Forum update to phpBB 3.2

[Oktokolo]

I really dislike the design change introduced with today's update to the forum. Looks way too washed out now. There was much more contrast before that change.

[brunzenstein]

I like it - a lot.
Ist way faster and nicer to look at

[Tekky]

My first impression of the new forum software also was not good.

However, I had the same impression when I saw the new Factorio version 0.15 graphics UI. But now that I am used to the new Factorio graphics, I now find the old graphics ugly.

I guess I do not appreciate change in the short term, but only in the long term. However, that is just me.

[eradicator]

So can someone please tell me how to get the old skin back? I checked the control panel and can't find the option to change the skin anymore (what about people who used the bright skin before?). And i really hate the new so called "quick links" menu, which hides the options i most commonly used before behind a pointless menu with an annoyingly tiny font :|. Oh, and the most buttons now use a custom font which means they display garbage if one uses the browsers font override to get a proper font instead of the default one >_>. *sigh* The padding after the last sentence of a post is also too small (zero?).

But more to the point: What's the point of changing the skin? Is it one of those "changed for the purpose of chaning" things? To stay "modern"? Because that's about the most annoying type of software change i know as far as i'm concerned.

[fishycat]

I love the changes. Everything looks more clean and in place.

Were the little icons there before in the overview, like for polls? I don't remember, but now they are easier to spot and maybe next time I get to vote, too (py...).


p.s. the most users online counter got reset!?

[Mr. Tact]

So, what was the need which necessitated this change?

[RocketManChronicles]

This skin update is nice and fresh, I like it. Only gripe I have is there is no "View Your Posts" link where I can quickly view the threads I was posting in.

[DaveMcW]

Change board style here: ucp.php?i=180

Prosilver also looks different, I think they did a forum upgrade that broke everything and required skins to be remade.

[Sanqui]

We have updated from phpBB 3.0 to 3.2 which is a bigger jump than it sounds. The old version was no longer supported and is incompatible with future modifications. There have been changes in the theme, mainly to make it responsive (try it on your phone!).

You can switch to the default, light theme (prosilver) in your profile if you'd like now.

If you have any specific gripes about the new theme I can try to accommodate you.

[Loewchen]

If you have any specific gripes about the new theme I can try to accommodate you.

• the search does not find any results
• the topic/subforum symbols indicating that it contains unread comments (orange) and that I commented in it (the star) could use more contrast, the orange could be darker and the star red for example, I understand you don't want to break the colour theme but this is a real usability problem for me
• the "www.factorio.com" in the top left needs to be a link again

I like it overall, but the search problems are a nightmare especially.

[Oktokolo]

Okay, i pull back my dislike. I am actually okay with it now as i tuned it to my liking with some user CSS that i use with the Stylus extension:

Code: Select all

/*============================================================================*/
/* Disable hover/activation/focus effects (except message and topic icons): */

a:hover, a:focus, a:active {
    text-decoration: none !important;
    outline: none !important;
}
h2 a, h3 a, .jumpbox-return a {
    color: #FF9F1C !important;    
}
.postprofile a, .postprofile a:hover {
    color: #FF7E00;
}
#nav-footer a {
    color: #222222 !important;    
}
.caret {
    border-color: #C7C3BF !important;    
}
.inputbox {
    background: #262626 !important;
}
.button * {
    color: inherit !important;
}
.pagination li > a > * {
    background: transparent !important;
}
ul.topiclist li {
    color: #CCCCCC !important;
}
ul.topiclist i {
    color: inherit !important;
}
ul.topiclist li.row {
    box-shadow: inset 0px 0px 6px 1px rgba(134,36,2,0.15) !important;
}
ul.topiclist li.row:hover a,
ul.topiclist li.row:hover a.username {
    color: #FF9F1C;
    font-weight: normal;
}
ul.topiclist li.row:hover a.topictitle,
ul.topiclist li.row:hover a.forumtitle,
ul.topiclist li.row:hover a.lastsubject,
ul.topiclist li.row:hover a.username-coloured,
ul.topiclist li.row:hover .pagination a {
    font-weight: bold;
}
.tab > a, .navigation a {
    color: inherit !important;
}

/*============================================================================*/
/* Clean up meassage & topic icons and remove their hover effects: */

