2p
Last edited by zero (2008-01-02 16:23:47)
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