.global_read, .global_read_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/announce_unread.png") !important; }
.global_read_locked, .global_read_locked_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/announce_unread_locked.png") !important; }
.global_unread, .global_unread_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/announce_read.png") !important; }
.global_unread_locked, .global_unread_locked_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/announce_read_locked.png") !important; }
.announce_read, .announce_read_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/announce_unread.png") !important; }
.announce_read_locked, .announce_read_locked_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/announce_unread_locked.png") !important; }
.announce_unread, .announce_unread_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/announce_read.png") !important; }
.announce_unread_locked, .announce_unread_locked_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/announce_read_locked.png") !important; }
.forum_link { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/forum_link.png") !important; }
.forum_read	{ background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/forum_unread.png") !important; }
.forum_read_locked { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/forum_unread_locked.png") !important; }
.forum_read_subforum { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/forum_unread_subforum.png") !important; }
.forum_unread { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/forum_read.png") !important; }
.forum_unread_locked { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/forum_read_locked.png") !important; }
.forum_unread_subforum { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/forum_read_subforum.png") !important; }
.sticky_read, .sticky_read_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/sticky_unread.png") !important; }
.sticky_read_locked, .sticky_read_locked_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/sticky_unread_locked.png") !important; }
.sticky_unread, .sticky_unread_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/sticky_read.png") !important; }
.sticky_unread_locked, .sticky_unread_locked_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/sticky_read_locked.png") !important; }
.topic_moved { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/topic_moved.png") !important; }
.pm_read, .topic_read, .topic_read_mine, .topic_read_hot, .topic_read_hot_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/topic_unread.png") !important; }
.topic_read_locked, .topic_read_locked_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/topic_unread_locked.png") !important; }
.pm_unread, .topic_unread, .topic_unread_mine, .topic_unread_hot, .topic_unread_hot_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/topic_read.png") !important; }
.topic_unread_locked, .topic_unread_locked_mine { background-image: url("https://forums.factorio.com/styles/factorio32/theme/images/topic_read_locked.png") !important; }

/*============================================================================*/
/* Color scheme changes: */

/*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Backgrounds: */

body {
    background-color: #181410 !important;
}

/* Boxes around content lists, inactive tabs, input & list fields: */
.headerbar, .forabg, .forumbg, .topiclist,
input, select {
    background: #262626 !important;
}
/* Content, active tabs, buttons, dropdown menus: */
.bg1, .bg2, .bg3, .panel, .cp-mini, .row, table.zebra-list > * > tr > td,
.rules,
.tab > *, .navigation a,
.button, .dropdown-contents,
input[type=button], input[type=submit], input[type=reset] {
    background: #383838 !important;
}
.dropdown .pointer-inner {
    border-color: #383838 transparent !important;
}
ul.topiclist li.row, .post, .rules {
    box-shadow: inset 0 0 15px 0px rgba(42, 16, 0, .5) !important;
}

/* Active / pressed tabs and buttons: */
.pagination li.active span,
.activetab > *, .navigation .active-subsection a {
    background: #FF9F1C !important;
}

/* Nested quote blocks: */
blockquote {
    background: #909090 !important;
    box-shadow: 0 0 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, .5) inset !important;
}
blockquote blockquote {
    background: rgba(255,255,255,0.15) !important;
}

/*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Borders: */

/* boxes around forum and topic lists: */
.forabg, .forumbg {
    border-color: #666666 #000000 #000000 #666666 !important;
    border-radius: 0.5rem !important;
    border-style: solid !important;
    border-width: 1px !important;
    padding: 2px 5px 4px 5px !important;
}

/* tabs and buttons: */
.tab > *, .navigation a, .pagination li.active span,
.rules,
.button, .dropdown-contents,
input[type=button], input[type=submit], input[type=reset] {
    border-color: #666666 #000000 #000000 #666666 !important;
    border-radius: 0.22rem !important;
    border-style: solid !important;
    border-width: 1px !important;
}
.dropdown .pointer {
    border-color: #666666 transparent !important;
}
.button-search {
    border-radius: 0.1rem !important;
}
.button-search-end {
    border-radius: 0.1rem 0.22rem 0.22rem 0.1rem !important;
}
.tab > * {
    border-style: solid solid none solid !important;
    border-radius: 0.22rem 0.22rem 0 0 !important;
}

/* Active/pressed buttons: */
.pagination li.active span {
    border-color: #FF9F1C #000000 #000000 #FF9F1C !important;
}

/*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Text: */

* {
    text-shadow: none !important;
}

body, .cp-mini *, .rules {
    color: #cccccc !important;
}

/* Buttons: */
.pagination li.ellipsis span,
.button, .dropdown-contents,
input[type=button], input[type=submit], input[type=reset], option {
    color: #cccccc !important;
}

.activetab > a, .navigation .active-subsection a {
    color: #000000 !important;
}

/* posts and quotes: */
.content, td, th {
    color: #eeeeee !important;
}
blockquote a {
    color: #5b2100 !important;
}
.codebox code {
    color: #000000 !important;
}

/* Read notifications */
a.notification-block {
    opacity: 0.5 !important;
}
li.bg2 a.notification-block {
    opacity: 1.0 !important;
}

/*============================================================================*/
/* Miscellaneous layout changes: */

/* Fix width of header navigation for wide windows: */
.navbarcontainer {
    display: block;
    width: auto !important;
}

/* Optimize layout of topic lists: */
.topics dd.lastpost {
    line-height: 2.2em !important;
    font-size: 1.2em !important;
}
.topics dd.lastpost * {
    float: none !important;
    margin: 0 !important;
    vertical-align: baseline !important;
}
.topics dd.lastpost a {
}
.topics dd.lastpost span {
}
.topics dd.lastpost br {
    display: none !important;
}

/* Smaller buttons: */
.button, .button *, .pagination * {
    font-size: 0.75rem !important;
    line-height: 1rem !important;
}
.button {
    padding: 0 0.5rem !important;
}
.button.dropdown-trigger {
    padding: 0 0.2rem 0 0.5rem !important;
}
.caret {
    right: -0.3rem !important;
}
.search-box .inputbox {
    padding: 0 0.1rem 0 0.35rem !important;
    height: 1.1rem !important;
    font-size: 0.75rem !important;
    line-height: 1rem !important;
}
.button-search, .button-search-end {
    padding: 0 0.3rem !important;
}
.search-header .button-search, .search-header .button-search-end {
    padding: 1px 0.3rem !important;
}
.pagination li > * {
    padding: 0 0.2rem !important;
}
.pagination i {
    width: auto !important;
}
.post-buttons .button {
    padding: 0 0.25rem !important;
    height: 0.9rem !important;
    line-height: 0.75rem !important;
}
.post-buttons .button * {
    display: inline !important;
    font-size: 0.5rem !important;
    line-height: 0.75rem !important;
}

/* Remove space below unselected tabs: */
.tabs .activetab > a {
    padding-bottom: 6px !important;
}

/* Always expand topic review when creating new post: */
.topicreview {
    height: auto !important;
}
#review a {
    display: none !important;
}
#review {
    border: none !important;
}

/*============================================================================*/
/* Post list layout changes: */

/* Fix post button right alignement: */
.post-buttons li {
    margin: 0 0 0 3px !important;
}

/* Change quote button from icon to text: */
.post-buttons .button[title="Reply with quote"] i {
    display: none !important;
}
.post-buttons .button[title="Reply with quote"] span {
    position: static !important;
}

/* More eye-friendly and efficient space usage for posts: */
.post {
    padding: 0.2rem 0.5rem 0 !important;
}
.content {
    padding: 0 !important;
    margin: 0 0 0.35rem !important;
    min-height: 1em !important;
}
.signature {
    margin-bottom: 0.25rem !important;
}
.content ul, .content ol {
    margin-left: 1.1em !important;
}
.content li {
    margin: 1ex 0 !important;
}
blockquote {
    margin: 0.5rem 0 !important;
    padding: 0.2rem 0.6rem !important;
}
blockquote cite::before, blockquote.uncited::before {
    display: none !important;
}
blockquote cite a[data-post-id] {
    font-size: 0.9rem !important;
}
.codebox {
    padding: 0 !important;
}
.codebox p {
    padding: 0.5ex 1ex !important;
}
.codebox code {
    padding: 0.5ex 1ex !important;
}
.postbody .notice {
    margin: 1ex 0 !important;
}
.postprofile {
    margin: 0.25rem 0 !important;
    min-height: 1rem !important;
}

/* Less obtrusive contact dropdown in profile sidebar: */
.profile-contact i {
    font-size: 1em !important;
}

/* No vertical line between post and profile sidebar: */
.postprofile {
    border: none !important;
}
.postprofile > * {
    margin-left: 0 !important;
}

/* Limit avatar size: */
.postprofile .avatar img {
    max-width: 3rem !important;
    max-height: 3rem !important;
}

/* Less obtrusive signatures (also overrides their custom styling): */
.signature:not(.standalone) {
    max-height: 3.4rem !important;
    overflow: hidden !important;
}
.signature:not(.standalone), .signature:not(.standalone) * {
    color: #AAAAAA !important;
    font-size: inherit !important;
    font-weight: normal !important;
    text-decoration: none !important;
}
.signature:not(.standalone) * {
    margin: 0 !important;
    padding: 0 !important;
}
.signature:not(.standalone) a, .signature:not(.standalone) a * {
    color: #c57800 !important;
}
.signature:not(.standalone) img {
    opacity: 0.7 !important;
    max-height: 2rem;
}
.signature:not(.standalone) blockquote {
    border: none !important;
    background: transparent !important;
    box-shadow: none !important;
}
.signature:not(.standalone) blockquote blockquote {
    background: rgba(255,255,255,0.05) !important;
}

/*============================================================================*/
/* Main menu bar: */

#nav-main > li:not([class]) { /* Stuff duplicating quick links */
    display: none !important;
}
#nav-main > #username_logged_in { /* User dropdown menu */
    margin: 0 !important;
}
#nav-main > #username_logged_in img {
    max-height: 1rem !important;
}
#username_logged_in span::after {
    padding-top: 0 !important;
}
#nav-main > li {
    margin: 0 0.4rem 0 0 !important;
    line-height: 1rem !important;
    font-size: 0.7rem !important;
}
#nav-main i {
    font-size: 0.6rem !important;
}

/*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Expand quick links menu: */

#quick-links * {
    position: static !important;
    display: inline-block !important;
    margin: 0 !important;
    box-shadow: none !important;
    border: none !important;
    border-radius: 0 !important;
    background: transparent !important;
    padding: 0 !important;
    color: inherit !important;
}
#quick-links .dropdown-trigger, #quick-links .pointer, #quick-links li.separator {
    display: none !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=egosearch] { /* Your posts */
    width: 3.3em !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=egosearch] span {
    position: absolute !important;
    visibility: hidden !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=egosearch] span::before {
    visibility: visible !important;
    display: inline-block !important;
    content: "Own" !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=newposts] { /* New posts */
    width: 3.3em !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=newposts] span {
    position: absolute !important;
    visibility: hidden !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=newposts] span::before {
    visibility: visible !important;
    display: inline-block !important;
    content: "New" !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=unreadposts] { /* Unread posts */
    width: 4.8em !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=unreadposts] span {
    position: absolute !important;
    visibility: hidden !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=unreadposts] span::before {
    visibility: visible !important;
    display: inline-block !important;
    content: "Unread" !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=unanswered] { /* Unanswered topics */
    width: 6.9em !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=unanswered] span {
    position: absolute !important;
    visibility: hidden !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=unanswered] span::before {
    visibility: visible !important;
    display: inline-block !important;
    content: "Unanswered" !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=active_topics] { /* Active topics */
    width: 4.3em !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=active_topics] span {
    position: absolute !important;
    visibility: hidden !important;
}
#quick-links a[href*=active_topics] span::before {
    visibility: visible !important;
    display: inline-block !important;
    content: "Active" !important;
}
#quick-links a[href="./search.php"] { /* search */
    display: none !important;
}

/*============================================================================*/
/* Removal of unneeded stuff */

/* Hide redundant part of the header: */
#page-header .navbarcontainer {
    margin: 0 !important;
}
.sitetitle {
    display: none !important;
}

/* Hide author "rank": */
.postprofile .profile-rank {
    display: none !important;
}

/* Hide the "top" links - use home key instead: */
a.top {
    display: none !important;
}

/* Hide the advanced search link top of search results: */
.advanced-search-link {
    display: none !important;
}

/* Hide the return to forum and jup to links at list page bottom: */
.actions-jump {
    display: none !important;
}

/* Hide list of online users: */
.online-list {
    display: none !important;
}

/* Hide list of current birthdays: */
.birthday-list {
    display: none !important;
}

/* Do not remove copyright notice, but make the embedded link more subtle: */
.copyright a {
    color: inherit !important;
    font-weight: bold !important;
}

My changes do not turn back the design update but disable the hover effects, increase contrast a bit and change some other minor things to make reading posts a pleasure again.

This is how the forum looks for me now:

css-mod.png (163.17 KiB) Viewed 16821 times

I will keep updating this post as i tweak more stuff...

Edits:
- Now also toning down signatures, post buttons and the contact dropdown in profile sidebars.
- Quick links always visible and removed redundant heading (so the header now shows more stuff and is smaller).
- Removed more hover effects and animations. Switched icons for unread and read stuff. Now using same icons for own and other peoples stuff. Darkened background of forum and topic lists.
- Removed more stuff like redundant back to forum link and user / birthday lists. Also changed the quote button from icon to text and removed the line break in last posts column of most topic lists.
- Added size limits for avatar and signature images. More comments and better code structure to improve maintainability - also makes it more easy to remove stuff you don't want.
- Reorganized the color scheme changes. Improved style coverage so that less stuff looks odd. Adapted to minor forum style changes. Now cuts signatures off after three and a half lines (click on profile link to see the complete prose).
- Removed text-shadow from special users' names. Removed underlining of active links.
- Made links in signatures a bit darker. Fixed text color of list box options.
- Made blockquotes in signatures stand out much less.
- 2018-09-30: Collected minor stuff.

[steinio]

We have updated from phpBB 3.0 to 3.2 which is a bigger jump than it sounds. The old version was no longer supported and is incompatible with future modifications. There have been changes in the theme, mainly to make it responsive (try it on your phone!).

Finally.
Kisses.

[disentius]

Hiding my online status doesn't work after the upgrade
Windows7/64
Firefox62/64

[Deadlock989]

I just spent two hours rocking back and forth in the corner of the shower muttering "change, change, don't like it"

Nah just kidding - it's fine. Mobile vastly improved

[bobingabout]

I absolutely hate the new forum update for one main reason.

It doesn't fill the width of my ultra wide screen.
Please fix.

[eradicator]

If you have any specific gripes about the new theme I can try to accommodate you.

Annoyances:

• Important buttons are hidden in a submenu. Most annoying: "My Posts" and "Logout".
• The quick links submenu has a too small font (and a really miserable background contrast with my custom "clicked-links" color, orange was way better).
• There is no padding at the end of the box of a post (see picture).
• The forum now uses unicode private use codepoints for all icons, meaning it doesn't work with my preferred font and everything is an ugly codepoint-square (also on pictures).
• The color switching of input boxes, especially the large post-edit box is headeach inducing. It also means that the felt activation-response-time for any of those boxes is raised from 0 like it was before to however long the animation takes.
• The link-button to the last post of a topic (search results + my posts) is now behind the nickname instead of infront of it, making its position non-constant and thus more difficult to click. (picture below)
• The contrast feels generally less readable, but without a direct comparison i can't really say why. Maybe the orange fonts are brighter now?
• The post-edit box resizes automatically after a certain size (unexpected behavior, i'd prefer a fixed size, but i already write long posts like this in notepad anyway, so who cares for my opinion...).
• The "go to quoted post" up-arrow in quotes is too small.

Bugs:

• If i press "preview" on my post with two attachments uploaded, then one of the attachments is removed.

Overall expecially the private use icons made the forum extremely annoying to use. Guess it's time for me to go somewhere else :/.

[bobingabout]

I absolutely hate the new forum update for one main reason.

It doesn't fill the width of my ultra wide screen.
Please fix.

Before: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rl1w8bf3ihl9o ... 6.png?dl=0
This is a good use of screen real estate, I'm not going to complain about any of the actual content in this view, but, it fills the screen.

After: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z0hsiwvriwhvm ... 3.png?dl=0
The content is restricted to less than half the width of my screen, which in itself is terrible. The screen width thing is a huge issue when you're looking at long posts on a topic page, as it means you can fit less posts on a screen due to the increased number of line breaks.

[Deadlock989]

Jesus Christ.

[Mr. Tact]

Have to agree this is annoying and I would appreciate a fix.

I absolutely hate the new forum update for one main reason.

It doesn't fill the width of my ultra wide screen.
Please fix.

[orzelek]

I think that main drawback of new forum look is that it's overall lighter then previous one and it lost some of contrast - especially on new post icons next to topics.
And I'm not sure if it's browser specific or not but letters are smaller then in previous one.